Laura

I just couldn't get into the story, so I gave up halfway through the book.

I read the first 50 pages and was bored, skimmed through the next 150 pages and was still bored, and then just gave up on the book. I've got better things to read.

I really wanted to like this book more, but I was a little disappointed. It had been a while since I'd read the previous book, “The Language of Bees”, so I didn't remember all the details and thus was a little confused as to what was going on.

Entertaining and a fast read.

A pleasant return to the “Harry Potter” universe, but definitely not up to the original's quality.

There were too many ridiculous coincidences in this story to make it enjoyable.

I realize that the protagonist is Protestant and she and her friends are struggling to bring about reforms in the church, but I got tired of the implication that the Catholic Church is BAD!!!!!! and the reformers are GOOD!!!!!

Most of this book was about Charles Lenox running for Parliament. I did not read this book in order to learn about 19th-century British election procedures. The mystery itself was only mildly interesting and was wrapped up rather quickly.

This was a slow read. I found it hard to get into the lives of these unhappy people, who stay unhappy for their entire lives.

I just could not get into this book–the author uses far too many unnecessary adjectives and forced metaphors.

A fast read, but not very memorable

The three-star review is an average–it should get four stars for being well-researched and impartial and two stars for being just plain boring to read!

Hmmm...This book was mildly entertaining, but nowhere nearly as fun as “Angels and Demons” or “The Davinci Code”. Maybe it's the fact that the story is set in Washington, D.C. rather than Rome or Paris, or perhaps it's because the central mystery involves Freemasonry instead of more specifically Christian themes, but I found myself saying, “Eh, who cares?”

I wanted to like this book more, since I enjoyed the previous three in the series. But I just couldn't get into the mystery–it wasn't as personal to the characters as in the previous books. Hopefully in the next book, Emily will get back to England to do some detective work.

This was a mediocre thriller in which everything was easy to figure out. This character will be killed, that one will be gravely injured but will pull through, etc. That's OK if all you want is a quick read, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Also, this book was very poorly edited and proofread. I found many typos throughout the text, such as “We have to leave know!” In addition, although it is never stated outright, this story obviously takes place in December 2009 (indicated by references to recent events). Yet, one character states, “We put a man on the moon fifty years ago.” According to my calculations, that would be forty years ago in 1969. I get the feeling that this book was rushed into publication without much attention to editing and proofreading.

This book was a chore to read. Both the main characters were unpleasant and annoying. I kept slogging through the story, hoping it would become more upbeat, but it didn't. I've enjoyed practically all of Mary Balogh's books, but this one was terrible!

I got this book on CD from the library because I had watched the History Channel special based on this book and enjoyed it. I expected the book to be similar to the TV program–a look into what the world would be like if humans suddenly disappeared. The book does cover this, but mostly it discusses how humans are currently ruining the planet and that the world would be better off without us. That may be true, but it's depressing to listen to for 12+ hours!

Reading this book was a waste of time. I kept expecting it to get more exciting, but it didn't. Instead of a “DaVinci Code”-style thriller, it was more of a boring scholarly hunt through old documents. And when the “secret identity of Christopher Columbus” is revealed, I thought “who cares?”

As the title states, this is the real history behind the Templars. It is well researched and cites many primary sources. The chapters are nice and short too, so you won't get bogged down!

Another “DaVinci Code” knockoff....but boring. It's hard to believe that this is supposed to be the first of a series featuring the main character, Molly O'Dwyer, because it was extremely dull.

Another supernatural/conspiracy thriller in the “DaVinci Code” vein, except this one revolves around....tarot cards? Ho hum. That's not nearly as intriguing a premise as the “DaVinci Code”. Still, it was an enjoyable read and although it's 500+ pages, it went quickly.

A standard historical romance novel, involving Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII.

This book has an interesting concept–pseudo-newspaper accounts of historical events–but it just wasn't enough to keep my attention. It would be fun to dip into now and then, however.

I sat reading this book instead of doing my homework one day in college. I was so enthralled that after I finished it, I immediately read it again!

Read many, many times during childhood.