(2017 review: SO GOOD. This is one of the best ones in this series so far. I love the amount of characters there are in these books now. I often see complaints in reviews of these books that there are too many characters or plots, and that the books are hard to follow - personally I find them extremely easy to follow, each plot line and characters is introduced slowly and naturally and they have a clear and unique contribution to the story. These books have now spanned the majority of the main characters' lives, and I love the way Gabaldon writes such a rich story for each of them. The characters are also incredible, each person is so well written and well-characterised and I really enjoy reading from each perspective.

Just a note, I am really glad I adhered to the recommended reading order for these books - Gabaldon recommends reading the Lord John books well before this one, and doing this really adds to the story. If you don't want to read all three of John's books, I recommend at least reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade before this one. As well as being an excellent book, it gives you the whole backstory for Percy and John, and it makes their story in this one so much better!)