Review: The Dragon’s Harp by Rachael Pruitt (Era of Dragon’s: The Lost Tales of Gwenhwyfar series #01)

This book was provided by the author's publisher via my lady Blodeuedd's excellent blog in return for an honest review. I haven't been compensated for writing the said review in any way and the fact that the book came free of charge didn't influence me either.   


Book info:


Format: e-book, Kindle
Genre: historical fantasy
Target audience: older YA and adults


Synopsis:

The novel is set in northern Wales during the 5th century CE and its narration follows the coming of age of a young Ordovici princess of Dinas Emrys, Gwenhwyfar. It is the first person narration – elderly Gwen tells the story of her life to a serving girl. Yes, she is the future wife of Arthur and Merlin/Emrys is actually her uncle but she is also a small, unruly, stubborn girl, much loved and surrounded by her family. She grows up in very uncertain times so soon enough must face harsh reality of war, plunder, murders, rape and betrayal. Will she find her inner strength to fight for her integrity and for those she loves? Will she dare to develop her unusual gifts to oppose dark, greedy druids and witches? Will Merlin, forever busy abroad, allegedly tutoring an important young princeling in the South, finally find time to help her?

 What I liked:

 Firstly and foremostly I loved the fact that the author really, truly did her homework concerning the period she wrote about. Mind you she did it with passion and it was felt. The narration rang true, the life of little Gwenhwyfar seemed as historically correct as it was only possible - I couldn’t help smiling e.g. when I stumbled on the Chi Ro symbol early Christians used most likely instead of a crucifix or a cross. 5th century Wales is presented as a real place, without idealizing the living conditions or problems its inhabitants faced. I am a sucker for good historical fiction, firmly based on the remnants and relicts from the appropriate era and here it was clear Ms Pruitt is a real history junkie who digs deep and is creative with her findings! It was a pleasure!

 I liked the red dragon, called Cymry (guess why such name was given to it ;p) which I suppose is a nice symbol of the magical aspect of the book. It wasn’t overdone but impressive enough, more like a natural magic than something flashy and loud. Bad druids and good druids seemed a very sensible idea –after all nobody said Julius Caesar, who gave them a very bad opinion in bulk writing his memoirs, was the most objective source of knowledge. They were his enemies and he was clearly afraid of them.

 I liked how Celtic women were made almost as powerful as their husbands if not actually more dangerous than any warrior. Gwen, just a child and then a teen, is presented as a kick-ass princess, not some whimpering bimbo or a shallow twit whose flirtatious was led to the destruction of Camelot.; her Grandma, Rhiannon, is actually even better! Also Sari, a slave girl from an Arabic country turned seer, and Hrwych, Gwen’s nurse and friend, were a very nice addition!

 Now something about the baddies: they were really good as well, both men and women who, in the end, happened to be one big ‘loving’ family! The main villain, Maelgwyn, Gwen’s other uncle, is handsome and rotten to the core – what a bliss!! – but his daughter is actually even better (or rather worse) a piece of art, nothing less, and of course as cute as a button! I am looking forward to meeting them again! Mind you it is a novel written clearly with a more mature audience in mind – not a fairy tale for children. There is one especially disturbing scene of an attempted rape (the victim being a minor) and then the would-be rapist is punished in a really ugly, brutal way – consider yourself warned.

 Finally the cover art is lovely! Those red curls and this dagger!

 What I didn’t like: 

 At first I couldn’t relate to Gwen. Not really. Only later, when she stopped behaving like a spoiled brat I warmed to her a bit. I think Lleu, her father’s ward and her main squeeze in this part, was a far more interesting, although secondary character. Well, it might change. I started reading this novel not being aware that it is a beginning of a series – there will be four more books or so I found out! Now I want more! Is there any justice? None!

 Final verdict: 

 A charming story, very unlike any novel based on Arthurian cycle I’ve read so far. I only hope the whole series will be as original and entertaining till the very end. Writing all five parts on the same high level – that’s a real challenge! I recommend it to readers who like Arthurian cycle stories but told in a more contemporary and historical way, without completely inadequate knights in shining armours and damsels in distress and a heavy dress (thus the distress I suppose).

The Wonderful World of Happily Ever After

April Fool's Day deserves a special treat so here you go - I am pround and happy to host today Blodeuedd and present our discussion about HEA in literature and in real life. Enjoy!

