Review of The Third Order

[OTrain Disene]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Third Order" by Wendy Sura Thomson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Third Order is a thriller novel written by Wendy Sura Thomson. Not many books are set in multiple countries. This book took a different route. It is set in Italy, the United States of America, and Scotland. It follows one woman by the name of Maggie, who found herself in an unexpected tragedy that left her in possession of a very precious amulet that is sought after by many powerful people. These people are motivated to do just anything to get it back. This book is exciting. It promises to keep you turning the pages, yearning to find out more.

Maggie is a banker in New York City. One day she decides to try something new. So she visits a museum. She’s not familiar with such places, and that’s why she looks out of place. While going down the stairs, she bumps into a couple that is arguing. It becomes a little fuss, and that’s when he comes to her. Ben is an architectural enthusiast. He is writing a paper about Renaissance designs and modern design. It was only fitting that he came to this exhibit. But he didn’t expect to meet someone as beautiful as Maggie. Things develop quite fast between them, and in no time, they are engaged to be married.

Ben first takes Maggie to his family in Ann Arbour. Maggie becomes close to Ben’s sister, Sarah. Then Maggie takes Ben to her family in Scotland. They do not want to waste time. They are sure that they love each other and they have blessings from both their families. So they get married and go to Italy for their honeymoon. While there, a big and strong earthquake strikes in the middle of the city. Ben is recruited because of his architectural experience. This is when a big tragedy happens.

What happened to Ben? And what is it that is found in his possession? Where did he get that thing? Why are people after Maggie? Maggie is working with two of his brothers to research more about this material that people seem to be obsessed about. But to what extent are they willing to go to protect it? Are they putting innocent people in danger? All of these questions are answered in this 291-paged book.

Reading this book was such a pleasant experience. The author had a way of painting pictures using just minimum words but at the same time not sounding anything close to tedious. The tale was original and full of mystery. The book was well written. I was flowing from one sentence to another, paragraph to paragraph, without any glitches. The dialogue kept the story moving at a very enjoyable pace. The characters had their own dialects that differentiated each other. Maggie was a Scottish, while Ben was an American. So both these characters were bound to talk and sound differently from one another. The author executed this so magnificently. The narration gave out only what was necessary to make the reader turn the pages. The whole book was built on top of the foundation of mystery. So had one aspect been let out prematurely, the whole experience would have been ruined. That aspect was well-guarded.

I also loved the character development and the build-up of the story. At the beginning of the book, we were introduced to both Maggie and Ben and got to know them intimately as individuals with a lot in common. We got to know where Maggie was from and what she liked and disliked, same as we did with Ben. Then we got to explore their relationship that shortly led to marriage. So by the time that incident in Italy happened, we’d fallen deep in love with them as lovers. At the beginning of the book, the pace was slow, but in the middle nearing the end, it picked up.

What I disliked was the ending which felt quite rushed. The backstory of Francesco was only given one chapter, which I felt wasn’t enough. The book didn’t have that much of plot twists. A couple that were there were not enough. They were too few and didn’t add too much value to the story. The book nearly came across as one long predictable story without suspense to supplement it.

I also came across grammatical and typographical errors. They were enough for me to deduct one star from my rating. It is therefore fitting that I rate this book three out of four stars. The book would appeal to people who are into thrillers, mystery, and suspense. People who love travelling and learning about other places would certainly find this novel interesting. Teenagers and young adults would be just a perfect target audience.

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The Third Order
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[abstactlemon]

I always love it when I have no idea where a book is going and from the way you described it, it seems like this book manages to pull that off.

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

I enjoyed reading the review, thank you. This story is exciting , so much mystery! I like that the story is set in those three different countries; I also like the book cover.

[WriteOn]

The characters had their own dialects that differentiated each other. Maggie was a Scottish, while Ben was an American. So both these characters were bound to talk and sound differently from one another. The author executed this so magnificently.

I enjoyed reading this observation OTrain M. For me, it would add extra interest to the book.
You've given just enough information about the story to make me curious and to feel that it's absorbing to read. You have described the appeal of the book well and justified your dislikes. It's a great, well considered review. Thank you.

[Oyedeji Funmilayo]

Your review is detailed and interesting. Books that doesn't easily give off the whole idea of the book from the inception are books j enjoy reading. Wonderful review Welldone!!!

[Amy Luman]

It seems that Ben and Marcie did move exceptionally fast. Is that perhaps part of the problem?

[noelhope]

Maggie took a leap and visited a museum, and there she met her future husband. This book is full of mystery. I am looking forward to reading it. The review is amazing, it covered all aspects of the book without giving any spoilers.

[Micah_1]

This is an interesting review. I really want to know what value the possession holds. I'll check out this book, thanks for an amazing review.

[Junior Gesuka 1]

I enjoyed reading The Third Order, which is filled with suspense and drama. Through a flowing, descriptive narrative, Thomson does an excellent job of introducing the characters and setting and unfolding the romance of Ben and Maggie to the reader. The deep and very satisfying love between them becomes real. When tragedy occurs, the reader deeply feels Maggie’s shock and grief. As she returns to her family in Scotland and enlists one of her brothers, a historian, to help solve the mystery of the amulet, the reader is fully engaged in solving this historical puzzle along with them. As one unexpected twist meets another surprise turn, we hang onto our seats to see how it will end

[Juliet Keith]

I hate books with underdeveloped plots and this feels like one. The predictably of the plot really makes the book tedious. However,the setting seems interesting.

[Eze Michael]

The plot of this book is quite intriguing. Maggie is in possession of an item is wanted by a lot people, and she has to be careful because it can r sult to her death. I'd love to read this book. Thanks for your honest review.

[NetMassimo]

Despite the rushed ending, this seems like an engaging thriller with well-constructed characters and plots. Thank you for your great review!