Great story - but Quinn needs to learn 17thc history
937012
Despite all of the valid comments in the other reviews concerning ott action scenes and anachronistic descriptions of events, I really liked the story.

What I DIDN'T like, and which REALLY BOTHERED me  was Quinn's blundering understanding of the people and events occurring in the court of King Charles II.  Here are a few glaring mistakes that jumped out at me while I listened to the book on Audible:
1.  Quinn writes that the king (and at least one other character) uses the phrase "G-d's fish!"  The 17th century British said "''od's fish!" because of the prohibition of saying G-d's name in vain.

2. Her portrayal of Louise Kerouaille, who was NOT in England or the King's mistress at that time.  First off, the name is not pronounced "Keroo."  If one cannot say it correctly, use the pronunciation in use by the commoners of that time:  Carwell.

Also, Kerouaille had a strong sense of dignity and pride.  She even made Charles go through a form of "marriage ceremony" before she would sleep with him.  She is a fascinating historical character and anyone researching her would find her a delight.  She would never walk around naked, she was faithful to the King (how would her sons become Dukes and Earls if their legitimacy was questioned?) and if she had a brother, I've never heard about him.

Quinn is probably trying to portray Charles' first mistress "en titre," Barbara Villiers, who became the the Duchess of Cleveland.  In fact, Quinn portrays Cleveland 's personality quite well, except that she brazenly cheated on Charles with William Churchill.

3.  Queen Catherine.  Why Quinn does such injustice to two such wonderful women mystifies me.  Although we cannot peek into their bedroom, she was desperately in love with her husband.  She also desperately wanted to have children, something denied her but not Charles' mistresses.

4.  King Charles was a highly charismatic person.  The British were very happy to have good times restored to them after Cromwell.  He was very loved.  It wasn't until the end of his life (at the young age of 57) that a group of Protestants caused serious unrest about the Queen's (and Kerouaille 's) Catholicism.  By the way, Charles popularity and steadfastness to the Queen won over the rebellion,

I want to read the next book in the series, but hope that Quinn researches this lovely time in English history.
4200777
This is the story of Cicero up to when he was elected Consul of Rome in 63 BC.  So much of his life after that was tragic.  But this was Cicero's ascent to political power, and complicated though it was, marked a happy time in his life.

By telling the story from the point of view of Cicero's trusted slave Tiro, author Robert Harris makes the reader (listener in my case since I have the audiobook) see Rome in a unique way.  Unfortunately, this device didn't work as well for the biographical intent.

You can feel much of what the ancient Romans must have felt about certain important things.  That is the redeeming dimension of this book, and if only Harris stuck with what worked, could have made the book a masterpiece.

The Romans had a culture mixed with incredible sophistication and reason right alongside all manner of horrible violence.  The suspenseful part of the story is Cicero's gutsy prosecution of Gaius Verres, governor of Sicily.  The odds were stacked against Cicero but he prevailed through a combination of political maneuvering, litigation strategy and oratory skill.  The trial itself was the high point of the story.

However, as the story progresses, the reader sees Cicero getting wrapped up in politics.  This is where the books falls off the proverbial cliff because the device of using Tiro became absurd.

Cicero desired power and since he was not born into one of the great noble families, he had to use a lot of strategy and change sides frequently.  We know from beyond the history covered in the book that Cicero was in danger at times and went into voluntary exile and also that he was later murdered for having been on the losing political side.  Harris' portrayal of Cicero appeared to avoid complexity in favor of depicting ancient life in Rome.
2581610
This futuristic, fantasy story seems to be aimed at the High School reader level. Those interested in this fiction genre will love the creative story telling by this author. Ms. Norris does a good job at visualizing the scene for the reader as she describes the Tader tribe of young boys that inhabit some place in the future that appears to reflect a primitive time in our past.  I found it annoying that more detail of the Who, What, Where, When and Why was not revealed to the reader at the beginning of the story. It is not normal that a high school, present day student, could fall through a hole in time and not question her captives about her circumstances. Groups named Chandose, Taders, Brigadiers, Coubas, etc. should have been defined early on. Chris (first victim) could have demanded to know, and her captors could have explained her new world early in the story. This would be immensely helpful to the reader. I also missed the ultimate goal of Chriss kidnappers. What was the real challenge for the character? What were the Taders trying to accomplish. Maybe it was just surviving their hostile environment.

by Terry McGhee - author, free-lance writer
2195088
I really enjoyed this story. The writing is smart, both on a sentence level and a concept level. Hrezo made me believe that time travel is not only possible, but plausible. I loved all the time-traveling details, and yet it wasn't so much jargon that it bogged down the pacing of the story. Very cool, well-written story that includes a visit to Woodstock--one of my favorite parts of the book!

