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aprilreads_andwanders's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
Synopsis (from Amazon): Rebellion has always been in the O’Reilly family’s blood. So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland’s infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country’s freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met.
When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years—to the height of Ireland’s brutal civil war. There she meets the alluring stranger from her dreams, who has his own secrets—and agenda. Taken out of her own time, Nora has the chance to alter the fortunes of Ireland and maybe even save the ones she loves. In this captivating and adventurous novel from Jodi McIsaac, history belongs to those with the courage to change it.>
This book is perfect for lovers of historical fiction AND an appreciation for fantasy. If you love one genre but loathe the other, you might struggle with this book. I personally really enjoyed it!
I love history, and I thoroughly enjoyed that this book centered on the conflict in Northern Ireland. This conflict is often overlooked in favor of other larger conflicts in history despite this event’s historical impact and continued relevance.
There a few things, in particular, that really just grab me when I read any story about war:
1.The impossible choices that must be made. I always internalize them as I read about them. What would I do? Sooo many times a good choice is not an option. The choices are limited between multiple terrible choices and it is just heartbreaking. It hits me at my very core every time… because it’s real. Those things happened. Real people had to make those choices. To put your head down and endure or to fight. To leave your family. To flee or to stay. To pick a side. To break the law in order to put food on the table. I just cant’ imagine.
2. The woman’s war. Women and their role in war is often overlooked or minimized. Women have played incredibly important roles in Every. Single. Conflict. Whether they are (or were) fighting, nursing/medics/doctors, spying, or keeping everything else from falling apart at home. I love to hear their stories.
3. The impact. There is no other human action that has had a more profound impact on history than war. I’m always drawn into the causes, the strategy, and the decisions…how decisions lead to actions which lead to consequences which lead to more decisions and actions and consequences until you have our history. How would things have been altered if a single decision had been made differently??
Because “Bury the Living” has political conflict, revolution, war, and time travel it has all of the things that grab me when I read about war EXCEPT it has them with the added dimension of presenting them in multiple eras….which it did very well and I loved! You have a 1990’s conflict with a teenaged Nora--angsty, angry, frustrated, and forced to make impossible adult decisions without having the life experience of an adult. Then you have modern times humanitarian Nora working in relief camps in Darfur Sudan. The familiar modern conflict that starts with violence and ends with refugees. It’s very relevant. Lastly, you have the time travel aspect and Nora winds up in 1920’s war torn Ireland. I felt McIsaac moved through the time periods seamlessly, which is difficult to do! Sometimes this can result in a stilted, jarring, underdeveloped mess, but I thought it was done well. Each setting was well developed and distinctive yet woven together effectively. I never lost my sense of place and time.
Quick and to the point verdict:
-Characters: were they complex, relatable, multi-dimensional, and layered with their own personalities = Yes.
-Setting: Was the world/Sense of place and time well developed= Yes.
-Writing: Can the author write= Yes.
-Engagement: Was I engaged? Did I care about what was happening and who it was happening to = Yes.
-Snags: It WAS a bit slow in the beginning, and this is where if a reader doesn’t have a decent appreciation for historical fiction they may struggle.
Solid start to a series, and I will definitely be reading the next one.
I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not shape or change my opinion of the book. Thank you 47North and Netgalley for the review copy!
Synopsis (from Amazon): Rebellion has always been in the O’Reilly family’s blood. So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland’s infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country’s freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met.
When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years—to the height of Ireland’s brutal civil war. There she meets the alluring stranger from her dreams, who has his own secrets—and agenda. Taken out of her own time, Nora has the chance to alter the fortunes of Ireland and maybe even save the ones she loves. In this captivating and adventurous novel from Jodi McIsaac, history belongs to those with the courage to change it.>
This book is perfect for lovers of historical fiction AND an appreciation for fantasy. If you love one genre but loathe the other, you might struggle with this book. I personally really enjoyed it!
I love history, and I thoroughly enjoyed that this book centered on the conflict in Northern Ireland. This conflict is often overlooked in favor of other larger conflicts in history despite this event’s historical impact and continued relevance.
There a few things, in particular, that really just grab me when I read any story about war:
1.The impossible choices that must be made. I always internalize them as I read about them. What would I do? Sooo many times a good choice is not an option. The choices are limited between multiple terrible choices and it is just heartbreaking. It hits me at my very core every time… because it’s real. Those things happened. Real people had to make those choices. To put your head down and endure or to fight. To leave your family. To flee or to stay. To pick a side. To break the law in order to put food on the table. I just cant’ imagine.
