Author Garth Pettersen provided me with an e-copy of Ravens Hill : The Atheling Chronicles #5 for pre release review.

Starting with the only negative: the chapters are too long for this reader. Longer chapters sometime discourage me from continuing to read because I prefer to pause at a new chapter. This book rendered this complaint moot. After completing 60% of the story, I was unable to stop until I finished the book. It was so engaging I literally could not stop reading.

The continuing saga of Harald and Selia is so engrossing. It captures the reader and refuses to let go. Author Pettersen immerses his readers in a long passed time and culture the reader will be loathe to leave. Set around 1030 AD, the reader is brought into the environs of a land ruled by kings or their vassals. We experience the day to day lives of the commoner as they interact with or react to the rulers of the time. Harald and Selia fully participate in the community they literally own. They draw the reader into the minutia of life in those times. Characters to love and others to despise are judiciously scattered throughout the story. Accurate? I'm not the one to say. Entertaining? You bet!

Court politics, questionable loyalties, personal trials and tragedy, evildoers and heroes. All are well developed in this epic tale. As the title identifies, this is the fifth installment of the story of Harald son of King Cnute, the somewhat unwilling hero. Unlike many multi installment stories, The Atheling Chronicles focus on different aspects of Harald and Selia as they experience different challenges and upheavals in their quest for a stable life. Each installment is a completely new and independent (but not unconnected) story. The narrative is rich, the characters are skillfully developed and even the most mundane details are fully explored. Pettersen is a master storyteller.

I strongly encourage you to give this series and especially this installment a look. I think you will be happily hooked. I eagerly await what is to come in this chronicle, so will you. Enjoy!

 

I won a print copy of Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara in a Goodreads Giveaway. 

At first I had a bit of trouble reading this book as some of the things I remembered from college courses on mythology didn't seem to match. I skipped ahead to the author's note (something I rarely do) and got some clarity enabling me to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

Though not a romance fan, I did enjoy reading about mythic gods being petty and stupid at times. This aspect made the story much more palatable and engaging. The story starts a bit slow and builds in intensity, action and drama as it progresses. By the end I was thoroughly enthralled. 

So, readers of mythology may have a bit of trouble reconciling currently held ideas about these characters with some of the license this author has taken in her telling of the story, i.e. mixing Greek and Roman settings and names and varying story details. The author explains this in her notes when she shares that "Myths are not written in stone. They are organic, evolving structures...". Probably not an outlook popular in a college lecture hall where it is harder to quantify students absorption of the material if such license is allowed.

Given this idea that mythological stories can and do, evolve, author Luna has done an admirable job of retelling this long standing love story, making it engaging and fresh. Enjoy!

 

Author Adam Fike provided me with a print copy of Lights Along The Interstate for review. This book seems to me to be an exposition on the human condition. The author uses the many characters to explore various aspects of life choices and the consequences of such. Reasonably then, at times the narrative becomes quite depressing and at others, uplifting, humorous, frightening but overall satisfying. I will admit that I could not read it in one sitting though it is not long at all. It is just so intense. Lights Along The Interstate is not a light read. Be prepared to do some thinking with this one. You may even find some of your beliefs challenged. If you are in the mood for a deeper experience with a book, this one is for you. Enjoy