Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Dragonfly in Amber

Okay, gals, here we are, buckle up I'm going to take you on a journey.
We had left our heroes on their way to safety. Jamie along his way to recover and Claire is expecting.
Imagine my dismay then when the first chapter of this book is set in 1968. My first reaction was of course; ????. Then denial and rage followed confusion.
In hindsight, I understand that the author has chosen a joint structure. I just think it wasn't well executed. The first part of the book sees Claire going back to Inverness to learn more about the Highlinders' fate after Culloden. Now, this is a historical fact, almost every Scot that fought in that battle died. When it comes to time travelling there are two options the author chooses between usually: either the time travel has the power of altering the past or the future or it doesn't because it was already foreseen. She went with the latter and I may be upset that my fav had died nonetheless but I wouldn't have been mad if it was well executed. My problem is the structure of it all.
You tell us in the first part what it's going to happen essentially. Because, at this point in the book, we don't know whether Culloden will even happen. We have left Claire and Jamie after they had just decided to try and stop Prince Charles to get Scotland back. We don't know if they'll be successful or not. So, why has she decided to tell us at the beginning of the book? Makes no sense, structure and plotwise.
Then the second part of the book is a sort of flashback. After she goes back to Inverness, Claire decides it's the right time to tell her daughter, Brianna, about her biological father. Again, we're reading a story after she told us how it ends.
And even though she managed to build a climax and "surprise" us with a plot twist at the end, I have to say, it didn't have its intended effect on me. it kinda made me go: ??? what did I read so far?
so yeah, have I enjoyed the story either way? Yes, because it has everything that I love in a fantasy novel: politics, scheming, battle planning and romance. Have I been disappointed by this book? Yep. Have I bought the next book nonetheless? absolutely.

Another thing, why does she keep explaining things to us that we already know? Like, if I'm reading this second book it means that I've read the first book. So, I don't need to be reminded or explained how Claire and Jamie met, who Randall is etc. It's unnecessary and slowed the pace of the reading.
Honestly, if it wasn't for the structure that bothered me so much, I would have deeply enjoyed this book. If she had omitted the first part of the book and moved it towards the end, it would have been great and had a great impact on the reader.

However, I feel compelled to give this book at least 3 stars because of my dear Jamie.

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imrereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

This is less a helpful review, and more an attempt of compiling my feels after what to be is a very comolicated story. I don't know what to say about this book. Honestly I felt like it didn't need to be as long as it was and it took me ages to finish, but I still find myself compelled to read the next one (despite knowing what happens, thanks to the tv series). There is certainly something great about Gabaldon's style of writing that makes me want to continue, despite many aspects of the books not being to my taste.

I think one of my major issues, and this is absolutely a oersonal preference, is the degree of sexual content. While I often find it good and fitting, I also often find it jarring and takes away from the core of the moment. Does every sex scene need to be explicit? I don't think so, but I guess it is that kind of a book so I can't really complain. I just found that often when the scenes showed up I couldn't fathom how they were horny in that moment.

This probably is my least favouritr part of the story, it was in the series as well, but I found the first 200 pages really compelling, and likewise the last 200. I guess the issue is that that leaves about 500 pages in the middle that was kind of rocky to me.

So I don't know. The overall premisenof the stort compells me. Gabaldon has a strong pen in my opinion. What happens next really interests me. I like that the characters are complicated, but a lot of the time I don't really like them. It ebbs and flows. I found that supplimenting my physical copy with the audio was really helpful to get through it, so maybe doing that from the start will lift the next book. Who knows! I just know that this book left of strong, so despite taking 4 months to finish, I want to continue the journey.

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tiffanysmith's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoy Gabaldon’s immersion into historical times and characters, but this did get quite slow for me toward the middle. To keep my momentum, I actually switched to audiobook to get through the middle and then went back to reading toward the end when the excitement redeveloped. The pacing of the first book was somewhat better, but it also had it’s moments of unhurried storytelling.

Still, I love how she drew me in with details and emotion. Gabaldon is very skilled with gifting the reader with all their senses during the read. It’s as if you can taste, hear, and smell every moment for better or worse. This is a true reflection of the magic of being immersed in an amazing read.

There were a few moments I had some conflicting thoughts about how the author approached rape and sex in this installment. Some of Jamie’s remarks/actions were probably in remarkably bad taste. Admittedly, the events of Claire and Jamie’s relationship take place in the 18th century, so relationships were quite different back then. I don’t believe Jamie is a bad man, only that there were some specific choices of words or actions he made that made me cringe at the vulgarity.

Overall, the book is well-written and I do feel like I am a part of the world woven by the author. It’s full of beautiful moments of love and heartbreak, as well as loyalty, betrayal, and a sincere fierceness to protect those that we hold most dear. And then the heartbreak! I look forward to the next book! I’ve realized by now that I’m committed and in it for the long-haul.

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jillianseibert's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

Hot, sexy, the slow burn is necessary.

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infjill's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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linnylionheart's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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georgia_ryan's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A great follow on from the first book. Slow at times with some unnecessary details and a great unexpected ending. Love the characters. Would recommend!

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suz_n_van's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective

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