2. The woman’s war. Women and their role in war is often overlooked or minimized. Women have played incredibly important roles in Every. Single. Conflict. Whether they are (or were) fighting, nursing/medics/doctors, spying, or keeping everything else from falling apart at home. I love to hear their stories.
3. The impact. There is no other human action that has had a more profound impact on history than war. I’m always drawn into the causes, the strategy, and the decisions…how decisions lead to actions which lead to consequences which lead to more decisions and actions and consequences until you have our history. How would things have been altered if a single decision had been made differently??
Because “Bury the Living” has political conflict, revolution, war, and time travel it has all of the things that grab me when I read about war EXCEPT it has them with the added dimension of presenting them in multiple eras….which it did very well and I loved! You have a 1990’s conflict with a teenaged Nora--angsty, angry, frustrated, and forced to make impossible adult decisions without having the life experience of an adult. Then you have modern times humanitarian Nora working in relief camps in Darfur Sudan. The familiar modern conflict that starts with violence and ends with refugees. It’s very relevant. Lastly, you have the time travel aspect and Nora winds up in 1920’s war torn Ireland. I felt McIsaac moved through the time periods seamlessly, which is difficult to do! Sometimes this can result in a stilted, jarring, underdeveloped mess, but I thought it was done well. Each setting was well developed and distinctive yet woven together effectively. I never lost my sense of place and time.
Quick and to the point verdict:
-Characters: were they complex, relatable, multi-dimensional, and layered with their own personalities = Yes.
-Setting: Was the world/Sense of place and time well developed= Yes.
-Writing: Can the author write= Yes.
-Engagement: Was I engaged? Did I care about what was happening and who it was happening to = Yes.
-Snags: It WAS a bit slow in the beginning, and this is where if a reader doesn’t have a decent appreciation for historical fiction they may struggle.
Solid start to a series, and I will definitely be reading the next one.
I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not shape or change my opinion of the book. Thank you 47North and Netgalley for the review copy!
ceena's review against another edition
*I received this book through netgalley, but all ideas and opinions are my own*
DNF @ 44%
Alright, I really tried AND I was actually excited for this book. But the pacing is so slow... like 40% in and she finally finds the guy in her dreams! Which must mean oh things will get interesting, yet by that point I just didn't care anymore. I don't know the point of the book, I pretty sure I see where this is going but it is taking too long to get there, and nothing is really pulling me into the book.
I read other reviews saying that fairy tale creatures come into play which kinda makes me want to keep reading, but it is too dry for me.
Plus side, the historical and factual stuff is really intriguing. I loved learning a little more about Ireland. Maybe once Nora finds her purpose and starts fighting it will get more interesting.
DNF @ 44%
Alright, I really tried AND I was actually excited for this book. But the pacing is so slow... like 40% in and she finally finds the guy in her dreams! Which must mean oh things will get interesting, yet by that point I just didn't care anymore. I don't know the point of the book, I pretty sure I see where this is going but it is taking too long to get there, and nothing is really pulling me into the book.
I read other reviews saying that fairy tale creatures come into play which kinda makes me want to keep reading, but it is too dry for me.
Plus side, the historical and factual stuff is really intriguing. I loved learning a little more about Ireland. Maybe once Nora finds her purpose and starts fighting it will get more interesting.
bmg20's review
2.0
My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars
*spoilers are hidden in spoiler tags*
In 1990, Nora O’Reilly is fifteen years old with an unruly temper that gets her into far more trouble than would be otherwise necessary. Being angry at the poor situation her family finds itself in, a murdered father, a mother that can’t put down the bottle, and a brother that is the sole breadwinner, Nora takes it upon herself to start selling pills in order to make some side cash. Cash that will hopefully one day get her family out of Ireland and away from the ongoing war for freedom. The only thing it does it get her into more trouble than her temper ever did and before long, she’s signed up to be a member of the Irish Republican Army, and won’t manage to leave Ireland for another 10 years. Flash forward to the year 2004, Nora is now thirty years old and has been spending the last several years of her life as a relief worker in various foreign countries. She’s been having strange dreams for many months which feature the same man who never actually says anything to her yet leaves her with a sense of urgency that has her puzzled. When she dreams of him one night and he actually speaks, asking her to go to a town in Ireland because he needs her help, she brushes it off as nothing but a dream but she can’t completely shake off the pull to follow through on his request. When she does as the man in her dream requested, she ends up on an adventure through time itself, ending up in the year 1923.
