hoosgracie's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent follow-up to the first book. Adelia is asked to solve the murder of Henry II's mistress Rosamund and prove it's not the queen. Very enjoyable.
dkrueger34's review against another edition
4.0
Love this series, fun, easy, historical, strong women.
higgbemine's review against another edition
2.0
i got my EOY email this past week that said how many books i have read: 8. i have read a paltry 8 books this year. this one makes it a whopping 9!
unfortunately it was a year of mediocrity in literature. is this my doing or just my luck? this book is no different. at least i didn't skip to only the dialogue parts in order to finish.
unfortunately it was a year of mediocrity in literature. is this my doing or just my luck? this book is no different. at least i didn't skip to only the dialogue parts in order to finish.
kateobr's review against another edition
2.0
dnf
i'm trying to like this! and maybe i'll find a way in the future but it's been two times around. there's something about openly referring to one of the characters as "the arab" that does not stick well with me, despite the time period...
the first couple chapters hook well with the concept of murder, the poison that has to kill and then.. i feel like the characters don’t mesh nearly as well as i hoped for. there’s a lot of pining and anger at people (sorry it’s adelia at rowley) that seemed to take up pages of internal dialogue compared to actual communication. like a weird “i hate you and i’m horny” situation
i'm trying to like this! and maybe i'll find a way in the future but it's been two times around. there's something about openly referring to one of the characters as "the arab" that does not stick well with me, despite the time period...
the first couple chapters hook well with the concept of murder, the poison that has to kill and then.. i feel like the characters don’t mesh nearly as well as i hoped for. there’s a lot of pining and anger at people (sorry it’s adelia at rowley) that seemed to take up pages of internal dialogue compared to actual communication. like a weird “i hate you and i’m horny” situation
hoperu's review against another edition
4.0
I have been waiting for this one to come out since I finished Mistress in the Art of Death. Finished it pretty much in one afternoon. I really like the medieval details and characterization of historical figures. I think Adelia and Brother Cadfael would get along well, if they had a chance to meet.
jackelynvb's review against another edition
4.0
Franklin writes in an engaging style that pulls you into the story. I did notice that the writing style was much less dense in this novel compared to the first in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death. I felt the first one was intellectually stimulating; this one was just fun. I will definitely go on to read the third; I want to know what happens Adelia! She's a character that is unique enough to keep you interested and human enough to relate to. Great fun.
softasapanda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sujata's review against another edition
2.0
This was not as good as the first book in the series,just wasn't invested in the mystery but still love the cast of characters. On to the 3rd book!