medieval – Page 3 – Cannonball Read 17

A wholly satisfying ending to a great fantasy trilogy

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

March 4, 2019 by Malin Leave a Comment

Spoiler warning! This is the third and final volume in the trilogy, and the action starts immediately after the second book. This is not the place to start. If you are not caught up, drop everything and start from the beginning with The Bear and the Nightingale. Vasilisa “Vasya” Petrovna managed to defeat one enemy, but at a great cost. Releasing the legendary firebird has caused much of Moscow to catch fire and the citizens, spurred on by the vengeful and jealous Father Konstantin are looking for […]

The King Arthur Legend Grounded in Historical Reality

September 25, 2018 by Jen K 2 Comments

Bingo Square: Throwback Thursday I originally read this novel, and the rest of the trilogy it belongs to, over a decade ago when I was in Iraq. It was a gift from the same friend that turned to me onto A Game of Thrones, and I had fond memories of this take on the Arthurian legend that mostly attempts to be grounded in reality. As a historical fiction nerd, I can definitely see why this approach appealed to me, especially since it leaned heavily on […]

Turns Out Braveheart Was Pretty Accurate About Edward I Being a Bastard

August 28, 2018 by Jen K 2 Comments

Bingo Square: This is the End As much as I have enjoyed reading Penman’s Welsh Princes trilogy, it also took that extra push from CBR10Bingo to finally build up the motivation to dig into the final novel. What can I say? Her books are a commitment, and there is something rather daunting about them because being based on history, there is very little justice or sense of people getting the ending or lives they deserved. The last novel showed how Simon de Montfort, a flawed […]

My Baby’s Got a Secret

February 2, 2017 by Classic 8 Comments

I had plans to read this for Romance Book Bingo 2017, but I already read a book for Man in the Kilt, so this book is just something that I read for my own enjoyment. As a long time Julie Garwood fan, I have to say the saddest day for me was when she stopped writing her historical books. I have tried to get into her contemporary works, and each and every time ended up DNFing the book. I still have most of her historical […]

There is More Than One Way Into a Keep

January 30, 2017 by Classic 2 Comments

I read this for Romance Book Bingo 2017: Man in a Kilt square. I have to have some happy right now and this book is it. I have been reading this since I was 12 or 13 and still have a copy of it on my shelves. The heroine (Johanna) kicks butt. The hero (Gabriel) kicks butt. We actually have a hero/heroine who thank God do not have any rape scenes between them. They reluctantly fall in love with each other which I thought was […]

A Book Without Character(s)

June 1, 2016 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

I don’t understand how it is possible for a novel about time travel back to the Middle Ages can be so boring. And not just dull, but hard to read. Doomsday Book is supposed to be a classic work of fantasy that gets realistic with its presentation of the Middle Ages. An Oxford student (Kivrin) wants to visit the Middle Ages for study which have finally been made available for study, having been previously been deemed to dangerous (plague, wars, bandits, etc.) Her mentor Dunworthy […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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