Publication date: May 4, 2009
Tags: YA, historical fiction, Medieval England, sorcery
Rating: 2 out of 5
Summary
Joan’s brother, the malevolent Black Prince, forces Nell to act the role of the princess and carry on with the marriage. It’s up to a ragtag group of people to help Nell and George escape from the Black Prince, but how can Nell know who to really trust? And with an army of rats and a crown to the Black Prince’s name, how can Nell survive the throes of his black-hearted ambitions?
Review
THE PLAGUE was a decisively odd and unsatisfying read. I had expected a grand and exciting adventure full of so much danger you couldn’t possibly flip a page without encountering it. However, this book was slow, disjointed, and inconclusive. I never got a sense for any of the characters, most of whom seemed to pop in and out of the story arbitrarily, their backstories and motivations unexplained. The Black Prince was a too perfect villain, with consistently evil actions and a predictable ending.
My favorite character was little George, a naively optimistic and trusting boy who helps heal the afflicted and has not yet realized how dangerous the world is. Other than that, however, I felt no connection to this book at all.
Writing: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 2/5
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5
Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - The cover was what attracted me to this book in the first place. There's just something very intriguing about the fresh-faced model, her face dappled with sunlight. I also like how the green of her eyes matches the background. (Of course, the cover has nothing to do with the story itself. Alas.)
Sucks to hear because the summary sounds intriguing. But thanks for the review :3
ReplyDeleteWell, twinkies. Obviously I was hoping for a good review. You know I still have to read it, though!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe summary actually intrigued me, sadly the book didn't sound satisfying enough.
ReplyDeleteI liked this book a lot, but yeah, it isn't for everyone. I really like that time period which is probably why I did enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Yikes! Well, I still want it. I think!
ReplyDeleteThe book seems intriguing. It's a shame you didn't enjoy it. I wil get this from my library (if they have it) rather than buying this based on your review.
ReplyDeleteOh it's disappointing that the books was...... disappointing. I was also attracted to it due to it's beautiful cover. I will have to add it to the library list, that way if it doesn't hold my attention it won't be money wasted ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review!
Awee, I wanted to read this.
ReplyDelete=[ Oh well this will be taken out from
the library instead of bought
Bummer that it didn't quite live up to its premise! I love historical fiction set in this time period, and was really looking forward to reading this one. I absolutely love Geraldine Brooks' Year Of Wonders, also based around the spread of plague in England. Not YA, but very powerful! I might still snag this one at some point, though :)
ReplyDeleteThis one didn't work for me either. I still need to do my review on it.
ReplyDelete