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A review by alibookedup
Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A good story if you vibe with the history of witch hunting in Salem and "post-slavery freedom". Isobel meets quite a lot of characters in her journey from Scotland to the New World. It's interesting to see how she moves throughout the world as a woman during that time with only her needlework to earn her way. It's also cool how it is based off the Scarlet Letter - if you were/are a fan of the classic, this is another take on how the story came to be and who the story was written about.
Personally, this book was just okay. I'm not sure if I expected more witchcraft or betrayal, but something of the storyline just felt lacking. Isobel was a bit oblivious to everything around her, too gullible, and seemed to speak up/stay silent at the worst times. She was also, in my opinion, too enamored with Nathaniel too quickly to feel believable. There's a bit of a slow burn, however, when your main character is somewhat obsessed from the jump it defeats the point. I also wasn't the least bit surprised with his character development in the story -- when a guy says things like "you intrigue me", I never think it's a good sign. Thank you good sir, but I'm not an item made to intrigue you and I can tell you are only interested for the sake of your own boredom. Anyways, all in all, I felt like Isobel was a very plain character.
However, that's not to the say the story as a whole was not well written and I overall enjoyed most of the book, including the ending. It just didn't blow my mind like I thought it would after hearing so many great reviews.
Personally, this book was just okay. I'm not sure if I expected more witchcraft or betrayal, but something of the storyline just felt lacking. Isobel was a bit oblivious to everything around her, too gullible, and seemed to speak up/stay silent at the worst times. She was also, in my opinion, too enamored with Nathaniel too quickly to feel believable. There's a bit of a slow burn, however, when your main character is somewhat obsessed from the jump it defeats the point. I also wasn't the least bit surprised with his character development in the story -- when a guy says things like "you intrigue me", I never think it's a good sign. Thank you good sir, but I'm not an item made to intrigue you and I can tell you are only interested for the sake of your own boredom. Anyways, all in all, I felt like Isobel was a very plain character.
However, that's not to the say the story as a whole was not well written and I overall enjoyed most of the book, including the ending. It just didn't blow my mind like I thought it would after hearing so many great reviews.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery