by Juliana Gray
Release Date: September 19th, 2017
2017 Berkley Books
Kindle Edition; 400 Pages
ISBN: 9780425277089
ASIN: B01MT32RL8
Genre: Fiction / Historical / Time Travel
Source: Review copy from publisher
3.5 / 5 Stars
Summary
Scotland, 1906. A mysterious object discovered inside an ancient castle calls Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia, and his fellow researcher Emmeline Truelove, north to the remote Orkney Islands. No stranger to the study of anachronisms in archeological digs, Haywood is nevertheless puzzled by the artifact: a suit of clothing, which, according to family legend, once belonged to a selkie who rose from the sea in ancient times and married the castle’s first laird.
But Haywood and Truelove soon discover they’re not the only ones interested in the selkie’s strange hide, and when their mutual friend Lord Silverton vanishes in the night from an Edinburgh street, the mystery takes a dangerous turn through time, which only Haywood’s skills and Truelove’s bravery can solve…
My Thoughts
I have to admit that I had no idea what the book was about when I first started reading it, and for some strange reason, I actually thought it was a mystery novel. However, A Strange Scottish Shore was anything but as it turned out to be a time-traveling historical novel. Then I got really excited as I love history, and add a time-travel element to it with some mystery, and I should have been really hooked. And although I did enjoy, there was something about it that never really sunk its hooks into me as I read.
First of all, the book did have some really good things going for it. The overall story was rather interesting and I definitely loved the mystery element to the time-travel as Truelove and Haywood had rather little idea as to what was going on and were kind of feeling their way through everything. As there was a nice legend involving the ancient inhabitants of the castle, it really doesn't take much to figure out that Truelove or Haywood would have something to do with that legend. So when the actual time-travel element did appear in the book, I wasn't really surprised at the events that transpired. But it was fun to follow along as Truelove slowly figured it all out and realized what the legend actually meant. The world-building, both the early twentieth century and the mid-fourteenth century, was really good and I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life that were mentioned. I love that stuff so the more descriptions there are, the more I tend to enjoy it so I can picture it all in my head. The author was really good at doing that here.
Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of Truelove as I found her to be a bit too straight-laced and I couldn't really empathize with her most of the time. It's not that I didn't like her character, I just wish there was more to embrace. Silverton however, I adored. I liked his personality, the mix between serious and cavalier was very attractive and I was really hoping to see more of him in the novel when he disappeared. I did have a hard time connecting the mid-fourteenth century Silverton to early twentieth century Silverton, but I just went with it.
I also had a few issues with the plot. Overall, it was enjoyable and fun, but when you really look at it, there were too many loose ends that just didn't make sense. And I'm not talking about those ends that lead into the next book as those I get, but just some things that were glossed over and not really explained, but were integral to the book. I think I would have enjoyed the plot more if it was a bit more organized and more tightly woven. And there was the paradox involved in time-travel; the author kind of glossed over it all, but the questions are still there nonetheless, without the answers.
Verdict
A Strange Scottish Shore definitely had some very interesting elements as well as some intriguing characters. I did find the plot to be a bit loose as if the author wasn't quite sure where she was going with it, but otherwise I did enjoy the story. I haven't yet read the first book in this series, and right now it's up in the air as to whether I will or not, I haven't decided. For those who like time-travel and romance with a little bit of mystery thrown in however, this book is definitely for you.
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