Review of Deluge (River of Time #4) by Lisa T. Bergren
Deluge is the fourth book in the series River of Time.
The Bertarrinis have settled in fourteenth century Italy, and while they've survived many battles, the worst is yet to come—the Black Death.
Gabi, Lia, and their parents have shared with Marcello and Luca what is to come along with some modern knowledge about disease so they may fight it the best they can. As Gabi approaches her due date, she's devastated by the idea of losing her child to the plague.
In the meantime, the Forellis and Bertarrinis get word of cousins of theirs from "Normandy," what they've said about where they're from, and have to figure out if the rumors are true and how they can get their cousins back to their own time.
As the Plague inches ever closer, Marcello and Luca gather closely around the Bertarrinis in love and devotion. Despite all their plans and all their efforts, they know that there's only so much they can do, and nothing is a guarantee.
This book was even more of a roller coaster of emotions than the others in the series. Just about every human emotion was touched on, some deeper than others, through the depictions of birth, marriage, and death.
Gabi giving birth was a wonderful part to read, and the long-awaited marriage was a joy. But Lisa Bergren didn't spare readers' feelings in the deaths in the novel. Due to the nature of battle and war, characters had died in previous books, but not like in this novel. More people died in this book than all the others combined, and there were several characters that I was shocked she would kill off. I cried through the last thirty pages of the novel, and I ached for Gabi and Lia as they waded through their sorrow and grief.
This was again a back and forth between Gabi's and Lia's point of view, which we got a taste of in Bourne and Tributary. I really enjoyed having Lia's perspective, and I kinda wish it had been that way in earlier books, too. I personally enjoy books written from more than one point of view, and I feel the ideal number of characters when doing so is just a simple dual POV. Much more than that can get overwhelming if not done right.
As always, Lisa Bergren's description is incredible—action and visuals. I could picture the environment and culture, and I always knew what was happening.
The dialog does get hokey at times, but I think it's because she's using language more similar to what they did at the time and it feels unnatural to us now. The declarations of love did sometimes get very cheesy, but it wasn't terrible.
As a whole, I found this series to be a fun one about strong girls who know how to kick a little ass and can rescue the men—even in fourteenth century Italy. The progression of Gabi and Marcello's relationship from forbidden love to parents was beautiful, and I adored Luca's steady pursuit of the reluctant Lia. Seeing their parents, Ben and Adri, reconnecting after the women saved him from his untimely death was even more amazing to me. Reading their adventure in the past and decision to stay was a joy, and I loved every page.
This does technically fall under Christian fiction, but until this final book, it wasn't obvious. Even in this one, the religious aspect wasn't overpowering to me. The plot did not surround the girls' faith or even depend on that aspect to drive the plot forward. It was a minor element, so I didn't mind.
I would highly recommend this series for young girls to learn about being strong and what they should expect in romantic relationships. Gabi's and Lia's relationships with their knights are healthy and positive ones, and it's something hard to come across in romance nowadays.
I've loved this series since I first discovered it nearly a decade ago, and I've reread it several times since. If I have daughters, I hope to share it with them.
Comments
Post a Comment