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wanderaven's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Fascinating (time period, religious history, characters... purefinding, my friends, is alone worth the price of admission), enthralling, and just a whole bunch of fun.
mikepalumbo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
roshk99's review against another edition
3.0
An extremely dark but thrilling depiction of this tumultuous time in history. It brilliantly illustrates the struggle between the Church and the existing local beliefs.
charlotte_owl's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This has to be one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read. Set in place in a small village in 1321 England, the author does a stunning job at creating the setting and shaping the atmosphere. The story has many different POVs, and the author does an amazing job at making each voice sound different, and with giving them a unique personality with pluses and negatives. This story is about a village and a "house of women." It is a troubling time, full of famine and death, and people are starting to turn away from Christianity and towards "the old ways" when an Owlman ruled. I one hundred percent recommend this book.
irurian's review against another edition
1.0
I've read about half of this & that is more than enough for me. I hate to abandon books, but I can't see any point in continuing on.
Firstly, I thought that the writing was poor. Every chapter is told from the point of view of a main character, but I felt like none of the characters were distinct enough for it to work. Additionally, the writing itself was very heavy-handed at times, which I believe detracted from the overall story.
Pacing was also an issue. It seemed as though nothing of substance had actually happened by the time I decided to abandon the book. Perhaps the author was going for a slower burn than I wanted, but combined with no interesting characters, I was bored out of my mind.
Just really disappointing, since the concept of the book was so promising. The struggle for power over a relatively unimportant town with competing ideologies is a fascinating concept. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't there.
Firstly, I thought that the writing was poor. Every chapter is told from the point of view of a main character, but I felt like none of the characters were distinct enough for it to work. Additionally, the writing itself was very heavy-handed at times, which I believe detracted from the overall story.
Pacing was also an issue. It seemed as though nothing of substance had actually happened by the time I decided to abandon the book. Perhaps the author was going for a slower burn than I wanted, but combined with no interesting characters, I was bored out of my mind.
Just really disappointing, since the concept of the book was so promising. The struggle for power over a relatively unimportant town with competing ideologies is a fascinating concept. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't there.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
This would've been 3 and a half stars if I could've given the book half stars. I much preferred this book to Company of Liars. It was gripping!