Some of you may know that I originally had my own blog, Beauty but a Funny Girl, prior to joining Bookish (now Bookish Lifestyle). I was thinking the other day about all those reviews I left behind when I transferred and thought they should get some love too - no matter how badly written and newbie they come off! So I present to you: Throwback Thursday Reviews! Every once in a while I'll post an old review from Beauty but a Funny Girl, unedited in terms of content, with the exception of any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It's definitely going to be fun and interesting to see how my tastes and writing style have changed over the years!
Series: Genre: Publication.Date: May 6, 2013 Pages: 307 (eARC) Published By: Carlux Publishing Website: Marion Croslydon Oxford Shadows on Goodreads My review copy:
Where to get:
When death is a new beginning and love an old curse.
Still recovering from her last tango with the afterlife, Louisiana-born Madison LeBon struggles not only with her life as an Oxford postgrad but also with her budding love for Rupert Vance, aristocrat extraordinaire. One thing is certain, though: she won’t run away from her powers anymore. From now on she’ll face the music …
… literally!
When a sixteenth-century ghost makes an appearance during a classical concert Madison attends and threatens her boyfriend’s family, she sets out to explore the dark mysteries of the Tudors, even if that means confronting their most royal and homicidal character.
Her plans take an unexpected turn when her voodoo heritage catches up with her. With horror, she understands what her fate was always meant to be.
The question now is: Can Rupert be part of it?
(Goodreads)
Originally posted May 8, 2013 on Beauty but a Funny Girl
Oxford Shadows starts off right away. Bam! Ghost! No wasting time on getting to the mystery of what this ghost wants/needs. We already know the mystery is related to the Tudors - more specifically Henry VIII. The hunk of man meat who gradually went down hill. Both physically and mentally.
I noticed there were a few historical inaccuracies that bugged me a bit. Characters would comment that Henry had all his wives put to death. Henry only had that done to two of his wives (Anne Boelyn and Catherine Howard - oddly enough these two were related). While it's a common misconception - I myself thought this to be the case before I went through my Tudors phase - I feel like Croslydon should have known this since her book is based off historical persons and events. On the other hand, if it's meant to be a character misconception, I feel like this is something they should know as well since they were doing research on Henry. However, this is only minor and didn't take away from the story itself, but I couldn't let it go unsaid because it did bother me to some degree.
That being said... I loved Oxford Shadows. There was a point in the beginning where I thought it was going to be just like Oxford Whispers with different characters being reincarnated spirits, but it was so much more! Yes, the reincarnation was a plot aspect, but unlike the first novel, it was more secondary plot than main.
Madison really grew throughout this novel. Unlike in the first novel where she tries to run from her powers and skill set, she really embraces who she is and attempts to help these spirits right away. She also makes an effort to learn more about her powers and how she can both improve and control them.
The relationship between Madison and Rupert is comparable to their relationship at the end of Oxford Shadows. They both truly care for one another and are great as a couple, but they also keep their individual selfs. At the same time, Madison is still trying to figure out if she fits into Rupert's world and Rupert just doesn't give a damn what his father says regarding Madison. He loves her and that's that.
We're introduced to a new character who is rather a mystery in Madison's life. Sam saves the day in one chapter and then keeps popping up here and there in her life. Rupert is rather annoyed by this, rightfully so, but to be fair it is a little weird how Sam keeps showing up and the attention he pays to Madison would make any boyfriend go "all caveman" (120). However, it makes sense once we really find out who Sam is, but I'm not going to ruin it!
I thought the last few chapters were awesome. A lot more intense that the climax chapters of Oxford Whispers were with an even bigger surprise, but that's for you lovely readers to find out, not for me to tell you.
I found the ending to be frustrating. Both in a good and a bad way. It was one of those ways where the book ends and you need to start the next one right away but there isn't even a page for it on Goodreads yet so you've lost all hope of ever finding out how the trilogy ends. Okay, perhaps that's a little dramatic, but I'm sure you know what I mean.
I noticed there were a few historical inaccuracies that bugged me a bit. Characters would comment that Henry had all his wives put to death. Henry only had that done to two of his wives (Anne Boelyn and Catherine Howard - oddly enough these two were related). While it's a common misconception - I myself thought this to be the case before I went through my Tudors phase - I feel like Croslydon should have known this since her book is based off historical persons and events. On the other hand, if it's meant to be a character misconception, I feel like this is something they should know as well since they were doing research on Henry. However, this is only minor and didn't take away from the story itself, but I couldn't let it go unsaid because it did bother me to some degree.
That being said... I loved Oxford Shadows. There was a point in the beginning where I thought it was going to be just like Oxford Whispers with different characters being reincarnated spirits, but it was so much more! Yes, the reincarnation was a plot aspect, but unlike the first novel, it was more secondary plot than main.
Madison really grew throughout this novel. Unlike in the first novel where she tries to run from her powers and skill set, she really embraces who she is and attempts to help these spirits right away. She also makes an effort to learn more about her powers and how she can both improve and control them.
The relationship between Madison and Rupert is comparable to their relationship at the end of Oxford Shadows. They both truly care for one another and are great as a couple, but they also keep their individual selfs. At the same time, Madison is still trying to figure out if she fits into Rupert's world and Rupert just doesn't give a damn what his father says regarding Madison. He loves her and that's that.
We're introduced to a new character who is rather a mystery in Madison's life. Sam saves the day in one chapter and then keeps popping up here and there in her life. Rupert is rather annoyed by this, rightfully so, but to be fair it is a little weird how Sam keeps showing up and the attention he pays to Madison would make any boyfriend go "all caveman" (120). However, it makes sense once we really find out who Sam is, but I'm not going to ruin it!
I thought the last few chapters were awesome. A lot more intense that the climax chapters of Oxford Whispers were with an even bigger surprise, but that's for you lovely readers to find out, not for me to tell you.
I found the ending to be frustrating. Both in a good and a bad way. It was one of those ways where the book ends and you need to start the next one right away but there isn't even a page for it on Goodreads yet so you've lost all hope of ever finding out how the trilogy ends. Okay, perhaps that's a little dramatic, but I'm sure you know what I mean.
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