I didn't give this book five stars because it has too much swearing and drug usage for my taste, but I'm probably old-fashioned. I wouldn't recommend the book to young teens. I also wasn't completely sold on the romance. Lots of potential here though, and I'm hoping that Tristan will win me over in future books.
563019
I really enjoyed this. It's well written, creative, and beautifully presented.

That said, I had some issues with the plotting. The middle section felt like it belonged to a different book than the first and third acts, and the changes to the characterizations in that section did not feel they meshed with the existing characterizations. Plus, in the third act, there was a plot point that could only be attained by ignoring an obvious solution. It felt like there were a few bumpy areas in the way the worldbuilding intersected with the plot and the characters. I'd be on the edge of giving the book five stars, if it wasn't for those concerns. They really threw me as a reader.

You'll want to go look for book 2 right away. This ends with a solid lead-in. The characters are engaging, the magic system encourages a volatility and action-focused style of conflict, and it's a lot of fun. Aside from the weaker second act, it's a great story!
2066964
I don't think I can wait for the next book. If I'd known I would have waited, but I waited so long for this one as it is.
  I like this story a lot - I've noticed it is difficult to find good historical fiction (that's not too depressing) about medieval Europe. I would especially like more books about the Continent, but that's why I found this one so interesting - Sicily and Salerno especially.
  Despite enjoying it so much, I found myself thinking that Adelia needs to grow up just a little bit. In the first book she was young enough and naive enough to pull it off, but in the later books sometimes she comes across as oblivious - and she's smarter than that. By this time she has got to know that men in power - churchmen or not - are going more likely to hurt her and see her as a witch, than not. That is how men have often seen women, throughout time. Adelia has experienced this throughout 4 books now = she should not be surprised anymore, but anticipate and react faster.
  Still - excellent!! Until the end, when I felt like I was dropped from a 4-story building. The ending was so very abrupt and not what I was expecting. And then, it left me hanging!!! How long am I going to have to wait for the next book to know what's going to happen?!?! That's very frustrating, unless the book is coming out in the next few months; and I doubt that it is.
2203857
I love the story line that Carol McGrath writes, but I find some grammatical/spelling errors (quite often, in fact, in the Kindle copy of the books, and do not know if this is the author's issue or the translating it to a Kindle mode). For me, the errors make the story an interrupted experience since I am very versed in both of these areas. In general I would recommend the book to future readers and the historical details are fantastic; it is a great glimmer into the life of a upper class/royal medieval woman's life.
2065923
I have really enjoyed all of the Hangman's Daughters Book's. I've read the three that are published at this time. I love the characters, and appreciate so much the creative difference from the,"same old," tired, similar characters of most novels. That being said, this was the least favorite of the three books for me. There were a lot of tunnels and secret pathways. I wanted more of the other parts of the story. However, at the end of each book, the educated author has a travel guide, for people who want to travel in this part of Bavaria. This book had the most exciting and wonderful travel guide of all the three books, in my opinion. He made it sound so beautiful, almost magical. I really want to go visit the area of the world. I personally really like novels set in a different time period. For people who like novels about today, this story may not be for them. But for people that are fascinated by history, and like to feel the feeling of going back in time, this is a great book to escape into Old Bavaria in the 1600's.
776120
I enjoyed the story and the history woven into the storyline. Some of the characters were one dimensional. I loved going back and forth between present and past, but there wasn't enough character development to get me invested in their stories. The ending was a bit predictable and seemed to wrap up leaving me wanting more as I didn't buy the love story. It needed more development. The best part of this book was the history woven into the story.
1133749
I think this is better than Wolfe Hall, just, but I still don't like it when what should be presented as dialogue via a character, is instead given to the reader via narrative. I appreciate many authors occasionally do this, but here it happens far too often; and I also see the 'he' used to refer to TC is still here, which I also found annoying. But still a good story; but for me, this and Wolfe Hall certainly do not exonerate Thomas Cromwell, as many readers of this soon-to-be trilogy believe to be the case. In this story (as well as its predecessor of course), I think TC fits the long-held bill as a ruthless schemer, quite perfectly. For those curious as to what era the book covers, it's from the time when disenchantment sets in with AB, before KOA has even left the earth, and goes on and up to the trials of AB and her supposed rugby-bus-full complement of lovers.
3081599
The story runs at a good pace, letting the reader get to know Gabriel and to understand who he is in a way that feels natural.
The description of Elizas transformation alongside Gabriels account is also a great way of giving the reader a glimpse into the events leading up to Eden. For a reasonably smart woman, though, Eliza seems a little too gullible, and Im not sure this part the story would hold up well under close scrutiny.
I would have liked to have gotten to know Marv and Benjamin better, and to have been given a better understanding of the virus and how it worked.
I would also have liked to see Magss character develop a bit more, and a little more depth to the goings on between the other characters in the story. What actually happened to Miss Kimble? Who is it that actually rapes Lena - is it Peck or is it Kane? What is Jakes story - how it it that he has an interest in growing but none of the others do?
3604171
This book is a prequel of sorts to Mistress of Rome. It follows 4 women of the Cornelli family: Cornelia, Marcella, Lollia, and Diana through the year of four emperors.

