Review of First Lessons
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Aswathy Hariharan
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Review of First Lessons
[Following is a volunteer review of "First Lessons" by Lina J. Potter.]
First Lessons by Lina J. Potter narrates the story of Aliya. Aliya Skorolenok was an exceptional medical student at the Ryazan Medical School. She comes home during her fifth year of training, delighted to tell her parents how she successfully did a surgery. On the way back home, their car is met with an accident. She wakes up to realize that she is in medieval times, in someone else’s body. Although in shock, she puts herself together very quickly. She is presently living as Countess Lilian Elizabeth Mariella Earton. Being trained as a medical surgeon, she realizes she is at advantage on most parts. Moreover, she has a ton of knowledge from the future, which she puts to use cautiously.
The element of time-swapping has been handled beautifully by the author. Aliya, who later wakes up to become Lilian Earton, is a well-portrayed character. She is cautious to learn the new ways, the new people, their history, their religious beliefs, etc. before venturing out into the outside world. Throughout the read, you are curious about how Aliya handles various situations with her wit and wisdom.
Aliya was an inquisitive girl who grew up to gather a lot of skills like those on local herbs, chemistry, and medicine. The book is packed with many characters and various details of medieval times as well. Features of physical bodies, clothes, dresses, lifestyles, food, craft, etc. are all described in detail, giving us a vivid picture of the time. Most of the story is narrated from the perspective of Lilian. It is easy to follow when the narrative switches into the perspective of other characters as well.
The only point I found difficult to digest was that Aliya accepted her fate too soon. She quickly came to ease with the fact that she woke up in someone else’s body and, above all, in an unknown land in unknown times. Although there are instances where Aliya holds back her tears, I felt she quickly adapted to the situation. I would suggest this is because she grew up as the daughter of an army officer. Aliya had to move from base to base, making herself flexible since childhood.
I found the book was exceptionally well-edited. The book also included footnotes for certain words to guide the reader through the medieval world. I would recommend this book for teens and adults who love reading fantasy, history, historical fiction, time travel, etc.
First Lessons can be rated with four out of four stars. The book is the first in the series of ‘A Medieval Tale’. This book ended with a teaser to the next book. Hence, I am waiting to get my hands on the next book of the series.
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First Lessons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
First Lessons by Lina J. Potter narrates the story of Aliya. Aliya Skorolenok was an exceptional medical student at the Ryazan Medical School. She comes home during her fifth year of training, delighted to tell her parents how she successfully did a surgery. On the way back home, their car is met with an accident. She wakes up to realize that she is in medieval times, in someone else’s body. Although in shock, she puts herself together very quickly. She is presently living as Countess Lilian Elizabeth Mariella Earton. Being trained as a medical surgeon, she realizes she is at advantage on most parts. Moreover, she has a ton of knowledge from the future, which she puts to use cautiously.
The element of time-swapping has been handled beautifully by the author. Aliya, who later wakes up to become Lilian Earton, is a well-portrayed character. She is cautious to learn the new ways, the new people, their history, their religious beliefs, etc. before venturing out into the outside world. Throughout the read, you are curious about how Aliya handles various situations with her wit and wisdom.
Aliya was an inquisitive girl who grew up to gather a lot of skills like those on local herbs, chemistry, and medicine. The book is packed with many characters and various details of medieval times as well. Features of physical bodies, clothes, dresses, lifestyles, food, craft, etc. are all described in detail, giving us a vivid picture of the time. Most of the story is narrated from the perspective of Lilian. It is easy to follow when the narrative switches into the perspective of other characters as well.
The only point I found difficult to digest was that Aliya accepted her fate too soon. She quickly came to ease with the fact that she woke up in someone else’s body and, above all, in an unknown land in unknown times. Although there are instances where Aliya holds back her tears, I felt she quickly adapted to the situation. I would suggest this is because she grew up as the daughter of an army officer. Aliya had to move from base to base, making herself flexible since childhood.
I found the book was exceptionally well-edited. The book also included footnotes for certain words to guide the reader through the medieval world. I would recommend this book for teens and adults who love reading fantasy, history, historical fiction, time travel, etc.
First Lessons can be rated with four out of four stars. The book is the first in the series of ‘A Medieval Tale’. This book ended with a teaser to the next book. Hence, I am waiting to get my hands on the next book of the series.
******
First Lessons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Awakening... by Jin Lan Cera
