This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I feel like I should warn you before you read too much of this review that there will be gushing. Major gushing. You see, I am in love with Jamie Frasier. I can't help it. It just happened and I am powerless to stop it. I had to admit to my husband that I was in love with a fictional character. He just shrugged his shoulders and looked at me like I was crazy. Oh well.



This is a story that is really all about the characters. And Jamie is one heck of a character. Oh sure, I like Claire well enough too but Jamie is in a whole different league. I think that the entire cast of characters in this novel are really very well portrayed and they simply come to life on the page. The characters are so realistic that many of them actually remind me of certain people that I have met just based on personality traits. All of the characters are flawed and make mistakes and I love them because of that.



This isn't a book that really has one major plot but instead focuses on a time period during their lives. There are a lot of things that happen in this book. I must admit that I was a bit confused when I started listening to this audiobook because of how it started. I stopped and checked and then double checked that it was in fact book #2 in the series. I read this book years ago and didn't remember that it started the way that it does. The way the book begins really does take any surprise out of how it ends but the entire journey is wonderful. There are a lot of descriptions in the book that I am sure could have been edited out but I am glad that they weren't. I wasn't looking for a short book when I started this series. I was hoping to be swept away by an epic story details included.



I think that Davina Porter has to be the perfect narrator for this series. The way this book is read really adds a lot to the overall experience of the story. She expertly handles a wide range of distinctive voices. She is the voice of Jamie which is somewhat odd to say. In most cases when a narrator is doing the voice of the other gender it feels wrong to me in some way. Davina Porter's range is so large that her male voices sounds as authentic as her female voices. Her execution of Jamie's Scottish accent and Claire's British accent are truly remarkable.



I highly recommend this series to anyone. This book picks up right where Outlander leaves off so you do really need to read this series in order. I would also say that I recommend the audiobook version of this series because it is a absolutely wonderful way to experience this story. I couldn't wait to continue my journey with Jamie and Claire and have already started the audiobook for Voyager, which is book #3 in the series. I am really looking forward to all the time I plan to spend with Jamie this year as I make my way through this series.

Initial Thoughts
I think that I liked this story even better the second time. The narration of the audiobook was absolutely outstanding. The story grabs you and doesn't let go. Plus, there is Jamie.



I am completely in love with this fictional man. I love Claire just as much. Yes, there is a lot of descriptions in this book but I really enjoyed all of it.

Full review to be posted just as soon as I can collect my thoughts and stop swooning.

UPDATE: Video review here - http://youtu.be/iIZ5ICYLXuQ - (If you are scared about jumping into this one, I break down the beginning for you!)
I don't even know what to say, but the first words that come to mind are HEART-WRENCHING and BEAUTIFUL! This book wasn't as good as the first, but what a journey it was, I haven't felt such pain for book characters in a long time. Even though it was painful, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment to the series! A word to the wise, guard your heart, read it fast, and have the third book handy!

UPDATE:

This book was even better second time around! Probably because I knew what to expect so I didn’t feel like I would die of anxiety attack every other chapter and could properly enjoy/feel all the tiny details/emotions of this story.

REVIEW:

n  “I’m honest enough to say that I dinna care what the right and wrong of it may be, so long as you are here wi’ me, Claire,” he said softly. “If it was a sin for you to choose me…then I would go to the Devil himself and bless him for tempting ye to it.” - Jamien

I love Jamie's playfulness, temper and selflessness.

I love Claire's wit and determination.

I love Mrs. Gabaldon's writing abilities and complex storytelling skills.

And I freaking adore this series!

Do not make any excuses, you have to read and experience this epic story yourself!

James Fraser in all his glory:
n

n  “I stood still, vision blurring, and in that moment, I heard my heart break. It was a small, clean sound, like the snapping of a flower's stem.” - Clairen

And just a little advice for my fellow readers:



MORE REVIEWS ON MY BLOG n  Reading Is My Breathingn

DNF at 34%. Wordy, cheesy, melodramatic nonsense.

"Y si quieres vengarte, entonces bienvenida eres, porque mi alma es tuya, hasta sus profundidades más oscuras".

Oficialmente he caído bajo el hechizo de Outlander. Una vez empiezas a conocer la historia de Jamie y Claire es imposible dejar de leerla... Y da igual que, como en mi caso, esté al día con la serie de televisión (lo que equivaldría al cuarto libro) y ya sé lo que va a pasar. Todo da igual. Leerlo le da una magia diferente y, además, sientes muchísimo más cercanos a Claire y Jamie. Incluso a Roger y a Brianna.