I didn't find this book's plot as tightly written as Mistress; often times it felt like we were simply watching history unfold through 4 women's eyes as opposed to feeling like we were going somewhere with the characters. I never truly bought Marcella's or Diana's subplots, and I found Tullia (the sister-in-law) to be somewhat of a one-dimensional caricature.

History-wise, as always Quinn does an excellent job, though she did fall into the trap of misusing the term "vomitorium" to mean a place where people throw up instead of its actual meaning -- an exit from an amphitheater. This is a common misconception, but with all the other really great history in here, it's frustrating to see this pop up.

Still, it kept my interest enough that I will check out the next book in her series, and it's always fun to read historical fiction that ISN'T about Tudor/regency England or pre/post-revolutionary France. We need more historical fiction set in ancient times.
4321730
I really liked this book. It is very informative about Druid practices and beliefs. I liked the characters and the story, too. That said, I'm giving it only 4 stars because I've been spoiled by Diana Gabaldon's (The Outlander Series) writing style. I wanted the kind of visceral experience of ancient Ireland that I get of 18th century Scotland from Diana's books. I wanted the smells of the bracken and oak in the forest, and the tang of people and animals living closely in the rath, the acrid smoke from the fires and how the smoke stings your eyes. I wanted to feel and smell the wool and leather on my skin. I wanted to experience the characters love for each other. I realize that this is entirely unfair to Ellen Evert Hopman. Her writing is good, just not as...juicy? as Diana's.
Moving along from that, it DID keep my interest, not an easy thing to do these days. I admit that I start many books, but often lose interest when I spot inconsistancies, blaring anachronisms, or just bad writing. I identified strongly with the main character and learned a few things about Druid principles and practices. I also saw parallels to our current political/religious/environmental/economic issues. Overall a good, entertaining, thought provoking read. Looking forward to the next one in the series!
2064294
This is a well written and well researched book.  Like many reviewers I am glad to read about the women and their fate in what was then a war filled, male dominated society. My problem with this book, and with many books on this subject in particular is that it is a bit narrow.  We are told about King Edward IV marry Elizabeth, a commoner, for love, and that is amazing, given the fact that he was in the middle of negotiating a contract with a powerful foreign country, which would help his own country England. The author then skips to all of the terrible things that happened to her family after the death of King Edward IV.  Which is a large leap, because a good many good things happened to her family, the Rivers and Woodvilles in between. Elizabeth's children from her first marriage were given titles, her relatives were married into the richest families in the Kingdom. One of these was a very young man married to an heiress in her eighties. So a bunch of rich and powerful people lost some wealth and power to the new Queen, in a very short time. This isn't mentioned and these people, used to power, made a grab for it back when the King died.  It was whispered the Queen was even a witch and had cast a spell on King Edward.  That would have been an interesting, in depth study, as to how smart, capable, women had to get their abilities from the nether regions rather than from hard work, and innate ability.

