Review by Gabriela_Lara21 -- First Lessons

Gabriela_Lara21 · Post by **Gabriela_Lara21** » 01 Mar 2019, 20:14

[Following is a volunteer review of "First Lessons" by Lina J. Potter.]

4 out of 4 stars

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First lessons is a fantasy/romance/ historical book by Lina J. Potter that tells us the story of Aliya, a young medical graduate who aspires to be the best surgeon in the world and she has everything to achieve her goals: loving parents, intelligence, a healthy physique and more qualities for which she’s admired and respected until her life takes a wheel turn when a fatal accident happens and she wakes up in an alternate medieval world in a body that’s not hers. Now, as Lilian Eaton, she’ll face many difficulties: no one respects her, her condition is precarious and her only family is an absent husband and an indifferent father. Aliya will try to adapt to her new life and to rescue the state of Eaton of its decadence. For this, she will embark on a great adventure getting allies and enemies along the way.

The characters are carefully thought out; the author presents them concisely and determines perfectly the purpose of each one. My only pet peeve with the story is that the main character is too perfect to be relatable, however, for the central theme of the saga it works nicely because that’s the charm of Aliya: being a strong and independent woman.

Because this the first book of the series, it leaves the main plot and some subplots open, however; the book doesn’t lack on anything, for the number of pages it has, the writer builds beautifully the central story without slacking in the subplots’ development.

One of the positive points is that the author constructs and describes so well this fictional world that feels as if it existed in real life.

On the editing and presentation, the book is professionally edited and has an excellent format that complements the theme of history.

This book is for an open-minded and mature audience, it deals with topics such as sexism, religion and even obesity in a radical standpoint of view. Don’t read it if you get offended easily as the main character is very blunt with her opinions.

This story kept me immersed all the reading, what I liked the most is the intelligence and simplicity the author uses to tell the story.

This book deserves a four-star review, so I rate First lessons with a 4 out of 4 stars because it’s a unique and entertaining story that I recommend to all those fans of historical fantasy who seek an original plot with exceptional characters. I also suggest this book to women who look for empowering stories.

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First Lessons
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sri varshini303041 · Post by **sri varshini303041** » 03 May 2019, 23:39

I loved your review and you have given very original ideas about the book. Yes, the characters are clearly described and Aliya is pretty strict in her opinions. lol. I realize now, that obesity was also a main part of the book. Thank you for the honest and detailed review. will be looking forward to your next review.

allbooked+ · Post by **allbooked+** » 04 May 2019, 09:30

I read the book and thought many of the same things that you mentioned in your review. I also thought that the main character, and everything she directed, was too perfect - I laughed out loud at the thought that a still could be built and produce it's first batch of alcohol in the time that she was at the fair! Thank you for the nice review!