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christy4's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This book is deeply flawed but I love it and it’s important to me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
toc's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book and, at times, a seat-of-your-pants thriller. This is purportedly the story of the "Montglane Service", a chess set once owned by Charlemagne and purported to hold the millennias-old secret of gaining vast power. So of course there are two groups, Black and White, vying to obtain that secret. The story itself takes place in the early 1970 and late 1790s. A deftly woven plot that pulls in practically every historical character you can think of in cameo and sometimes central roles.
I quite enjoyed this book and look forward to reading it. I say "reading" because I was listening to the audiobook on a long road trip. So of course I missed the essential clue here and there. So I plan on actually reading it to cover what I missed.
I quite enjoyed this book and look forward to reading it. I say "reading" because I was listening to the audiobook on a long road trip. So of course I missed the essential clue here and there. So I plan on actually reading it to cover what I missed.
arih's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
ofateaspoon's review against another edition
I figured out what was bugging me about the pacing: they were told not to talk to anyone about the mystery. And they keep running into exactly the right people who mysteriously already know about it, telling them their bit even though they’re not supposed to, and getting the next bit of information to keep them going. Ultimately, it’s not a mystery, it’s a series of conversations they were TOLD NOT TO HAVE OR ELSE [UNSPECIFIED DIRE CONSEQUENCES]!
jules0626x's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed the mix of history and modernity in this book.
sleepymissmarple's review against another edition
2.75
This had all the ingredients of a book I should have loved, but I found it hard going. I’m not entirely sure if this was due to the book or to unrelated factors that made it challenging for me to focus on this book during the time frame when I was reading it.
The writing was solid and it was intricately-plotted. I enjoyed the scenes set in the 70s more than the historical bits set much longer ago. There was a large cast of characters I mostly couldn’t keep straight, so perhaps I’d have liked it more if I’d read it on kindle and could have easily looked up each name when characters resurfaced.
The major thing that made this book such a slog for me is that I never bought into or cared much about the quest to find the chess pieces. Though, I *did* enjoy quest-related revelation about theelixir of life !) If this weren’t a book club read I likely wouldn’t have gotten that far.
The scope of this book was wide ranging in the arts/sciences/figures referenced, so there will be something there for everyone. But, it also felt a tad random to me… like a bet to see how many references could be worked into a single (looong) book.
This just wasn’t for me, at least not in this season.
The writing was solid and it was intricately-plotted. I enjoyed the scenes set in the 70s more than the historical bits set much longer ago. There was a large cast of characters I mostly couldn’t keep straight, so perhaps I’d have liked it more if I’d read it on kindle and could have easily looked up each name when characters resurfaced.
The major thing that made this book such a slog for me is that I never bought into or cared much about the quest to find the chess pieces. Though, I *did* enjoy quest-related revelation about the
The scope of this book was wide ranging in the arts/sciences/figures referenced, so there will be something there for everyone. But, it also felt a tad random to me… like a bet to see how many references could be worked into a single (looong) book.
This just wasn’t for me, at least not in this season.
bethsandford's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really great read! It may have taken me a while to finish (as goodreads liked to send me reminders for how long exactly) but it was worth the time! A great DaVinci Code thriller but better!
The story spands two time periods. The past takes place around 1790 and the present. It is a mystery around a chess set that may hold the code to a secret formula. It is literally a chess game invovling people and pieces. I am looking forward to reading her sequal called The Fire! Hopefully I won't take as long to finish!
The story spands two time periods. The past takes place around 1790 and the present. It is a mystery around a chess set that may hold the code to a secret formula. It is literally a chess game invovling people and pieces. I am looking forward to reading her sequal called The Fire! Hopefully I won't take as long to finish!