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A review by crazygoangirl
The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
It was nice to be back in Brother Cadfael’s universe after a break ☺️ This is the eight book in the Cadfael Chronicles by Ellis Peters.
In this one, there is an estranged father-son relationship; a troubled son bent on doing the ‘right’ thing regardless of the harm to himself; a strong sibling bond and treason. An interesting and explosive cocktail of emotions, misinformation and misguided loyalty. Meriet was intriguing but immature (he is only 19 yrs old), and got on my nerves on occasion, but he’s well written and his character arc is strong. My favourite character was Isouda, his childhood friend, staunchly loyal and a very intelligent, sharp-witted girl, who in my opinion is too good for him! I was happy to meet Brother Mark again in an important role - confidante and companion to Meriet, working with his trademark gentleness and intuition to help the troubled boy. As always, Hugh and Brother Cadfael work in tandem to sort out the issues confronting the Aspleys and Linde families when an emissary of the Bishop Henry of Winchester, is found murdered not far from their manors, after a visit.
As always, I enjoyed Peters writing and her plot. I must mention once again how much I enjoy her unusual character names - Meriet, Isouda, Leoric, Janyn…it’s like poetry 😊 I enjoyed my return to the Series and will continue reading in 2024.
In this one, there is an estranged father-son relationship; a troubled son bent on doing the ‘right’ thing regardless of the harm to himself; a strong sibling bond and treason. An interesting and explosive cocktail of emotions, misinformation and misguided loyalty. Meriet was intriguing but immature (he is only 19 yrs old), and got on my nerves on occasion, but he’s well written and his character arc is strong. My favourite character was Isouda, his childhood friend, staunchly loyal and a very intelligent, sharp-witted girl, who in my opinion is too good for him! I was happy to meet Brother Mark again in an important role - confidante and companion to Meriet, working with his trademark gentleness and intuition to help the troubled boy. As always, Hugh and Brother Cadfael work in tandem to sort out the issues confronting the Aspleys and Linde families when an emissary of the Bishop Henry of Winchester, is found murdered not far from their manors, after a visit.
As always, I enjoyed Peters writing and her plot. I must mention once again how much I enjoy her unusual character names - Meriet, Isouda, Leoric, Janyn…it’s like poetry 😊 I enjoyed my return to the Series and will continue reading in 2024.