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5th out of 54 books
—
20 voters
Bloodline (Bloodline #1)
by
Katy Moran
Warring kingdoms, bloody feuds and a battle for survival...Step back into the Dark Ages with this riveting, epic adventure from a debut writer."Set in Dark Ages Britain", this is the powerful story of Essa, whose father Cai, a travelling bard and occasional spy, leaves him behind one night at a settlement of the Wolf Clan. Essa is a survivor and forges new allegiances and...more
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What to say, what to say; I am not sure I can describe my exact feelings after reading this book, but I will try. Definitely, among the better historical books that I have read, this story draws you back over a thousand years to medieval England. The tale follows Essa, a young boy who was abandoned in an unfamiliar village by his father Cai, as he grows into a warrior. As a character, Essa has the typical angsty teenager attitude to all the adults in his life, especially his father, but despite...more
Originally posted here.
This story begins when Essa is nine years old and has just been abandoned by his father. I felt an immediate liking and sympathy for Essa that never abated as the story moved forward. He has a short temper, and sometimes makes ridiculously stupid decisions, but I liked him all the more for those weaknesses. He finds himself caught up in a war he wants no part of and at the center of a political struggle he was not prepared to face. No matter what choices he makes he is goi...more
This story begins when Essa is nine years old and has just been abandoned by his father. I felt an immediate liking and sympathy for Essa that never abated as the story moved forward. He has a short temper, and sometimes makes ridiculously stupid decisions, but I liked him all the more for those weaknesses. He finds himself caught up in a war he wants no part of and at the center of a political struggle he was not prepared to face. No matter what choices he makes he is goi...more
This might be an artificially inflated five stars, but there's a reason for it valid enough that I'm giving the rating anyway. I've been reading prodigiously lately while doing much waiting around, and of all the excellent books I've read this is the one that's stuck with me the most, the one my mind keeps returning to and the one I'm most hoping to find a sequel for. Since some of those others rated four stars in my mind, then I feel it only fair to give this one five. I want to read it again,...more
I really liked this book. It's an adventure, suspense, coming-of-age story with a hint of romance. It feels very period appropriate. Ranks up there with Rosemary Sutcliff novels in its portrayal of Britain after the Romans and while the Saxons are settling in.
Essa is the son of Cai, a scop and spy; welcomed and feared by every hall across Britain. At the age of nine, Essa is left with Cai's foster sister, on Anglish lands belonging to the Wolf People. Cai has always told Essa that gold is poiso...more
Essa is the son of Cai, a scop and spy; welcomed and feared by every hall across Britain. At the age of nine, Essa is left with Cai's foster sister, on Anglish lands belonging to the Wolf People. Cai has always told Essa that gold is poiso...more
I wanted this to be a 5-star book, but there were a few things about it that detracted from my enjoyment. First, this is a book about politics and family relationships and it's full of different names and alliances that were hard to keep straight, and this is coming from an adult who's read and (mostly followed) A Game of Thrones etc. Not sure if teens would be willing to put up with this. A list of characters with brief descriptions at the back would have helped a lot.
Second, the fantasy aspec...more
Second, the fantasy aspec...more
This book was... strange...
Okay, honestly, it bored me deeply at times. It could stray into the fantasy political, which isn't my thing, and each time it did my eyes would glaze over a bit and then I'd miss some little, essential part. Suddenly the main character would be thinking about why he had to kill someone and I would be like, "Wait, what? I thought you two were friends!"
Even with my tuning out, though, this book was kind of predictable. Yes, there were some things I was surprised about,...more
Okay, honestly, it bored me deeply at times. It could stray into the fantasy political, which isn't my thing, and each time it did my eyes would glaze over a bit and then I'd miss some little, essential part. Suddenly the main character would be thinking about why he had to kill someone and I would be like, "Wait, what? I thought you two were friends!"
Even with my tuning out, though, this book was kind of predictable. Yes, there were some things I was surprised about,...more
May 29, 2012
Phoebe
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Deborah, Cheryl
Essa and his father are wanderers, since Cai is a scop (bard) and they are always on the move. Essa wishes they could stay in one place. Then one morning he wakes to find his father gone, with no message or explanation. Years pass and Essa is raised by Hild, makes friends, grows into adolescence all with no idea of his father's whereabouts and believing his mother to be dead. Stone Age Britain was not a peaceful place, though, and soon politics and war will gather Essa up and require sacrifice a...more
Essa is the son of an English bard in early Medieval times. When his father leaves him in one village, all he wants to do is flee, but in time he forges some strong bonds with the villagers. By the time he is 13 or so, he becomes deeply entangled in a plot among local warrior kings, and must eventually fight to save his village.
