1st February, Corvus
336 pages, Paperback
Review copy
Summary from the press release
In
twenty-first century New York, peculiar things are happening to Katie.
Strange figures are appearing to her: first, a girl with long red hair,
then a pale man in a black silk top hat. And then Katie receives a
mysterious note, which sends her hurtling back through time.
In
ninteenth-century London, Queen Victoria is on the throne and England
is on the brink of war with Russia. Behind the scenes, a great battle is
about to be fought – one that could decide the fate of the whole world.
Everyone is looking to Katie to save the day.
But for a traveller in time, Katie’s is fast running out...
Nayuleska's thoughts
I have to confess I could only read half of this book. It either is darker than the first book or I'm not in the mood for dark books at the moment. Early on I had the feeling it was a terrifying book. I did adore Katie's time travel, which is so enthralling to read. I loved her relation with her friends in the past. In some ways I liked this a little less because it was not totally new to Katie, but her experience proved to be hilarious in places, as well as deadly serious in others.
The inkling of dread increased as more was revealed about the war. I avoid the news as I tend to get too upset over it. The real seeming instances when Katie finds herself in the war zone choked me up making me think of all soldiers past, present and future,. At least we have nurses and medical care in wars. Grace is a sweetheart, and I will be asking K A S what does happen in the rest of the book. The enemy gets revealed as a serpent thing, well, one of the enemy, which is too much for me as I have a snake phobia. That combined with a highly active imagination means I simply can't read about snakes in books - if I do I end up with nightmares, which isn't what a book should do. So I have no idea yet how it ends. It is awesome writing, which mutes the parts that I found terrifying enough that this rates as a 9/10 read.
The inkling of dread increased as more was revealed about the war. I avoid the news as I tend to get too upset over it. The real seeming instances when Katie finds herself in the war zone choked me up making me think of all soldiers past, present and future,. At least we have nurses and medical care in wars. Grace is a sweetheart, and I will be asking K A S what does happen in the rest of the book. The enemy gets revealed as a serpent thing, well, one of the enemy, which is too much for me as I have a snake phobia. That combined with a highly active imagination means I simply can't read about snakes in books - if I do I end up with nightmares, which isn't what a book should do. So I have no idea yet how it ends. It is awesome writing, which mutes the parts that I found terrifying enough that this rates as a 9/10 read.
Suggested reading
Definitely check out book one, The Queen Must Die
It is with great pleasure to welcome K. A. S Quinn onto Nayu's Reading Corner to talk about how her love of history and writing this series came about.
Living with the Victorians
I grew up in
a very modern world; Los Angeles, the 1970’s – bright sunshine and a swimming
pool in every yard. Michael Jackson lived down the street while Sonny and Cher
were just up the hill. But mostly I remember the cars; thousands of cars,
parking lots, and a labyrinth of freeways – the 101, the 405, the 210. Did I really
spend half my life in a car? The heat of the plastic seats would blister the
back on my legs, even while the air conditioning was freezing my knees. I couldn’t
wait to escape.
So early on,
I became a Time Traveller. The large closet in the entry hall was my port of
entry; behind a barricade of suitcases with my mother’s white mink coat swaying
heavily above me. I kept my books in the suitcases – and a torch of course.
I tried
contemporary fiction, but that didn’t take me anywhere. I needed to go someplace, but it had to be
the right place. Pre-historic family life just seemed stupid. Louis X1V and
Versailles were still too far away. The Pilgrims drove me batty. Then I
discovered the Victorians. They were distant enough to be exotic, yet they were
close enough to seem like normal people. And they spoke English. It was the
pitch perfect place to time travel.
I started
with Florence Nightingale, and I’ve stuck with her ever since. She’s one of
those women who pushes and pushes until she gets her way. I can’t say Florence
Nightingale is the nicest person, but
she’s endlessly inspirational. Dickens followed. Lots and lots of Dickens. I
found the endless flow of words comforting. And then Jane Eyre. My utter heroine.
Then one
day, I went into a book shop, and there was a copy of London Labour and the London Poor – all three volumes. Written
by the great Victorian, Henry Mayhew, it was the first sociological study of
the working man, containing details of all the professions found on the London
streets. I opened it up, and the voice of the Victorians seemed to shout back
at me. I had to have it. “It costs too much,” my mother said, but my father
loved to buy things. A week later I came down with the flu and spent eighteen
days in bed with London Labour and the
London Poor. I stopped travelling with the Victorians. I simply became one.
Thank you K. A. S - it just goes to show books change people's lives! Thank you for coming onto my blog. I'm looking forward to book 3!
2 comments:
These sound like must read books for me-thanks for bringing them to my attention!
You're welcome - definitely check them out.
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