[b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] was initially tempting to me because it’s a time travel adventure and marketed to fans of [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402600310s/10964.jpg|2489796]. It’s an understandable similarity, yet, [b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] falls undeniably short of living up to the comparison. The writing was enjoyable and kept me reading till the end but the characters themselves really blurred together after a point, except for the main character who seemed to have never grown out of her teenage temper. There’s an extensive focus on the historical detailing of the time as well as a romance, but the confusing aspects of the time travel itself, the inclusion of some puzzling fantasy aspects, and the lack of a logical plot made any positive aspects of this story fall by the wayside.
The historical detailing: This was the best part of the story. This is all information I had to take at face value because I knew little to nothing about the history of Ireland and the wars and strife they went through for decades. It was terrible yet fascinating but quite clear that the author did a lot of research for this book.
The romance: There isn’t a Claire and Jamie type of love, although, they’re truly incomparable. The building blocks were established for the romance in this first installment of the planned series, but I can’t say I felt any sort of chemistry between our two supposed love birds. I expect that will come later.
The time travel: After Nora’s dreams send her to a church in Kildare to find ‘Brigid’, a nun there is prepped and ready because she also had been having dreams warning her of Nora’s impending arrival. With the help of an ancient relic from Saint Brigid herself, Nora is sent back to the year 1923. I don’t know, it was all just a little too methodical for my liking.
The fantasy aspects/Plot: The majority of this is quite spoilery so I’ll just include these bits in spoiler tags.
[b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] is an informative time travel adventure through the arduous 1920s of Ireland. It’s evident this is the first installment of a planned series and the ending definitely leaves you hanging whether Nora will ever manage to accomplish her goal of changing the future. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be picking up the next book to find out.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
*spoilers are hidden in spoiler tags*
In 1990, Nora O’Reilly is fifteen years old with an unruly temper that gets her into far more trouble than would be otherwise necessary. Being angry at the poor situation her family finds itself in, a murdered father, a mother that can’t put down the bottle, and a brother that is the sole breadwinner, Nora takes it upon herself to start selling pills in order to make some side cash. Cash that will hopefully one day get her family out of Ireland and away from the ongoing war for freedom. The only thing it does it get her into more trouble than her temper ever did and before long, she’s signed up to be a member of the Irish Republican Army, and won’t manage to leave Ireland for another 10 years. Flash forward to the year 2004, Nora is now thirty years old and has been spending the last several years of her life as a relief worker in various foreign countries. She’s been having strange dreams for many months which feature the same man who never actually says anything to her yet leaves her with a sense of urgency that has her puzzled. When she dreams of him one night and he actually speaks, asking her to go to a town in Ireland because he needs her help, she brushes it off as nothing but a dream but she can’t completely shake off the pull to follow through on his request. When she does as the man in her dream requested, she ends up on an adventure through time itself, ending up in the year 1923.
[b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] was initially tempting to me because it’s a time travel adventure and marketed to fans of [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402600310s/10964.jpg|2489796]. It’s an understandable similarity, yet, [b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] falls undeniably short of living up to the comparison. The writing was enjoyable and kept me reading till the end but the characters themselves really blurred together after a point, except for the main character who seemed to have never grown out of her teenage temper. There’s an extensive focus on the historical detailing of the time as well as a romance, but the confusing aspects of the time travel itself, the inclusion of some puzzling fantasy aspects, and the lack of a logical plot made any positive aspects of this story fall by the wayside.
The historical detailing: This was the best part of the story. This is all information I had to take at face value because I knew little to nothing about the history of Ireland and the wars and strife they went through for decades. It was terrible yet fascinating but quite clear that the author did a lot of research for this book.
The romance: There isn’t a Claire and Jamie type of love, although, they’re truly incomparable. The building blocks were established for the romance in this first installment of the planned series, but I can’t say I felt any sort of chemistry between our two supposed love birds. I expect that will come later.
The time travel: After Nora’s dreams send her to a church in Kildare to find ‘Brigid’, a nun there is prepped and ready because she also had been having dreams warning her of Nora’s impending arrival. With the help of an ancient relic
Spoiler
a finger bone. An actual finger bone.The fantasy aspects/Plot: The majority of this is quite spoilery so I’ll just include these bits in spoiler tags.
