Outlander ★★★★★

Dragonfly In Amber ★★★★.5

Voyager ★★★.5

Drums of Autumn ★★★.5

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Drums of Autumn is definitely my least favourite in the series so far. The main reason for this is that the first 45% of this book was extremely boring. It seemed to drag on and on, and I found myself having a hard time getting through those initial pages. However, the last 55% of the book almost made up for the slow start. It became much more engaging and exciting, with a lot of interesting plot developments and character interactions. I was finally able to get fully invested in the story and was eager to see how it would end. Overall, while Drums of Autumn had its flaws, it still managed to hold my attention and keep me interested in the series as a whole.

I loved the story from the first volume, and the adventures experienced by the characters captured me from the early chapters.

Drums of Autumn is the fourth volume in the Outlander series. The main protagonists are Jamie, Claire, Ian, Brianna, and Roger. Honestly, I liked Ian's personality more than that of Brianna and Roger. It's as if the author spent more time creating the character of Ian and didn't have much time left for Brianna and Roger.

The action of the book takes place on two planes: North Carolina (the American Colonies) in the period 1767 - 1770 and a bit in Oxford and Inverness in 1969 - 1971. Since I started volume 3, I wanted Brianna to meet Jamie, and I was anticipating the moment. I couldn't even conceive the idea that they wouldn't meet, especially since she and Roger felt the same sensation at the stones, so I was sure they would pass through the stones too.

New characters appear: Bonnet, an escaped convict who escapes execution at the last moment, Jamie's aunt, Jocasta (Dougal and Colum's sister and Jamie's mother - so a MacKenzie), and a half-wolf dog named Rollo. And the characters we already know return: Lord John, little Lord William, and all those from Lallybroch.

Despite all the adventures and incredible situations that Claire and Jamie go through, their relationship becomes more and more mature. I like how they have evolved. They are sincere, they accept each other with the good and the bad, they are passionate, and they enjoy the simple but important things. Young Ian, who is an adolescent with all that adolescence implies for a Scot in the 18th century, also has his own little adventures with his uncle and aunt, but also without them, along with a tribe of Indians. At the end of the book, young Ian makes a decision that made me sad, but it's his decision, and I respect him for the maturity he has shown.

Jamie spends a few days alone with William, who is now 12 years old. It seems that the boy doesn't make the connection between this Jamie Fraser and the stableman he parted from when he was 5 - 6 years old. I liked that they spent time together, and I hope they will meet again.

Now don't throw tomatoes at me, but I don't like Brianna and Roger very much. I don't like their undecided relationship, the lack of passion, and the unjustified shyness for two people from the 20th century. The characters themselves seem to lack salt and pepper, they are dull. When reading, I try to like Brianna only because she is Jamie and Claire's daughter.

In general, it is similar to volume 2, that is, the action is not very fast-paced, it is more laid-back, based a little on the normal life of a couple, and even if there are unexpected situations, you seem to be prepared to assimilate them. But it's not a boring book (just to be clear).

There are a few situations that are not resolved in this volume, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else the author's mind comes up with. I said before that she has an imagination that I envy? Yes, no matter how crazy they are, and they really are, I'm kidding. I couldn't write a book, and knowing my limitations is one of the reasons why I admire certain authors.

**The Joy of Buddy Reading**

Buddy reading is an amazing experience that allows you to share the love of books with someone special. In this case, I'm buddy reading with the awesome twelvejan[Alexandria].

As we embark on this reading journey together, we get to discuss the plot, characters, and our thoughts and feelings about the story. It adds a whole new dimension to the reading experience.

And look at this cool image! It kind of represents our buddy reading adventure.

Buddy reading is not only about enjoying the book but also about building a connection with someone who has the same passion for reading. It's a great way to make new friends and expand your literary horizons.

Buddy reading this with the awesome twelvejan[Alexandria]

The statement "Woulda been five stars if Roger didn’t exist" is quite an interesting one. It implies that Roger has had a significant impact, perhaps a negative one, on the overall perception or evaluation of something.

It makes one wonder who Roger is and what he has done to earn such a comment. Maybe he has been a hindrance, causing problems or creating difficulties that have detracted from the otherwise excellent qualities of the subject in question.

On the other hand, it could also suggest that the person making the statement has a particular bias or personal issue with Roger. It's possible that their perception is clouded by their feelings towards him, rather than an objective assessment of the situation.

In any case, this simple sentence raises a number of questions and possibilities, leaving the reader curious to know more about the context and the role that Roger plays.

I'm kind of all over the place.

1. These books are so freaking big. They seem to tower over me, almost intimidating.

2. These books are sooooo freaking loooooong. It feels like I'm on an endless journey when I pick them up.

3. A huge portion of this book was very boring. It was like wading through a swamp of monotony.

4. Wine didn't help at all. Usually, a glass or two can enhance the reading experience, but not this time.

5. Like almost the last half of this book made up for the boringness in the beginning.. almost. There were glimmers of hope and excitement, but it was a bit of a struggle to get there.

