Review: like Loaded Baked Potato Pringles for the delicious period and action condiments on a snackable, but less solid crunch
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 6, 2013
The idea of the book: wolves invading the walled and gated city of Paris in the winter of 1450 when the King needed funds for war, the inquisition held sway, and two Florentine bankers had come to find out why their agent of business had suddenly gone quiet.The first part of the book really drew me in. Excellent action, nice set up of brotherly rivalry in the two bankers as well as a very sympathetic character in Lady Lucrezia (widow of a missing-presumed-dead English Lord with some kind of mysterious tie both to the wolves and a giant mastiff seen chasing the wolves off).The details of the time period seemed authentic; from men in gibbets to inquisitional torture, to the sleigh they used to outrun the wolves on a snowy road.So why the three stars? I guess I wanted a bit more emotional meat or different pacing in my stories. The rating is a reflection not on the writing but on my own personal tastes. There is a romance between Lucrezia and one of the brothers, but I did feel a bit like outrunning the wolves and revealing Lucrezia's secrets and trying not to get on the bad side of the inquisition friar outweighed the deliciousness of their relationship.I think I also got a bit tired of the breakneck pacing and death count.But if action is your thing, you will love the descriptions of man vs wolf, wolf-thing vs. mastiff, pike vs. fang, etc that abound in this story.This Book's Snack Rating: Loaded Baked Potato Pringles for the delicious period and action condiments on a snackable, but less solid crunch