Spoiler
For her to have been sent back in time to change the history of Ireland is one thing, but for it to mainly have been about her breaking the curse of an 1,800 year old man is just ridiculous. Especially since a goddess was the one to send some random mortal back in time to break the curse. Just a little too far-fetched for me to find credible. Then there was the fact that I felt that not enough actually happened. Nora attempts to change things she thinks will be vital in determining the future but quickly realizes that nothing actually changed. What she did had no effect on what ends up happening in some way shape or form. I appreciated this aspect, that it was harder to change the past than one might think, but when change didn’t occur their decision was to go further back in time thinking that would matter. That things were already set in motion, which does make sense. But mostly led to me feeling this book led to nowhere because they resolved nothing.[b:Bury the Living|29371079|Bury the Living (The Revolutionary Series, #1)|Jodi McIsaac|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1456921568s/29371079.jpg|49620378] is an informative time travel adventure through the arduous 1920s of Ireland. It’s evident this is the first installment of a planned series and the ending definitely leaves you hanging whether Nora will ever manage to accomplish her goal of changing the future. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be picking up the next book to find out.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
wayfaringbibliomaniac's review
5.0
ARC provided in exchange for honest review.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! It was an amazing read - so gripping I actually couldn't put it down until I was basically falling asleep.. McIsaac made Nora and the rest of the characters in the story come alive for me - I was cheering her on like I would any real person. I felt like I was right alongside her at times. She really makes you love the characters she brings to life for the novel. I was especially into it because it's one of my favorite topics - Irish history. I find the history so rich and interesting, the fairytale aspect is so enchanting, and for her to combine both the way she did was so appropriate for the time period in which it was set - like adding magic to the real world. Then to make one of the characters an actual person taken from a fairytale? Unreal..
It was in the same realm as Outlander and Exit Unicorns - being a historical fiction - and a good way to fill the gap between those. While I feel it should have been longer and more in depth, that's probably me being selfish because it didn't last nearly as long as I wanted it too. I wísh there had been more detail, though, because more of the history could have used explanation - especially for those who know nothing about the time period. I got really into it, but felt it moved along too fast in some instances. I truly cannot wait for the second installation of this series. I believe it could be as good as the other series I mentioned above. I truly hope the next one is longer and more detailed! She's an amazing author and this is going to be a classic series some day.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book! It was an amazing read - so gripping I actually couldn't put it down until I was basically falling asleep.. McIsaac made Nora and the rest of the characters in the story come alive for me - I was cheering her on like I would any real person. I felt like I was right alongside her at times. She really makes you love the characters she brings to life for the novel. I was especially into it because it's one of my favorite topics - Irish history. I find the history so rich and interesting, the fairytale aspect is so enchanting, and for her to combine both the way she did was so appropriate for the time period in which it was set - like adding magic to the real world. Then to make one of the characters an actual person taken from a fairytale? Unreal..
It was in the same realm as Outlander and Exit Unicorns - being a historical fiction - and a good way to fill the gap between those. While I feel it should have been longer and more in depth, that's probably me being selfish because it didn't last nearly as long as I wanted it too. I wísh there had been more detail, though, because more of the history could have used explanation - especially for those who know nothing about the time period. I got really into it, but felt it moved along too fast in some instances. I truly cannot wait for the second installation of this series. I believe it could be as good as the other series I mentioned above. I truly hope the next one is longer and more detailed! She's an amazing author and this is going to be a classic series some day.
rosemarieshort's review
2.0
Bury the Living sounds like a great concept. I requested it on Netgalley whilst still high off my reading of Wolfking by Sarah Rayne – also an Irish fantasy, time travel-centric novel. However upon reading I came across a number of problems, which I think truly narrow down to perhaps just one. I like Jodi McIsaac as a historical fiction writer, but I don’t like her fantasy writing – at least not here.
It would sound as though this were an insurmountable obstacle, but you’d be surprised. There are swathes of Bury the Living in which I could almost forget altogether that there was any fantasy element in the book at all. I especially loved a sequence of scenes set in a women’s prison – in fact if McIsaac were to write a whole book based in an early 1900’s political prison for women I would be first in line to read it. However for me the time travel element was ropey and the introduction of otherworldly beings seemed so out of place as to feel tacked on, detracting from the overall story.
