Scan barcode
amydieg's review against another edition
3.0
In the wake of the devastating 1998 hurricane, Lola must travel into the forests of Guatemala to solve an ancient riddle and find her missing mother.
An overall alright read. Once they actually get into Guatemala things move along quite a bit better. My biggest problem was that I figured out almost every riddle/mystery chapters ahead of the characters, and not because I was meant to. Instead I had to spend up to 100 pages watching them drop overly obvious clues and then spend two pages explaining the solution to me.
I did, however, find Lola quite lovable - though all the characters were often predictable at best.
An overall alright read. Once they actually get into Guatemala things move along quite a bit better. My biggest problem was that I figured out almost every riddle/mystery chapters ahead of the characters, and not because I was meant to. Instead I had to spend up to 100 pages watching them drop overly obvious clues and then spend two pages explaining the solution to me.
I did, however, find Lola quite lovable - though all the characters were often predictable at best.
ellehartford's review against another edition
3.0
This should be 3.5 stars. I would recommend the book generally to folks who like history and adventure, but I had a few issues with it myself.
On one hand, I enjoyed the premise of this book very much! It's a fun archaeological adventure, although it is set against some devastating history, so maybe "fun" isn't entirely the right word. [slight spoiler] I wasn't wholly satisfied with the way the riddle resolved in the end: it was clever, but it didn't click perfectly into place with the way the story had been told.
My main issue, though, was with the dialogue. It's snappy in some places, but too often it rehashes information we already know, or reads as the characters telling each other lots of facts they both already know. While I appreciate that all the main characters are very knowledgeable, I think the dialogue editing could have been tighter. In fact maybe having a main character who wasn't so knowledgeable would have made this flow of information more natural.
Also -- and this is a small thing, but it alienated me personally as a reader -- as a historian myself, I was a little baffled by the historical texts in the book. They read in a very modern way. I wasn't sure if this was a conscious choice by the author, or if in the world of "The Queen Jade" history is different than in our world, or if this was accidental. Despite the characters bantering about details of the documents, the issue of these modern voices was never fully dealt with. And while I do love those historical characters' stories in the book, I just needed their eccentricities (relative to their respective time periods) to be addressed (or written slightly more subtly) in order to keep myself immersed in the story.
On one hand, I enjoyed the premise of this book very much! It's a fun archaeological adventure, although it is set against some devastating history, so maybe "fun" isn't entirely the right word. [slight spoiler] I wasn't wholly satisfied with the way the riddle resolved in the end: it was clever, but it didn't click perfectly into place with the way the story had been told.
My main issue, though, was with the dialogue. It's snappy in some places, but too often it rehashes information we already know, or reads as the characters telling each other lots of facts they both already know. While I appreciate that all the main characters are very knowledgeable, I think the dialogue editing could have been tighter. In fact maybe having a main character who wasn't so knowledgeable would have made this flow of information more natural.
Also -- and this is a small thing, but it alienated me personally as a reader -- as a historian myself, I was a little baffled by the historical texts in the book. They read in a very modern way. I wasn't sure if this was a conscious choice by the author, or if in the world of "The Queen Jade" history is different than in our world, or if this was accidental. Despite the characters bantering about details of the documents, the issue of these modern voices was never fully dealt with. And while I do love those historical characters' stories in the book, I just needed their eccentricities (relative to their respective time periods) to be addressed (or written slightly more subtly) in order to keep myself immersed in the story.
sarahch's review against another edition
Quit it at around page 50. I was too irritated by the style of writing and the characters' decisions.
hyacinth_girl's review against another edition
3.0
This book was good but very predictable. From the start when Lola meets Eric, I knew they were going to get together... and lo and behold, they did :) I was also a little bit disappointed in the end because it ended the same way the DaVinci Code did. The Queen Jade, thought to be a huge stone, was really a queen named Jade who had died... much like the Holy Grail turned out to be Mary.
However, the writing was pretty good and it was easy to get into and keep reading. Despite my criticism, I did enjoy this book and was glad that I had read it. I liked the relationships that were made not only between Lola and Eric, but also between Lola and her half-sister, Yolanda. Yolanda had gone through so much before the book took place that I am glad she discovered family in the end. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy-read, adventure novel with a side of romance. <3
However, the writing was pretty good and it was easy to get into and keep reading. Despite my criticism, I did enjoy this book and was glad that I had read it. I liked the relationships that were made not only between Lola and Eric, but also between Lola and her half-sister, Yolanda. Yolanda had gone through so much before the book took place that I am glad she discovered family in the end. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy-read, adventure novel with a side of romance. <3
taralorraine's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
appreciate this an adventure story with female protagonists who are written to seem like plausibly real people.
Beyond that, I thought this book was awful. The storyline was cliche, not exciting, and not very well written in the sense that it didn't draw me in or make me care about the characters or mystery.
The only reason I finished was I wanted the book to check off reading challenges.
Beyond that, I thought this book was awful. The storyline was cliche, not exciting, and not very well written in the sense that it didn't draw me in or make me care about the characters or mystery.
The only reason I finished was I wanted the book to check off reading challenges.
More...