Books, Dogs, and Other Blogs

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't read Outlander yet, but it's very high up on my TBR right now.  I've heard sooooo many good things about it and it seems like such a well done book that most people really enjoy it.  I don't think it's a good move to compare yourself to such a well regarded book in the blurb, if you're not really really going to live up to it. 

Both books involve time travel, and Scotland I think.  But that's where the similarities hopefully end.

Let's start with things I liked.  I could tell that the author did a lot of research on the time period (8th Century) and it was really interesting to learn about a time and place that I knew very little about.  And, it was an interesting premise, the whole time travel romance thing, and at least this book showed me that I like the genre.

It's told from three different POVs: present day Maggie, past Maggie, and Fergus (also in the past).  Present day Maggie's voice was so disjoint, so disconnected, it was really hard to relate to her.  It had a removed, dreamlike quality to it.  Past Maggie was a bit more engaging, and the history and imagery were really beautiful.  Fergus's POV made the fewest appearances, but they were the most engaging by far.  So I just had a really hard time engaging with the characters, and really believing in this love story of theirs.  I wanted a lot more from the book, but I guess that's what Outlander will give me.

On a side note, this is book one of a three-part series.