Nora is a difficult heroine – often acting rashly and impulsively, but I would say that ultimate I grew to like her by the novel’s conclusion. I was sorely lacking development from other characters though, not really connecting with them due to their low amount of time to be fully realised – this more true with Thomas than with any other character. Again, this feels connected to the fantasy element being woven, with limited success, into a relatively strong historical novel; along with an ever heavier burden of lore and religion taking up a lot of page time.
Overall this was at times an interesting read. However I couldn’t help but feel frustrated for what could have been. An overabundance of exposition and numerous plot points weighed down a brilliant idea and some really lovely descriptive writing.
It would sound as though this were an insurmountable obstacle, but you’d be surprised. There are swathes of Bury the Living in which I could almost forget altogether that there was any fantasy element in the book at all. I especially loved a sequence of scenes set in a women’s prison – in fact if McIsaac were to write a whole book based in an early 1900’s political prison for women I would be first in line to read it. However for me the time travel element was ropey and the introduction of otherworldly beings seemed so out of place as to feel tacked on, detracting from the overall story.
Nora is a difficult heroine – often acting rashly and impulsively, but I would say that ultimate I grew to like her by the novel’s conclusion. I was sorely lacking development from other characters though, not really connecting with them due to their low amount of time to be fully realised – this more true with Thomas than with any other character. Again, this feels connected to the fantasy element being woven, with limited success, into a relatively strong historical novel; along with an ever heavier burden of lore and religion taking up a lot of page time.
Overall this was at times an interesting read. However I couldn’t help but feel frustrated for what could have been. An overabundance of exposition and numerous plot points weighed down a brilliant idea and some really lovely descriptive writing.
whitney0498's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book free for an honest review. This book gave me some mixed feelings. The first few chapters were very tough to get through I even thought I might not finish the book at all. The language was different and confusing at times. I’m glad I stuck around though it did get better and it did transport me into their world. This story is about Nora and how she time travels through time in order to change history. I liked seeing the decisions she makes along her journey to change the past in order to change some of the events that took place in her life. You also get to see how things were done in the past which was pretty fascinating to see. I hated the ending of the book it left you with a cliffhanger and you can’t find out what happens until the sequel is out which won’t happen until January 2017. Besides the ending that I didn’t like I really liked this book and I highly recommend reading this though you might want to wait until the sequel is out so that you can read both of them one after another.
susibee's review
4.0
While this book started slow for me and I initially found it hard to like Nora, when it got into the main story set back in the 1920s Irish Civil War, I felt like both Nora and the story found its purpose. The mix of historical fact, intrigue and spying with fantasy/fairy tale elements really worked for me as did the friendships Nora formed with the Gillies women. If you are a fan of romance novels, you will not find a lot here as the women's friendship seemed to be more of a highlight but that is a choice I prefer anyway. The ending was a little unsatisfying as it left loose ends that do not seem like they will be resolved even in the next book although the setup for the next book does sound interesting. All in all a solid 3.5 that is a fun, quick read with some interesting Irish history and folklore.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
constantine2020's review
3.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0
An interesting historical fantasy fiction story. The book can be considered cultural as it concentrates more on the Irish Civil War. So basically you have factual history combined with fantasy and science fiction (time travel). I think it was interesting to read about the Northern Irish conflict as I have not read anything about it before. The author has created a good balance between the historical part and the fantasy part with staying very close to the historical records.
The story basically follows Nora who one day is taken back in time to change the outcome of the going on war. I like historical books a lot but I felt that the story here at some parts was getting slow. I also wish if the author was a bit more detailed in describing her characters as it was hard for me to imagine or build a clear physical picture for them specially the main character. The end of the book leaves the room open for the next book but it definitely gives you an idea where the next book is heading.
Overall, this was a good read and should appeal to readers who enjoy to read about the history of different cultures with added time travel element.
An interesting historical fantasy fiction story. The book can be considered cultural as it concentrates more on the Irish Civil War. So basically you have factual history combined with fantasy and science fiction (time travel). I think it was interesting to read about the Northern Irish conflict as I have not read anything about it before. The author has created a good balance between the historical part and the fantasy part with staying very close to the historical records.
The story basically follows Nora who one day is taken back in time to change the outcome of the going on war. I like historical books a lot but I felt that the story here at some parts was getting slow. I also wish if the author was a bit more detailed in describing her characters as it was hard for me to imagine or build a clear physical picture for them specially the main character. The end of the book leaves the room open for the next book but it definitely gives you an idea where the next book is heading.
Overall, this was a good read and should appeal to readers who enjoy to read about the history of different cultures with added time travel element.