En este segundo tomo de Outlander tenemos a unos protagonistas más maduros y con un gran peso sobre sus hombros: el de intentar cambiar al pasado para que la famosa batalla de Culloden no acabe con la vida de cientos de highlanders, Jamie incluido. El viaje que emprenden los dos en Atrapada en el Tiempo los llevará desde las altas tierras escocesas hasta el corazón de Francia, donde tendrán que jugar un peligroso juego de inteligencia y casi espionaje para adelantarse a los movimientos de Carlos Estuardo y disuadirlo sutilmente de su reclamo al trono de Escocia e Inglaterra.

No sé cómo lo hace, pero Diana Gabaldon es una maestra para narrar la intensidad de lo que viven Jamie y Claire, no sólo por su misión, sino por sus sentimientos hacia el otro. Creo que la suya es una de las relaciones más vibrantes y apasionadas que he leído nunca. Una vez que Jamie Fraser entra en tu vida (lectora) es imposible olvidarlo, pues es un hombre tan leal, valiente y transparente con sus sentimientos que no hay defensa alguna que valga contra él. Y Claire es perfecta para él. Ninguno de los dos tiene sentido sin el otro. Pero, claro, no todo es perfecto en su relación, pues las vicisitudes de la época no permiten que se aburran en ningún momento. Deben viajar constantemente pues el peligro los persigue, discuten sobre las decisiones que pueden o no cambiar el pasado y, sobre todo, tienen que sobrellevar una pérdida tremenda entre los dos.

Ahora, me gustó muchísimo que Diana Gabaldon decidiera empezar la narración del libro en el presente, cuando Claire ya ha vuelto y han pasado 20 años desde que abandonó a Jamie ad portas de la batalla de Culloden. Es un choque bastante fuerte volver al presente de golpe, pero adoré conocer a Brianna y a Roger de esa manera. Sobre todo porque es una manera de introducirlos a una historia que parece de fantasía y que responde muchas preguntas sobre el origen de Brianna y, más importante aún, de la vida de Claire y de lo que dejó atrás.

¡No puedo esperar para leer el siguiente libro y leer la escena en la que Claire y Jamie se reencuentran tras 20 años de haber estado separados!

4.5 Stars for Dragonfly in Amber: Outlander Series, Book 2 (audiobook) by Diana Gabaldon read by Davina Porter.

This is a wonderful series. The books are long but the author keeps the story moving along and the narrator does a great job of bringing the characters to life.

Aunque el primer libro es mucho más original que esta segunda parte, se nota una evolución en los fallos, a nivel de personajes, que le encontré a Forastera.
Engancha muchísimo y te mantiene pegada a él. Sólo diré que los días que he tenido que cargarlo en mi bolso han valido la pena.

Para el próximo sólo pido más Escocia y más highlanders.

Resumen de lo que este libro ha hecho con mi vida:


¡CÓMO HE LLORADO COÑO!

After the heart-wrenching, initial shock of the absence of Jamie, I was able to finally get into it. This book starts off with a bang. It is set 20 years after the events of Outlander and I was completely confused. Probably because I was solely focused on where Jamie was and what happened to him, I didn’t care for much else until I knew what happened to him (sorry, I am a girl in love with this Scot ❤️ ) I won’t get into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil anyone, but this book is fantastic. I can definitely see why people didn’t enjoy this one as much as Outlander, but I actually did. I admit it was rather slow in many, many places, but that is just Gabaldon’s storytelling. What do you really expect with a 700+ novel? There are going to be a slow buildup, it’s expected. But I had a great time. It took me a while to get through this book and I hit a small reading slump in-between but I made it through! AND IT WAS AMAZING!

I instantly fell in love with some new characters that we got to meet, wee Fergus, Mary Hawkins, Alexander Randall. DiA brought some great additions to our cast and I enjoyed reading and getting to know them more. It was interesting to meet the Bonnie Prince Charlie and see how the Jacobite rebellion started. I admit, I get so confused where politics are involved, but if you just go with the flow everything comes together and makes sense in the end — at least it did for me.

I am not going to get into too much detail because I don’t want to spoil anyone who is reading, or considering reading the series, but I can say that this is a good sequel story-wise. It’s action-packed with many twists and turns. I was still thrown off guard by many events even when I thought I had things figured out. The writing takes some getting used to but once you get into it, it gets easier to understand. If I can do it, you can do it trust me,

“Blood of my blood, bone of my bone. You carry me within ye, Claire, and ye canna leave me now, no matter what happens. You are mine, always, if ye will it or no, if ye want me or nay. Mine, and I wilna let ye go.”

