Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2250456 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 451 pages

Customer Reviews

Insomnia?
I'm a voracious reader. However, it took me three weeks to finish this book - because everytime I started reading it, it put me to sleep. Deathly slow plot, constant, annoying repetitions of the same events ... this was unquestionably one of the most disappointing books I've ever read. The characters were not at all engaging, and when something DID happen with the storyline, it was so silly it was impossible to even WANT to believe it. This is the first - and last - book by Ms. Brandewyne for me.

Far from a favorite...
I'm usually a very fast reader and have been known to devour books in a single day, even long ones, if they really hold my interest. Historical romance is my preferred genre, so at first glance "The Ninefold Key" appeared to be just the sort of book I would enjoy. Unfortunately, my first taste of Rebecca Brandewyne's writing has turned out to be a rather large disappointment. I started reading it almost two weeks ago and have just now reached the end. I tried very hard to like it--both the story and the characters in it--which, I think, really says a lot. Getting through a book that you're reading for pleasure shouldn't require so much effort.

I was annoyed by Ms. Brandewyne's constant repetition of names and information (I caught on very early to the fact that Lord Iain Ramsay was once Earl of Dundragon, and didn't really need to be reminded every time someone in the story spoke his name. Ditto for Quimby & Company...tacking on the "Cartographers and Map Sellers" part only once would have been sufficient.) and was bored by the overly detailed history lessons she inserted here and there throughout the book. (Does anyone really need to know so much about the origin of London's streets, or how much profit was made by the owners of its coffee stalls?) Above all, I was highly disappointed in the so-called romance aspect of the story. If she'd forgotten to write it in at all, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference.

For a further explanation of what I didn't like about "The Ninefold Key", just read the other reviewers' comments. They're almost identical to what mine would have been.

All in all, I'd advise prospective buyers to avoid this book. It just wasn't worth it.

Ninefold key opens no doors
This is a fictional thriller with a tiny little romance filtered into the story line. The characters don't actually meet till several long chapters into the book. Unimpressed.