I must confess, this is not my usual sort of read, and I'm not sure I would have picked it up had I read the blurb in a shop. Don't get me wrong, the cover art is simply gorgeous, but I tend to find historical fiction a bit intimidating, especially if it's a time period I don't know much about.
However, I'm still fairly glad that I ended up recieving a copy of this. Sometimes it's good to step outside your comfort zone, and this was, for the most part, an entertaining and engaging read (although very brutal!)
It focuses on the persecution of Christians in Japan during the 1600s, which is an area of history I know very little about - however, it did seem like an interesting time period. I did find there were times when I felt like I would have benefitted from knowing a bit more of the background of what I was reading, but in general I was able to follow it along and it turned out to be a more enjoyable read than I was expecting.
However, I'm still fairly glad that I ended up recieving a copy of this. Sometimes it's good to step outside your comfort zone, and this was, for the most part, an entertaining and engaging read (although very brutal!)
It focuses on the persecution of Christians in Japan during the 1600s, which is an area of history I know very little about - however, it did seem like an interesting time period. I did find there were times when I felt like I would have benefitted from knowing a bit more of the background of what I was reading, but in general I was able to follow it along and it turned out to be a more enjoyable read than I was expecting.