fairytale retelling | Myths of the Mirror

Welcome to Day 11 of The Necromancer’s Daughter’s Book Tour!

I hope you enjoy:

~ A lovely community of bloggers.

~ My favorite book from my host’s list, along with my review.

~ Something to make you smile.

~ Something from or about The Necromancer’s Daughter (follow the link below).

~ Leave a comment on my hosts’ sites, and your name will be entered in an end-of-tour drawing for a $50 Amazon gift certificate. The more tour sites, the more entries!

Day 11, here we go!

V. M. Sang’s Blog: Dragon’s Rule OK

Vivienne writes both fantasy and historical fiction and many of her books are grouped into series. She and I both discovered a love of reading through Tolkien, one shared reason for our dive into fantasy. Her blog is a place where you can find book reviews, reblogs of interesting writing-related articles, posts about her books and works in progress, as well as a wealth of other information that interests her.

I’ve read both books from her historical fiction series set in the age of Vikings. Her research shows her love of the time period, and her covers are stunning. Here’s one of my reviews:

Jealousy of a Viking by V. M. Sang

My Review: This historical fiction takes place around the year 860 AD when Danes and Saxons were occupying Britain. Helgha is a young woman who falls in love with Erik, a man above her status. With marriage out of the question, Erik kills her father and sweeps Helgha away to become his bed slave. In love with him, Helgha complies and bears him two sons. And when Erik weds someone of his own class, Helgha begins a devious journey of sabotaging his wife’s pregnancies. Her actions set off a cascade of tragedies.

I’m happy to say that, though jealousy and wicked thoughts follow her for most of the book, Helgha has an arc that allows her to mature and find redemption. She’s a deeply drawn character, and when she finds her heart and inner strength, it’s refreshing. As she matured and became a kinder person, I connected more with her than I did in the beginning. I didn’t like either of the men she loved (due to their treatment of women), but they did feel realistic.

At the end of the book, the author shares some of her research regarding historical events, as well as some cultural details (both researched and speculated). The book focuses on the role of women as the bearers of sons. True to life at the time, the trials of pregnancy, birth, and miscarriage occur frequently within the read, but there’s also lots of action and danger that kept me flipping the pages.

A subplot of Helgha’s shifting religious beliefs is exceptionally done and felt quite authentic. The pace moved at a good clip, and I found excuses to keep reading. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially regarding Vikings in Britain.

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If you have a chance, head on over to join The Necromancer’s Daughter tour at Viv’s blog: Dragons Rule OK

Marcia Meara’s Blog: The Write Stuff

Marcia’s blog is a great place to be a guest, much like I am today. In fact, her logline is “Writers helping writers.” She offers her site for Guest Post Tuesdays, and she runs some wonderful features like Ten Things You May Not Know About (blogger), and First Line Fridays. She shares some great humor every week as well as updates on her projects and life in general.

She’s also a writer of some outstanding books (Wake Robin Ridge series and Riverbend series) mostly suspenseful thrillers with a bit of the paranormal thrown in. She’ll make you fall in love with her characters. Naturally, I’ve read all her books!

Here’s my review of an all-time favorite:

A Boy Named Rabbit by Marcia Meara

My Review: I fell in love with a little boy named Rabbit. OMG. This book is so wonderful, I can’t recommend it enough. Rabbit is ten years old, and for his entire life, he’s lived in the deep forest of the Blue Ridge Mountains with his grandparents. They took him there when he was a baby to keep him safe from the “bad people.” When his grandparents die, he starts a solo journey to find a place he belongs.

Rabbit enters the lives of Sarah and Mac Cole and what follows is a story of love, loss, and discovery as Rabbit learns about a whole new world. He’s never seen electricity in action or ridden in a car or listened to music! He’s an amazing character—inquisitive, funny, heartbroken, and wise beyond his years. As Rabbit transforms, the characters around him transform as well.

There’s danger in this book, a bit of paranormal “sight,” and kindness galore. My investment in Rabbit was intense, and I couldn’t stop rooting for him. Though Rabbit is the star of this literary show, the other characters are well-rounded and emotionally authentic. The writing is exceptional with spot-on dialog and an excellent pace. I couldn’t put the book down and got all teary with happiness at the end.

Though this is Book 2 in the Wake-Robin Ridge series, I’m not sure it’s necessary to read Book 1 first, though it wouldn’t hurt. I enjoyed that book too. Interested in something thoroughly original, engaging, and tender? A Boy Named Rabbit will steal your heart.

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If you have a chance, head on over to join The Necromancer’s Daughter tour at Marcia’s blog: The Write Stuff.