Ugh. I just…I don’t know what to say about these books anymore. It’s so difficult to review these since they’re SO FREAKING HUGE and they don’t necessarily have a theme. So much stuff happens that things that happened in the beginning of the book 1) I’ve forgotten about by now, and 2) aren’t even important anymore. And it really doesn’t help that the books are becoming more and more scattered and random feeling and…unedited. Like, in the second book you knew that they were struggling toward Colloden. Even though we had to sit through the France parts first, you knew they’d eventually get to Colloden because the book was ABOUT Colloden. This book (and the past few books) doesn’t really have a theme.

So I want to say, as I so often feel like I have to, that even though I’m about to complain about stuff, I am still really enjoying the series as a whole. This book is kind of bugging me but I need to know about Claire and Jamie so badly that I’m willing to sit through very long internal monologues about their FEELINGS, terrible and superfluous sex scenes, and descriptions of every little thing they do that has nothing to do with anything. And I’m basically enjoying it greatly. I do wish Roger would die, though. And Brianna too. Claire can keep the kid if she changes his name, because “Jem” is dumb.

SO. Roger and Brianna. They’re so BORING. The only thing Brianna is adding to the story is the Steven Bonnet angle, and she’s not even needed for that anymore.

Not enough Jamie and Claire. And there hasn’t been enough Fergus for several books. And Claire seems to be a terrible, terrible doctor. OK, she makes penicillin. But then…she doesn’t bother to make any more and her not having any almost kills someone.

Some things are just getting…ridiculous. In this book, Claire and Jamie get struck by lightning, Roger survives being HANGED for an HOUR, Brianna rigs up a hypodermic needle out of a snake fang (well OK, that part was kind of cool), and Claire goes around killing people/almost killing people with her incompetence. Oh and like I said  she makes penicillin, which seems…unlikely.

Really though, can we get a plague or something to take out Brianna and Roger?

Audiobook notes: Brianna’s voice annoys me. In addition to Southern accents, I don’t think that Davina Porter does very good American accents either. She’s so damn good at everything else though. I love that she has kept up distinct separate voices for the main characters throughout all of these books. Like, a new chapter starts and I can instantly tell which of the 4 main characters the POV is following. That’s good narrating right there.