What do readers think of The Bloodletter's Daughter by Linda Lafferty? Write your own review.

I thourghly enjoyed this book, the building of the characters, how they all seemed independant of each other but relied heavily on one another. Each person had an entirely different view on each other and how they could use each other for their own advancement. Great Book, love the time period, and how the author described sience vs medicine vs religion.

Bloodletter's Daughter is based on a true historical event. It takes place in Bohemia in the early 1600s. The author obviously researched the period and event well. Her resulting tale is riveting. The characters are fascinating and well developed. I couldn't put this book down. It made my heart race! I enjoyed it so much, I'd read it again.

The title The Bloodletter's Daughter and appropriate cover art immediately intrigued me, however, the backcover blurb promised so much that was undelivered. Prologues are usually ignored by readers. Readers want to cut to the chase, at least this reader does. Chapter one lacked the hook of a great opening. Stability plus inciting incident equals instability, followed by a struggle to resolve instability, and return to stability. That is the currently accepted literary standard for opening scenes. Today, that first introduction of the stability of the protagonist's world may be as short as two sentences. In chapter one, Lafferty's generalized weather report and endless backstory about a (literally) dirty old man playing with himself while ogling a naked teenage bathhouse girl is not my idea of an inciting incident and really put me off. Had I not agreed to review this book, I would have put it down here. Although Linda Lafferty is obviously talented I can not in good conscience recommend this book.