The Rook

Book 2 of 2016 is The Rook by Daniel O'Malley.

This is a book that my friend Jan chose for our distant book club. We will be discussing this over Skype when she finishes the read.

Having read The Hanged Man, this followed on quite well. Fantastical historical fiction is my new obsession and I am going to own this genre this year and read so much of it. This isn't the best example but it did introduce some nice ideas.

The reason I would read the rest of the series is because I had no love for any of the characters.

Told in the first person, the only possible sympathetic character is the story teller and seeing inside her mind makes her less-so.

The current to historical context is the most appealing part of this book. I can imagine it happening in almost modern day London but it misses something. It didn't bring me in to the place or the moment. My guess is that this is a British text written for Americans because it is nondescript and only hints of the culture.

What I would have liked was something distinctly English. Something that gave me an insight in to the culture and the moment. But alas, it did not.

3 forgotten moments due to amnesia out of 5.

Should I read this? Only if you like fantastical history novels.
What did I learn? I like this genre and want to find better versions of this.