6. WHY?!!? I keep asking myself this question.

I love Jamie and Claire. I just do. Their relationship is basically goals for me. But Drums of Autumn was so boring. It almost put me to sleep. Then I tried wine because that usually helps me when books are boring or characters are just plain annoying. Yeah, no amount of wine made this book better to me. Which makes my heart hurt because I really wanted to love this book - but god damn Diana.. WHY!?!

I feel like if this was a lot shorter then I would've liked it a lot more. Plus, it kind of felt repetitive - at least to me? It seems like the same storyline.. but again, it could just be me.

I'm kind of hesitant to start the next book because I really want to finish this series and fall even more in love with Jamie and Claire's relationship but right now I have no idea what I want to do.. Maybe I need to take a break and come back to it with a fresh perspective. Or maybe I should just power through and hope for the best. Only time will tell.

Quick summation as this series has been reviewed quite a bit.

I mean, c'mon. There is a Starz show and it's Outlander. Really. But I found it ok.

I think I found the observations on the various Native American tribe life highly interesting. It was a fascinating aspect of the story that added depth and cultural richness.

However, I spent too much of the book eye rolling at Brianna. She came across as constantly self-important and barreling into situations with that said importance. Seriously, lady.

In my opinion, she is not that important of a character and actually comes off as an annoying gnat. She adds little in terms of personality or value to the story.

*ducks from serious Outlander die hard fans* I understand that some may love her character, but for me, she was a bit of a let-down.

I'm not even going to attempt to write a review for this. But I will say:

This perfect book is truly perfect. It is easily my favourite in the series, right up there with book 1. From the very first page, it grabs your attention and doesn't let go. The story is engaging, the characters are well-developed, and the writing is superb. It's a book that you can lose yourself in for hours on end. Whether you're a fan of the series or just looking for a great read, this book is definitely worth checking out. You won't be disappointed.

And so concludes another installment of the madcap adventures of that time-traveling Highlander clan, the Mackenzie-Fraser whatevers.

This was the least weird, but most melodramatic of the books so far. It was wacky and I enjoyed it, despite some issues.

In 1767, Claire, Jamie and Ian are fresh from being shipwrecked off the coast of Georgia. Meanwhile, in 1969, Jamie and Claire’s grown daughter, Brianna, grows closer to Roger Wakefield, the only other person who knows her family’s secret: they are time-travelers. And Roger, too, is a time-traveler. The two plotlines move separately. Jamie and Claire begin the long, slow process of building a life in the new world. Bree learns to live without her mother, even as she reluctantly falls in love with Roger. The two stories intersect when Bree finds an article documenting her parents’ death, and she travels back in time to prevent the incident from happening. Roger follows her. All sorts of things ensue. This is an Outlander novel.

A whole bunch of wacky stuff happens in this book. Jamie kills a bear, basically by jumping on it and hugging it to death. Claire gets lost in the snow and meets the ghost of a dead native, who also turns out to have been a time-traveler. Claire operates on a mountain man’s balls. Ian is forcibly adopted by a tribe of Algonquin. Roger helps a couple on a plague ship, who turn out to be his ancestors. Brianna tries to blackmail Lord John Grey into marrying her, otherwise she’ll tell everyone he’s into dudes. Jamie helps a man escape who was supposed to be hanged. Later, that man steals all their money. Later than that, he rapes Brianna. That last thing isn’t so much wacky as horrifying.

Here’s the thing about these books. Most of that stuff isn’t really all that wacky in context (although it’s really hard to ever read that bear thing, or the ghost thing, in any other way). While I thought the first half of the book was a little too slow, I can appreciate Gabaldon’s impulse to show Jamie and Claire figuring out their new situation. Thankfully as you get towards the middle, she skips years of time so we don’t get too bogged down in unnecessary details. Once Bree and Roger arrive in 1767, the book is relatively fast-paced. (I say relatively, because it’s Diana Gabaldon and she pretty much just does whatever she wants.)

There was a bunch of stuff I really liked. A lot of time is covered, and while it does get a bit tedious, mostly Gabaldon skips the boring stuff and shows us intervals of Claire and Jamie setting up Fraser’s Ridge. Also, we see the first inklings of the Revolutionary war. I mostly loved the stuff with Roger and Bree (until her rape and the mix-up with Roger Wakefield/Mackenzie). I loved the scene where Jamie and Bree meet for the first time. Loved Jamie and Willie hangin’ out (although it annoyed me that Gabaldon switched POVs so we could see it). The Gabaldon weird was there, but it tracks with the other weird, sort of psuedo-spiritual stuff we’ve seen (the Loch Ness monster in book one, suggested to be a time-traveling dinosaur?; the magical uterus healing form book two, the voodoo cave magic from book three, etc.) Brianna meeting the Frasers at Lallybroch was delightful, although I could have done without the appearance by Laoghire.