For a first novel, this one is a real winner. Great characters, a true and detailed historical setting, a twisted plot and a good story rest on solid research that never...more
For a first novel, this one is a real winner. Great characters, a true and detailed historical setting, a twisted plot and a good story rest on solid research that never...more
this is a good book about old time life and has a lot of fighting for the guys. it is also some what of a love story. when i read this book i thought it was similar to the movie 1000 B.C because it takes place in the olden days and also there is a love destiny where the girl is taken and the guy goes on a big journy to resue his love. this takes place in britain and a young guy named Essa must help his village out because it is being taken over by another kingdom, it is a fantasy beause the fact...more
Jun 25, 2009
Miz Lizzie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
young adults, especially boys
Shelves:
friendship,
young-adult,
families,
road-trips,
dogs,
spirituality,
britain,
religion,
history
This historical adventure story will especially appeal to teenage boys who are strong readers. The setting of 7th century Britain, the warring tribes, and especially the conflict between the Christian Britains and the Norse Anglish provide an interesting pairing to the fantastical imaginings of a slightly later period in Runemarks. Essa is abandonned by his father, a travelling scop or ballad singer, in the Wolf People's village as a young boy. Though he remains something of an outsider, Essa be...more
I guess I'd give this a 3.5. The story wasn't that original, but after about 100 pages I wanted to see what happened. One thing that really annoyed me about this book was the few other language phrases the author threw in (the people in the book are supposed to be speaking another language). Instead of saying "Go get the horses" the author said "Do you go get the horses" so that even though it's a statement it sounds like a question. This was the only thing he added from the foreign language and...more
This book reminded me a great deal of Dickinson's Cup of the World series that I read a couple of years ago. That was set in a fantasy world, and Moran's setting is a very real ancient Britain and the events are true. Essa travels from one enemy camp to another, a spy for the cruel Mercians as well as the Christian Wolf Folk. Unbeknown to him, he also has ties to another, more powerful ruler in Britian, but it will take an unusual alliance and bloodshed for him to find the clues to his past. Thi...more
Cover Blurb: The simplicity of it is nice, and I love the sunset colors. The shield and Celtic design clearly indicate what sort of story it is, and for someone like me who is always on the lookout for good Britannic stories, it’s attention-grabbing.
What I Liked: Essa is a good, strong protagonist whose anger at Cai is completely understandable. While Cai’s secretiveness and lack of communication with his son is later explained - and I can also understand Cai’s reasons - I still sympathized with...more
What I Liked: Essa is a good, strong protagonist whose anger at Cai is completely understandable. While Cai’s secretiveness and lack of communication with his son is later explained - and I can also understand Cai’s reasons - I still sympathized with...more
Thoughts on the Overall Book: I enjoyed this book a lot! I liked the setting, of course, I can't pass up much having to do with ancient Britain, I loved the characters, and the overall story was well crafted and believable. I did a faith buy on this book (because I couldn't get it from the library) under recommendation from a friend and I'm glad I did because I ended up liking it even more than I thought I would. The first couple chapters are a little slower but it's necessary to get to know Ess...more
A novel set in the Dark Ages. The only fantastical element in the story is that Shamanistic spirit journeys are real.
Moran's debut novel suffers some odd flaws: certain plot elements are developed then just peter out to nothing e.g. there is a bit when the protagonists are lost in the forest and starving - a big thing is made of this, then suddenly, they get where they are going and are fed. The whole incident could have been omitted with no loss since there isn't even any resulting character de...more
Moran's debut novel suffers some odd flaws: certain plot elements are developed then just peter out to nothing e.g. there is a bit when the protagonists are lost in the forest and starving - a big thing is made of this, then suddenly, they get where they are going and are fed. The whole incident could have been omitted with no loss since there isn't even any resulting character de...more
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Bloodline was an interesting story set in Britain's 'Dark Age' about a young boy who, after being abandoned by his father, is trying to find where among the many clans and kings his loyalty lies.
The historical setting is not complex but it is consistent and believable. The characters too lack real depth, but are likeable and real to some extent.
There was just something lacking, as though I missed some of the connections between events, and between Essa's one thought/action and his next. I didn't...more
The historical setting is not complex but it is consistent and believable. The characters too lack real depth, but are likeable and real to some extent.
