The Queen Alone (Chronicles of the Tempus) by K A S Quinn
| The Queen Alone (Chronicles of the Tempus) by K A S Quinn | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Ruth Ng
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| Summary: Completing the trilogy, this is a consistent continuation to Katie's time-travelling adventures. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 336 | Date: November 2014 |
| Publisher: Corvus | |
| ISBN: 9781848870567 | |
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Katie is back, and once more she's back in Victorian England. This time, however, she isn't quite sure who called her back in time or for what purpose and, unfortunately, something went wrong as she came and she brought someone else along with her! In the final episode of the Chronicles of the Tempus we see Katie trying to save Prince Albert's life, trying to prevent Britain messing up the outcome of the American Civil War, and rescuing Queen Victoria from an asylum!
It's all go throughout this story. I liked the pace, though I don't think readers could come at it blind and you really need to have read the first two novels. The plot has both supernatural elements, and political elements. Katie is drawn into the politics of the American Civil War, trying to tread carefully so that she doesn't affect the future, her future and change the course of history. There are plots within the palace, too, that threaten Prince Albert and, over and above it all, Katie seems to be struggling internally with her own feelings, finding herself hiding things from her best friends Alice and James, unable to tell them the truth and jealous of their relationship. Will she manage to discover what is going on, or why she feels the way she does?
Katie sometimes annoyed me in the story - for someone who is interested in words she does speak like a Californian idiot teenager at times. I suppose she is a teenager, and she is from New York but still, words would fall out of her mouth and I would cringe at how they contrasted with the way Alice speaks. Poor Alice. Her story, I felt, was beautifully written through the book. The emotions, the heartbreak as she has to leave for an arranged marriage, were really well depicted. I liked her character very much and the way we can see she has grown up during the series.
The politics through the story were interesting, and once again I enjoyed the historical aspects. Florence Nightingale is back, working again with Mary Seacole and, this time, they have someone else to take care of who has accidentally slipped through time alongside of Katie, though no one is quite sure how it happened, or how they will both get back. I enjoyed the mysterious characters of DuQuelle and the further explanations in this story of who he is. He's one of the most interesting characters in the book I think, even without often saying a great deal.
As with the previous books, I still felt there was something lacking with regards to the sci-fi fantasy aspects of the story. I still don't feel that I really understand about the Tempus, or just quite why everything that happened happened! If I were asked to explain that side of things I know I'd be left floundering somewhat. However, the rest of the story is good enough without any need to worry about that side of things, and I found I just enjoyed the story as it is. Time-travelling stories tend to start to unravel somewhat when you pick away at them anyway, so we shall leave well enough alone and enjoy this story for what it is, a good, funny and exciting adventure.
Start with the first book The Queen Must Die then move on to the second The Queen at War. You might also enjoy Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Queen Alone (Chronicles of the Tempus) by K A S Quinn at Amazon.com.
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