Monday, December 22, 2014

The Fiery Cross (Outlander Book 5) by Diana Gabaldon






New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon mesmerized readers with her award-winning Outlander novels, four dazzling tales featuring eighteenth-century Scotsman James Fraser and his twentieth-century time-traveling wife, Claire Randall. Now, in this eagerly awaited fifth volume, Diana Gabaldon continues their extraordinary saga, a masterpiece of pure storytelling that is her most astonishing Outlander novel yet....

The year is 1771, and war is coming. Jamie Fraser’s wife tells him so. Little as he wishes to, he must believe it, for hers is a gift of dreadful prophecy—a time-traveler’ s certain knowledge. Claire’s unique view of the future has brought him both danger and deliverance in the past; her knowledge of the oncoming revolution is a flickering torch that may light his way through the perilous years ahead—or ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.

Published & Release Date: Random House, October 26, 2004

Time and setting: 1771 North Carolina

Genre: Historical Romance/Epic Adventure/Time-Travel

Heat Level: 2

Reviewer rating: 4 Gold Crowns

Vikki’s Musings

I am thoroughly enjoying this series again. This is the first time I have read The Fiery Cross. I attempted it when it came out, but read about 100 pages, then set it aside. This time I listened to the audio book as I read which helped tremendously. Davina Porter brings the characters to life, even when some of the pacing in this book is tedious. I now understand why I put this one down, which is extremely unusual for me. I rarely stop reading, even if I do not like the book. I keep expecting it to better. This one certainly does, and is well worth the time to read.

I think the reason I stopped reading The Fiery Cross the first time is because it is such a long book. Plus it had been several years since I had read the first four books in the series and had lost touch with Jamie and Claire. Since I am reading this series again consecutively, I have the story fresh in my mind. This book has critical information needed to understand the next books in the series, especially Roger’s sub-plot.

Brianna and Roger’s story line plays a big part in this book. What happens to Roger is beyond what I could have imagined. How he endured it and still remained whole is astounding. The loss he suffers is something that would devastate me. Ms. Gabaldon has put him through the wringer to say the least. I do not want to give away any information that could lessen your reading experience so I will give you no details. I will just say that The Fiery Cross is mandatory reading to fully understand the rest of the series, even if it does have some scenes in it that do not move the story along.

Now for why I am giving this one 4 stars, I think I missed finding out what was happening to Ian. As I mentioned in my review of Drums of Autumn, I really fell in love with his character. His character is so vibrant. Also, there is a lot of tedious information about the myriad of medical procedures Claire performs. Ms. Gabaldon is a bit too technical, or should a say clinical in her descriptions.

Even with these issues, I enjoyed this book, and I am glad I gave it another chance. Jamie and Claire’s tenderness and caring of each other rings loud and clear, and I am sure it will for you as well. Happy reading!


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