“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.”
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.