Blodeuedd reviews books (everything from HR, PNR to fantasy and historical fiction) on Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell. She is a sucker for a happy ending and has a weak spot for Jane Austen variations. Even if fantasy is her one true love, and the one love where the happy ending can be thrown out of the window (but don’t tell anyone ;)

Anachronist (yes, that's me) is just helping Blodeuedd in a capacity of a poltergeist while she is not busy writing her own blog (Books As Portable Pieces of Thoughts,  I know, the name is far too long but somehow it seemed a good idea back then). She is a cynic when it comes to romantic endings but, after all,some balance must be kept or the Sun will fall from the sky ;)

Weclome to the Wonderful World of Happily Ever After 

by Blodeuedd and Anachronist

B: Now where to start? I love HEAs, how can you not love them. The prince gets the poor servant girl and the list continues …
A: Courtesan would be better than the servant girl you know...far more outlandish so to speak.
B: I actually took that away cos I fear my own ….
A: Prejudice?
B. Yeah, prejudice, came into play. Come on! A duke should never marry a courtesan! Oh I am a horrrible HEA lover.
A: HEA shouldn’t be limited, you know, and there are plenty of books about whores getting a nice HEA, male or female, no matter.

B. Now who is teaching who here? I knew that there is as big HEA lover inside you.
A: Not at all, just making a pertinent remark. You can edit that later ;) *snickering*
B. Edit, nah, this stays as it is, it’s perfect.
A: I hate HEAs all the same and nah, it is not perfect without at least two edits ;p

B: Back to the courtesan, I do love when the whore lives happily ever after, but that little voice inside of me tells that he can never take his whore to town cos the TON would laugh their asses off.
A: Ton or not people tend to be sensible - if you marry a whore you get no connections, usually no money and no political clout so why bother? You just keep paying her or him and get what you want anyway ;)

B. No, no! That is horrible. He should marry his whore, he should not care about what others thing if he truly is in love. He should live in a little cottage with her and cast his title aside

Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson - yes, he abdicated and they married but do they look happy? Do they, really?
A: LOLOLOLOLOL dear me, you know there was just one king who actually more or less followed your instructions, my lady. He was called Edward, he married Mrs Simpson, an American divorcee, and the rest is the silence. Nobody else dared be as stupid as him. Still they didn’t live in a cottage.


B: Then I blame the Swedes, I learnt of the history of King Erik and Karin Månsdotter in school. The King married a soldier’s daughter...of course that ended badly too. They were put in prison by his brothers and then he was poisoned and she spent the rest of her life in Finland. Still he married for love *coughs lust  it was surely lust but who cares*

King Erik XIV and Karin Månsdotter (and someone who is not happy at all)

A: Stupid man...if it was lust then he shouldn’t have married her at all. And in real life, as you proved it yourself, there is no HEA. Not really.

B. True, it always ends badly. Now I am sad, where are the HEAs?!

B: Oh you are wicked ;) But bad books, oh no, you mean awesome books! A book should have a HEA. Everything should end with kisses and roses and no one should care about the ton or anything else. I love them, and I will always love them. But in real life, yeah, no HEAs, I did not go for the guy with the fancy car who would take me away. I went where my heart told me to go...still that is a HEA.

A: I think you hit the nail on its head. A good HEA - yes, such a thing exist - should be close to reality, so no princes, no roses but it doesn’t exclude happiness either. Just a different form of happiness I suppose.

B. But I love princes! Still you are right, I would love other sorts of romances, books where the Maid finds love with the valet and raises 6 kids in a cottage. It does not always have to be dukes and princes.

A: Ah, you love also these little cottages, don’t you? I suppose a big fat castle would be fine as well but...not for a maid. In other words, unless a maid transforms itself into a princess she is 100% better off with that valet in a simple hut. The transformation process - here lies the main difficulty. Some authors tend to forget that it takes a lot of pain and effort, it is a hell of give-and-take so you must lose something in order to gain something else and you are never sure if that ‘something else’ will be actually better.

B. *interrupts and forgets what that her point was*.

A: I just wanted to say that I am becoming a bit too verbose so back right to you :)

B: I think we have a lovely post right here. But I will say, we do love HEAs and no suffering and all that, because we want the fantasy. We do not want to know about the struggle cos we all struggle in real life. So for once it is nice to sink down and read a book where everything works out and no one is worried about money, or if they can take home their whore for dinner ;)

A: That’s rather an acute remark you know. We do want the impossible even if we are aware it is just a pie in the sky...




