Thank you to Penguin Random House and the First to Read program for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t know why I keep having this habit of reading books that are part of a series. But sometimes, I just see a synopsis that I can’t resist and I feel this NEED to request it. And then when I get my request approved, I HAVE to read it, and I don’t have the time to read the previous books in the series. But sometimes, I find that when I really like one of the books, I end up wanting to start the series properly. So with that kind of optimism, I began reading this novel… here is my review:
Robin Hessop and David Mallory barely escaped with their lives when dealing with a deadly cult. Now, they continue to try to unlock the truth behind a 700 year old conspiracy – the power behind the Templars. Infiltrating the group’s vast archives, Jessop and Mallory discover something unusual: a sacred mission that is hinted at in an ancient Templar passport. The mission hints at the transportation of a treasure, something that is invaluable. As the pair sifts through centuries of clues, they come face-to-face with a secret that could shake Christendom as we know it – and put their lives in danger.
So the author does a good job of explaining things such that it isn’t 100% necessary to have read the other books in order to understand what is going on. However, I would still say that this novel is best enjoyed as part of the series so that you can really get into the plot and feel a good connection with the characters. It was something that I had difficulty with because I didn’t really understand the interaction between Robin and David. There were also some other characters that were part of this story that kind of confused me; their actions and feelings didn’t make sense to me given their role in this story. However, I chalked it up to the fact that I don’t have the necessary background. It is clear when reading this novel that the author has done a great deal of research and really knows his Templar material! While this information is intriguing, at times it was overwhelming and unnecessary. It’s also not the most action-packed story I have ever read; the first 50+ pages were them simply trying to decode a document and it took a loooong time. While this may be accurate in its portrayal of the process, it makes for slow reading. The story does pick up after a while, and it was pretty interesting, but again, there were so many details thrown at you that it can be hard to keep it all straight. Overall, this was an interesting story but it is best enjoyed if you have read the previous books in the series. It had a bit too much detail and not enough character work for my liking, so for that reason, I’m giving this a 2/5 stars.
Happy reading ~