Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Mistress of Rome

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

15 reviews

tiredenglishteacher's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This is a classic Kate Quinn in that it has a very lengthy exposition, takes a long time to get going, and feels at times confused about the ultimate plot BUT the last 100 pages were very exciting and engaging. Unfortunately you have to plow through a lot of seemingly random exposition to get there. Middle dragged on forever. Gory.

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sea_tea_books's review against another edition

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I was looking for more historical information to learn something about ancient Rome. This focuses too much on

gore and rape

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auggieval's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

not the worst book i’ve read this year but it leaves a lot to be desired in character development, historical accuracy, and attention to detail.

the plot mostly happens to the characters and none of them really change values or have them seriously challenged, with the possible exception of some of the side-ish characters (paulinus, the empress, etc.) i didn’t really notice this till i finished and went, “did anyone like… grow? are they better people now or just storied people?” and the answer is that they are storied people.

the author herself has a page devoted to her errors but there’s several i noticed in this book she really should add to her list.

i really enjoyed the setting, the saga framing, and inclusion of smaller details, but GOD does the author just drill them into your head. i can’t look at the word “russet” or hear someone talk about hair care again, ever, i don’t think.

lastly, literally no one here is talking about how grossly and persistently antisemitism is harped upon in this book! like!!! it’s so unnecessary especially after the 10th slur! keep in mind the author could have used any defunct ancient culture and went for this one.

thea’s jewish heritage (and many other characters’) could have been so much more interesting as a lens if the author knew what she was talking about and if her characters interacted with their (apparently deeply held) beliefs at all.

i was gonna give this 3 stars but sigh :/ it’s enjoyable as long as you don’t write a storygraph review and think about it

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vesper93's review

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A bit of a slow start as you wonder how all the separate characters are going to intertwine, but then becomes gripping. I didn't want to put it down.

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kduffy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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megan_mac_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced

3.25

Whew, this book is way more violent than I'm use to reading. I could have done without the violence and gore, and there were some characters I abs lutely hated, but still was invested in the story and some characters.

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kamrynkoble's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this one. It’s my first novel set in Ancient Rome, and I loved the setting. I’ve been to Rome and the coliseum which only made it more special.

I found myself rooting for these characters, and truly hoping they would get what they wanted. I feel attached to them, especially Thea, after watching her endure so much over the span of many years. I love a book that can make me do that.

I also enjoyed the multiple POVS. All of the different characters took me a second to understand, but I was impressed by how the author managed to weave them all in. This is such a high-stakes setting that I was on the edge of my seat often.

The ending was particularly good. One “twist” made me turn my head away and cover my mouth in shock. The rest was so tightly plotted from there, and I liked that this had such a good resolution chapter.

I’ll definitely read more from this author!

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