Sandi Layne returns us to the Green Isle, where Charis and her family have settled. It's a beautifullyThis is how historical fiction should be done.
Sandi Layne returns us to the Green Isle, where Charis and her family have settled. It's a beautifully rich portrait of life in the 830s, when Christianity was just gaining a foothold in the area, and there was a vibrant mix of cultures. Meticulously researched and carefully detailed, you can practically smell the smoke from the fires, and the pungent aroma of Charis's drying herbs.
Charis and her family are happy in their little village, and save from the occasional incursion of the Danes, they have a peaceful, prosperous life. Until the dreaded word "Sails!" Is heard.
Tuirgeis has come to visit the man he sees as a brother, and like Cowan, he wants to settle in Eire, but not as a simple farmer. No, his ambitions are far grander than that. Whether they like it or not, Charis and her family will be pulled back into battle, and they will pay a terrible price for it. Even Charis's skills as a healer and her powerful magic are not always enough to protect those she loves.
Though this book didn't have the romantic storyline included in the others, love was a deep and abiding theme, as was loyalty to family and leaders. Bonds will be tested and hearts will be broken.
Aside from the well-detailed setting, the characters think, speak, and act as people of their times, which can be slightly discomfiting for modern readers at times. But it is a beautifully drawn portrait of ninth century life, brutal edges and all....more
I was pleased to get an ARC for this novel because I enjoy a well-written piece of historical fiction.
I admit, I'm rather hard to please when it comesI was pleased to get an ARC for this novel because I enjoy a well-written piece of historical fiction.
I admit, I'm rather hard to please when it comes to this genre. Far too many novels in this genre treat the historical setting like an afterthought, with little effort at authenticity. There have been many I've abandoned when they surpassed my admittedly-low tolerance for historical errors.
Eire's Captive Moon was not that kind of novel. The historical detail and setting are intricately woven into the plot and the characters behave believably within the cultural context. I loved the conflicts between the early Christian church and the lingering belief systems of the people.
If I had to sum up this novel in a single sentence, I would say it was about a woman who refuses to be a victim. Charis endures the loss of her husbands in a brutal attack, kidnapped from her homeland and assaulted by her captor, but she is unbroken and determined to captain her own fate.
I'm looking forward to the next novel in this series....more
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