Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
41st out of 60 books
—
11 voters
Quintspinner: A Pirate's Quest (Quintspinner Trilogy #1)
by
Dianne Greenlay (Goodreads Author)
As the daughter of a London physician in 1717, sixteen-year-old Tess Willoughby has seen her share of horrors and been to some of the city's shadiest quarters. But a simple trip through the chaos of a London marketplace takes a bizarre twist. Tess witnesses the murder of a renowned elderly seer and unwittingly becomes the mistress of the woman's prophetic spinner ring. Eve...more
Paperback, 340 pages
Published
July 9th 2010
by iUniverse
(first published July 7th 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
142)
Oct 01, 2012
Natalie Wright
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
indie-authors,
historical-fiction
I don't normally read historical fiction, but I met the author of this book on Wattpad and was intrigued by the premise, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did! Quintspinner was a fast-paced and well done read.
Quintspinner mixes pirates on the high seas with a touch of romance and a magical element. But if you're expecting a Disneyfied version of pirates, you'll be disappointed.
It's clear that this author did her research and she has created a world that is true to the harsh realitie...more
Quintspinner mixes pirates on the high seas with a touch of romance and a magical element. But if you're expecting a Disneyfied version of pirates, you'll be disappointed.
It's clear that this author did her research and she has created a world that is true to the harsh realitie...more
Yet another one picked up free from Kindle (I love that I can do that).
Immediately, it didn't strike me as something that I would like, but decided as I hadn't had to shell out hard cash on it, I might as well try and expand my horizons a mite this year. Especially, as my reading tally was well down on my projected target last year.
However, I would say from about the first Chapter ... it always takes a little while I find with a new author .... I was interested, and by about five chapters in I c...more
Immediately, it didn't strike me as something that I would like, but decided as I hadn't had to shell out hard cash on it, I might as well try and expand my horizons a mite this year. Especially, as my reading tally was well down on my projected target last year.
However, I would say from about the first Chapter ... it always takes a little while I find with a new author .... I was interested, and by about five chapters in I c...more
The author has done a superb job of setting the scene and imbuing the characters with the mixture of knowledge and ignorance, science and superstition that existed in the 1700’s. The realism of the background immediately pulls the reader into a known world, and makes the transition to fantasy an easy one. I loved the fact that the pirates are far from the sanitized version that I had expected from a “young adult” book. While perfectly suitable for young adults, the realism makes it a great book...more
1 like · like · see review
view 2 comments
The year is 1717 and sixteen-year-old Tess Willoughby and her family reside in London, England and...just in case you were wondering, the London of 1717 is not what it is today. As the daughter of a trusted and well- known physician, Tess has seen her share of horrors and visited some of London's seediest neighborhoods. However, none of what Tess has experienced so far in her young life has prepared her for the shock of witnessing the murder of one of London's renowned seers. This seer is also t...more
When I received "Quintspinner" from the author, Dianne Greenlay, it came well recommended: shortlisted for the 2010 Saskatchewan Book Awards; honorable mention for the Creative Arts Council 2011 Fiction Book Award and recipient of the Reader Views 2011 Reviewers Choice Award. All very well and good but I have had bad luck with highly lauded and award winning books lately so a grain of salt was warranted here. Or not.
It has been said that I devour books and rightly so. I did not devour this novel...more
It has been said that I devour books and rightly so. I did not devour this novel...more
I thought this was a fun and very entertaining book. It takes the reader from adventure to next, exciting adventure. The author created interesting characters that keep you interested in them and rooting for their success. We have the evil villain, the doctor, two headstrong young ladies, a farmer and his stubborn son, a wise old granny, and LOTS of Pirates! There are also several others including Gerta, whom I became especially fond of.
The plot was well thought out and I enjoyed the various lo...more
The plot was well thought out and I enjoyed the various lo...more
Let me begin by explaining that I normally do not read historical fiction. Most of the historical fiction books that I have tried to read in the past were basically the same story told over and over again using different characters. THIS book… Quintspinner, is absolutely NOT your typical historical fiction! Combining romance, danger, history, and magic is probably not an easy thing to do well, but Diane Greenlay has created a wonderful work of art which I hope is only the beginning!
One of the th...more
This book reminds me of the Bloody Jack series by Louis Meyer - both feature pirates and high sea adventures during early 18th-century London, but there the similarity ends. Not as light-hearted but equally lively and interesting, this book tells the story from mainly two perspectives - Tess’s (a daughter of a respectable physician) and William’s (a farmer’s boy who was press-ganged into service). Predictably, there’s romance but it’s well-balanced with the heavier aspects of the plot to make th...more
Quintspinner: A Pirate's Quest is a tale chock-full of adventure and (yes, you guessed it) pirates. The heroine--Tess--is a sixteen-year-old physician's daughter who witnesses the death of a seer. Well, she doesn't actually see who did the deed, but still. And that's when she's bestowed with a spinner ring, and told of her unique abilities.
Then her father takes a new position that requires them to move, and they set sail on the high seas. The seas are infested with pirates & sharks, there's...more
Then her father takes a new position that requires them to move, and they set sail on the high seas. The seas are infested with pirates & sharks, there's...more
I am not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book. Probably a light-hearted adventure with romance and derring-do and a splash of magic. Quintspinner was not at all what I expected. The story is dark and harsh, so cruel that it was at times painful to read, but I couldn't stop. No matter how awful it got, I had to keep reading to reassure myself that there was some hope for Tessa and Cassie and the others.
I really liked most of the main characters. Tessa was strong and interesting, Will...more
I really liked most of the main characters. Tessa was strong and interesting, Will...more
In the first of what appears to be a series, Dianne Greenlay’s “Quintspinner A Pirate’s Quest” is a fantastic historical-fiction adventure, with a hint of fantasy thrown in. This newbie author has created a wonderfully entertaining page turner filled with dark magical lore, murder, pirates and romance. From the first page the reader is drawn into the tapestry of destiny that is being spun; each thread a fully developed and relatable character or event that influences Tess Willoughby’s once ordin...more
This is a well-written entertaining adventure tale. The year is 1717 and Tess,the daughter of a Doctor in England, is birthmarked with a special sign that she has psychic gifts. An old Crone recognizes her as the one who is the next Quintspinner. As she lays dying she gives Tess a ring that magnifies her gifts. Follows a huge adventure as Tess and her family travel aboard ship to the West Indies, and are taken over by pirates. I give it 4 stars. Another free book with my Kindle subscription.
I liked how the perspectives intertwined and the characters came together. The love story was a little overdone (upper class falls for lower class). The descriptions were graphic and vivid and often made me afraid of my own visualizations.
I loved this book. Would have given 5 stars except for the language and the brief near-smut scenes. Although those scenes were quite tame and very brief. So - 4 and a half :)
I took a gamble with this one and so glad I did! Kept me on my toes and wanting more. Apparently this is a series and can't wait to read the next one
I liked this book and looking forward to Book 2.
Loved this book, great character development, wonderfully written, flows well, has high seas adventure, magic, romance and pirates, what more could you ask for?!! Everyone I have recommended this historical fiction book to has loved it and can't wait for the next one!
Jun 08, 2013
Tari
marked it as to-read
Jun 06, 2013
Ellie
marked it as own
May 30, 2013
Deirdre
marked it as to-read
May 30, 2013
Lynelle Clark
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Dominica
marked it as to-read
May 03, 2013
Kathy Wedding
marked it as kindle-to-read
May 04, 2013
Pamela
added it
Apr 12, 2013
Kathi
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
