Book Review: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

Synopsis:

In the next novel from Nancy Bilyeau after her acclaimed debut The Crown, novice Joanna Stafford plunges into an even more dangerous conspiracy as she comes up against some of the most powerful men of her era. 

In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…

Touchstone Publishing | March 5, 2013 | 512 pages

My Review

4 Stars

Nancy Bilyeau's latest novel, The Chalice, reintroduces readers to Joanna Stafford, the heroine of Bilyeau's debut novel The Crown (click here for my review).  The Chalice opens a few months after the conclusion of The Crown and finds Joanna, after being forced to leave Dartford Priory when Henry VIII dissolves religious houses across England, settling into a new home in the town of Dartford and trying to start a new life by establishing herself as a tapestry maker.  Joanna's life, however, is fated to be anything but peaceful and although she struggles against it, Joanna comes to realize that she may have to engage in activities foretold by prophecy.  But these activities put Joanna directly in the path of some of England's most powerful men, including her nemesis Bishop Gardiner, and see her unwittingly become part of a nefarious international plot against the King.  While it has been foretold what the repercussions for England will be should the prophecies fail to materialize, Joanna is not comfortable with the role she is slated to play in their realization.  As a result, Joanna must look inside herself and determine what to do, even if doing the right thing puts her own life, and the lives of those she loves, at risk. 

One of the things I like best about The Chalice, much as I did with The Crown, is that the events within it are entirely plausible.  No matter what situation Joanna finds herself in her ability to get out of them doesn't require either superhuman effort on her part or the reader to suspend belief.   Joanna continues to be a remarkable character, one for whom it is very easy for readers to like.   Nancy Bilyeau has done a great job showing how Joanna struggles to come to terms with both her new life outside of the priory and with her role in the fulfillment of the prophecies.   While the bulk of the narrative is concerned with the prophecies, The Chalice does contain a romantic subplot.  This subplot, which didn't develop quite the way I thought it would based on events in The Crown, is well-done and interesting.   Underlying the narrative is the religious upheaval that is a hallmark of Henry VIII's reign.  This theme proves to be one of the most interesting aspects of the novel, especially given the focus is on figures, such as Joanna, most affected by the suppression and dissolution of England's great religious houses. 

Fast-paced, well-written, with an engaging storyline and characters, The Chalice is every bit as good as The Crown.  I'm very much looking forward to seeing where Joanna Stafford goes next. 

Recommended to all fans of historical fiction and historical thrillers/mysteries. 

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

Be sure to check the other stops on the tour.  You can view the tour schedule by clicking here.  

Follow the tour on Twitter: #TheChaliceVirtualTour

About the Author

Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown, is a writer and magazine editor who has worked on the staffs of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. Her latest position is features editor of Du Jour magazine. A native of the Midwest, she graduated from the University of Michigan. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.

For more information, please visit Nancy Bilyeau's website.  You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review and Giveaway: Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison

Synopsis:

St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to her son, the headstrong prince Alyosha, who suffers from hemophilia. Soon after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha find solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, and to distract the prince from the pain she cannot heal, Masha tells him stories—some embellished and others entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s exploits, and their wild and wonderful country, now on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand.

Random House | February 26, 2013 (trade paperback) | 352 pages

My Review

3 Stars

Kathryn Harrison's latest novel, Enchantments, takes place primarily in the year leading up to the execution of Russian Tsar Nikolay II and his family.  After the murder of their father, Masha and Varya Rasputin are sent to live with the Russian Royal Family.  It is Tsarina's hope that Masha has the healing abilities of her late father, Grigori Rasputin, who tended to Prince Alyosha, the Romanov heir who suffered from hemophilia.   It is not long after the arrival of the sisters, however, that Tsar Nikolay is forced to abdicate the throne and placed under house arrest with his family.  To pass the time and keep Alyosha's mind off his illness, Masha spins stories about the Romanov's, Rasputin, her own childhood and some Russian legends.   These stories are intertwined with narrative that is focused on the reality of life under house arrest, as well of Masha's activities after the death of the Romanov's. 