I think my point is that if anyone wrote a truly balanced book about these times I would be thrilled. It seems even the best histories seem to demonize one side of the Roses or the other.  I am about to buy a book on the subject by Dan Jones, an English historian, that I am told gives the history of both the Red Rose and the White, both sides in the same book, all the facts as we can know them this far away from the events.

This is a really interesting well written book, just not very complete.
1022303
I like to work logic puzzles and I love a good plot-filled mystery with lots of surprises, and this one had them in abundance.  And the city of Paris in general and the Louvre museum in particular are made to order for heart-pounding thrillers, and this book is no exception.  The symbolism is wildly fascinating,the characterizations are good, the pace is fast, and the twists and turns of the plot kept me on the edge of my seat.
However, I had two problems with the book -- or maybe I can say ONE objection with two aspects, and each objection cost it one star in my evaluation.
1.  There are a lot of historical "facts" given here that challenge the teachings of Orthodox Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant).  I won't go into detail about them here, but I'll say this:  I wish the author had given some good, solid sources so that we, the readers, could have checked on the sources ourselves.  One of the characters in the story states that many "respected" historian-scholars could corroborate the view about the "real" meaning of the Holy Grail and the "real" history of Christ.  I would have liked to know who they were.  I also would like to have known if the story's take on the life of Christ, the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail legend was an honest-to-goodness historical view or one invented by the author for the story's purpose.
2.  I also felt like the author was "blaming" Christianity for the bad treatment of women.  Maybe he wasn't, and I misunderstood him.  But I feel it is important to mention that the church did not invent the bad treatment of women.  This is important to know, because while the church(both Catholic and Protestant) has left a lot to be desired in its treatment of women, the view of women as inferiors (which is unBiblical, by the way) was in existence long before the church ever came into being.
Anyone who has studied Western Civilization and/or Far Eastern history will know that ancient cultures, many of whom had a plethora of female deities, still treated their women like dirt.  The ancient Greeks held women in contempt -- just read Aristotle, who lived before Christ. Ancient and not-so-ancient India and China have historically mopped up the floor with women, female deities in their culture notwithstanding.
I know what an extreme patriarchal mindset some churches have -- as a woman I have been on the receiving end of it.  But let's not blame Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular for causing it.  Misogyny is extremely ancient!
The book is worth reading, but before taking any of its claims as truly historical, it behooves us all to check out our facts!
1135021
First of all the story is great, I love the story itself. For the story I could recommend this greatly.

However I was not at all pleased with the constant degradation of women, the consistent use of terms, Slut, Hussy, Harlot and Strumpet, I found offensive. I know no better way to say it, I really wonder if such language was common place at the time, I've read other stories from the time period that never once used any such words. I'm not really offended at the words either, but more at the fact a Father would call his Daughter such terms, or a Husband, they just can't catch me in any time frame being words used towards a loved one. Perhaps that is the best way to say it.

One thing I did like about this novel was the footnotes, it did a fantastic job of explaining, giving references, and educating.

Overall I should have rated it better, but because of the treatment of women I've not seen in any other work from the early 1700's I took off one star, and I took off another just because I am not keen on play format, personal issue. However I added a star back because the introduction was a fascinating read and very enjoyable and frankly makes the book worth getting even if one were to not even read the play.

I still highly recommend the book though the story is marvelous.

As for the book itself, it is common height, rather thin, it is 122 pages, but about 27 are the introduction, a sort of history, and the rest is the meat but has much empty paper so it is a quick read, specially if you ignore the footnotes.
1045504
This is a very enjoyable read. The main character begins the story full of self hatred not understanding that causes her to be weak. The fact that this tale shifts from the time of Rome to Current time makes it interesting and at the same time annoying, I felt there was too much time in the past creating only a small portion of her history and every time he shifted from one to the other there was a disconnect in the flow. For myself I would have liked to have seen less history in this book and then have a short novella done on her past. Being what she is and having lived for 4 millennia there are quite a few stories that could be told. The word flow was very good, each story in and of itself was very entertaining although I preferred the current timeline. I appreciate the research he put into this book both from the mythical side and the history of the pirates during the time of Rome. Now she has been transformed into something a little more deadly and at the same time finding her heart opened up. The next book in this series is one I will enjoy reading when it arrives, I just hope not to spend half the book in the past but if I do oh well it will still be worth it.