The year is 1836. A mysterious young English soldier known as the “Boy Colonel” commands a crack regiment in the snowy wastelands of Siberia. No one knows his history. No one knows his name. The Cossacks want him dead—but are they the only ones? It seems his worst enemy may wear an English uniform.
The Boy Colonel strives to perform his duty, but when that duty becomes mixed he must decide which sovereign is greater — the king of England, or the God of the Bible. Treachery, intimidation, and deceit block his path. His choice of allegiance may mean the difference between life and death. Is he prepared to risk all to protect his loved ones?
My rating:
*Deep breath* Okay, um . . . I really wanted to give this book four stars. But I just . . . couldn't somehow?
I liked the plot. Really, really liked it, actually. A boy colonel with a background shrouded in mystery, loved by all in his command? And then later is injured (this may sound awful, but I *cough* like it when characters get injured. You can maim them—just don't kill 'em.), and fighting for his life, and *stops before I give away spoilers* um, yes, please!!
But . . . somehow, I could never connect with any of the characters. The colonel was noble (pun intended, if you've read the book), likable, and an excellent leader. Edmund was the fabulous friend/sidekick. Jaques and O'Malley made me laugh more than once! Liana was super sweet.
But I could never relate to them.
Back to the plot—again, I loved the plot. But it never really drew me in, y'know? And I couldn't figure this out until I realized that it was the writing style. Mr. Horn's writing voice was like G.A Henty or Robert Luis Stevenson. Now, if I go into a book knowing that it's a classic, and expecting this style of writing, I'm more likely to enjoy it. I think the problem here is that this book is not a classic, so I wasn't expecting it to read like it did. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of this style, and thus the three stars.
What little romance there was I actually enjoyed! When the two characters loved each other, they weren't constantly making out, which was fabulous. But, I mean, it was set in 19th-century Siberia, soooo I guess that could have something to do with it.
If you enjoy classics, you'll definitely want to check this one out!
Have you ever read this book before? What was your favorite part?
But . . . somehow, I could never connect with any of the characters. The colonel was noble (pun intended, if you've read the book), likable, and an excellent leader. Edmund was the fabulous friend/sidekick. Jaques and O'Malley made me laugh more than once! Liana was super sweet.
But I could never relate to them.
Back to the plot—again, I loved the plot. But it never really drew me in, y'know? And I couldn't figure this out until I realized that it was the writing style. Mr. Horn's writing voice was like G.A Henty or Robert Luis Stevenson. Now, if I go into a book knowing that it's a classic, and expecting this style of writing, I'm more likely to enjoy it. I think the problem here is that this book is not a classic, so I wasn't expecting it to read like it did. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of this style, and thus the three stars.
What little romance there was I actually enjoyed! When the two characters loved each other, they weren't constantly making out, which was fabulous. But, I mean, it was set in 19th-century Siberia, soooo I guess that could have something to do with it.
If you enjoy classics, you'll definitely want to check this one out!
Have you ever read this book before? What was your favorite part?
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