I very much enjoyed certain parts of this novel, including the sections of the narrative that give the reader insight into the history of the Romanov downfall, as well as those that provide a glimpse into the life and sufferings of young Alyosha.  It is not difficult for the reader to appreciate the pain and despair that young Alyosha must have felt when suffering from a bout of hemophilia.   I also liked Harrison's characterization of Grigori Rasputin, who rather than being portrayed as a 'Mad Monk' comes across as a misunderstood and sympathetic figure.  Another positive aspect of this novel is Harrison's eloquent prose, which helps to illicit emotion from the reader. 

While there is much to like about Enchantments, I do have mixed feelings about this book.  Most of the novel is told from Masha's perspective, a character I found difficult to garner an interest in.  Although Harrison has a lovely way with words, certain of her descriptions are overdone.  While I enjoyed Masha's stories about both the Romanov's and her father, I found myself skimming over those stories that seemingly had little connection to the plot.  Masha's post-Revolution life outside of Russia also held little interest to me.  Lastly, I thought the constant jumps back and forth in time disruptive to the overall flow of the novel.    

Despite my issues with certain aspects of Enchantments, I think the positives of the novel ultimately outweigh the negatives and for this reason I would recommend the book to readers interested in Russian history, as well as to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a more literary bent. 

Note:  A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the Enchantments tour -- click here for the tour schedule.  


About the Author

Kathryn Harrison is the author of the memoirs The Kiss and The Mother Knot. She has also written the novels Envy, The Seal Wife, The Binding Chair, Poison, Exposure, and Thicker Than Water; a travel memoir, The Road to Santiago; a biography, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux; and a collection of essays, Seeking Rapture. She lives in New York with her husband, the novelist Colin Harrison, and their children.




GIVEAWAY

I'm pleased to host a giveaway for one copy of Enchantments.   Giveaway details are as follows:

- The Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only;
- To enter simply leave a comment, including your email address, on this post; and
- The Giveaway will be open until midnight (EST) on February 29th.

Good Luck!

Book Review and Int'l Giveaway: Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent

Synopsis:

In 1861 London, Violet Morgan is struggling to establish a good reputation for the undertaking business that her husband has largely abandoned. She provides comfort for the grieving, advises them on funeral fashion and etiquette, and arranges funerals.

Unbeknownst to his wife, Graham, who has nursed a hatred of America since his grandfather soldiered for Great Britain in the War of 1812, becomes involved in a scheme to sell arms to the South. Meanwhile, Violet receives the commission of a lifetime: undertaking the funeral for a friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. But her position remains precarious, especially when Graham disappears and she begins investigating a series of deaths among the poor. And the closer she gets to the truth, the greater the danger for them both…

Kensington Books | February 26, 2013 | 384 pages

My Review

3.5 Stars

Lady of Ashes is the first novel in a new mystery series featuring Violet Morgan, an undertaker in Victorian London.  As an undertaker, Violet devotes her attention to caring for the dead and helping their loved ones grieve.   On the home front, however, Violet is disturbed by her once doting husband Graham's increasingly secretive nature and unhealthy obsession with the American Civil War.  When Graham becomes involved in a dangerous scheme to ship arms to the American South, he refuses to tell Violet anything about his actions and leaves her to run their undertaking business largely on her own.  While Violet successfully manages the funerals of some of London's most prestigious people without her husband's help, thus bringing her to the attention of none other than Prince Albert, Graham's shady business dealings put him and an unsuspecting Violet in danger.  When Graham is forced to flee England after his schemes become known, Violet contend with her good name and reputation being tarnished.  As she seeks to rebuild her life, Violet starts to question a series of seemingly unrelated deaths and, in so doing, puts her own life in jeopardy.  

Well-written, easy to read, and well-paced, Lady of Ashes is an entertaining novel that is sure to appeal to fans of historical mysteries, as well as to readers interested in the Victorian-era in general.  One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the incorporation of Victorian funeral and mourning customs.  I also enjoyed how the American Civil War was woven into the narrative, as it is not an event that normally plays a significant role in Victorian historical fiction.  By employing an undertaker as the novel's heroine, Trent successfully differentiates her series from other Victorian historical mysteries I've read.  Although I enjoyed this novel overall, for some reason I never really warmed up to any of the main characters, including Violet.  I didn't dislike them, I just never connected with any of them -- although I did quite enjoy Trent's characterization of Queen Victoria.  In addition, while I didn't have any trouble following the story, I felt Lady of Ashes to be a little too busy, with certain elements of the narrative seemingly unnecessary to the advancement of Violet's story.  For example, the portions of the narrative that focus solely on American ambassador Charles Francis Adams (when he's not interacting with the main characters, that is) felt as if they belonged in a different book.  

