manorclassics's review
adventurous
fast-paced
4.0
Perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.
This is an exciting and fast-paced novel dealing with events in England after the death of King Alfred. His daughter Aethelflaed becomes de facto ruler of Mercia and we read about her efforts to unite the Anglo-Saxons and conquer the Viking threat.
I found this a little hard to get through, in fact I put it down halfway through and it was a while before I felt like picking it back up, but I'm so glad I did. It's very well written and the story is engrossing. It was a little too violent for my taste, I'd have preferred more time in Aethelflaed's head rather than battle scenes, but it was still a good read and I enjoyed learning about that period of history.
I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
This is an exciting and fast-paced novel dealing with events in England after the death of King Alfred. His daughter Aethelflaed becomes de facto ruler of Mercia and we read about her efforts to unite the Anglo-Saxons and conquer the Viking threat.
I found this a little hard to get through, in fact I put it down halfway through and it was a while before I felt like picking it back up, but I'm so glad I did. It's very well written and the story is engrossing. It was a little too violent for my taste, I'd have preferred more time in Aethelflaed's head rather than battle scenes, but it was still a good read and I enjoyed learning about that period of history.
I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
jmatkinson1's review
4.0
As the daughter of the great King Alfred, Aethelflaed is from a noble line and her marriage to the King of Mercia has brought her power. However after her father's death her brother Edward takes control of Wessex and starts to assert his authority. Aethelflaed's husband is old and increasingly incapable of ruling so she takes the reins of power. Whilst many mistakes are made, Aethelflaed proves herself more that a match for warring nobles and invading Danes.
Based on the true story of Aethelflaed, the daughter of King Alfred who ruled Mercia for many years, this book is a light but very enjoyable romp through 10th century history. Although Aethelflaed has been written out of many histories (well, she is woman!) Stokes has conducted enough research to make this believable. Although the writing is very clunky at times, the comments at the end of every chapter are annoying, this is an entertaining piece of history.
Based on the true story of Aethelflaed, the daughter of King Alfred who ruled Mercia for many years, this book is a light but very enjoyable romp through 10th century history. Although Aethelflaed has been written out of many histories (well, she is woman!) Stokes has conducted enough research to make this believable. Although the writing is very clunky at times, the comments at the end of every chapter are annoying, this is an entertaining piece of history.
ashleysreadingroom's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction and I am a huge fan of The Last Kingdom. The research was very well done, it was nice to see Æthelflæd's side of things. I am also so glad to have seen the The tv series based around Utrid and her father which allowed the reading to go smoothly for me. It helped me develop better accents to the names in the story as well as being able to pronounce the names without a struggle.
Æthelflæd as a woman her story was overshadowed by the males in her life so it was nice to bring forth the story of a Queen who is often forgotten. Well Done. Unfortunately in history such as these men get away with a lot of things and immediately we see that. Her brother taking away her right to be at her father's funeral by rushing it so he can claim king rights faster and treating her and everyone else as lowly. You can't help but be so angry for the woman in these stories even if they are strong and make history. The fact they went through what they do is terrible.
I received an arc copy of this book all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Æthelflæd as a woman her story was overshadowed by the males in her life so it was nice to bring forth the story of a Queen who is often forgotten. Well Done. Unfortunately in history such as these men get away with a lot of things and immediately we see that. Her brother taking away her right to be at her father's funeral by rushing it so he can claim king rights faster and treating her and everyone else as lowly. You can't help but be so angry for the woman in these stories even if they are strong and make history. The fact they went through what they do is terrible.
I received an arc copy of this book all thoughts and opinions are my own.
excavatingmytbr's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
5.0
welcometomynirvana's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
tronnai's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
While this book was fast paced, it didn't grab my attention and was a bit of a struggle to get through as I wasn't invested in many of the characters. I found it quite tough even remembering who all the characters were! There is a character list at the beginning of the book but I found it annoying flicking back to that in an ebook.
A lot of the book is made up of fight scenes (which is kind of understandable I guess) but I personally find those a bit boring to read about. The writing itself wasn't bad, I think it just wasn't the book for me.
A lot of the book is made up of fight scenes (which is kind of understandable I guess) but I personally find those a bit boring to read about. The writing itself wasn't bad, I think it just wasn't the book for me.
emmwalker's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
I was hooked on this novel from the prologue alone, which provided the necessary introductions to the story, while creating a sense of both historical context and immersion.
Aethelflaed was an enjoyable protagonist to share the story with, she is observant, but to the point. The writing style was authentic and the story had great flow and the pacing was perfect, sometimes I find in historical fiction the pacing can be a bit slow, or we spend a lot of time in the characters youth and I get frustrated and bored, this didn’t happen here. Furthermore, Aethelflaeds thoughts and memories were so well described, that at times I thought this would make a really good film or mini-series, as these scenes felt like they were playing out in my head as I read them.
My only (and incredibly minor) issue, is as it is written as a reflection, there was very little opportunity for a twist or surprise in the story, with Aethlflead musing “I would come to regret it in the end” throughout. It was great foreshadowing, but it made the story feel a bit predictable at times.
This book is great for fans of The Last Kingdom and Vikings, an engaging trip through time, told from a feminine perspective. Aethelflaed is so often a footnote in tales from this period, is was satisfying to read about her being the power player that she was. It is clear that this book has been incredibly well researched and it puts forward events of the past in an entertaining and accessible manner.
Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and share my thoughts about this book in exchange for an honest review.
Aethelflaed was an enjoyable protagonist to share the story with, she is observant, but to the point. The writing style was authentic and the story had great flow and the pacing was perfect, sometimes I find in historical fiction the pacing can be a bit slow, or we spend a lot of time in the characters youth and I get frustrated and bored, this didn’t happen here. Furthermore, Aethelflaeds thoughts and memories were so well described, that at times I thought this would make a really good film or mini-series, as these scenes felt like they were playing out in my head as I read them.
My only (and incredibly minor) issue, is as it is written as a reflection, there was very little opportunity for a twist or surprise in the story, with Aethlflead musing “I would come to regret it in the end” throughout. It was great foreshadowing, but it made the story feel a bit predictable at times.
This book is great for fans of The Last Kingdom and Vikings, an engaging trip through time, told from a feminine perspective. Aethelflaed is so often a footnote in tales from this period, is was satisfying to read about her being the power player that she was. It is clear that this book has been incredibly well researched and it puts forward events of the past in an entertaining and accessible manner.
Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and share my thoughts about this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and War
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