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leasttorque's review against another edition
3.0
This entry in the series was even more of a departure from the formula than the last. Much less emphasis on the obligatory murder and young romance, much more on medieval issues of family and fealty. Interesting, if less emotionally affecting.
timwolfe's review against another edition
2.0
There... wasn't really any mystery in this one. Just a chance to involve Cadfael in some Welsh hijinks, and he was basically an observer the whole time in any case. Also, one of the more poorly edited entries in the series.
uriaha's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cgreenstein's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Brother Cadfael mysteries are always solid, with excellent observations on human nature.
theresapizza's review against another edition
5.0
So far this book is great. Did you hear me? GREAT! It's about a monk from 1166 who uses his herb garden to solve murders. It's AH mazing!
bluegraybox's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this because it's a bit of a change from the typical Cadfael stories. It takes place in Wales, and it's about their internal political drama rather than the English civil war. It's all infighting and foreign alliances, conflicting and shifting loyalties. There's a romantic tangle mixed in, but even that's unusual. Normally it's clear where that thread is going—it's just a question of how it's going to get there. Here it's much less obvious who's going to end up with who, and how that's going to affect the main political conflict. While there is the usual mysterious murder, nobody spends a lot of time trying to figure it out; they're all too busy avoiding (or trying to cause) a war.
dominic_piacentini's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Only for Mark and his “lean angle” does this abridged version warrant anything but one star. Why are the Danes fighting the Welsh? Who even are these people? Without more detail, this one will only be remembered as the one in which Cadfael does not solve the crime and none of it really matters anyway.
tex2flo's review against another edition
4.0
It's always interesting to learn more about the time in these books--12th century Britain--and this one brought me into far more of the tribal interests between the Welsh and the Danes of Dublin. There wasn't much of the herbal cures in this book, but I didn't miss it what with the good tale being told.