Favorites: Mark of the Lion Trilogy

I haven't blogged about some older favorites for awhile, so I thought it was time to do one. If you're a fan of historical fiction, my absolute favorite is The Mark of the Lion trilogy.

The first book in the series is A Voice in the Wind, and it was my favorite of the three. For a book description and some other goodies, visit the author's website here.

And for a little preview, here's a quote from the book:
"We bear the consequences for what we have done to ourselves, and for the sin that rules this world. Jesus forgave the thief, but he didn't take him down off the cross."

Obviously from the quote, you can see that there is some Christianity in this book. It is set in the time just after Christ, and the main character is one of the early Christians. I was deeply inspired by this book, and it just really resonated with me. If you read and enjoy A Voice in the Wind, continue on to An Echo in the Darkness, followed by As Sure as the Dawn. All very wonderful books that I highly recommend.

Wildthorn

Title: Wildthorn
Author: Jane Eagland
Genre: YA Historical
Page Count: 359
Why I read it: Netgalley review copy
Grade: C

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare w...more Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key...

My review:
This book started off very mysterious. We, as a reader, feel just about as lost as the main character, Louisa. Through flashbacks, we begin to learn Louisa's story, which is fairly interesting, but not so much that I had a hard time putting the book down. Other times, when she was in the asylum, I couldn't ever really figure out what was going on or why. I think it was intentional, as we were supposed to be unraveling what happened along with the main character, but at times it makes it hard to read because there are never any explanations for what happens to Louisa--just a bunch of seemingly cruel people who don't want to really help the women at the asylum.

Louisa was a strong character. She was very much a feminist in her time, not wanting to follow the typical roles set out for women. Although sometimes it all seemed a bit over the top, as though the author wanted to make sure we really knew just how different she was. Mostly, it just wasn't as enjoyable for me as it could have been. I didn't care for any of the secondary characters, even though there were some heartbreaking stories in there, for some reason I just didn't connect with the writing or the story.

I absolutely love the cover of this one, but I can't say that I would heartily recommend the book. It may be one that I would say to look for at the library, but nothing beyond that.

Everlasting

Title: Everlasting
Author: Angie Frazier
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Page Count: 336
Why I read it: ARC Tour
Grade: A-

Synopsis:
Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.

My review:
I really loved this book. Way more than I expected to when I read the synopsis. It was wonderfully paced. Some books have action scene after action scene, without giving you any time to even catch your breath. This one definitely has action, but there are also some scenes where the reader can get to know the characters and the setting.

And I loved the characters. Camille is a great heroine, and I was really feeling the romance between her and Oscar. Oscar felt like a man, rather than the boys I so often read about in YA novels. Which makes me question why I read YA so often, since it's quite understandable that the male leads would still be boys. But it's nice to come across a more mature, manly character every once in awhile.

I never got bored while reading, or felt that the story started to get slow or tiresome. The only problem I had with it was that most of the action was packed into what felt like a very rushed ending. As I was nearing the end of the book I kept wondering if there was going to be a big cliffhanger or something, because with the amount of pages left, there's no way the author was going to wrap up everything that needed to happen. But she did, and sadly, it felt incredibly rushed. Everlasting seems like it could be the first in a series, but it stands on it's own as well.

I will definitely read more by Angie Frazier, and would highly recommend this one to fans of YA.

An Absence So Great (+giveaway)

Title: An Absence So Great
Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Page Count: 367
Why I read it: blog tour for publisher
Grade: C

Synopsis:
While growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those owners who have fallen ill with mercury poisoning. 

Jessie gains footing in her dream to one day operate her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep painful memories from seeping into her heart when the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

My review:
This is book two in a series, and since I didn't read the first one, I can't say how much it would have affected my enjoyment with this one.  I think reading the first one may have given the reader a fuller appreciation of the characters and what they are currently going through, and what they went through in the past.

This series is based on the life of the author's grandmother, and that definitely adds some interest to the story.  There are even photographs taken by her grandmother included in the book.

I found it a little hard to relate to the main character, and maybe the story in general, but I think that the writing was good.  The plot was fairly slow moving, and obviously in this kind of novel you're not going to get a whole lot of fast-paced action.

I would recommend this one to fans of Christian fiction, but I'm still on the lookout for something that will blow me away as much as Francine Rivers historical fiction did.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  To find out more about this book, click here.

I have a copy of this novel to giveaway to one lucky reader.  To enter, just leave a comment here.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter (that way I can easily find you if you win).  This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and will end on April 10th.

Here Burns My Candle (+Giveaway)

Title: Here Burns My Candle
Author: Liz Curtis Higgs
Genre: Christian historical fiction
Page Count: 454
Why I read it: blog tour for the publisher
Grade: C

Synopsis:
Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.

My review:
You know how sometimes you're in the mood for a fast-paced, edge of your seat novel, and sometimes you want something a little quieter--a little more reflective?  Here Burns My Candle is the latter.  It deals a lot with character growth, and that's really the meat of the story.

There was a smattering of Scottish words throughout (with a glossary in the back, in case you have trouble figuring out what the words mean), and to be honest, that's not really my thing.  It distracts me and pulls me out of the story.  But I've read other reviews where the readers felt that it added to the story, so it's definitely a personal preference thing.

The religion in this one isn't overwhelming, and I think the book could be enjoyed by a person who is not religious.  On the other hand, I think a religious person would really enjoy what religion IS in there.  The story is somewhat of a retelling of Ruth and Naomi's story in the Bible.  I guess the nice thing about this story is that it could be enjoyed by anyone, and different people will get different things out of it, as with any good book.

I would recommend this to fans of historical fiction and Christian fiction.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  To find out more information about this book, click here.

Would you like to win a free copy of Here Burns My Candle?  I've got one up for grabs!  To enter, just leave a comment here.  You must be a follower of this blog to enter (that way I can easily contact you if you win).  This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, and will end on April 2nd.