Hmm… I feel somewhat torn leaving a review for this book. I will be completely honest in saying that I did not like this book but I don’t think its fair judgment to call it a bad story.

First let me explain why I didn’t like the story.

The Sound of Diamonds takes place in Reformation-era England, it deals a lot with religion and love and a small bit of violence in one of the protagonist’s dark past. That all makes the foundation for what could have been a heart-pounding suspenseful romance but it’s mostly dry and really long.

Part of it was probably the language. This is odd because I actually want to complement Rea on paying such close attention to detail. She kept the characters and style of narration in check with the language and flow of dialogue. Everything from the clothing to even the personalities of the cast fit the era and atmosphere very well. I never felt like I was reading something out of place so Rea did a good job in terms of narration. However, I didn’t like it. I’m really not a fan of historical fiction or anything that takes place more than a hundred years in the past. For that reason, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as others.

The characters were nuns and they talked and acted like it. No offense to nuns but they’re not the most interesting or fun characters to follow around. That made for a very uninteresting romance. I have read plenty of Christian romance so I only half expect these books to be somewhat good. Some are very passionate, but most are just dry—often excused by calling it ‘gentle’ or ‘clean’. This falls somewhere in between. Partly because it is Christian romance and partly because its Christian romance during the Reformation era.

I did enjoy the journey and the development of the characters. I watched the cast on their brave search for true faith and I thought the tie-in with reality such as Martin Luther and the religious warfare between Protestants and other sects within Christianity was very intriguing. That being said, I think it’s more appropriate to call this a work of Catholic fiction. Given the time period, Christianity hadn’t exactly existed quite yet—not in the form that we know it as today—so it isn’t necessarily incorrect to call it Christian fiction BUT, for the sake of how most understand the two DIFFERENT—emphasis on different—religions, I think most readers will better appreciate this if they are aware that it is not Christianity the way we would recognize it today.

So, as I said before, I don’t think the book is bad at all. It’s just not the kind of book I normally enjoy. It is written well, has relatable characters, and a romance that some may find sweet. I guess it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, religious romance, or books with a strong Catholic/Christian theme.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*