sassyredca's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rjhartigan's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bernadette_rose's review
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
mareeta_rose's review
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Easily one of my favorite books! It is an engaging and surprisingly historically accurate story of adventure and of a tragic love. The characters are very convincing and I found myself affected emotionally by their struggles. I highly reccomend it to fans of historical fiction!
rayn0n's review
5.0
A story where everything gets worse in stages, but we somehow all end up content in the end. Also surprisingly, unexpectedly historically accurate. I'd read Dragonwyk before this and was not expecting a feudal era historical fiction novel. It had courtly politics, monks, and vikings, everything you need in a medieval story (bar, maybe, a few knights but this one didn't need them).
daisy32's review
2.0
Two and a half stars. This was a bit of historical fiction set in the lead-up to the Norman Conquest (the conquest itself an afterthought at the end of the book). The plot consisted of a bunch of dramatic stories in the life of a woman, Merewyn, that never amounted to much ado. Big things happen to her (mother dies, works for evil queen, is rejected by love interest, captured, married, children, colonization, return to England, remarried) but it’s always, “Ho hum, okay, so now it’s five years later and she’s here now, whatever.” She was always wanting something, getting or not getting it, and then becoming unhappy or bored with what she had. Plus all sorts of big-deal plot elements (the evil queen’s hinted at witchcraft, or later a villainous woman who was using her feeble daughter to no good) that then frittered away. It was a super interesting time/setting but the story just sort of plodded along and then ended.
katmarhan's review
3.0
7/10
Well-researched and believable in terms of the broad strokes of events, all of which could have happened, although probably not to the same two people as they did in this book to Rumon and Merewyn. Still, it was overall an engaging story, with a strong sense of place and time.
Well-researched and believable in terms of the broad strokes of events, all of which could have happened, although probably not to the same two people as they did in this book to Rumon and Merewyn. Still, it was overall an engaging story, with a strong sense of place and time.
unabridgedchick's review
5.0
One-sentence summary: Set in 10th century Britain, the book follows the tumultuous lives of French prince Rumon and Cornish lady-in-waiting Merewyn as they take part in court life and struggle to survive the constant Viking attacks.
Why did you get this book?: I love historical novels; I love Anya Seton; this is a time period I know very little about.
Do you like the cover?: Yes, because I like Pre-Raphaelite art, but I think it is the wrong image for the story; something more medieval would have been better.
Did you enjoy the book?: Very much so -- I found it slow to start, but within a chapter or two, it became very engrossing.
Other thoughts?: This wasn't a romance! There were definitely romantic subplots but the entire story was not built around a romance between Rumon and Merewyn, which I loved. I also enjoyed the two worlds portrayed in this book -- the first half described medieval court life in England while the second half detailed Merewyn's experience in Iceland and Greenland. Fascinating stuff.
Why did you get this book?: I love historical novels; I love Anya Seton; this is a time period I know very little about.
Do you like the cover?: Yes, because I like Pre-Raphaelite art, but I think it is the wrong image for the story; something more medieval would have been better.
Did you enjoy the book?: Very much so -- I found it slow to start, but within a chapter or two, it became very engrossing.
Other thoughts?: This wasn't a romance! There were definitely romantic subplots but the entire story was not built around a romance between Rumon and Merewyn, which I loved. I also enjoyed the two worlds portrayed in this book -- the first half described medieval court life in England while the second half detailed Merewyn's experience in Iceland and Greenland. Fascinating stuff.
heatherjay94's review
4.0
I have to say I found it plodding at times, especially throughout the first-half of the book. The prose is beautiful, though, and is the main reason I was able to tolerate the plot for that long - long enough to see it pick up after [SPOILER AHEAD] Merewyn’s capture. It feels like one of those books that get better after each re-read, although there are parts I will be glad to skip should I decide to read this again in the future. xD