Review of First Lessons
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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 is the first part of a time-travel fantasy, where a brilliant medical student, Aliya, suddenly finds herself in the body of a Countess known as Lilian Earton all the way back in the medieval times. The novel is essentially about Aliya learning and adapting to her new, unfamiliar world and body while using her previous knowledge to her fullest advantage for survival.
The whole time-travel and body-switching sequence was done very well, and it wasn’t confusing to read even as different POVs were brought in at different times. The main POVs were of Aliya in Lilian’s body, Lilian’s estranged husband Jess, and a secondary plotline of Anna Wellster, who is looking to wed the crown prince, as well as her unfortunate lover, Lons. For the first part, most of the focus was on Aliya/Lilian as she got her bearings and dealt with the people in her castle and village. The political intrigue was given a background role for this book, but the foundation was laid out to expand it further in the future volumes.
I loved the relatability of the protagonist - Aliya. Her inner musings displayed an added depth to her feelings of despair and ultimately courage and hope to make the best of her situation. It was quite motivating to read, and each incident felt necessary to the plot and was written in a wholly original manner, not feeling too cliched. The various storylines each were engrossing to read in their own right, causing the first part to feel too short by the end.
The only thing I found unbelievable would have to be how easily the villagers and townspeople glossed over the sudden eccentricities of the Countess. Some of her actions felt risky for that particular period, but the very virtue of her being Countess seemed to drive away any problems. Her vast knowledge on almost every topic was starting to feel cliched, but it became more natural towards the end, as the reason behind it was explained in more detail. There were also some scenes where she had to rely on her new-made comrades for help, and these parts were written very well.
I rate First Lessons by Lina J Potter 4 out of 4 stars as it was a perfect first volume of a body-switching fantasy series, with the right amount of adventure mixed with political intrigues and introduction of characters and world-building. There were extremely few editing errors as well.
This book would appeal to Game of Thrones fans and people who like fantasy novels that meld modern with medieval, chiefly seen from the point of view of a female protagonist. There is minimal swearing used and it is only when necessary. It is quite educational too at times as all aspects of medieval times are discussed, such as the political matters that go into running a castle, as well as aspects of farming and trading.
******
First Lessons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
First Lessons by Lina J Potter is the first part of a time-travel fantasy, where a brilliant medical student, Aliya, suddenly finds herself in the body of a Countess known as Lilian Earton all the way back in the medieval times. The novel is essentially about Aliya learning and adapting to her new, unfamiliar world and body while using her previous knowledge to her fullest advantage for survival.
The whole time-travel and body-switching sequence was done very well, and it wasn’t confusing to read even as different POVs were brought in at different times. The main POVs were of Aliya in Lilian’s body, Lilian’s estranged husband Jess, and a secondary plotline of Anna Wellster, who is looking to wed the crown prince, as well as her unfortunate lover, Lons. For the first part, most of the focus was on Aliya/Lilian as she got her bearings and dealt with the people in her castle and village. The political intrigue was given a background role for this book, but the foundation was laid out to expand it further in the future volumes.
I loved the relatability of the protagonist - Aliya. Her inner musings displayed an added depth to her feelings of despair and ultimately courage and hope to make the best of her situation. It was quite motivating to read, and each incident felt necessary to the plot and was written in a wholly original manner, not feeling too cliched. The various storylines each were engrossing to read in their own right, causing the first part to feel too short by the end.
The only thing I found unbelievable would have to be how easily the villagers and townspeople glossed over the sudden eccentricities of the Countess. Some of her actions felt risky for that particular period, but the very virtue of her being Countess seemed to drive away any problems. Her vast knowledge on almost every topic was starting to feel cliched, but it became more natural towards the end, as the reason behind it was explained in more detail. There were also some scenes where she had to rely on her new-made comrades for help, and these parts were written very well.
I rate First Lessons by Lina J Potter 4 out of 4 stars as it was a perfect first volume of a body-switching fantasy series, with the right amount of adventure mixed with political intrigues and introduction of characters and world-building. There were extremely few editing errors as well.
This book would appeal to Game of Thrones fans and people who like fantasy novels that meld modern with medieval, chiefly seen from the point of view of a female protagonist. There is minimal swearing used and it is only when necessary. It is quite educational too at times as all aspects of medieval times are discussed, such as the political matters that go into running a castle, as well as aspects of farming and trading.
******
First Lessons
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
