1: Awkward writing style, and the story failed to capture me
From the back cover:
Like those of a frightened doe, all of Llys's senses were heightened as she beheld the masculine beauty of the wounded warrior before her. Yet nothing prepared her for the look in his eyes when they turned toward her--a gaze of pure, burning hatred. He deemed her his enemy, and not because she was a Druidess and he a Saxon noble...for he also believed her to be a wanton. Innocent Llys had never known a man, or wanted one until the golden-maned Adam, Ealdorman of Oaklea, had been carried into Throckenholt keep. Now her grace and gentle, healing touch made Adam doubt what he had witnessed just days earlier: this very maid--or so it seemed--lewdly smiling, naked in the presence of a corrupt bishop.
But as the forces of darkness threatened, a kingdom's fate rested in their hands. Together they would battle the blackest of magic, armed with the power of Llys's Druid heritage...and the blazing strength of a love as pure and bright as the morning star...
And my review:
My first try of this author, and I was not terribly impressed. I think that she is well-researched and has a good grasp of her time period, but I think her writing could use some polish.
There was a lot of head-hopping in this book. The point-of-view switched abruptly several times per scene, and the reader got a glimpse into everybody's head, not just the main characters. It felt disjointed and distracting. It was very hard to get drawn into the story when you were constantly trying to keep track of who was thinking what.
And the prose is very convoluted. You have to read most sentences three times over before you understand them. I've read Jane Austen and never had this much trouble. Just one example: "But, having suffered much the same many times in her youth, Gytha answered with the shrug of a shoulder cloaked in her long black hair through whose flow wide bands of silver ran like lightning streaking through a midnight sky." Is that a run-on sentence, or what? Too much information packed into that sentence, and it doesn't flow well at all. A reader shouldn't be jerked out of the flow of the story to try to make sense of it. I kind of wondered if this author just liked long sentences, or was trying to impress the reader.
Also, the character development was very slow. There was more time given to history than to the characters. While I love history, I like it to serve as a backdrop to the story, not to be the main focus of the book. I never really felt like I knew who the main characters were. They were just there.
I think this writer had a good story to tell in there somewhere, but the writing gets in the way (if that makes sense). Not recommended by this reader.
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