The Entire Outlander Book Series: Ranked

Photo Courtesy of Book Publisher: Penguin Random House

6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes

What I loved:

I enjoyed historical context to the run-up to the Revolutionary War. How Diana Gabaldon can weave significant historical events such as the Boston Massacre into the storyline is actually exciting.  I found it fascinating how locals would treat suspected loyalist. If there was just a whiff suspicion that you might be a loyalist, you could soon find your farm in flames, killed or even the cartoonish tar and feathering of a person happened.

It also did my heart wonders to see Young Ian was still alive and thriving with the Indians. We all long for the day he can be back with his Frasier Family on the ridge. We also get confirmation of Jemmy’s paternity. Roger, you are the father! Thanks to an unusual birthmark on his scalp.  Thankfully, it matches the one Roger has on his head. With the impending Revolutionary War heating up, it’s decided that the MacKenzie will time travel back to their original time.

What I didn’t like:

Have mercy; this book could’ve been broken up into two. It has over 1400 pages worth of text, and the vast majority of it is about mundane happenings on Fraser Ridge. I guess after having so much occurred in the first five books; Diana Gabaldon thought it was time to slow things down. Unfortunately, this was just a little too slow-paced for me. The amount of detail that Gabaldon goes into explaining how people in 18th century southern backwoods lived is mind-boggling. Don’t get me wrong; It’s fascinating to read how candles were made during that time or how they stored and prepared food without refrigeration. But at some point you have to ask yourself, is this moving the story forward? But who am I kidding, we are all too invested in this story to quit now.