The Lords of The North by Bernard Cornwell (*breaths heavily*)

(Quickie: Mild bad language used to express inexpressible feelings)

The Lords of the North

by Bernard Cornwell

Released: 23rd January 2007 (Yeah, it's not the most recent of books but this review had to be done)
Publisher: HarperTorch
Genres: Historical Fiction (Dark Ages), War
Other books by Bernard Cornwell:
The Sharpe novels
The Grail Quest series
The Starbuck Chronicles
Goodreads Description:
From Bernard Cornwell, the undisputed master of historical fiction, hailed as "the direct heir to Patrick O'Brien,"* comes the third volume in the exhilarating Saxon Chronicles: the story of the birth of England as the Saxons struggle to repel the Danish invaders.
The year is 878, and as Lords of the North begins, the Saxons of Wessex, under King Alfred, have defeated the Danes to keep their kingdom free. Uhtred, the dispossessed son of a Northumbrian lord, helped Alfred win that victory, but now he is disgusted by Alfred's lack of generosity. Uhtred flees Wessex, going north to search for his stepsister, who was taken prisoner by Kjartan the Cruel, a Danish lord who lurks in the formidable stronghold of Dunholm.
Uhtred arrives in the north to discover rebellion, chaos, and fear. His only ally is Hild, a West Saxon nun fleeing her calling, and his best hope is his sword, Serpent-Breath, with which he has made a notable reputation as a warrior. He needs other partners if he is to attack Dunholm, and chooses Guthred, a seemingly deluded slave who believes he is a king. Together they cross the Pennines, where fanatical Christians and beleaguered Danes have formed a desperate alliance to confront the terrible Viking lords who rule Northumbria.
Instead of victory Uhtred finds betrayal. But he also discovers love and redemption as he is forced to turn once again to his reluctant ally, Alfred the Great. It is Alfred who sees opportunity in Northumbria's chaos, and Alfred who looses Uhtred and his stepbrother, Ragnar, onto Dunholm, the invincible fortress on its great spur of rock. A breathtaking adventure, Lords of the North is also the story of the creation of England, as the English and Danes fight against each other, but also find common cause and create a common language. In the end they will become one people, but as Uhtred will discover, their union is forged through the white heat of battle.
* The Economist




My Review


First off, I'd like to compliment Cornwell on creating a book that's completely accessibly for dufuses like myself who take it out of the library and start reading it before realising it's actually the third in a series. It would explain why I had a slow start to the book, needing to double check things that happened, but didn't tamper with the quality of reading itself.

Gosh, so much happens in this book I can hardly remember where it started! *flicks back to the first couple of pages*

The story starts with our good friend Uhtred (if you read the first two I imagine you'll already be acquainted else, like me, you'll be best buds by the end) complaining about the King of Wessex, Alfred. We discover that he's just fought in the battle of Ethandun (If you've read the first two, unlike me, you'll know all about this already :p) and, as you will be chanting along with him by the end, he is:

"the man who had killed Ubba Lothbrokson beside the sea and who had spilled Svein of the White Horse from his saddle at Ethandun."

DAMN RIGHT YOU ARE, UHTRED!

The story follows Uhtred as he runs away from Wessex, up north, finding a slave man in chains claiming to be the king of Northumbria, supported by a huddle of priests. This is Guthred. And I'm not sure where to even start with him. He's god damn adorable. Being a bit lot of a pansy and refusing to take any action unless someone can assure him that King Alfred would do it, he's a surprisingly lovable character. I mean, there's this bit in the middle where he does something that I can't tell you about because it's a spoiler but I assure you it's br00tal, and I spent the entire time up until he returned pleading that when he returned into the plotline, he would return as he was before: that cute king that everyone adores but hates at the same time.

Considering I hadn't read the first two in the series, I was completely drowned in this book, my bus journeys becoming adventures across late first century England; across oceans; through battles. God damn it I loved this book! The imagery is so incredibly intense: you see, hear, smell, taste and feel every single thing that happens, causing real-world-numbing sensations. I don't recall ever being so invested in a book before. I've come out still believing I'm a Dane. It's problematic.


Links
Goodreads
Amazon UK
Amazon US


Abi Ainley

Review: The Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker

I received this book for free via Netgalley however this in no way affects the opinions expressed in this review

The Witch Hunter

by Virginia Boecker

Release: 2nd June 2015
Publisher: Orchard Books
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural, Historical
Other books by Virginia Boecker:
None
Goodreads Description:
Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.




My Review


The Witch Hunter is a low fantasy set in an alternate Middle Ages. There's a ban on witchcraft derived from fear and witch hunters traverse the country catching anyone practising any form of magic to be burned. Elizabeth is a witch hunter, although it's made pretty damn clear that she wasn't right to be a witch hunter and she only did it for Caleb.

I feel like I'm going to repeat what everyone else's said but with a few more positive points inbetween but whatever...
ELIZABETH HE'S OBVIOUSLY GOT NO INTEREST IN ANYONE OTHER THAN HIMSELF AND IT MAKES YOU AN INCONCEIVABLY THICK CHARACTER TO NOT SEE THAT!

I did find that Elizabeth seemed ridiculously oblivious to some obvious points at times, which was only to direct the plot. It got a little annoying and I came out of reading this with the only character I liked being Schuyler. Who, may I say, is conveyed as being British but has a specifically Dutch name. In the Middle Ages. Other than that though, he was pretty entertaining. And the only character who didn't seem to be dumb as they come.

The majority of this book was about Elizabeth's love life. Sure, that ain't a problem to have a bit of romance, but you either focus on advancing Elizabeth and John's relationship or advancing the plot. Attempting both obviously didn't work out and, although the book was written as if the plot was meant to take centre stage, the character relationships messed it up quite a lot.

