Posted by Sarah
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Emmuska Orczy, French Revolution
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Revolution has taken hold of France, and hundreds of nobility are sent to the guillotine every day. A band of Englishmen, and their mysterious and daring leader known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel, lend aid to aristocrats on the death list—smuggling them from the blood-spattered country into England. But an accredited agent of the revolutionary government is determined to catch this scoundrel band and forces Lady Blakeney, one of the most popular ladies in England, to help him determine the real identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Torn between a mess of circumstances, Lady Blakeney has little idea of the adventure yet to come.
A well-spun yarn, intriguing enough to keep me reading. I would have to say that the first half of the book is the best, since it reaches a slightly mushy scene for midpoint and then the rest of the story felt a little too drawn-out. There’s also a goodly smattering of language, used by the Englishmen at the time. Overall, though, a good and interesting story, with a somewhat mysterious twist.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Cat Royal, French Revolution, Julia Golding
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Cat Royal’s patron Mr. Sheridan is tearing down his London theatre so he can build a bigger one. There’s just a small problem with that: the theatre is Cat’s home! Realizing what he’s done, Mr. Sheridan sends Cat to France to do some spying for him. When Cat gets there, she immediately gets tangled up in the French Revolution and enters a dangerous world where everything hangs on the will of the people.
As is the usual Cat Royal formula, Cat finds herself in a complicated situation that is quite tense and edge-of-your-seat exciting. The storyline here is excellent, the characters dimensional and complex. Unfortunately, all this greatness is marred by language that gets a little salty at times. Den of Thieves sets up a few events for the next Cat Royal book, which (not to spoil that review!) cut back a lot on the objectionable elements. All that to say that in my opinion, Den of Thieves is probably the low point of the series. But keep going, as the next one is much better.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:French Revolution, Julia Golding, nobility, stage plays, thieves
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Catherine “Cat” Royal is a streetwise orphan who lives in the theatre at Drury Lane. As London is in an uproar over the French Revolution, Cat is thrust into dangerous political intrigue when Mr. Sheridan, the owner of Drury Lane Theatre, entrusts Cat with the secret that a diamond is hidden in the theatre. If that wasn’t enough, a London gang finds out and will stop at nothing to make Cat reveal the diamond’s location.
This book has a plot full of intrigue and mystery that will keep you turning pages until the final twist. Julia Golding masterfully describes both the gentry and commoners and their feelings about the rise of liberty. Though I did figure out the main plot thread before it was revealed, I was quite surprised by a number of places in the story. One little warning: The Diamond of Drury Lane takes place mostly on and around the streets of 18th century London. The very dirty streets of 18th century London. Get the picture? Other than that (and it’s really quite minor), this one’s a definite keeper.
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