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A review by dragoninwinterfell
The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Greer Macallister presents a mystical interpretation of the life of American heiress Aimee Crocker in The Thirteenth Husband.
This fictionalized version of Aimee's story is told from the historical figure's perspective as she recounts her life to an unknown audience. Macallister gives her protagonist a witty, vivacious, and wry voice that gives such life to Aimee. It felt like I was being told a series of stories by a fascinating new friend who had a well-lived life, with a side of the supernatural. Aimee was an incredibly engaging character to follow.
The mean difficulty was that as complex and lovable as Aimee was, we barely got to know the characters who came in and out of her life. That makes sense given the narrative structure. This still ruined the enjoyment for me since the primary stakes were in what happened to the other characters because we know our protagonist got through well enough to tell her story.
For another issue, I do think that the title is a cheat. The author's not at the end gives a bit of historical context for it. But it's not enough to stop the title from being misleading since expectations are created that won't even be halfway filled.
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This fictionalized version of Aimee's story is told from the historical figure's perspective as she recounts her life to an unknown audience. Macallister gives her protagonist a witty, vivacious, and wry voice that gives such life to Aimee. It felt like I was being told a series of stories by a fascinating new friend who had a well-lived life, with a side of the supernatural. Aimee was an incredibly engaging character to follow.
The mean difficulty was that as complex and lovable as Aimee was, we barely got to know the characters who came in and out of her life. That makes sense given the narrative structure. This still ruined the enjoyment for me since the primary stakes were in what happened to the other characters because we know our protagonist got through well enough to tell her story.
For another issue, I do think that the title is a cheat. The author's not at the end gives a bit of historical context for it. But it's not enough to stop the title from being misleading since expectations are created that won't even be halfway filled.
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.