Official Review: The Stones of Judgment by Deborah Wise
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shinjiblue
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- Latest Review: "The Stones of Judgment" by Deborah Wise
Official Review: The Stones of Judgment by Deborah Wise
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Stones of Judgment" by Deborah Wise.]
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When a nun is found murdered on the campus of their former convent school, Lucinda Galsworthy convinces her friend and investigative journalist Charlie Hamilton to attend the school reunion in what she thinks will be a fun adventure. At the school, the girls encounter a man who shares with them his research on the Order of St. Epiphanius and its possible connections to a biblical artifact known as the Breastplate of Judgment. It all seems an exciting adventure until a second body is discovered and the girls find themselves drawn into a mystery that takes them farther and deeper into the dangers and intrigues involving this ancient relic and its implications on the modern Catholic world than either could have ever imagined.
With its themes involving secret organizations and links to historical objects with religious ties, The Stones of Judgment is very reminiscent of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The main characters in this story gallivant around the globe, and aided by Clooney-esque detectives and handsome locals, they solve cryptic clues to uncover the mystery while eluding those who would stop at nothing to prevent them from accomplishing their goal.
I'm a big fan of mysteries and part of the fun of reading such books is in solving the clues along with the characters, figuring out who to trust, who the bad guys are, who really did it. While this book did contain some of these elements, overall I felt that the relationships between the characters and some of the plot elements weren't believable enough to really draw me in or convince me that these are plausible or natural courses for the story to take. I found a lot of the points which drove the plot to be too far-fetched and unrealistic. Yes, I understand this is a work of fiction. However, even so, the reasons motivating the characters still have to be believable in order for the reader to really get into the story and care about the characters and what happens to them. With this book, I never quite felt that connection to the characters, at least not enough to identify with them and sympathize with their plight. I also found the writing itself to be a bit confusing at times, with the description of certain scenes leaving me unclear as to what exactly happened. There are many historical references and names of artifacts in this book, some of which I felt the author did not sufficiently explain. There were times when these elements were treated as if the reader should already be familiar with their provenance, however obscure.
The Stones of Judgment has a promising premise and contains a touch of sass and humor, particularly in the interaction between the two female protagonists. I thought the pacing was good; the action moved the story along well and there weren't really any moments when I felt the book was dragging. It's evident that a lot of research went into this book, given that historical references were sprinkled throughout the narrative. There is a lot of potential here, and with a bit of editing, I do feel this could become a more successful book.
I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. Perhaps as a fan of this genre who has read many other similarly themed novels, I had too many expectations for this one. I couldn't quite get into it, but it may be a different experience for someone else.
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With its themes involving secret organizations and links to historical objects with religious ties, The Stones of Judgment is very reminiscent of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The main characters in this story gallivant around the globe, and aided by Clooney-esque detectives and handsome locals, they solve cryptic clues to uncover the mystery while eluding those who would stop at nothing to prevent them from accomplishing their goal.
I'm a big fan of mysteries and part of the fun of reading such books is in solving the clues along with the characters, figuring out who to trust, who the bad guys are, who really did it. While this book did contain some of these elements, overall I felt that the relationships between the characters and some of the plot elements weren't believable enough to really draw me in or convince me that these are plausible or natural courses for the story to take. I found a lot of the points which drove the plot to be too far-fetched and unrealistic. Yes, I understand this is a work of fiction. However, even so, the reasons motivating the characters still have to be believable in order for the reader to really get into the story and care about the characters and what happens to them. With this book, I never quite felt that connection to the characters, at least not enough to identify with them and sympathize with their plight. I also found the writing itself to be a bit confusing at times, with the description of certain scenes leaving me unclear as to what exactly happened. There are many historical references and names of artifacts in this book, some of which I felt the author did not sufficiently explain. There were times when these elements were treated as if the reader should already be familiar with their provenance, however obscure.
The Stones of Judgment has a promising premise and contains a touch of sass and humor, particularly in the interaction between the two female protagonists. I thought the pacing was good; the action moved the story along well and there weren't really any moments when I felt the book was dragging. It's evident that a lot of research went into this book, given that historical references were sprinkled throughout the narrative. There is a lot of potential here, and with a bit of editing, I do feel this could become a more successful book.
I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. Perhaps as a fan of this genre who has read many other similarly themed novels, I had too many expectations for this one. I couldn't quite get into it, but it may be a different experience for someone else.
***
Buy "The Stones of Judgment" on Amazon
Latest Review: "The Stones of Judgment" by Deborah Wise
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deborahwise
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Many thanks for taking the time to read Stones of Judgment.
I appreciate your review and your criticisms.
The goal of the book was to take a gentle jab at the Dan Brown genre, which I enjoy of course, hence the overloading of facts and references etc. My overall plan was to use the genre to tell an exciting if far-fetched story in an amusing way, with a couple of bright ladies running the show.
I am in the process of plotting a sequel to give Charlie and Lucinda another run out, and will certainly take your observations and comments into account.
Once again, many thanks for taking the time to read the book. I hope that despite the two star rating others will be tempted to give it a read. The overall reception has been positive, but breaking through the eBook noise is quite difficult.
Deborah Wise
I appreciate your review and your criticisms.
The goal of the book was to take a gentle jab at the Dan Brown genre, which I enjoy of course, hence the overloading of facts and references etc. My overall plan was to use the genre to tell an exciting if far-fetched story in an amusing way, with a couple of bright ladies running the show.
I am in the process of plotting a sequel to give Charlie and Lucinda another run out, and will certainly take your observations and comments into account.
Once again, many thanks for taking the time to read the book. I hope that despite the two star rating others will be tempted to give it a read. The overall reception has been positive, but breaking through the eBook noise is quite difficult.
Deborah Wise
