Overall rating and opinion of "House of Eire" by June Gillam

InStoree · Post by **InStoree** » 05 Mar 2020, 05:58

I liked I gained new learnings from House of Eire, A Hillary Broome Novel, by June Gillam. The author described and illustrated such a realistic image about Ireland and its folklore, that now I wish I go visit this ghostly land and discover more.
(*hey, a girl can dream, right?)

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because the first part was relatively dull and it was hard for me to connect to the story. But I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy discovering more about Ireland's culture.

ElizaBeth Adams · Post by **ElizaBeth Adams** » 05 Mar 2020, 09:34

I greatly enjoyed this book. I loved Hillary's depth of character, the setting in Ireland, and the way the author called attention to Irish history that I didn't know about. The relationship between Ed and Hillary was very positive, while still being realistic. I would give it 4 stars.

Florence Nalianya · Post by **Florence Nalianya** » 05 Mar 2020, 11:09

I haven't read this book but the reviews and comments are quite encouraging and pointing out to avery interesting read.

mariana90 · Post by **mariana90** » 06 Mar 2020, 13:11

Mounce574 wrote: ↑05 Mar 2020, 01:18 I have read the other books in the series but I found that each book is capable of being a standalone novel.

Thank you for this! I am interested in giving it a read because I really like Irish folklore (any Artemis Fowl fans out there?) and I enjoy a good murder mystery.

I find it curious that many people mention the slow start. Is it because you had read the other books in the series so there was no need to present the characters again or was it something else?

Barbara6886 · Post by **Barbara6886** » 06 Mar 2020, 15:31

I just finished reading this book. I really can’t say I’m a big fan. It starts out so slow. I couldn’t really find the mystery in this mystery novel. I knew who was going to be killed way before it happened and knew who the killer was. The only mystery was the discovery of the family secret that was behind the why.

The character of Hillary I found to be self-centered. She repeatedly puts her own wants before everyone else’s. Her allowing her daughter to be alone in the company of people she had recently met after 2 murders is disturbing. I also couldn’t really connect Hillary’s issue about her own mother to this story. It seems that part of the story line is just setting the stage for the next book.

I will give it a 3 out of 4 stars because it is well-edited and I enjoyed the setting of the book. I wouldn’t recommend it to any serious mystery readers. I feel they would be disappointed.

Erick Muyesu · Post by **Erick Muyesu** » 06 Mar 2020, 15:36

I loved the storyline of this book. The suspense in it and character development was just superb.

AvocaDebo621 · Post by **AvocaDebo621** » 06 Mar 2020, 18:56

I am yet to read. The reviews and comments all seem to point to a great read. So far, I know Hillary's character is the most well-liked one. It will be interesting to read a murder mystery after so long.

Josephe-Anne · Post by **Josephe-Anne** » 06 Mar 2020, 19:48

I enjoyed the book very much because it was an entertaining cozy mystery with a paranormal twist. So, I gave the book a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The only things I disliked about this story were the untimely deaths of not 1, but 2 characters. Though, I would still recommend the book to those who enjoy crime/mystery novels and Irish history.

Josephe-Anne · Post by **Josephe-Anne** » 06 Mar 2020, 19:53

mariana90 wrote: ↑06 Mar 2020, 13:11
Mounce574 wrote: ↑05 Mar 2020, 01:18 I have read the other books in the series but I found that each book is capable of being a standalone novel.
Thank you for this! I am interested in giving it a read because I really like Irish folklore (any Artemis Fowl fans out there?) and I enjoy a good murder mystery.

I find it curious that many people mention the slow start. Is it because you had read the other books in the series so there was no need to present the characters again or was it something else?

I love Artemis Fowl too!

I have not read the previous books in the series, but I certainly would like to.

Agnes Masobeng · Post by **Agnes Masobeng** » 07 Mar 2020, 02:44

Although I haven't read the book the wonderful comments here are giving me insight. It sounds fantastic and I'll be reading it soon.

Agnes Masobeng · Post by **Agnes Masobeng** » 07 Mar 2020, 02:45

Although I haven't read the book the wonderful comments here are giving me insight. It sounds fantastic and I'll be reading it soon.

Post by **Lorraine De Vos** » 07 Mar 2020, 05:04

I absolutely love Ireland, and the author using this majestic place as a setting for her story is what drew me in.

Post by **Lorraine De Vos** » 07 Mar 2020, 05:05

I do think the progression of the storyline was a tad bit slow. Some readers might get before they get to the really good parts of the story.

Post by **Lorraine De Vos** » 07 Mar 2020, 05:09

I enjoyed the character development; Gillam does not ramble about the details of each character, but rather leaves little bits of information to lead the reader towards wanting to find out more and delving deeper into the book.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 07 Mar 2020, 05:44

Barbara6886 wrote: ↑06 Mar 2020, 15:31 I just finished reading this book. I really can’t say I’m a big fan. It starts out so slow. I couldn’t really find the mystery in this mystery novel. I knew who was going to be killed way before it happened and knew who the killer was. The only mystery was the discovery of the family secret that was behind the why.

The character of Hillary I found to be self-centered. She repeatedly puts her own wants before everyone else’s. Her allowing her daughter to be alone in the company of people she had recently met after 2 murders is disturbing. I also couldn’t really connect Hillary’s issue about her own mother to this story. It seems that part of the story line is just setting the stage for the next book.

I will give it a 3 out of 4 stars because it is well-edited and I enjoyed the setting of the book. I wouldn’t recommend it to any serious mystery readers. I feel they would be disappointed.

I didn't want to be a party-pooper, particularly when many readers were still reading the book, but I gave it 2 out of 4 stars pretty much for the reasons you mentioned. I have to say that it's not a book I usually read, so I ended up reading it only because some time ago it was free for BOTD and now it's the BOTM. I wouldn't pick it to review it, probably it's not my kind of stuff, so I felt those flaws much more than its merits.