Tag: plot

Book Review, Historical Fiction, Series

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Bss.E.O.

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4 stars. Baroness Orczy apparently brought the whole theme of heroes with secret identities into the world, which is kind of cool. Reading this book also made me want to watch the 1992 series starring Richard E. Grant, which I haven’t seen since childhood. Alas, PrimeVideo failed me once again. Anyway, what a riot this book was. Had I known before reading it that alter-egos for heroes had basically been invented with this book, I probably would have read more into that. But Lord and Lady Blakeney are lovable in their own way, despite being so involved in the throes of love and hate that they can’t seem to think clearly especially in regards to one another.

The writing was clear and simple, and often repetitive, but not in an overly annoying way. It made me want to describe people as “foppish,” so I consider that a plus. I mostly enjoyed that the book focused on many people and their contributions to the unfolding plot rather than solely on the titular character. It was a refreshing sort of style.

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Art Forger by B.A.S.

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A solid 4 stars (maybe even 4.5)! Be aware of minor spoilers ahead. I loved the narrative of this book. It was well thought out and reminded me about a lot of things I know about art but had forgotten I even knew! Also who doesn’t love a win for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum after the heist literally 20 years ago! The characters were lovely and I liked seeing Claire’s progression from lowly grad student to flourishing and successful artist! Though every time her and Aiden got mushy, my eye rolls were intensely audible. But as we all know, I’m not a fan of romance so much.
This one was hard to put down! A delicious read full of fun twists and turns and the gaiety I needed amidst Coronavirus lock-down. And I’m definitely interested in reading more of Shapiro’s work…once the library reopens.

Book Review, Fiction, Futurism, Historical Fiction, Time Travel

Kindred by O.E.B.

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5 stars. I do think that this is the most beautiful book I’ve read all year. Dana is so relatable! She is terrified and anxiety ridden, but still able to do what she needs to survive. What a gorgeous, raw tale. I am speechless and can do no better than to tell everyone to seek out this book and read it immediately. The perfect blend of time-travel and historical fiction is epic. This will have a place in my favorites forever.

Book Review, Horror/Thriller/Suspense, Mystery

The Pale Horse by A.C.

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5 stars. This was the last of my “Large Print Haul” from my most recent library trip (RIP, and until after the quarantine. I miss you). Ahem. Anyway. It turns out that every (3) book I wanted to check out that day was out on loan already and I would have to resort to the large print section if I sincerely wanted to take the things home. Well, after reading 3 books in a row with large type everything seems minuscule in comparison! My phone font is on the largest it could be and I thought something had malfunctioned and checked to see if it had been altered in some way. It hadn’t. And then reading Kindred (the next book after the Large Print Scandal of 2020), I absolutely felt the need for a magnifying glass. So this isn’t a critique of the book, just a fun fact that happened to me in recent weeks. On to the review!

The Pale Horse was exceptional. I, obviously, tried to figure out who the culprit was from page one. And though I did guess some obscure character that had the least reason to be suspected I was still completely and utterly wrong.
Most out of character, I decided to read this book, not out of my interest in Christie’s canon of work. I added this to my TBR a year or so ago because I had heard that upon reading this book a nurse was able to save someone (probably a child, since we’re going off of rumor anyway) from certain death based on the accurate descriptions of symptoms caused by a certain kind of poison. Whether or not this is true, I was so involved in the unfolding of the story I had completely forgot about poison one way or the other since I had just read Crooked House which involved a great deal of poison reference and thought that maybe I had confused the two. And then at the end, tah-dah! with a reveal à la Christie I knew it had been The Pale Horse after all.
My fascination with Christie is really mind boggling, but I can’t get enough. Mark and Ginger really make a great team and I only wish we could have seen more of Ginger, really. All of it really makes me want to see if the Amazon series is as wonderful and captivating, but my guess is that it isn’t. And I’m afraid to try after my disappointment with the 2017 Crooked House.

Book Review, Horror/Thriller/Suspense, Mystery

Crooked House by A.C.

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5 stars! The twists, the turns! I guessed who the culprit was early on but the queen of mystery still made me doubt myself several times (tho not as many as when I read And Then There Were None). And I think that merits at least 4 of those stars. I think the other one came from 2 days after finishing this book and attempting to explain it to my mom during which we ended up impulse watching the 2017 Glenn Close version on Amazon Prime (can I get paid for the mention???) and it was so utterly horrible compared to the book that I may have impulse rated an extra star. *shrug*
Anyway, maybe that’s just my ruthlessness.
I can’t imagine a messier way to do police work than the way it was executed in this book, but where would the romance and excitement be otherwise, eh?
And what an ending!! Wow! I think after seeing it happen in real time with dearest Glenn, I was happy the book hadn’t ended in a giant fireball of drama but was subtle and sad even if somewhat satisfying. Much like the ending of Murder on the Orient Express.
And now I’m quite certain that after this my mom will never ask me for a book recommendation ever again. Turns out mysteries aren’t her thing.