While I had a few minor issues with Lady of Ashes, overall I think it's worth reading and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.  

Note: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of the Lady of Ashes Virtual Book Tour.

 

Interested in reading other reviews of this novel?  Check out the tour schedule here.   

Follow the tour on Twitter: #LadyofAshesVirtualTour

About the Author

Christine Trent writes historical fiction from her two-story home library.  She lives with her wonderful bookshelf-building husband, four precocious cats, a large doll collection, entirely too many fountain pens, and over 4,000 fully cataloged books.  She and her husband are active travelers and journey regularly to England to conduct book research at historic sites.

Christine Trent's novels include The Queen's Dollmaker, A Royal Likeness and By the King's Design.

For more information, please visit Christine Trent's website.  You can also find her on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY

I'm pleased to host a giveaway for one copy of Lady Of Ashes.   

Contest details are as follows:

- To enter, simply comment on this post (be sure to include your email address);

- The contest is open internationally; and

- The contest will run until Midnight (EST) on 27 March 2013.

Good Luck!

Suddenly Sunday

It's time for Suddenly Sunday, a weekly meme hosted by Svea at Muse in the Fog that gives bloggers the opportunity to share their blogging events from the past week.    

Normally I use this meme to highlight my blogging activities from the previous week, but since I was on vacation in sunny Florida this past week and wasn't organized enough to schedule posts while I was away, this edition of Suddenly Sunday will look forward rather than back.  

I've got some great reviews, giveaways and a guest post lined up for the coming week:

- My review and giveaway of Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent will be posted on Monday.

- Be sure to check out my review and giveaway for Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison on Wednesday.  

-  My review of The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau will be posted on Thurdsay.   My review will be followed by a guest post from Nancy Bilyeau on Friday.  

I hope everyone has a great week!  I will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring on Wednesday, although judging from our current weather forecast it appears winter isn't done with us yet :-(

Book Review: The Waste Land by Simon Acland

Synopsis:

The Waste Land chronicles the adventures of Hugh de Verdon, monk turned knight, during the extraordinary historical events of the First Crusade.  He journeys from the great Benedictine monastery of Cluny to Constantinople, Antioch, and Jerusalem.  He encounters the Assassins, endures a personal epiphany and discovers the “truth” behind the Holy Grail.

Hugh de Verdon’s tale is retold by a group of desperate Oxford professors, based on his autobiographical manuscript, discovered in their college library.  Their humorous – and murderous – story also provides a commentary on the eleventh-century events and shows that they are perhaps not all they seem.


Beaufort Books | March 4, 2013 | 384 pages 

My Review

4 Stars 

The Waste Land, a novel of the First Crusade and the Holy Grail, opens in the modern day, in the senior common room of a fictional Oxford College. The Master of this College, which is facing a serious financial shortfall, invites a former student, now a Best-Selling Author, to dine with the College's senior fellows.  At the dinner the Master reveals to the Best-Selling Author that a contemporary chronicle of the First Crusade, written by a young knight who experienced it firsthand, has been found.  In an effort to overcome the financial difficulties being experienced by the College, the Master wants the Author, with the help of the College's fellows, to craft the text into a novel.  The Best-Selling Author agrees, and what follows is a narrative that alternates between the Crusading adventures of Hugh de Verdon, and the various goings on amongst the Author and the fellows at Oxford as they attempt to craft Hugh's tale into a best-selling book.  

The greatest strength of The Waste Land is Acland's lovely prose and his attention to detail, both of which help to create a strong sense of time and place.  Through Hugh, Acland is able to bring to life some of the personalities, places and events of the First Crusade.  The sections of the novel set in Constantinople and Antioch are particularly well done.  Hugh is a well-developed character, and I enjoyed watching him come into his own as the novel progressed.  For those readers such as myself who are not familiar with the history of the First Crusade, Hugh proves to be an excellent vehicle through which to convey this history.  But The Waste Land isn't simply a work of historical fiction about the First Crusade, it is also a historical thriller that sees Hugh set off on a quest to uncover a lost gospel, one which contains the truth about the Holy Grail.  While not based in historical fact, this quest proves to be a compelling one.   