I did have some issues. Really, only a couple, but they’re kind of large ones. Was it really necessary for Brianna to be raped? That makes her the fourth important character to be sexually assaulted. Is this a prerequisite for all of Gabaldon’s characters? Surely she could have found some other way to bring about all the plot-happenings. All this rape, it’s just tiresome. I also hated Jamie being an asshole to Brianna near the end. Roger not accepting baby immediately was out of character for me. That guy worshipped at Brianna’s feet, and I didn’t take him for the territorial type. Surely he would have accepted that baby immediately. I bought he and Bree having a hard time getting back in the flow of their relationship, but not that he wouldn’t immediately decide to be with her. Stephen Bonnet, not sure how I feel about him. It was also a bit frustrating that such major plot happenings hinged on Jamie and Ian mistaking Roger for Bonnet, the servant girl thinking Roger raped her. All of these coincidences feel like lazy, cheesy writing to me, and they mar an otherwise very enjoyable book.

I’ve heard the fifth book is a doozy, and a bit unwieldy. At 1,400 plus pages, I believe this. I will predict right now that I will say in my eventual review of that book that hundreds of those pages could have been omitted without harming the story. Still, I will continue to read on. I’m in it now, and I hope eventually she writes a book that lives up to how much I loved Voyager.

Jamie and Claire embark on a new adventure in the New World, specifically in North Carolina where new adventures and surprises await them.

This is the fourth installment of this highly entertaining series. I must say that this time I have enjoyed this novel much more. I think it's because I have advanced in the TV series (yes, I also watch it) and thus I encounter it blindly and don't know what will happen. That always shows. So now I hope to be able to finish the novels before seeing the series ;) But aside from this, I think "Drums of Autumn" has been a novel of a great level. The others I have loved, but this one has been too good and I have my good reasons. On the one hand, we have the couple of Claire and Jamie who finally we can see as a "normal" couple. We don't have those dramas of separation and such. Now we can see how they manage in daily life and the truth is that they don't disappoint. We have had the typical Claire in her doctor facet and Jamie in his mountain man, highlander and family man facet (I can't tell you more because I don't want to reveal much to you) which has been the best.

But if the novel, aside from having an interesting plot full of adventures, romance, intrigue, unexpected twists and a couple with a lot of chemistry, all of it under the fantastic pen of Diana Gabaldon (no one like her to transport us to different eras and set them with that detail in addition to the different scenes), now we will have double with the couple formed by Roger and Brianna. And it is that if one day the author doesn't have more with James and Claire, Roger and Brianna will be worthy successors because in this installment they will give it all and make us suffer and die of love for them. We will have two bombs with these two couples and I didn't believe that it could be achieved but it has been so.

In this part, we will move between the two eras and the two couples will give us entertainment for a while. And I repeat, I loved Roger and Brianna, and well, they also gave me some good scares. And here I have my positive part of reading the books late and it is that I have cheated a little and spoiled myself and removed a question that will arise in this part that if I had had to wait it would have given me something.

But this is not all, friends, no. This novel also brings us the worthy successor of Jack Randall whose name I'm not going to reveal because I don't want to take away the charm from you.

In summary, I think the novel raises the level (and this was already quite high). Now we not only have Jamie and Claire, but also Roger and Brianna to amaze us and very interesting characters like Bonnet, William, and of course Lord John Grey (thank goodness we always have a little of him) who I hope will give us much more throughout the following installments.

What a rush!!

It was an experience filled with excitement and a sense of urgency. The first time might have been a bit chaotic, but this second time around, it was better.

There was a newfound confidence and a smoother flow. Everything seemed to fall into place more easily.

The anticipation was palpable as the moments ticked by.

It felt like a race against time, but one that was enjoyable and thrilling.

The second attempt brought with it a sense of improvement and growth.

It was a chance to do things better, to learn from the first go-round.

And as the end drew near, there was a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Despite the rush, it had been a great experience, and one that would be remembered.

Who knows what the next time will bring? But for now, it was time to celebrate the success of this second attempt.

2,75 Sterne

I really think that part wouldn't necessarily have been needed anymore. It seems that there was a certain element or aspect that, upon reflection, could have been omitted or wasn't as crucial as it might have initially appeared. Maybe it didn't contribute significantly to the overall meaning or purpose of the thing in question. It could be that without that particular part, the essence or the functionality would still remain intact. However, it's also possible that there were some hidden implications or subtleties that were lost when considering its removal. But overall, from my perspective, that part didn't seem to be an absolute necessity.

It's been an incredibly long time since I last delved into the world of Voyager. I was truly worried that I'd have an extremely hard time recalling where everything had left off.

However, that worry turned out to be completely unfounded. As soon as I began reading, I was instantaneously sucked right back in!

Although I must admit, this has most definitely been my least favorite installment out of the entire series. It's not that I didn't enjoy it at all, but I found the beginning to be quite slow-paced. It was only around the halfway point that I finally found things truly becoming interesting and the story really started to gain momentum.

But once it got rolling, it was absolutely spectacular. I'm not going to mention any specifics here to avoid spoilers. However, there's one particular event that I had been REALLY hoping for ever since the end of Voyager, and it finally came to fruition in this book. I couldn't have been more thrilled! It added an entirely new element to the story, and I'm eagerly anticipating seeing what it will bring in the next book.

Although I'm definitely going to take a break before commencing the next book. There's just an overwhelming amount to absorb, from the complex characters to the vivid landscape and the rich history. Despite my deep love for this series, my brain simply needs a bit of a rest!