A: This guy is a bit overweight...I bet he doesn’t wash his teeth...and you know him how long exactly? You...don’t know him at all? Yeah...the best of luck, my princess! Mwuahahahahahaha!

Silent Saturday

Fifty Shades of Twilight or a tale of two series

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Review: The Ethical Assasin by David Liss

Cover of The Ethical Assassin: A Novel

Book info:
Form: paperback
Genre: criminal mystery, thriller, contemporary fiction
Target audience: adults
Pages: 327
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Synopsis:

Can murder be justified, even called the most sensible course of action in some circumstances? Is the life or animals always worth less than the life of human beings? Should cruelty, corruption and greed of big corporations and individuals be condoned just because there’s no better option? What are prisons really for? Young Lemuel Altick will have to find answers to those questions while earning college money as a door-to-door salesman of worthless encyclopedias.

One day, while trying to sell his wares to the inhabitants of a dingy trailer somewhere in rural Florida, Lem witnesses a double assassination. The perpetrator, Melford Kean, seems to be far from an ordinary ruthless thug, though. Instead of shooting the hapless witness along with the others he suggests a deal: stay quiet, don’t contact the police, and everything will be fine. It is one of these propositions you simply can’t refuse but it is hardly an end of Lem’s problems.

He finds himself drawn against his will into the realm of the assassin, a post-Marxist intellectual with whom he forms a kind of a friendship. Who Melford really is? A charming vegan sociopath, an eco-activist, or a lonely vigilante for social justice?  To unravel the mystery and save himself, Lem must descend deep into a bizarre world he never knew existed, where a group of desperate–and genuinely deranged–schemers have hatched a plan that will very likely keep Lem from leaving town alive.

What I liked:

• The plot. I love when a mystery is skillfully done and this one was really refined and complex. It starts slowly - at first it seems nothing fits – we meet a bunch of unpleasant guys who do unpleasant things without even a shred of remorse. The more you read the clearer it gets, like a jigsaw puzzle which you try to assemble without looking at a model pic. I found it truly entertaining, intelligent and clever.
• The lead characters. Lem is our usual ingénue who grows up while solving a mystery and saving his life but he is not one of these ‘too stupid to live’ boys/girls who must be led by a hand and constantly watched over by an older mentor. It is true that Melford shoves him towards the right direction from time to time but overall the boy can think and take decisions on his own, mainly because he has been forced to do so from his childhood. By the way the title assassin is a joy to read. Does he belong to white or black hats? His actions will make you change your mind more than once but you will enjoy reading about him.
• The baddies. They are well-rounded, real-life criminals – those who are successful and skilled, evading the justice by exploring the holes in the system. I liked it very much how the author described mechanisms of different scams, the seamy underworld of an allegedly peaceful backwater town. It ringed true. Even the fact that they used such a foul language didn’t deter me – after all you can’t expect a hardened criminal to speak like the Queen of England or a news anchor.
• The pace of narration. After first several chapters you’ll find yourself glued to this book. It is highly readable, as all Liss’s novels I’ve read so far.
• Dark comedic undertones – I LOVE this kind of humour.
• The death of the major villain. Dear me, it was a bit of justice I wouldn’t have imagined, not in a hundred years – horrible, disgusting, bloody but so right.
• The cover - it fits the story.

What I didn’t like:

• Female characters. It seems Mr. Liss has a problem here. Compared to two leads, mentioned above (Lem and Melford) the ladies are simply pale and insignificant. Chitra, the fellow encyclopedia peddler from India, is almost like a carton cut-out girl or a prop for Lem – pretty eye candy whose main role is similing, swooning and whispering ‘my hero’. Desiree, the young charge of B.B., a secondary male character, is better but it features in too few scenes to be really a significant player; there is more background to her actions, but she is not strong enough to stand on her own feet. Pity – I would enjoy more of her and generally more gender ballance for sure.
• Sometimes the book sounded a bit too preachy but fortunately the author never overdid it.

