I really enjoyed this book! I've also read The Hunchback of Notre Dame and, like that book, this definitely has a serious tone and can be melancholy or depressing at times, but I also feel like the story is told really well. The one downside for me was the chapters in which Hugo went into great detail on historical background or random information (such as a specific convent and the Paris sewers) which, while it pertained to the story in some way, also contained a lot of information and narrative commentary that I personally didn't need in order to enjoy the story itself. It did take me quite awhile to get through this book, but overall it was definitely worth it.

Knowing that a lot of people dislike this book compared with the first two in the series, I went into this one with pretty low expectations. I feel like it started off really well, but as it got closer to the end it got to be really complicated, strange, and the solutions were a bit too convenient. It was a decent read and I was still drawn in by Card's writing style, but unfortunately it was not as strong as its predecessors.

As with the first book in this series, there is so much going on in this world that there was always something to hold my attention. There were a few new character POVs and a few that were repeats from the first book, so a nice blend of old and new characters. The world building in this series is so well done and there's always more to learn. I look forward to reading the third book!

As with pretty much any other Kristin Hannah book I have read, this one was phenomenal and I flew through it. I loved the setting in Alaska and seeing the characters grow and change as they adjust to their new life in such a treacherous location. She also does a wonderful job of exploring the view of PTSD, which wasn't labeled as such in the 70s, through the lens of the time and the effects it had on those who suffered from it, as well as the limitations on women at the time. The family's story is a very emotional one, and at times as dangerous as the wilderness in which they are living, which drove the story forward and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

I really enjoyed this story, especially as I knew next to nothing about Henry VIII's fourth and fifth wives prior to reading it. I loved the three different viewpoints throughout the novel. I am surprised that I wasn't annoyed with Katherine Howard's character since she is extremely vain and dense, but instead it somehow made her character more interesting to me, even if I did roll my eyes at her naivety at times. The only complaint I could possibly make is that some of the thoughts and ideas of certain characters were repeated an unnecessary amount of times. By that I mean a specific character would mention something that had happened and her thoughts about it in one chapter and then a few chapters later, when we revisit her viewpoint, would state the exact same thing again. This happened numerous times in the book and, while it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, it did seem very redundant. That aside, this is now one of my favorite books in the series and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.