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ayla_derammelaere's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
eumesma's review against another edition
5.0
Al igual que el anterior la recreación histórica es impresionante. Los personajes tienen profundidad. Y a mi particularmente hace que me emocione.
mojopie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 ⭐️
This was a great sequel to Dreaming the Eagle, I loved it just as much as the first book in the series. The series is quickly become a favourite and is a solid history fantasy series.
Just like book one, the strength of this book for me was the characters, so much happens to them in this one and it was definitely heartbreaking at times; Manda Scott does a great job of making you feel what the characters feel, as well as making you simultaneously hate and feel sorry for some of them.
Just like the first book, this one has loads of characters and lots going on, you really have to pay attention and even when you are it can be easy to miss things, but it's worth it!
The ending was really strong for me, I can't wait to read the next one.
I'm docking half a star because I just really hate time jumps and there is one in here. It's minor, and I can see why it was done (especially after the author's note), but still annoying.
This was a great sequel to Dreaming the Eagle, I loved it just as much as the first book in the series. The series is quickly become a favourite and is a solid history fantasy series.
Just like book one, the strength of this book for me was the characters, so much happens to them in this one and it was definitely heartbreaking at times; Manda Scott does a great job of making you feel what the characters feel, as well as making you simultaneously hate and feel sorry for some of them.
Just like the first book, this one has loads of characters and lots going on, you really have to pay attention and even when you are it can be easy to miss things, but it's worth it!
The ending was really strong for me, I can't wait to read the next one.
I'm docking half a star because I just really hate time jumps and there is one in here. It's minor, and I can see why it was done (especially after the author's note), but still annoying.
redruedun's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, I'll preface this by saying I know very little of the real history of this period, so can't really comment on that aspect of the book....
But once again, this was a wonderful book!
Everything that was brilliant about the first book is also brilliant about the second book, but with the added bonus that since the reader already knows the characters and cultures, less time is spent on set-up and more time is spent in the thick of things.
The positives...
Manda Scott's prose is beautiful and her attention to detail when it comes to (re)creating ancient Britain and Rome is remarkable. She takes care to involve all the senses as she describes each scene and the end result is breathtaking - the reader emerges from each chapter feeling like they have just lived it alongside the main characters.
Where her writing really shines, in my opinion, is in the dialogue between characters. A large number of the major conflicts in this book are explored through conversations between a pair, or small group, of characters. This might sound less exciting than constant battles, duels and daring adventures but I would say, without a doubt, that the tensest, most stressful moments in the book all revolve around one-to-one conversations between characters.
Which is not to say that Manda Scott doesn't write blood and guts and action sequences when she needs to. She does. But she does so sparingly, and her restraint really pays off. Violence and brutality remain shocking because she takes care not to allow the reader to become desensitised to it.
The characters we love and hate (and hate to love and love to hate) are all back, with a few new faces to make up for those we lost in book one. The characters are wonderfully written and feel utterly believable - Ban is probably still my favourite... even if I can't call him Ban anymore...
The negatives...
Are there any....? Certainly no major ones...
I suppose one thing (although it wasn't a problem for me) is that for a book about Boudica, she really wasn't in it very much. I'd have to go back and count chapters to be sure but I'd guess at least two-thirds, maybe three-quarters of the book did not feature Boudica at all. Obviously, the Roman invasion of Britain did not revolve around one woman, and Manda Scott is trying to tell a wider story here, not just a straight biography of Boudica. If you are reading this series only wanting to hear about her, however, or you became particularly attached to her viewpoint chapters in book one, you may be a little disappointed by her lack of 'screentime' in this book.
I would say I preferred this to book one, and am very excited to see where the series goes next. Thanks again to the Brothers Gwynne for hosting the readalong!
But once again, this was a wonderful book!
Everything that was brilliant about the first book is also brilliant about the second book, but with the added bonus that since the reader already knows the characters and cultures, less time is spent on set-up and more time is spent in the thick of things.
The positives...
Manda Scott's prose is beautiful and her attention to detail when it comes to (re)creating ancient Britain and Rome is remarkable. She takes care to involve all the senses as she describes each scene and the end result is breathtaking - the reader emerges from each chapter feeling like they have just lived it alongside the main characters.
Where her writing really shines, in my opinion, is in the dialogue between characters. A large number of the major conflicts in this book are explored through conversations between a pair, or small group, of characters. This might sound less exciting than constant battles, duels and daring adventures but I would say, without a doubt, that the tensest, most stressful moments in the book all revolve around one-to-one conversations between characters.
Which is not to say that Manda Scott doesn't write blood and guts and action sequences when she needs to. She does. But she does so sparingly, and her restraint really pays off. Violence and brutality remain shocking because she takes care not to allow the reader to become desensitised to it.
The characters we love and hate (and hate to love and love to hate) are all back, with a few new faces to make up for those we lost in book one. The characters are wonderfully written and feel utterly believable - Ban is probably still my favourite... even if I can't call him Ban anymore...
The negatives...
Are there any....? Certainly no major ones...
I suppose one thing (although it wasn't a problem for me) is that for a book about Boudica, she really wasn't in it very much. I'd have to go back and count chapters to be sure but I'd guess at least two-thirds, maybe three-quarters of the book did not feature Boudica at all. Obviously, the Roman invasion of Britain did not revolve around one woman, and Manda Scott is trying to tell a wider story here, not just a straight biography of Boudica. If you are reading this series only wanting to hear about her, however, or you became particularly attached to her viewpoint chapters in book one, you may be a little disappointed by her lack of 'screentime' in this book.
I would say I preferred this to book one, and am very excited to see where the series goes next. Thanks again to the Brothers Gwynne for hosting the readalong!
aaronreadabook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
your_true_shelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
curtis49's review against another edition
4.0
Some soft spots in the middle or perhaps I was unable to deal with "family" against "family" and neither knowing that was the case. Still, Manda Scott keeps it going. I will reiterate, the historical fantasy aspect in these books, given so few records exist from the 50 AD era.
Onto book three, [bc:Dreaming the Hound|404828|Dreaming the Hound (Boudica, #3)|Manda Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1174464357s/404828.jpg|6237769] [b:Dreaming the Hound|404828|Dreaming the Hound (Boudica, #3)|Manda Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1174464357s/404828.jpg|6237769].
Onto book three, [bc:Dreaming the Hound|404828|Dreaming the Hound (Boudica, #3)|Manda Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1174464357s/404828.jpg|6237769] [b:Dreaming the Hound|404828|Dreaming the Hound (Boudica, #3)|Manda Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1174464357s/404828.jpg|6237769].
jacquilogan's review against another edition
4.0
Manda Scott – Boudica, Dreaming the Bull, the second book in this series following the story of Breaca now known as Boudica and her half brother Ban. The half brother that Boudica thinks died in a battle and his body was taken by their enemies. In reality he was betrayed by a rival tribe and ended up a slave, in Gaul but he ends up in the Roman Army and soon works his way up to being an Officer in the Roman auxiliary cavalry. Soon Boudica and Bon are on opposite sides of the battle. This is a long book and I listened to an audio version some of the battle scenes did have me zoning out a bit but on the whole I really enjoyed the book.
sams84's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this second installment of the Boudica series, the characters were again brilliantly written and the storyline believable and once again well researched. Scott has recreated the intricacies of Celtic Britain and the Roman Empire very well with a distinct attention to detail that continues to support the story. Each character has been developed well and the situations that arise are again handled and written well and portrayed in a manner to make each as relevent to the reader as possible.