Jamie and Claire’s relationship in this book just makes me swoon all over the place! Okay, that’s because of Jamie, but they are so perfect together! They will literally die for each other and it’s so beautiful how strong their love is. I admit, I was crying like a baby when Jamie told Claire that if anything happens to him he wants her to go back to Frank maybe it was because of the heartbreaking beginning of this book or because of how selfless and protective of Claire Jamie is, but this broke my still healing heart. Plus the ending of this book? Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ! What are you doing to me Diana? :'( I need the next book ASAP that’s for sure.

My full semi-spoilery review can be found on my blog The Bookish Khaleesi.

Re-read for the 6th time??? SPOILERS ahead

Having been a fan of the books since 2001, I am still taken by surprise how many of my fellow Outlander enthusiasts don't really care for this book. I realize this has to do with 1) The jarring beginning that alerts us to our favorite couple being separated from one another; and 2) Jamie and Claire leave the Scottish highlands for flashy Paris in an effort to stop the Jacobite uprising ; a place they argue rugged ScotsmanJamie Fraser doesn't really fit.

I, on the other hand, absolutely loved the intrigue of Louis' court, the characters that we meet -Mother Hildegard, Master Raymond, Mary Hawkins, Comte Ste Germain ( sidenote: he is my fave DG villian) and even the Bonnie Prince himself. It is also the book in which I admitted that I was already not a huge fan of Roger/Brianna as a couple. I could already see it coming,but it was still going to take me many, many years to accept it. Above all, Dragonfly in Amber includes one of my favorite scenes.

I bring ye your vengeance, lady, he(Murtagh) said, as quietly as I had ever heard him speak. He straightened and inclined his head in turn to Mary and Mrs. Munro. And justice for the wrong done to ye.
Mary sneezed and wiped her nose hastily with a fold of her plaid. She stated at Murtagh, eyes wide and baffled. I gazed down at the bulging saddlebag a sudden deep chill that owed nothing to the weather outside. But it was Hugh Munro's widow who sank to her knees, and with steady hands opened the bag and drew out the head of the Duke of Sandringham. Chapter 44, In Which Quite a Lot of Things Gang Agley

Yeah, it's a bit bloodthirsty but even after reading this so many times, the little hairs on my neck and arms still stand up a bit. But I assure you that there are so many tender hearted moments too!

I just finished this utterly brilliant book. I have read this book a few times throughout my life. And each time I seem to love it more and more. Like all the details seems to cement even more inside my soul. And I love that, I welcome it. For me Jamie and Claire are the best book couple out there. What they do for one another, how hard they fight and how far they go to save one another - absolutely the best couple out there. 

I only started writing reviews in the last two to three years. Once I realized how important that is for authors, I started writing them. So here is finally my review for this perfect book.

This book starts off about twenty years after Outlander. When I read this book for the first time my friend said, there is a time gap towards the future, and I was like okay. But I was shocked that there were so many. 

We meet up with Roger Wakefield. Reverent Wakefield has passed away and he is sorting through his things in order to sell the place. 
Claire and Brianna knock on his door and Claire wants to know about the Jacobites. When he mentions the Fraser's name he notices the effect it has on Claire. It seems like she knows more than she is saying. And when he finds an article that tells Claire came back pregnant, he wonders if she got pregnant from a Fraser descendant. 

A few days later they go to visit some sights in Scotland, and they end up in a graveyard. Roger and Brianna hit it off and like each other. While Claire is wandering the grounds to find some herbs. 
When she sees Jonathan, Black Jack, Randall's grave she is shocked and mad. And happy he died on the day she told him so. But when she wanders even farther. She sees the grave of James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser, beloved husband of Claire. She screams and falls down. Brianna and Roger rush to her and that is when Claire confesses Jamie is Brianna's real father. And how much she wants to tell her about him. About the love of her life. The reason her heart beats.

Then part 2 starts. And then we pick up with Jamie and Claire after Outlander in France. Trying to stop Bonnie Prince Charlie from the war. To save as many Scots as they can.

I don't want to spoil too much about the story. But this is truly one of my favorite series ever. Some people complain the books are too big and have too many details in them. But I absolutely love that. I absorb as much as I can and just live in the world with Jamie and Claire. 

This book contains new colorful characters like Master Raymond. I love the friendship he has with Claire. And I wish he was real so that i could have met him. 

