I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes either Christian literature or romance. Higgs does an amazing job at fleshing out the characters, making them very real and very relateable: they are deeply flawed but still likeable, just like real people. I laughed more, cried more, and got angrier at the characters with this series than, I think, any other stories I've come across. The plot is tight and an emotional roller coaster—I've debated for years whether or not to re-read the books because the first time through was so emotionally draining.
Higgs conducted extensive research into the historical culture and context, and it shows, from the carefully crafted Scottish accents (glossary included) to the depictions of the everyday lives of the characters to the actions of the Church Council.
Don't let the fact that it is a retelling of Jacob's story turn you off. The overarching plot may be familiar, but the details are fresh and the characters have enough depth to make it worth reading even if there were no surprises in how she handles the transition from biblical culture to eighteenth century Scotland. For me, reading this series breathed new life into the original story and make me think about it in ways and at a depth I'd never considered before.
All in all, I think this is an excellent series and well worth the read.
FanficRecs Amazing series
I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes either Christian literature or romance. Higgs does an amazing job at fleshing out the characters, making them very real and very relateable: they are deeply flawed but still likeable, just like real people. I laughed more, cried more, and got angrier at the characters with this series than, I think, any other stories I've come across. The plot is tight and an emotional roller coaster—I've debated for years whether or not to re-read the books because the first time through was so emotionally draining.
Higgs conducted extensive research into the historical culture and context, and it shows, from the carefully crafted Scottish accents (glossary included) to the depictions of the everyday lives of the characters to the actions of the Church Council.
Don't let the fact that it is a retelling of Jacob's story turn you off. The overarching plot may be familiar, but the details are fresh and the characters have enough depth to make it worth reading even if there were no surprises in how she handles the transition from biblical culture to eighteenth century Scotland. For me, reading this series breathed new life into the original story and make me think about it in ways and at a depth I'd never considered before.
All in all, I think this is an excellent series and well worth the read.