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annikabc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
England, 1540 & lawyer, Matthew Shardlake, has been keeping a low profile after the events of the first book. His acceptance of a murder case, where a young girl has been accused of killing her cousin, brings him into Thomas Cromwell's orbit again. Desperate to be back in the King's favour, Cromwell needs Shardlake to find out about the possibility of making 'Greek Fire' as a weapon, but the formula has disappeared & the men who possessed it are now dead. The search leads to several additional murders & puts both Shardlake & his assistant, Jack Barak, in mortal danger. Can Shardlake solve both cases & keep Cromwell's head from the block?
This was a better book than the first in the series. The plot was much more interesting & moved at a slightly faster pace. Jack Barak is also an improvement on Shardlake's previous assistant, Mark Poer, although he is still a little rough around the edges. It was lovely to see Guy (a character from the first book) again - now the owner of an apothecary shop - & I hope he will be a recurring character. He seems to be the only one with a lick of sense!I sat there incredulous at what I was reading when both Shardlake & Barak accepted a drink (which wasn't prepared in their presence) from someone they'd just accused of harbouring a psychopath. Doh!
I would like to warn anyone who has triggers from animal cruelty/death that there are several references in this book to those subjects although they are mercifully quite brief. For example, Shardlake reluctantly heads to a bear baiting but thankfully chooses to go for a walk instead so the reader is spared most of that spectacle. This is one part of life that I would not like to see if time travel were possible. Overall though, I'm thinking that this series will continue to improve.
This was a better book than the first in the series. The plot was much more interesting & moved at a slightly faster pace. Jack Barak is also an improvement on Shardlake's previous assistant, Mark Poer, although he is still a little rough around the edges. It was lovely to see Guy (a character from the first book) again - now the owner of an apothecary shop - & I hope he will be a recurring character. He seems to be the only one with a lick of sense!
I would like to warn anyone who has triggers from animal cruelty/death that there are several references in this book to those subjects although they are mercifully quite brief. For example, Shardlake reluctantly heads to a bear baiting but thankfully chooses to go for a walk instead so the reader is spared most of that spectacle. This is one part of life that I would not like to see if time travel were possible. Overall though, I'm thinking that this series will continue to improve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Violence
ameydireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Once I did believe the world could be perfected. I don't think that any more. But I believe I've defended the bad side against the worst."
Three years has passed since Scarnsea and a lot has changed. Matthew Shardlake has returned to London and resumed his work as a lawyer. I remember Shardlake having more self-pity, even this has changed!
The dissolved monasteries are being bought up and converted into cheap tenements, mainly focusing on profit. Following Cromwell’s advice, the king has married Anne of Cleves. This marriage didn’t make the king happy and as a result he fixed his attention on Catherine Howard. This gave the catholic cause more momentum and put his position and therefore the reformation in danger.
Three years has passed since Scarnsea and a lot has changed. Matthew Shardlake has returned to London and resumed his work as a lawyer. I remember Shardlake having more self-pity, even this has changed!
The dissolved monasteries are being bought up and converted into cheap tenements, mainly focusing on profit. Following Cromwell’s advice, the king has married Anne of Cleves. This marriage didn’t make the king happy and as a result he fixed his attention on Catherine Howard. This gave the catholic cause more momentum and put his position and therefore the reformation in danger.
“Once before he had sent me to investigate a killing, pitching me into horrors beyond imagining. Not again, I thought. Not again.”
The anxious Cromwell commissions Shardlake to investigate dark fire AKA Greek fire which turned out to be a dangerous investigation, just like the Scarnsea investigation. In between this and his other cases, there was no time to rest! Jack Barak is ordered to assist Shardlake and he was such an interesting character! Hidden beneath his rudeness, he has a kind and loyal heart. We also meet brother Guy again who was introduced in the first book. Brother Guy is now an apothecary and is of immense help to Shardlake throughout the story.
The anxious Cromwell commissions Shardlake to investigate dark fire AKA Greek fire which turned out to be a dangerous investigation, just like the Scarnsea investigation. In between this and his other cases, there was no time to rest! Jack Barak is ordered to assist Shardlake and he was such an interesting character! Hidden beneath his rudeness, he has a kind and loyal heart. We also meet brother Guy again who was introduced in the first book. Brother Guy is now an apothecary and is of immense help to Shardlake throughout the story.
Sansom has again succeeded in portraying the situation of England in 1540. It shows the motives of Henry VIII for breaking with Rome and the building tension between the Catholics and the Protestants. But as a boatman says in this book: "It's hard for common folk to keep track of it all." Sansom also managed to incorporate many unpleasantries of that time period, such as the plagues, the practice of teeth blackening, the dangers of drinking unboiled water, the cruelty of the punishments, the state of the prisons, and how people procured their false teeth. And I also never realised bear baiting was a sport…
And one thing I did find peculiar is that at Lady Honor’s sweet banquet, bananas are being introduced. But bananas came to England almost a century later, right?
And one thing I did find peculiar is that at Lady Honor’s sweet banquet, bananas are being introduced. But bananas came to England almost a century later, right?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, and Grief
wordsofclover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Animal death