While the bulk of the narrative is taken up by Hugh's story, I also enjoyed the short chapters set in Oxford that feature the Best-Selling Author, the College Master and the College fellows.  The fellows prove to be an eccentric cast of characters, and their attempts to influence the crafting of the novel are entertaining.  These chapters also contain an element of mystery, and the slow unfolding of this mystery helps to keep the reader engaged with the modern day component of the narrative.  While some readers may find the alternation between Hugh's story and the story at Oxford to be jarring, I found the transitions smooth and had little difficulty with the switches in time or setting.  I also appreciated that the fellows, particularly the history fellow, serve as fact checkers for this novel, making note of how Hugh's Crusading adventures match up with history.   They also serve to illustrate the linkages between Hugh's story and well known Grail romances.  

Recommended to fans of historical fiction interested in the Crusades and readers who enjoy historical thrillers.

Note:  I was provided with a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.   

 

Oleanna Giveaway Winner!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of one copy of Oleanna is:

JOANNE

Congratulations, Joanne!  I'll be notifying you via email about your win.    
 Thank you to everyone who entered, including those of you who are now following my blog.  A big thanks also go to Julie K. Rose for offering one copy of her novel for the giveaway. 

Book Review: The Water Witch by Juliet Dark

Synopsis

After casting out a dark spirit, Callie McFay, a professor of gothic literature, has at last restored a semblance of calm to her rambling Victorian house. But in the nearby thicket of the honeysuckle forest, and in the currents of the rushing Undine stream, more trouble is stirring. . . .

The enchanted town of Fairwick’s dazzling mix of mythical creatures has come under siege from the Grove: a sinister group of witches determined to banish the fey back to their ancestral land. With factions turning on one another, all are cruelly forced to take sides. Callie’s grandmother, a prominent Grove member, demands her granddaughter’s compliance, but half-witch/half-fey Callie can hardly betray her friends and colleagues at the college. To stave off disaster, Callie enlists Duncan Laird, an alluring seductive academic who cultivates her vast magical potential, but to what end? Deeply conflicted, Callie struggles to save her beloved Fairwick, dangerously pushing her extraordinary powers to the limit—risking all, even the needs of her own passionate heart.

Ballantine Books | February 12, 2013 | 352 pages

My Review

3.5 Stars

The Water Witch, the second novel in Juliet Dark's Fairwick Chronicles Trilogy, picks up six months after the events of the trilogy's first installment, The Demon Lover (click here to read my review).  The focus of this novel is on an attempt by the Grove, a society of witches, to close the last remaining door connecting the human world with the world of the fey.  This door is found in Fairwick, a small town in upstate New York that is home to many fey.  As a door-keeper, Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor at Fairwick College, does not support the Grove, even though she herself is a member.  Helping to stop the Grove, however, requires Callie to successfully unlock her astonishing powers.  Assistance is provided in the form of Duncan Laird, a powerful warlock to whom Callie is immediately attracted.   But Duncan may not be everything he seems, and Callie finds that heart is still tied to that of the incubus she banished from her life in The Demon Lover. Will Callie succeed in stopping the Grove and ensuring the door between the worlds remains open? 

The strength of this novel, and the series in general, lies in the characters.  Callie McFay is a likeable heroine.  She's smart, strong and willing to do whatever it takes to help her friends. The supporting characters are equally well-drawn and interesting, especially Callie's friends and colleagues, whose interactions with Callie illustrate why she is so willing to help them out even if it puts her own life in jeopardy.  The only character I wish more had been done with is that of Callie's grandmother, an important member of the Grove who I don't find to be fleshed out as well as some of the novel's other characters.   Given Callie was raised by her grandmother, and the two are at odds over the intended closing of the door, I would also have liked to see more interaction between them. 

The novel is well-written and, as a result, the plot moves along relatively quickly.  While I liked the premise of this novel more so than I did the first installment in the series, I did grow increasingly tired of reading about Callie's rather erotic dreams involving her exiled lover.   In addition, while I enjoyed learning about the fey and the world from which they come, I didn't particularly enjoy the sections of the novel involving Callie's visits to the land of the fey, which jolted me out of the main story.  For this reason I haven't rated The Water Witch quite as highly as I did The Demon Lover.   Nevertheless, I am looking forward to reading the conclusion to this trilogy.

Recommended to fans of paranormal romance. 

Note: I was provided with a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.