The Tyrant's Shadow - Antonia Senior

A court without a kingdom, a kingdom without a king...

England, 1652: since Charles I's execution the land has remained untethered, the people longing for change. When Patience Johnson meets preacher Sidrach Simmonds, she believes her destiny is to become his wife and help him spread the Lord's word. Simmonds sees things quite differently. Patience's brother Will has been bestowed the job of lawyer to Oliver Cromwell. Tasked with aiding England's most powerful man, he must try to overcome his grief after the loss of his wife. Then Sam Challoner, Will's brother-in-law, returns unannounced after years in exile, forcing Will and Patience to question their loyalties: one to a ruler, the other, a spouse. Who do they choose to save? Themselves, their loved ones or their country... 

My thoughts:
Set in the Time of Cromwell, yeah, I do not like that guy. It seemed like a really messy time. Everyone hating each other, well a civil war does that. They are trying to build a new world, but at the same time there is tension everywhere. Political and religious ones.

And in this world we have Will who lost his wife during those dark days. He honestly just tried to get by, and he did work near Cromwell so he kept his head down. His sister Patience who lives with him and she was the naive one who thought the best of everyone but will learn her lesson. But I did like her. She had a transformation. As for the preacher she marries, I did not like him. He was a zealot. There is also a third POV, Sam, Will's brother in law, and the one who wants the king back on the throne. I liked this POVS, the one who just wants to live his life, the one who sees so much more in life, and the one who wants to change the country.

Cromwell is trying to make the country better. People are still fighting. The court is in exile. We do get both worlds thanks to the different POVS. But it really is about the characters.

Conclusion:
It was an interesting time. I would for sure not have liked to live there. But it sure brings the drama. There are people to like, and people to dislike.

Cover
Nice

Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication: April 6th 2017 by Corvus
Historical fiction
For review

The winter isles - Antonia Senior

I am Somerled. The summer warrior. What am I, if not a warrior?

In twelfth-century Scotland, far removed from the courtly manners of the Lowland, the Winter Isles are riven by vicious warfare, plots and battles.

Into this hard, seafaring life is born a boy called Somerled. The son of an ageing chieftain, Somerled must prove his own worth as a warrior. He will rise to lead his men into battle and claim the title of Lord of the Isles - but what must he sacrifice to secure the glory of his name?

The Winter Isles is an astonishingly vivid recreation of the savage dynastic battles of medieval Scotland: an authentic, emotional, powerful read.

My thoughts:

Do you all know how hard it was for me not to google, or read that afterword? Oh it pained me. But since I had already heard of him, but knew nothing of him, I read the book without googling. Of course when I was finished I googled for about an hour ;)

Somerled was of Irish/Norse origin. His family had been chased away from their stronghold (which island was it now again, that Argyll one?). Then they came back and that is how the history of Somerled starts. It is he who shapes their destiny and even titles him King of the Isles at one point. He is strong, cunning, but is he shown as a good man? No, but a man of his time. With that I mean the whole, oh so few women, oh well, we can raid some more. Wow, thanks, that's nice of you lot. But that was the time. I would not have wanted to live there, but I have never read a book set there at that time (12th century). Scotland yes, those isles, no. So interesting.

But there is also the POV of Emeirhin. And her POV is told in first person for some reason. I did first wonder about this, it worked well with his 3rd, and her first. I am glad that his was not through that way though, it fitted better that hers was. Later on the POV of Ragnhild shows up, and I should not have disliked her, but I did. Not really her fault, she was also shaped by events.

It was a harsh world. Filled with war, hardship, but also love, loyalty and will. The will to succeed, to conquer.

Conclusion:

Even if not much is known about him, she made it work. And she wrote an interesting life for him with that which was known. It made it into a book that I could not put down. A one sitting kind of book. I sure hopes she writes more interesting historical books.

Cover

I like blue

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: November 5th 2015 by Corvus
Historical fiction
For review