Over all though, I did enjoy the book, even if it annoyed me multiple times throughout, and I will definitely be picking up the next in the series. Just to see where Elizabeth and John go to be honest. And hopefully the plot will have been fixed up a bit.


Links
Goodreads
Amazon UK
Amazon US


Abi Ainley

Book Tag: Help Me

This book tag was created by Aria (bookgeekmoviefreak) You can view her Youtube channel here . Enjoy!

The Questions:

1. You have a test tomorrow, but instead of studying you’ve been reading. Which fictional character do you call to help you cram for this test?
Elfie from A Lonely Magic. Just have her tattooed onto me and I'll be good to go ;)

2. Payday is still 2 weeks away, but you are broke. Which rich character do you ask for money to help you out?
I don't think I've ever actually read a book about a rich character... crap.

3. There is a burglar in your house, which character do you call to help you beat up the burglar?
Riley/Cobalt from the Talon series. Not much a burglar can do against a dragon ;).

4. There is a spider/snake/something else that really scares you in your house. Which character do you call to get rid of it for you?
Hagrid. He does all that malarkey.

5. You’ve had a really bad week, which character do you call to cheer you up?
Flicker from Dragonfriend. He's absolutely hilarious and I could really have a good laugh with him!

6. There is a zombie apocalypse going on, which character can totally handle him/herself in this apocalypse? Pick the character that would give you the highest survival chances.
Wes from the Talon series. He could hack into everything and could track the zombies and stuff to keep us away from them.

7. Your house caught on fire, you need a place to stay. Which character’s house do you want to stay in?
Lazarus' house from The Watcher in the Shadows. It's HUUUUUUGE and full of awesome mechanical toys. Even if they do get possessed by shadows <.< >.>

8. Because your house caught on fire, you obviously don’t have any clothes. Which character do you want to borrow clothes from?
Just Irene from The Watcher in the Shadows :p. It's in the 30s so she'll have loads of cool clothes!

9. You’ve been wrongly accused of something, which character can weasel him/herself out of any bad situation and can certainly help you get out of this pickle.
If I'm literally stuck in a pickle I'm sure Hermione Granger could get me out with a bit of magic. However, if this is not a literal pickle, I'll go Cassel from the Curse Workers trilogy. He's sly and seriously good at getting out of bad situations ;)

10. You just broke up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, which character do you call to be your rebound.
Riley from the Talon series. He's not with Ember yet; it's fine xD


Thanks for reading this! Unfortunately, due to it being exam season, I won't be able to do as many blog posts as preferred over the next month and a half, but I'll still post up maybe one a week. I'll be doing a giveaway when I get back so keep an eye out for about 6 weeks time!


Abi Ainley

Review: The Watcher in The Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Watcher in the Shadows

By Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Watcher in the Shadows is definitely one of the best novels I have ever read. Set in 1930's Normandy, France, it follows the story of the Sauvelle family, Simone, Irene, and Dorian, who are struggling for money after the death of the father. Then one day, they are introduced to the kind, yet reclusive, toymaker, Lazarus Jann, who welcomes them with open arms. Lazarus lives in a grand building, set in the midst of a dark, mysterious forest. The story seemed to focus on the daughter, Irene, who meets a seclusive boy named Ismael. A good portion of the story focuses on their meagre adventures around the island and the forest, which I personally loved reading about.

        Ismael was probably the most characterised in this novel and his character development was brilliant. It wasn't hard to imagine that he could have been a real person, preferring seclusion but still strong-willed and brave. Dorian, Irene's younger brother, was also an interesting character, with a purposeful resemblance to the reclusive and eccentric toymaker. I noticed quite a bit of foreshadowing and hidden links in this story, which were very exciting to find. Now, I'm not entirely certain if this was intended or not because it seemed to work with the story, but Irene's character definitely seemed only half-there. It was almost as if she were a ghost in the story, the most of her personality veiled beneath a translucent cloak. The reader really didn't get to know this protagonist, but, as I said, it somewhat worked, enhancing the mystery, magic and intrigue that made this story so interesting.

        I must confess, the intrigue in this story beats a lot of what I've seen before. I have seen few people who claim to have experienced this also though, so I'll presume that this is just how my mind works, but the amount of mystery and guessing in this story really made it a whole. Every page, I was making links and guessing what was going to happen next. Every time I put the book down, every way in which the story could pan out appeared in my head. Congratulations to Zafon on this as it was truly outstanding.

        The thing that Zafon succeeded in the most though, was not the mystery, but the way the story grabbed you with sharp claws and drew you into the detailed gothic scenery. Everything was described in a way that painted a tantalising image in the reader's head, full of excitement and wonder. The Cravenmoore house, home of Lazarus Jann, was beautiful. The wonderful and exciting, yet creepy and disturbing, toys and artwork described around the house made it almost impossible to look away, drawing the reader into a swirling abyss.

        The tone of this book was very gothic and somewhat drab, but it worked wonderfully. I cried at one point and even laughed at one point, but the ominous nature of this book is really what made it such a thrilling read.

        The only thing I could really complain about with this book is the fact that it's a children's book. Maybe the childishness was what made the atmosphere so intriguing, but really I think this story is...
Oh nevermind, I'm trying to argue a point I don't really agree with and it's not working! This book was perfect. The only thing it really lacked was a bit of viscosity but I feel like I can hardly complain about that when the rest of it completely outweighed that fact.

        I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old, but I have to say, after lending this to my mum, I want to snatch it back very selfishly. I can tell you now, this is a book you will be very selfish about; this will be your story that will be shared with no one!


Abi Ainley