I also love that Claire didn't just forget about Frank. At one point she wakes up crying. And Jamie comforts her. He lets the memory be. While also vehemently proclaiming that she is his and that they are bound together. 
At another point he curses Frank for loving him. Because he wanted himself to be the only one. He doesn't diminish Frank. But the love and bond she has with Jamie - exceeds everything. Their bond is eternal and their souls can never be separated ever again. 

I also love that Claire works in the hospital. That she still wants to do her passion, even while pregnant. And Buton, my lord, who doesn't want to have a loving dog as Buton. 

My heart broke in this book as well. I love that when certains happen they don't just brush them under the rug. There is pain and suffering and hatred and confusion between them. There is trying to find each other again, and hope for a better future. 

THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS HUGE SPOILERS. SKIP IT IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.
And that last scene between them. When they know they didn't stop the war. And that Jamie, his men and the army will die. He counted the days and tells Claire she is carrying a baby again. He wants her to go back to the stones. To live for their child. At first she says no, NO I am gonna die with YOU. We will not be separated. But for their love for the child, she will go back. My heart broke, those last few moments. The pain and agony. 
And then they are in the present again with Roger and Brianna. Brianna hates her mom, she doesn't believe it. Until the proof comes. And when Roger finds out Jamie didn't die after all. Oh my heart!!! I will read Voyage as soon as I can. Even though I know how it ends. I just need to dive into it again. 

This book is just perfection. I love their love. I love that it isn't always easy. And I understood Brianna's reaction. And I adore Roger for believing in Claire so quickly. 
I love that a love like them is written down. How it transcends times and place and just exits. At times I want to tell myself this story is true. Just because I love the characters so much.

And I must admit I love the books more than the TV show. I love the TV show as well. But I hate how things that Jamie in the book did, Claire in the show does. I mean why change that Jamie wanted to call the child Brian? Why change that he made the choice to use Claire for a few minutes to let William Grey think she was a prisoner instead of his wife? 
So yeah, the book will forever trumps the TV series for me. 

Diana Gabaldon, thank you for writing such a masterpiece of a series. Thank you for letting us know what true love is. How strong that is. How it consumes you. How it is literally everything. How viceral and beautiful it is. A billion burning stars from me! For this outstanding book and series.

4,5 estrellas.
Esta segunda parte narra la vida de Claire Fraser veinte años después de regresar de la Escocia del siglo XVIII, junto con su hija Brianna Randall intentará descubrir qué fue ocurrió tras la famosa batalla de Culloden en 1745.

Este volumen me ha gustado pero no tanto como la primera entrega y se debe a varias razones: en primer lugar, la trama comienza en 1968, veinte años después de que Claire volviera de las piedras y poco a poco, a través de las voces de ésta y de Roger Wakefield (hijo adoptado del reverendo Wakefield) intentan desvelar lo que ocurrió tras Culloden y ahí queda en suspenso lo que ocurrió inmediatamente tras la vuelta de Claire. Quizás por esto me resultó bastante lenta esta parte y también la parte en la que nuestros protagonistas viven la intrigas de Versalles. En segundo lugar, los cambios de narrador me mataron un poco sinceramente pero bueno pasado esto tenemos la parte en la que Claire y Jamie vuelven a Escocia, donde se meten de lleno en la acción propiamente dicha y donde me reenganché a la lectura y devoré las páginas.

Si la trama me pareció al principio muy densa, los personajes nunca me decepcionan, tanto Claire como Jamie me sorprenden siempre y luego tenemos al resto que no son desdeñables con el despreciable de Randall, con el fiel Murtagh, Dougal y con otros nuevos como Mary, Alex, el famoso Carlos Estuardo, Fergus, el conde de St. Germain, etc.

En conclusión, esta parte no me enganchó tanto como la primera más que nada porque me pareció la primera parte (entre la actualidad y la estancia en Francia) con todas las intrigas y demás, demasiado espesa, algunas partes demasiado explícitas con respecto a ciertos temas que ya nos tiene acostumbrados la autora… por eso me quedo con la parte final. Supongo que me hubiese dejado intrigada el final y me hubiese emocionado más porque es para hacerlo pero lo entiendo porque como ya he visto la serie pues le quita emoción. Así que espero ponerme al tanto entre la serie y las novelas para ver si la cosa cambia ;)

Segundo libro completado, no sé si cumpliré el reto de leer el cuarto libro antes de que empiece la cuarta temporada de la serie de televisión pero creo que voy bien porque el tercero a pesar de ser muchísimo más largo que este me parece más entretenido. ¡Vamos! ✌