Historical Fiction

The Firebird (Slains #2)

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Average Rating:   3.25 / 5

Trigger Warnings:

Nicola Marter is very cautious whenever she touches something because of the gift she inherited from her grandfather – when Nicola touches an object she can glimpse its history and previous owners. Warned by her grandfather, who learned the hard way what can happen when people know of this ability, Nicola has shoved that part of herself into a tightly contained box to be avoided at all costs. But then something gets through by accident. A woman arrives at the gallery where Nicola works, hoping to authenticate a family heirloom: a small hand-carved wooden bird that she claims once belonged to Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. When Nicola inadvertently has a vision that supports the otherwise unauthenticated piece of history, as well as the heartbreaking situation that the woman is now in, she has to decide whether to act.  And will her neglected gifts be enough to find the truth?

Compelled to help this stranger, Nicola reaches out to an old flame, Rob, whose own abilities will be needed as they reach back through history to follow a young Scottish girl named Anna as she moves through Jacobite intrigue and reaches the Russian Court. Working together, Nicola and Rob will unearth a tale of family, both genetic and chosen, and the lengths we will go to protect those we love.  

Corinna : 4/5

Although this book was a bit slow to start, I really did enjoy it once the storyline got moving. I really enjoyed the storyline with Anna, and loved diving into those sections the most. The characters in Anna’s storyline were fleshed out better, and had different and interesting personalities that made me want to experience things with them. The Nicola/Rob storyline left me wanting more, but not in a good way. I wanted to know more about their past relationship. I also found the last couple of chapters a little annoying with Nicola’s refusal to even try to get better at her psychic touch, and also at Rob’s ignorance as to why Nicola was hesitant. Diving into their struggle in more detail would have made the story more rounded out, and made you root for both of them more. All in all, I enjoyed the book, it was an interesting mix of historical fiction and fantasy.

Lydia : 2/5

This book was incredibly slow for me. I wasn’t captivated by the characters (even Anna) and thought  it was hard to connect. Instead of enjoying the slow burn of romance, I was left rather frustrated. I was far more interested in Nicola and Rob’s relationship but didn’t get a lot out of it like I thought I would. I was also confused with the past and present aspects of this novel. I thought it could have been done better by making it more obvious when there was a switch between past and present. Anna moving around so much really bugged me too because I couldn’t keep track of what was happening and where. The story itself was unique and the ‘fantasy’ nod kept me intrigued enough to finish this book.

Megan : 3/5

The tag line on the back of the book says: “Whoever dares to seek the firebird may find the journey – and its ending – unexpected”. I found that this summed up the book perfectly. This book is historical fiction, with a fantastical twist.

I found this book a bit slower to get into. I had nothing against the characters, nor the story, it just wasn’t the genre that I typically gravitate toward. The jumping back and forth between centuries, Nicola in the twenty-first and Anna in the eighteenth, took some getting used to, as the transitions weren’t always smooth. However, I definitely preferred reading Anna’s story over Nicola’s.

Anna is not a historical figure; she was created to tell the story, but I appreciate that Kearsley worked hard to ensure that the actual historical figures were true to their characters and timelines. Anna had spunk and a fearlessness that was refreshing to read. Due to the circumstances of that time, she was brought up by a family who was not her own and moved around for both her and her extended family’s protection. She learned of betrayal at a young age, but also about love and strength.

I can take or leave romance in a novel, but similar to my feelings towards the novel as a whole, the romantic relationships between characters grew on me until I was completely in love with how one such relationship ended up. The ending was not at all what I was expecting, for neither Nicola nor Anna. There were some beautifully written plot twists and the book lived up to its name, as the journey following the firebird was wonderful and unexpected. 

Sharaya : 4/5 

I enjoyed this book, although it didn’t suck me in like I expected it would. Historical Scotland/England is one of my favourite places to read about, and it was very interesting to see how this time period connected with the rest of the world.  I haven’t read many stories based in historical Russia, and that was very interesting.  I had no idea there were so many Jacobites in Russia! I wish that Kearsley had included more of Rob and Nicola’s story. At first I was more invested in their story, and then that switched to Anna as her story developed. And I didn’t see the resolution to Anna’s story coming, so that was awesome!

One element that I found very annoying – and distracting – were the accents, or lack thereof.  I realize that in some places Kearlsey was trying to show that a character had toned down their Scottish accent depending on where they were or to whom they were speaking.  Or even to showcase the differences between the past and present.  However, it felt very inconsistent and poorly done to me.  None of the characters had a consistent voice, and she didn’t even attempt to write Irish or Russian accents. In general, however, I did enjoy the story.  I loved the ending of Anna’s story and liked Nicola’s, though it felt rushed.  I also automatically like any story that references Dundee, because I lived there for a year. I would have given this book a three, but for Anna’s ending and the moments that got me through the heart.  

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