I feel like I become more and more of a fan of Carolyn Meyer with each book I read. None have totally amazed me (though The Bad Queen is by far my favorite) but by this point I've come to look at her historical fiction books as a solid, dependable standby for when I want "good enough to be satisfying" historical fiction.
And The Wild Queen did totally satisfied my desire to read more about Mary, Queen of Scots (have you seen Reign? No? Ah go watch now! It's like Gossip Girl meets historical fiction and it's my latest guilty pleasure. Watching an adult Anne (of Green Gables), I mean, Megan Follows, play the scheming Queen Catherine is totally worth it alone).
Ahem, anyway, Carolyn Meyer's take on Mary is typically Carolyn Meyer-ish. Not shallow but not very deep characterization, surprisingly heavy on the historical detail, and written in a very easy breezy way. This is heavy historical fiction that reads real easy and is perfect if you want the knowledge of a history lesson but none of the snooze or work.
Purchased
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Wolfsbane by Gillian Philip (book 3) Gosh do I love this series. I don't know what it is about it, but Gillian Philip's books are like crack. I can't get enough of them and each installment in this series is unwaveringly solid.
Seth has grown up a lot and is firmly in the "awesome characters to root for" column, which makes it even better that his romance here just overwhelms me with happiness for all parties involved.
Like the previous books, even when there isn't a whole lot going on (and there ARE periods of not a lot of action) I'm still totally absorbed because the characters and world building are so phenomenal. I feel like I'm getting peeks through the veil into the lives of these real people (fairies, whatever. I actually like these fairies).
When the action does pick up though, and boy does it pick up, it's non-stop and equal parts exciting and tear-my-heart-out agonizing. I can't believe some of the things that happen in this book! I also can't believe I have to wait a year to read the conclusion. And I also can't believe it's going to end, because this is the type of series I don't think I'll ever get tired of reading.
Finished copy & ARC from publisher
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Great reviews. It's been a long time since I've read a Carolyn Meyer book. I should go back to her. Not a fan of the Wolfsbane cover. It looks really MGish, but glad to hear that the substance is good.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Wolfbane is definitely not MG! haha it's more an adult book with YA appeal. You're right though, now that I'm looking at the cover it does make it look very young.
DeleteI hate it when one of my series finishes because it's like saying goodbye to dear friends. Unlike you, I haven't had much luck liking Carolyn Meyer's books. It's the shallow character descriptions that bug me. I've tried a couple of hers before I gave up.
ReplyDelete"I hate it when one of my series finishes because it's like saying goodbye to dear friends."
DeleteExactly! It can be devastating. At least we can re-read, but it's not the same.
Yeah, I wish her characters were deeper, but I appreciate the books for what they are. If I go into them hoping for more then I'm disappointed, but if I go into them knowing exactly what I'll get then I like them a lot more.
I'm so jealous you are progressing with the Gillian Phillips series and I have stagnated after book #1. I'm so bad at being able to continue with series, especially if I can't find a good source for the following books. I'm tracking this one on my kindle lists and just waiting for a price drop. I just LOVE this series, it really is like crack for book junkies.
ReplyDeleteYay, you're a fan of Reign! It's a totally guilty pleasure sort of show and so much fun. Love Megan Follows as Catherine (she rocks it!) and in general it's just a lot of entertaining historical drama, which I am a sucker for. Definitely looking forward to Season 2 :D
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