Review: Great book - fills in the blanks regarding Aryl (POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT YET GONE BEYOND BOOK ONE)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2014
I have now read the first five books in this series. As i've stated in other reviews, I got "hooked" on this series after reading the first - 1929 Jonathan's Cross, and most enjoy following the main storyline of the original main protagonists - the three couples introduced in 1929 Jonathan's Cross. Therefore, while I certainly enjoy Ms. Gardiner's writing style and plot and character development in all of her works in this series, I have not as greatly cared for what I will call the "side plot books" which diverge from the main storyline, and I will put "Book Two - Elizabeth's Heart," "Drifter - Book Four" and "Book Five - Purgatory Cove" in this category. (SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT GONE BEYOND BOOK ONE). However, of these three "side plot books," Drifter really only diverges about a quarter of the way off, because it is a dialogue between Aryl and a new character, Detective Sloan. In this book we get the details of Aryl's missing year - details which I am sure will be integral to any books to follow in the series. So I would consider this integral to the overall plot of the main characters of the series, unlike Books 2 and 5, which while they are "OK" reads in and of themselves....well, the series could have been written in such a way as to not even need Books 2 and 5 because they are so "out there" compared to the rest of the series. If you've enjoyed 1929 Jonathan's Cross, and 1930 Aryl's Divide, but not cared so much for Book Two Elizabeth's Heart, don't let that dissuade you from purchasing Drifter, Book 4. It is far more worth reading and far more related to the main plot than was Elizabeth's Heart.