LAURA VOSIKA
Reviews
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"When I got the first three books...I was through 1 in a shot....I had to reread book 1, cry all over again. Picked up 2, binge read it...on complete tenterhooks. I had to dive into book 3. That's done in less time. Can't help it, your story is an up all night page turner, don't dare stop cause can't think of not knowing what will come next. I don't have 4 and 5 yet which is a good thing, because I need some sleep! The detail, the color, the history, the emotion, the faith, the mystery, the humor, all is exceptional. Thank you for such a roller coaster I can ride!"
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Mary Comstock
"I read this book in 39 hours of airplane travel...I could not put this book down, similar to my experience with her previous books. In many works of fiction, authors take short-cuts, creating characters with necessarily one-dimensional traits and depth in order to fit a defined storyline that must proceed in a certain order and pace. Laura Vosika creates characters that you quickly feel you know and want to know more about--they become your family and friends, with real problems, virtues *and* faults, and complex journeys of faith, love, responsibility, and destiny. The story line then proceeds from their rich lives, much as life itself does. And, because all of these characters lead compelling lives (whether in the 14th or 21st centuries, or both), the reader is drawn in. You simply have to find out what's next, for Christina, Amy, Angus, Shawn, Niall, Allene, the Laird, and everyone else. ...I did not think it was possible to build on the fantastic conclusion of book 3--in what happened, who it happened to, and how it was written. And yet, book 4 does this. It leaves us all awaiting book 5--we simply must know where the story goes.
I consider the Blue Bells Chronicles to be the best fiction I have read in my life. I include in that list C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Nigel Tranter, Paddy Chayefsky, Anton Chekhov, Stig Larsson, Umberto Eco, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. The development of characters in her books reminds me of Tolstoy's work in Anna Karenina, but I think her work is better. Her meticulous research reminds me fo Elizabeth Kostova's work in The Swan Thieves (with art) and The Historian (with history) but Vosika's work in Scottish history is much better. ....[her] books are so eminently readable you can't put them down. Her work has been compared in the present day to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, but I can say that if you like Gabaldon's work, you will absolutely love Laura Vosika's."
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Dr. Chris R. Powell
"The story is spell-binding and you will want to go back and start from the beginning (Blue Bells of Scotland). Every time a new installment comes out, I read them all to remind myself what is going on. ... the premise of having the side-by-side stories of the two main characters in different centuries after they have switched places is different and exciting. The characters for sure grow on you and even though at least one of them has a lot of growing up to do, you can't help but like him, too."
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Rabid Reader, Amazon reviewer
"The author... is... Laura Vosika, and you might be hearing her name a lot more in the future because it is quite rare for smaller fiction books to be this well done. ... one of her greatest strengths as an author is that it is not hard for the average reader to see that she really cares about the characters she creates.
.... This book is only the first part of a trilogy... This will allow even further depth to be added to the characters. It is hard to not compare this trilogy to a well known one like ‘The Lord of the Rings.’
A lot of people are discovering this book, and then instantly becoming fans of the author over night. "
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More at Goodreads
"This book is amazing. It grabs your attention from the beginning and you get so involved with its characters that when it ends you wish there was more... and fortunately there will be!
The plot goes around a famous musician (that has everything in life, but has a questionable morale) and a medieval warrior. When the musician got stranded in a Scottish castle tower, magic begins and he switches places with the warrior, that some hundred years before him was exactly at that same place. And the story goes on and Laura Vosika was amazing on the development of the plot and the switch to and from the medieval world to the modern world is done very properly and does not disturb at all the smooth of the reading.
The author did a magnificent job on the creation of the atmosphere of both worlds.
There is this feeling that your are in the Mists of Avalon, where magical things happen. If you like movies like Timeline, you will simply love this book. And the subtle message about redemption in my opinion is what makes this book one of the best three books I read the whole year. It is magic. It is powerful. It is a must have in any library of a serious reader."
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Robert Mattos, Books and Movies Reviews
"Wow! The title and cover of this book might lead one to believe that it will be a sweet, bland story, but will find that it is anything but that. This book is fun, exciting and will keep you enthralled with this very original story. If you are like me, you will have a hard time putting it down to get anything else done. I was completely caught up in the story and absolutely loved it! It takes a talented writer to keep switching from medieval to modern times without it being an awkward transition, but Vosika manages to make that switch effortlessly. She takes two characters who are complete opposites, but happen to look identical, inserts them into the cultures of the other, separated by centuries, and makes it all work. This book is a treat to say the least. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!"
Marta at Marta's Meanderings
"This fascinating book is filled with history, romance, mystery and humor as well as a bit of time traveling to boot! I literally could not put this book down and spent the entire night in Inverness, Scotland until the wee hours of the dawn with the fabulous cast of characters that author Laura Vosika has created.
I was especially impressed at the way Vosika wove into the story an underlying story of faith, and how important his relationship with God was to Naill, the Scottish Warrior who had been plunked down in the middle of today's world. It's not "in your face," but the message of hope is there, as comforting and warm as an inspirational message should be. Very well done.
"Blue Bells of Scotland" is the first book in Vosika's Blue Bells Trilogy, and I, for one, can't wait until the next installment!"
Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews
I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have only read a few time travel novels and really so far only really liked one author and now I can say I have found a second. I had a hard time putting this book down. I really love a great historical and to have the time travel added to it was a treat. I was engrossed in the story from the beginning and really liked the way the switch between the two men and how they realized what had happened. I found that the characters had plenty of details and the story was nicely written with a large amount of research that has been put into this book to create such a wonderful story. I have read a couple of time travel books that really made me feel lost and at times I would have a hard time following it because they seem too choppy but not with this novel. Laura Vosika has a way with words and made this story come to life and I just love being swept away with a great read. I also like the fact that I thought I knew what was going to happen and then was surprised when something different than I expected happened. I thought that this was a great first book to start off the trilogy and I will be reading the next one.