Thursday, March 29, 2018

Review for Where Worlds Meet by Lucinda Elliot

4.5 Stars. Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula with Time Travel. Set a number of years after That Scoundrel Emile Dubois and the stand-alone Ravensdale, Where Worlds Meet opens with our characters from both novels living in their happily ever after. Emile has retired from his life on the road as a highwayman. And both Emile and Sophie as well as Emile's cousin Reynaud (Ravensdale) and Isabella have children now. You should read That Scoundrel Emile Dubois before reading this, but I don't think anything would be confusing if you haven't read Ravensdale.

The beginning of the book re-caps That Scoundrel Emile Dubois nicely without feeling repetitive and quickly introduces the reader to the threat our characters face. There are also lots of little jokes along the way that reference both earlier books, which was fun.

As the story continues you're pulled into a fast-paced adventure. Filled with all the excitement time-travel, vampires, and other curious monsters can provide. This gothic historical romance was like nothing I've ever read before.

I loved seeing Emile and Sophie again. But I have to say, I was probably most interested in Arthur and Elouise, at least for the first half of the book. We see a much more vulnerable side to Arthur. He’s alive and still a vampire, and while he's seeking revenge he also has a soft spot for Elouise. Sweet Elouise has been tending to him and ends up put in a position where she doesn’t want to see Emile hurt, but also wants to protect Arthur. She seeks to save Author from his half-vampire status. As the story went on I found myself rooting for them. They were the underdogs as Kenrick was still pulling some of Arthur's strings, but it was clear that he was a victim too. It was also funny seeing Longface and Guto trying to protect Eloise from Arthur.

I feel like the time-travel aspects in this novel were handled even better than they were in the first book. I understood the mechanics of this world in this book a little better, and you get to see more of those time travel aspects, which I liked.

Kenrick's monsters were a new element to the story that while new, still felt like classic gothic horror monsters. We're also introduced to other new characters like Guinevere Gwynne, who aids Kenrick with magic books in his attempts to navigate the time mazes. She also has some interesting encounters with both Emile and Reynaud. Together Gwynne and Kenrick seek to not only enter the past but alter it as well with the hope of bringing long-dead loved ones back into their lives.

Emile and Reynaud are a charismatic duo that drive this story. Filled with strong female characters, humor, love, and betrayal, Where Worlds Meet will suck you in.



Was the writing/editing solid?

5/5 - This book was well written, edited and formatted and even provided some nice reminders in the footnotes of things that had happened in the past books.

Did the book have a well-formed plot/subplots?

5/5 - Elliot did a good job merging the two stand-alone novels that came before this into a cohesive tale with plenty of twists and turns.

Could you relate to the characters?

5/5 - Since this was a sequel I already felt invested in these characters and felt like their development and growth was true to the character's I'd been introduced to in the first two books.

Did the story make you feel?

4/5 - There were plenty of parts where I truly felt for these characters and rooted them on or was scared of what might happen to them. However, Emile and Sophie are happily married now as are Reynaud and Isabel, so there wasn't that same "I hope they get together soon," feeling that the first two books had.

Was the book unputdownable?

3/5 - If you don't typically read gothic novels the language can be a little tougher and for me, I found I wasn't able to read this as fast as I've read other books, but it was definitely a worthwhile read.



Indie Book Goal 2018 Notes

This is the second book I've finished for #IndieBookGoal2018 where I've pledged to read at least 10 Indie books before the end of the year.

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Indie Book Goal 2018