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bethaniekay's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, I'm not even sure what to write. I loved this book and I hated it. This is by far my least favorite book in the series. There were multiple things that Gabaldon totally messed up in writing this book - first, there were way too many sub-plots. At least four, maybe five. Ugh. There was way too much with boring Lord John and Willie, and other miscellaneous characters (who may or may not be related somehow to someone else)... come on, who cares? I want more Jamie and Claire! I would have been happy if the entire book focused on J and C, and had a bit of Young Ian thrown in, and maybe some Roger and Bree (who I normally think are annoying). Also, the entire story was totally disjointed - jumping back and forth in continuity, POV, time, place, you name it. It was mind boggling (in a bad way). There was also way too much boring history. Some of it is okay, but there were pages and pages that I just skimmed. Speaking of that, this book was way too long - they could have edited out at least 1/4 of this book and it would have still been fine. Finally, my biggest complaint is the awful, horrible, unfair, unjust cliffhanger ending of at least 3 of the many sub-plots. WHYYYYYY would she do that? As if we want to wait another 4 years to find out what happens with the KEY characters? It was ridiculous. I cannot believe she did that. Sometimes cliffhangers are good, but in this instance they were not.
There were a few good things in the book - first, I always love reading Jamie's clever witicisms. He'll always be the epitomy of a handsome, rugged, witty, sexy, sexual, loyal Scotsman :) I also love Claire and her intelligence, her ability to take charge, her loyalty, and her ability to keep things together (both literally and emotionally). I also think it's awesome that J and C still have their heated chemistry after all these years ;) [Would have loved for there to be more sex scenes... WTH?:] Claire's medical knowledge always impresses me, so that's fun to read - although reading about wartime illnesses and injuries has gotten old across the past couple books. I also really enjoy Young Ian and Rollo - Ian is a very captivating character, and I love his loyalty and friendship with Rollo :) I'm glad Ian finally found someone he loves; albeit, a very unlikely match it is. Finally, although I pretty much hated all the boring scenes in America, I truly loved the scenes in Scotland.
I began reading this book with the thought that it was the final book, so I was expecting things to come to a conclusion (hopefully, a satisfactory one!). But nooo, instead it was an overlong, boring, tedious read with not enough Jamie and Claire and way too many other boring characters. Ugh. I felt that 'A Breath of Snow and Ashes' was overlong and boring, with not enough J and C, so I'm severely disappointed that this one was much of the same. I'm pretty ticked off that I have to wait another FOUR years (her usual track record) until the next book comes out, just to find the answer to the multiple cliff-hangers. I mean, come on - the book was already 800+ pages, couldn't she stick in another 20-50 pages to resolve these issues instead of making us wait unnecessarily for another four years? Seems like a marketing ploy, which I don't like - but of course because of my love for the Outlander books and their characters, I will wait, and I will buy the next (final?) book when it comes out. I just hope it's shorter than this one, and that it focuses on Jamie and Claire.
When people ask me what my favorite book is, Outlander is always one of my top ten. However, after the 4th book in this series, I think the series went downhill (for all the same reasons; too many characters, boring characters, boring storylines, too much history, and NOT ENOUGH Jamie and Claire). I can now definitively say that Gabaldon is not one of my favorite authors anymore - at least, not in her current/recent form. If she returned to the basics and wrote as she did for the first 4 Outlander books, I'd change my mind.
There were a few good things in the book - first, I always love reading Jamie's clever witicisms. He'll always be the epitomy of a handsome, rugged, witty, sexy, sexual, loyal Scotsman :) I also love Claire and her intelligence, her ability to take charge, her loyalty, and her ability to keep things together (both literally and emotionally). I also think it's awesome that J and C still have their heated chemistry after all these years ;) [Would have loved for there to be more sex scenes... WTH?:] Claire's medical knowledge always impresses me, so that's fun to read - although reading about wartime illnesses and injuries has gotten old across the past couple books. I also really enjoy Young Ian and Rollo - Ian is a very captivating character, and I love his loyalty and friendship with Rollo :) I'm glad Ian finally found someone he loves; albeit, a very unlikely match it is. Finally, although I pretty much hated all the boring scenes in America, I truly loved the scenes in Scotland.
I began reading this book with the thought that it was the final book, so I was expecting things to come to a conclusion (hopefully, a satisfactory one!). But nooo, instead it was an overlong, boring, tedious read with not enough Jamie and Claire and way too many other boring characters. Ugh. I felt that 'A Breath of Snow and Ashes' was overlong and boring, with not enough J and C, so I'm severely disappointed that this one was much of the same. I'm pretty ticked off that I have to wait another FOUR years (her usual track record) until the next book comes out, just to find the answer to the multiple cliff-hangers. I mean, come on - the book was already 800+ pages, couldn't she stick in another 20-50 pages to resolve these issues instead of making us wait unnecessarily for another four years? Seems like a marketing ploy, which I don't like - but of course because of my love for the Outlander books and their characters, I will wait, and I will buy the next (final?) book when it comes out. I just hope it's shorter than this one, and that it focuses on Jamie and Claire.
When people ask me what my favorite book is, Outlander is always one of my top ten. However, after the 4th book in this series, I think the series went downhill (for all the same reasons; too many characters, boring characters, boring storylines, too much history, and NOT ENOUGH Jamie and Claire). I can now definitively say that Gabaldon is not one of my favorite authors anymore - at least, not in her current/recent form. If she returned to the basics and wrote as she did for the first 4 Outlander books, I'd change my mind.
cridenhower's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
allcavesin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thegildedcloud's review against another edition
3.0
Listen, the writing is good but jeez louise this book is too long!
clay1914's review against another edition
3.0
This one was not my favorite. It felt very analytical and a retelling of a chronology of events versus the character interactions and emotions and experiences.
cjrivers's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite of the series, but not bad. I just got really bored with William's storyline and all the Revolutionary War stuff. There were also just too many plot lines going on at once, sometimes within the same chapter. Lots of interesting cliffhangers in the last few chapters though; I'm looking forward to seeing how those play out in MOBY.
evikes's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Jamie. How I've missed you. There just wasn't enough of J&C in this book and I’ve missed them. I am not a fan of Bree, but there isn't anything concrete in this book to support my dislike of her – it’s just there. I enjoyed this book overall, but there is waaaaaaaaaay too much about the war and each specific battle for my liking.... for someone like me who grew up in Europe and does not live in the US, it was just too much. I actually love history and did enjoy learning about American history specifically, but the amount of detail was just overwhelming – why did I need to know what colour everyone’s buttons were and how many times someone had to spit on it to shine it up? Military strategy down to every minute detail is not my idea of good reading - especially since I did not choose to read a military book. I did read this in two sessions because I had to take a break about halfway though – the middle third of the book focuses totally on the battles and military strategy and I found myself skipping paragraphs out of boredom.... it pains me to say it, but it's the truth. I did like the book overall but I have a sinking suspicion that I liked it because of the history I have with J&C and my love of Lord John... but that's about it. There are also so many cliffhangers in this one, that I’m sure I will have to reread most of it so that I can appreciate the next one when it comes out. For fans of Outlander, it's a must read; but if you are new to the series and haven't read the rest of the books, I just don’t think it works as a standalone book.
camillawelin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
misszoehatter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
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? No
3.75