Into Temptation

I got so invested in the second volume of The Spoils of Time by Penny Vincenzi that I launched straight into the third - Into Temptation - as soon as I finished it.

And it was still entertaining reading.

However, it also started to get a bit repetitive and a bit dreary as it went on. Why, oh why, did all the male love interests have to be so appalling, and most of the female protagonists so blind, compliant and forgiving? I mean, I know the story of the whole trilogy takes place between 1904 and 1960, so gender norms are likely to skew towards women being dominated by their menfolk to a certain extent (and I also realise a good story need conflict) - but every single relationship?

Ah well - it did get quite compelling again towards the end - though, after seven decades and 2400 pages, the ultimate conclusion to several of the storylines felt very rushed. And quite a few of the characters dropped out of sight over the course of the book and didn't get much of a look-in later on.

So, a somewhat disappointing ending to what I thought was going to be a stonkingly good family saga - but I'm still glad I read it overall, and it certainly prompted me to find a lot more time for reading than I usually do in my week!

A Pinch of Magic

I picked up A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison in a recent charity shop adventure because I liked the cover. After losing several weeks to a mammoth historical family saga, it looked like a good option - and there's certainly nothing wrong with it in terms of writing, characters, intriguing plot, etc. It's just I didn't realise when I picked it up that it's a middle grade book (and also the first in a quite lengthy series) and that just wasn't what I was looking for right now.