Review by raqstar1 -- First Lessons by Lina J. Potter

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raqstar1
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Latest Review: First Lessons by Lina J. Potter

Review by raqstar1 -- First Lessons by Lina J. Potter

Post by raqstar1 »

[Following is a volunteer review of "First Lessons" by Lina J. Potter.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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First Lessons: A Medieval Tale by Lina J. Potter is a story about a woman named Aliya who finds herself in an unfamiliar body and an unfamiliar land after dying in a car crash. Aliya is a medical student in Russia who was raised in a time when she had to learn to do many things for herself due to living in war times. She excels in everything she takes on and truly enjoys learning. When she wakes up in a medieval castle and people are calling her Lily or My Lady, she works quickly to make changes in order to survive in her new surroundings.

One of the first things to happen is Lily learns that she is a countess, her husband lives far away, and the estate is being cheated by the comptroller. This really sets the story moving because it is at this point that Lily realizes all the difficulties she will be facing. She has to rely on the people around her, many of them peasants, to quickly figure out what she can do. I enjoyed this aspect of the story because it brought to the forefront how all people should be treated equally and titles don’t necessarily mean higher intelligence. It is a lesson that can be easily overlooked in life, as well as in the book. But even though it was subtle, I was glad to see that it was addressed.

At first, it was a bit hard to follow the difference between Aliya and Lily, but soon enough the personality of Aliya takes on the name of Lily and the story is much more fluid. As with many books, Lily’s is not the only story that we follow. The transitions between the various characters are generally easy to follow as the person is identified within the first couple sentences of the new train of thought. That being said, there are quite a few people to follow and at first, it is a bit jumbled until you are able to make out all the different characters.

When I first started reading this book, I was uncertain if I’d like it. Although I liked the idea of the story, the author spends quite a bit of time talking about the physical differences between Lily’s and Aliya’s bodies. Aliya’s body was fit and athletic while Lily’s body is overweight, soft, and very out of shape. Being overweight myself, I tend to be a bit touchy about the subject. I am happy to say that, even though the weight was continually talked about, it became less of an issue as the story unfolded because there were so many other aspects of the story that were very interesting to follow.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very well edited and I found myself wanting to read the next book. I also like that the author gives recommendations of other books to read. Those recommendations are not just her books and they include information like what types of mainstream books they compare to. The ending also included a teaser for the second book in the series. I am happy and sad to say that there are 5 books in the series. I only say I am sad to say it because the first book ends in a cliffhanger and I would have loved to be able to just continue on with the story. But I am also happy to move on to the next book in the series.

I feel that this book would be a great pick for teens and adults alike. It incorporates a bit of science with the medieval type of story and has just the right mix of all the various elements of the story. Other than the very beginning of the story, which I felt leans a bit too heavily on the weight issue, the book is very well balanced. For these reasons, I happily rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I look forward to picking up the second book in the series and finding out what happens next.

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First Lessons
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Maconstewart
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Post by Maconstewart »

This book sounds great! I love tales with a bit of time-swapping in them. Great review!
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Raymonda onwuka
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Post by Raymonda onwuka »

Thanks for the wonderful review. A story on body exchange sounds interesting. I wonder how Aliya will cope with her new identity.
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