Name: The Firebird
Rating: 4 (16 reviews)
ISBN: 9781402276637

Susanna Kearsley

When Nicola touches an object she can see glimpses into its past, so when a woman tries to sell her a wooden carving belonging to Russia's Empress Catherine, Nicola knows the woman is telling the truth.

The Firebird

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter Sea and The Vanished Days When a woman brings a small wooden carving into the art dealership, claiming it once belonged to a Russian Empress, Nicola Marter’s boss believes it is worthless. But Nicola has an unwanted, if rare, psychic gift. Holding 'The Firebird' in her hands, she knows this woman is telling the truth. Compelled to uncover its true history, Nicola must put her own past behind her. She contacts an old flame who can access the past in a way no one else can. Together they can find the real story of 'The Firebird'… Following history from Scotland, to Belgium and to St Petersburg, The Firebird is a sweeping story of love, sacrifice, courage and redemption. A journey that spans centuries and lifetimes to connect the past with the future. Praise for Susanna Kearsley ‘Sometimes an author catches lightning in a bottle, and Susanna Kearsley has done just that’ New York Journal of Books ‘A deeply engaging romance and a compelling historical novel’ Bernard Cornwell, author of The Last Kingdom ‘Kearsley is nothing less than a magician weaving together the past and the present in yet another marvellous, genre-bending, romantic, mysterious and utterly unputdownable novel’ M J Rose, author of Seduction ‘Will stay with you long after you put it down. Her deft touch with historical intrigue is matched only by her delivery of a contemporary heroine who is as unique as she is memorable’ Deanna Raybourn, author of The Dark Enquiry ‘Fascinating, immersive and twisty – twists not only of plot, but of character and time’ Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series

A sweeping story of love, sacrifice, courage and redemption

This is part two of the Slains series. I love that most of the characters, dates, places are accurate, with some creative liberty. This felt like a whirlwind adventure, we get to travel with the characters from London, to Scotland, to Belgium, to France, to Russia. I also really liked the interweaving between present and past, it takes some time to adjust but it works. Can't wait to read book three! 

Saffia

Rachel Kanyid

My rating for this: 3.5/5

I quite enjoyed this story for the easy read that it was, and I loved the fact that it followed the lovely Sophia's daughter Anna from where she was left in the first book.

I thought the main modern day characters could have been a little more 'stand-out' than they were, since the only thing that really made them super interesting to me was the fact that they could both see into history, but over all the story was nice. 

It didn't quite flow as well as the first book, The Winter Sea, so that's why my rating is a little lower than 4 stars.

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images; glimpses into its past, and of those who have owned it before. Born with this rare ability, Nicola sees it as something to keep hidden. But when a young woman arrives at the London gallery Nicola works at, offering a wooden carving for sale and claiming it belonged to Russia’s Empress Catherine, Nicola faces a dilemma. With no proof of its past, Nicola’s boss believes the carving – known as ‘the Firebird’ – is worthless. But Nicola has held it, and she knows that the woman, who is in desperate need of money, is telling the truth. Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left, and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than her own. With Rob to help delve into the past, Nicola travels from Scotland to Belgium, and on into Russia. There, in St Petersburg, the once-glittering capital, Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption – a story which will change their lives for ever.

Sheila

THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! I was drawn in by the story of Anna Moray in the 18th century, but also with Nicola & Rob (hhhhhhhhhhhhhhomg Rob) & their psychometric abilities in the present day. Now I want a series of Nicola & Rob going around the world authenticating art & making steaming hot love getting into shenanigans........

I loved how lush the descriptions of 18th century Saint Petersburg were! Such a great attention to detail throughout, it made it easy to fall into the story as it were. This was a quality read, thank you past me for getting it!

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

The final (of what is currently published) of Susanna Kearsley's novels, The Firebird novel picks up with characters from The Shadowy Horses and The Winter Sea, modern characters and historic, respectively. For those of you unfamiliar with Kearsley's novels, there are at least two timelines with a bit of a love interest and some kind of mystery between the two. In this novel we follow Nick, a girl who can see the past of an object when she touches it, as she tries to prove that the firebird brought to her by a woman was actually from a Russian Empress three hundred years before. To do this, she needs the help of an old love, Rob, who can see the past.

Alright, a quick review of who is from what story: Anna is from The Winter Sea, she was the historical character's daughter, and Rob is from The Shadowy Horses, he is the boy who could see the sentinel and is the reason THAT main character met her love. So these two characters, one in the past one in the present, are also book ends in reverse. The past character was the result of love, while the present character was the reason one love started. I think that Anna might also be a character from A Desperate Fortune, in which a certain Mrs. Jamieson (but I haven't confirmed that yet). I do wish we were able to see some of the modern characters from both of those books.
ALRIGHT, the writing was great, and it was nice that this book had a lot of traveling throughout it. Russia was interesting, though really we mostly saw the historic side to it. And this is a novel that did have the modern characters grow and change, but almost all of the action happens in the past. The plot was interesting, though most of the mystery came from trying to just prove the past and figure out where the bird came from. Unlike the other novels, this one really didn't have a solid compelling story, so I found myself pushing through it just to see what happened with the love interest.

Part of that lack-of-compelling-story was, for me, because the historical story, Anna's story, had really been wrapped up in The Winter Sea. I didn't need to see those characters again. And, in every way, it sort of ruined the modern ending for that couple. I just wish they could have told this story with another family. 

Overall, I still enjoyed this novel, though it was startling to go from Rob as a boy to Rob as a man. And not get to see the characters from The Shadowy Horses in that process.

Still, this is a good novel for historical fiction fans, romance fans (because this novel has A LOT more romance than any of her others), action, and just people looking for a good read. Oh, and paranormal fans.

Madi Van Houten

Melissa Railey

Haley Murray

Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees glimpses into its past. When Nicola comes across a wooden carving, reputedly once belonging to Russia's Empress Catherine, she faces a dilemma. There's no proof of the object's past, but Nicola knows the truth and unearths a story which will change her life for ever.

Callisone Dozier

Shay Henrion

Kay Jamieson

Susan Beddes

Amelia Halliday

Leah

Judy Hudgins

Jessica Nottingham

Whoever dares to seek the firebird may find the journey—and its ending— unexpected. Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees images, glimpses of those who have owned it before. It’s never been a gift she wants, and she keeps it a secret from most people, including her practical boss Sebastian, one of London’s premier dealers in Russian art. But when a woman offers Sebastian a small wooden carving for sale, claiming it belonged to Russia’s Empress Catherine, it’s a problem. There’s no proof. Sebastian believes that the plain carving—known as “The Firebird”—is worthless. But Nicola has held it, and she knows the woman is telling the truth and is in desperate need of the money the sale of the heirloom could bring. Compelled to help, Nicola turns to a man she once left and still loves: Rob McMorran, whose own psychic gifts are far greater than hers. With Rob to help her “see” the past, she follows a young girl named Anna from Scotland to Belgium and on into Russia. There, in St. Petersburg—the once-glittering capital of Peter the Great’s Russia—Nicola and Rob unearth a tale of love and sacrifice, of courage and redemption . . . an old story that seems personal and small, perhaps, against the greater backdrops of the Jacobite and Russian courts, but one that will forever change their lives.

The Firebird

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