There was just something lacking, as though I missed some of the connections between events, and between Essa's one thought/action and his next. I didn't...more
This book is not normally what I'd pick up: an early medieval Britian setting where the main character is a boy growing to be a young man caught between warring clans/kingdoms. My general reaction to bloody war stories can be summed up as "Blech!"
Despite that, I still found this an interesting book. Essa is essentially abandoned by his father at about age 9. His life until then had been a traveling one, but afterward, he lives in a village that is caught between one evil king and another useless...more
Despite that, I still found this an interesting book. Essa is essentially abandoned by his father at about age 9. His life until then had been a traveling one, but afterward, he lives in a village that is caught between one evil king and another useless...more
Nov 17, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Essa's father brings him to a camp one day and leaves him there without any explanation. Essa's forced to grow up in the village without any sense of home. Years pass peacefully until the village's rival threatens war. Essa must do his duty and spy on the neighboring village.
He's expected back in two days, but he's gone for much longer. He's caught while spying on the camp. The father he thought was dead is alive in the village. Essa's forced to sw...more
Essa's father brings him to a camp one day and leaves him there without any explanation. Essa's forced to grow up in the village without any sense of home. Years pass peacefully until the village's rival threatens war. Essa must do his duty and spy on the neighboring village.
He's expected back in two days, but he's gone for much longer. He's caught while spying on the camp. The father he thought was dead is alive in the village. Essa's forced to sw...more
The story was extremely interesting and fun to read, but the writing style was hard to get through. There was little detail and some fairly significant "movement holes" where Essa (MC) would be one place, then suddenly another; or the time of day would change from noon to twilight in the space of a paragraph or two without explanation or guidance. The storyline however, was fantastic. It's the only reason I actually finished the book.
I enjoyed Bloodline Rising so much, I thought I should try this one. It gave some good background, and Essa’s story is great in its own right. But in a way, I’m glad I read them in reverse order–Cai would have come across as a bit brattier if my sympathies had been with Essa. Also, I think BR is the better book. Not that Bloodline is bad at all, but Moran’s growth as a writer is clearly evident. [Nov. 2011]
This was an enjoyable historical fiction story that takes place in 7th century Britain. The author did a pretty good job of weaving both history and magic into the story (although the magic is more of an earth magic of the pagans than the sort of wand waving magic that's so popular these days). This story would appeal to teens who like Tolkien and Paolini. Lots of adventure and, of course, a big battle. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Searching out historical fiction for the time period of Saxons taking over England.
This was a young adult book. Maybe I just don't like young adult anymore, but this book didn't quite go deep enough for me.
Interesting historical discussion about conquering and battle. Intrigue, character who grows up. This might be interesting to my boys.
This was a young adult book. Maybe I just don't like young adult anymore, but this book didn't quite go deep enough for me.
Interesting historical discussion about conquering and battle. Intrigue, character who grows up. This might be interesting to my boys.
This book did not develop the characters enough. The timeline skipped too much and all of a sudden the characters have fully developed abilities that were only hinted at before. There is no story behind how those abilities developed and the characters just didn't connect enough.
This is a period piece set in Britain around 700AD. It's a coming of age tale of a young man named Essa who is caught in the middle of warring tribes. Overall a decent read, though I found some plot twists and Essa himself kinda frustrating, it was interesting.
This was not your stereotypical young adult book. It was beautifully spun, and found a nice way to balance between creating the ever-thickening gray areas in a teen's life while not making the story overwhelming and depressing. And the cover art is very, very good.
I thought it was a good read but I didn't find it absorbing- even though I have a special place in my heart for stories set in this time period. It is possible I have too much going on in my life right now so I will have to give this writer another try.
this book has a ton of gory deatails (i love it)it goes through life of a young boy growing to be a man its time setting is 1600 bc its awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this book. It was gritty enough that it wasn't a glossy "happily ever after" fairytale, but still ended well enough for me to be happy. I loved the story, because it was simple enough, with the subtle details that make books worth reading.
This is a great historical story set in medieval times that has themes of honor, betrayal, and love. It was a fun read, with a lot of action in the plot.
great historical fiction, around 600-700 AD Britain. a little bit of magic, but mostly the culture and land. it's got to have a sequel.
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Katy Moran began writing BLOODLINE while she was still in college. A former children’s book editor, she now spends her days writing in her garden shed in London.
More about Katy Moran...
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Jul 06, 2012 02:47pm