Rating: 5/5
Claire is back in modern times with her daughter Brianna. They go to revisit the house of her historian friend, who has died, in Scotland. Claire begins some research into the history of the clans, particularly what happened at Culloden. She is finally ready to find out what happened to Jamie. She had to return to the present time and leave him behind. She reminisces about how she and Jamie travelled to France in an attempt to stop the Jacobite uprising. They hoped to succeed in stopping Bonnie Prince Charles from leading the Scottish clans into a death trap at Culloden. There was quite a lot of action, as well as politics, murder, and intrigue along the way. If she and Jamie could not succeed in stopping the uprising completely, could they at least save the ones they love?
This review will most definitely contain spoilers, especially if you have not read the first book.
In the beginning of this book, I was devastated to find out that Claire had returned to the present without Jamie and that she had lived without him for 20 years with Frank while raising Brianna (clearly Jamie's daughter). I kept thinking it was surely some kind of mistake. The first part of the book is set in 1968 and Rodger, Brianna, and Claire discuss the history of the clans while Claire remembers the events that lead her back to the modern time. She and Jamie did all they could to stop Charles from attempting an uprising, going to France and meeting the King himself. They were involved in a lot of complicated political drama. The look into French society at this period in time was quite fascinating. We get to see more of Jack Randall (unfortunately) and we also meet his brother Alex. This book paints a beautiful picture of several different types of settings. Not only did Claire and Jamie spend a few years in France, they also returned to Scotland and became involved in the uprising. We get to see the spirited highland armies and experience the death, hunger, and desperation as the uprising comes to it's conclusion. There emerges a bigger villain than Jack Randall.
This series is so successful because Diana Abandon is able to weave together an amazing story full of action, sorrow, joy, and mystery. The pace can be slow, but this makes the story seem even more real. Claire and Jamie become like loved ones to the reader. You can imagine yourself there with them and even begin to predict how they will respond to certain situations.
I have this enjoyed this series solely though audiobook. I started Outlander three years ago and just finished Dragonfly in Amber today. I have loved savoring these books. It is a true journey.
I think this is one of my favorite series of all time. It comes down to the way the books make me feel. Yes, the story is interesting, but I just feel so happy and immersed when I listen to these books. The narrator, Davina Porter, is amazing!
If you have not already read this series, do so as soon as you can! You won't regret it!
Onto my other ratings -
The grammar and editing was fantastic.
Profanity: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There is a bit of swearing in this book. Of course, it's mostly old slang and the use of the Lord's name in vain but it's quite frequent. I think the author did a good job of keeping it fairly clean, it could have been a lot worse.
Violence: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - Lots and lots of different types of violence. Stabbings, beatings, hangings, rape. People getting shot, people getting burned, people bleeding and dying. But although it was a lot and fairly constant, it wasn't too graphic. There are many things in this series that are quite disturbing, though.
Sexuality: None/Mild/Medium/Heavy/Extreme - There are many sex scenes in this series. I feel that they are done beautifully, but they can be a little explicit.
As mentioned, I listened to these on Audible. If you don't have an audible account, you can get your first book FREE when you sign up! (Outlander is a great choice). It's around $15 a month after that and you can pick any of the books that you want with your credit that you get each month. You can also cancel at any time.
You can also get the books on Amazon using the affiliate links below:
1. Outlander
2. Dragonfly in Amber
3. Voyager
4. Drums of Autumn
5. The Fiery Cross
6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes
7. An Echo in the Bone
8. Written in My Own Heart's Blood
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