A captivating novel from beginning to end! The plot was solid, the characters had depth to them (the two main ones at least), and the emotions were believable. I really enjoyed reading this and I will keep an eye out for more from this author! ( )

Curse of Amber by Kathryn Troy had an interesting premise. In the rush to get to the love story too much was left out. The scene where Quintus revives is well done, but there are just too many glitches in the research. A Roman soldier would not be bunking with a Legat. The Romans were very precise in their ranks. A common solder wouldn't be put with a Legat. For him to have that much prestige to consult with the Legat he would have had to be at least a commander. If he were high ranking enough to consult with the Legat, he would have had a last name, and would have introduced himself using that name. Ancient Romans were not into professing their love. They married for status and power, they weren't looking for love. Nothing in the characterization of Quintus seemed to indicate that he was a Roman. How could Quintus be the son of an innkeeper and know how to read? Other books have done the ancient Roman back to life, much more realistically.

There were a lot of questions left at the end. Why did Hedra perform the ritual? What was it's purpose? What did she gain from it? Why were the other bodies in pieces? Why would her ritual require Quintus to be whole, while the others were broken up? What was the importance of the amber? How could Hedra melt amber? It doesn't really become liquid at it's melting temperature and would likely just burn off. What kind of insect would survive the temperature that would be required if amber were to melt? If it is some sort of magic, why wasn't that explored more? Too many questions...

The book was good enough that I would like to know the answers to all those questions. ( )

While the premise of the story was intriguing and rather unique, the delivery of it fell short. There were several places in the beginning of the book where a chunk of time would pass but there was no lead-in. The story would simply go from one sequence to the next and you were left wondering how in the world the characters got to where they were now from where they had been. For instance, Azi is at the Office of Student Affairs to file a report. The very next paragraph is her reflecting about what she did later that evening. I actually flipped back and forth thinking I'd double-tapped and missed a page somewhere. A simple "later that evening" would have made the transition seamless.

In addition, character development was almost nonexistent. You could cobble together bits and pieces from various parts of the story, but those pieces were sporadic and sometimes didn't seem to meld contextually. There were also a lot of gaps in the story. In the end, you're left with a multitude of unanswered questions and a sense that the story is incomplete. Thankfully, there weren't too many grammatical/spelling errors.

Overall, a decent story but it could use some fleshing out and added depth. ( )

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Azi digs up the body of a Roman soldier during an archaeological expedition and it comes to life. Romance and mild adventure ensues. The beginning was promising. I liked the concept of the book and the scene where Quintus' corpse came back to life was masterfully done. It had a good balance of horror and vulnerability.

The story follows that up with your typical fish-out-of-water hijinks, which were on the mediocre side. There was a touching physical affection between Azi and Quintus, borne out of trauma. It was instinctual, like they were drawn to each other. That part worked for me. But intellectually, I really wasn't sold on the romance. There was a whiff of insta-love about it, like it was missing a few steps. I didn't know the characters well enough to believe in them as a couple and I thought they moved way too fast.

The adventure that wraps up the book felt rushed too. The villain was almost a caricature. We don't know much of anything about her backstory or her motivations. We never fully resolved Quintus' backstory either. There were a few scenes at the start that seemed to be building up to something but it fizzles out to nothing.

The book was worth reading for the first 25%, but it fell short of reaching its potential. It could have done with a few more chapters to deepen the story and give it some more room to breathe. ( )