Final verdict:

David Liss is mainly known as the author of Conspiracy of Paper series (if you can call it that) , three great historical fiction novels which I enjoyed very much. The Ethical Assassin shows that he can write contemporary fiction as well. I recommend this book to all those who like intricate mystery thrillers which focus not only on a simple ‘whodunnit’ but also on more serious issues like animal rights. It is perhaps not a work of pure genius but it will keep you intelligently entertained -  you won't regret the time spent with it. 

Silent Sunday

Friday Fiction Flash - I am back!

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take.

I tried to post these on LiveJournal, but that particular site exhausted my patience - it seems they have always some problems and demands. Here I am back again after a very short fling.

The prompt for this week:

The weather was fine although a bit cold - perfect for a training session. Mara has been airborne for some hours, circling the castle on her dragon and  trying new maneuvres when a pair of lovers, standing on the other side of the lake, caught her attention. She  saw them perfectly well despite the distance - the air was clear and the sun was shining - and she couldn't believe her own eyes. They were kissing and laughing and whispering and kissing some more. Anger shot through her like a lightining, her dragon floating aimlessly now, the reins almost forgotten.

So that what it was really about. Her husband and her cousin -  disappearing mysteriously at roughly the same time, constantly looking for excuses when they were asked to attend a simple meeting or a meal, following each other with hungry eyes whenever they thought nobody was paying attention. Tears of shame stung in her eyes but she  sweeped them instantly. She was the Queen, she had to act not to fall into pieces. Act before it was too late.

Mara returned to the castle and took care of her dragon, givning it a slow, well-deserved scrubbing bath. Dragons, unlike horses or dogs, tollerated only the touch of one person, their rightful owner. They were highly faithful pets and dangerous weapons. Mara had never appreciated it so much as today. Her beast was gorgeous, white and gold with blue markings, emanating strength and confidence. When she stroked its head it closed big, amber eyes and made low, rumbling sounds. Purring. It made her feel loved, safe and strong. It was better than thousands of words. Mara went to her rooms definitely more composed, changed into a hunting outfit, ate a simple meal and signalled for a messenger. A slender boy entered her room and bowed. She didn't even bother to look at him.

"Please find His Highness my consort and tell him I want a word in my private chamber. If he hasn't returned yet leave a message with his valet or a bodyguard but make sure he will get it as soon as possible. It's urgent."

The messenger bowed again and left.

She didn't have to wait long. In fact she was surprised how quickly he come to her room, dressed in a simple shirt, a leather vest and breeches, with half-long silver hair damp from washing, gorgeous as ever. His sapphire eyes, big and moist, were so beautiful and innocent. So deceitful. She sighed softly.

"Mara? You wanted to see me..."

She couldn't stop drowning in his eyes even after a year of marriage. It was so humiliating. It hurt. Finally she managed to ask:

"How long?"

His surprise was too perfect to be genuine.

"How long what, my lady wife?"

"How long have you been cheating on me with that strumpet?"

He blinked several times, his rosy lips slack, revealing white even teeth. He was such a good actor. If she hadn't seen him kissing her cousin with her own eyes she would have believed any cock-and-bull story he might invent. She'd always trusted him. She wanted to. She was so blind. Fortunately he had a good sense to keep mum now. Mara clenched her fists, feeling the nails breaking the skin of her palms. Pain helped her to focus.

"Answer me you cowardly mongrel!!How LONG?!?!" she yelled.

He straightened his back a bit.

"Since the very beginning. You know the best that our marriage was a matter of conveniece, not feelings. I've fallen in love with Sheen since I arrived to this castle and saw her in your retinue. I am sorry. I couldn't help it. I hope you comprehend"

His voice was low and matter-of-factly calm which only made her more furious. He soiled their sacred vows, broke her heart, endangered the kingdom and he was just sorry. He knew Mara well enough to get the meaning of her silence - she watched him getting paler and paler, the stunning blue eyes even more visible in his paper-white face. When she spoke she couldn't recognize her own voice - it had the tones of a dragon roar.

"I should flay you and execute for high treason but I don't want a scandal - I am the Queen and I feel responsible for the whole kingdom. Let's solve the matter in private. If you really love her, take her and run, as fast as you can, because in one hour I will be hunting and if I catch you, any of you, I will kill. A nice little dragon accident. Don't count on my mercy. However, if you manage to escape...I might let you live. For the time being."

A little mean smile curved her lips. Her husband swallowed hard and went out, breaking into a nervous trot even before he reached the treshhold of her chamber.

"Coward", she hissed after him.