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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reading too much at the same time, might pick up again later.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took another roll of the free Audible book dice, and stumbled upon an amazing narrator! Hamish Long took what he was given and gave the characters such warmth and life.
For the book itself: as someone who has perhaps a little more knowledge of British Roman monks, early Christian influence in the British isles, and Danish raiders than the average person (if I do say so myself) there was a lot to commend this book on in terms of research. The details the author pulled to make the setting and plot feel anchored in the time period were well used and effective.
Now, having a book from the library of Alexandria that taught ALL of the science that Theo taught? Hmm.
The romance between Fen and Cai was full of tee-hee fingers; tropes galore with enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, die-for-you and lots of spice. Though, I have to say it was hella weird hearing “Caius” when I’m so used to “Gaius.” The language got a little purple from time to time, but their love was very sweet.
The biggest downside for me was that the plot had a tendency to meander. I found myself getting bored waiting for the next plot point to happen, and some of the reveals weren’t quite as satisfying of a payoff as they could have been. Denan and Addie were … meh.
Overall - between the sweetness of the romance and the masterful storytelling from Hamish Long, I was pleasantly surprised.
For the book itself: as someone who has perhaps a little more knowledge of British Roman monks, early Christian influence in the British isles, and Danish raiders than the average person (if I do say so myself) there was a lot to commend this book on in terms of research. The details the author pulled to make the setting and plot feel anchored in the time period were well used and effective.
Now, having a book from the library of Alexandria that taught ALL of the science that Theo taught? Hmm.
The romance between Fen and Cai was full of tee-hee fingers; tropes galore with enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, die-for-you and lots of spice. Though, I have to say it was hella weird hearing “Caius” when I’m so used to “Gaius.” The language got a little purple from time to time, but their love was very sweet.
The biggest downside for me was that the plot had a tendency to meander. I found myself getting bored waiting for the next plot point to happen, and some of the reveals weren’t quite as satisfying of a payoff as they could have been. Denan and Addie were … meh.
Overall - between the sweetness of the romance and the masterful storytelling from Hamish Long, I was pleasantly surprised.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, War
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
Moderate: Gore, Religious bigotry
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An epic and poetic tale in the wild north about faith, lust, and battle. In the time of rising Christianity and Viking raids. Ciaus belongs to a humble monastery in the middle of nowhere called Farrah. A Viking raid forces Ciauss to abandon his peaceful monastic ways and embrace his warrior Roman roots to defend the monastery and his fellow brothers. When a finds a fallen Viking warrior and must choose to offer bloodthirsty vengeance or God's loving mercy. The Viking Fenrir is wild and beautiful and as he recovers in Ciaus's care a bond grows between the two men. Together they must overcome more trials of faith and blood, both on and off the battlefield. The warrior monk and the Viking brother weather the strange trials of life together. Hanging over them is the mysterious treasure of Farrah rumored to have the power to end the Viking raids and bring peace to the people. This book made me scream, cry and laugh all in the same breath. A truly memorable and intense experience.
This was a masterfully done mix of Christian lore and Nordic myth full of bloody battles and emotional intensity. The deep seeded bond between Ciaus and Fenrir is tested by the very gods and sea and I loved every tense moment of it. But what I loved most of all was how Ciaus was constantly pulled by two different parts of his identity. Right and wrong. Faith and science. His heart and his obligation. And each time he finds that the answer is never absolute. He has to find his own way. His own place in the hazy grey border of all those different truths. It just created this beautiful journey full of jagged edges of reality and smeared with some near magical qualities of faith.
This was a masterfully done mix of Christian lore and Nordic myth full of bloody battles and emotional intensity. The deep seeded bond between Ciaus and Fenrir is tested by the very gods and sea and I loved every tense moment of it. But what I loved most of all was how Ciaus was constantly pulled by two different parts of his identity. Right and wrong. Faith and science. His heart and his obligation. And each time he finds that the answer is never absolute. He has to find his own way. His own place in the hazy grey border of all those different truths. It just created this beautiful journey full of jagged edges of reality and smeared with some near magical qualities of faith.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just finished listening to this book, it's free on the Audible plus catalogue and it was soooo damn good. I haven't listened to that many historical romances but I'd say this one was top tier. It seemed the author worked hard to make things feel authentic, but include the reader in a way it was easy to get into the setting even if you (like myself) have very little knowledge of vikings and monks in the 7th century. There is a dash of old-world magic but I didn't feel like it took away from the immersion (added to the book overall for me but I know some people don't like mixing magic into historical). Also the narrator was EXCELLENT! His nordic accent slipped into French sounding a bit at the beginning and I'm no expert on accents but other than that he did an amazing job.
It is enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, has a good amount of angst, pretty high spice but also tenderness and great character development. My one qualm was how a mentally disabled character was handled. He wasn't treated badly and the language used for him was consistent with the setting but there is a "miracle" at the end where he basically hits his head (on a religious relic that they establish has miraculous capabilities) and is "cured" and it felt rather gross. I wish it hadn't happened bc it's the only thing that kept it from being a 5star read for me.
It is enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, has a good amount of angst, pretty high spice but also tenderness and great character development. My one qualm was how a mentally disabled character was handled. He wasn't treated badly and the language used for him was consistent with the setting but there is a "miracle" at the end where he basically hits his head (on a religious relic that they establish has miraculous capabilities) and is "cured" and it felt rather gross. I wish it hadn't happened bc it's the only thing that kept it from being a 5star read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault
This was published in 2013 and although I apparently bought the ebook before the company that originally published it went out of business, I just now listened to the audiobook. It's a long book, and I left it in my TBR pile because it intimidated me. I loved it, though, and wish I'd read it sooner.
The audiobook narrator, Hamish Long, is especially good. He did unique voices for all the characters, and the voice he performed for Caius really kept in my mind that Caius was very young, only about 25. Because he takes on a lot of responsibility over the course of the story, his age was easy for me to forget.
The book has many of the elements I expect from Harper Fox, such as religion and spirituality, a strong sense of place, unexplained supernatural events, mysterious old people, a truly swoony romance, and emotional sex scenes. I really like the way she writes all of those things. I was also impressed at how relatable these ancient people were to a modern reader, without seeming like modern people. This is a hard balance to strike in historical fiction but I think she did it perfectly.
The audiobook narrator, Hamish Long, is especially good. He did unique voices for all the characters, and the voice he performed for Caius really kept in my mind that Caius was very young, only about 25. Because he takes on a lot of responsibility over the course of the story, his age was easy for me to forget.
The book has many of the elements I expect from Harper Fox, such as religion and spirituality, a strong sense of place, unexplained supernatural events, mysterious old people, a truly swoony romance, and emotional sex scenes. I really like the way she writes all of those things. I was also impressed at how relatable these ancient people were to a modern reader, without seeming like modern people. This is a hard balance to strike in historical fiction but I think she did it perfectly.