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The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel

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The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel

The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel

By Sarah Jane Stratford

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 978-0-312-56013-3

3.5 stars

It’s 1938 and a group of ancient vampires decides that the power that Hitler is commanding in Europe must be stopped. These vampires, known as millennials, do not interfere with human affairs but decide, for not only the good of mankind but also their kind, to infiltrate and destroy the Nazi war machine.

Brigit, one of the oldest and most powerful of the group is loathe to go as it will separate her from Eamon. He has not yet reached millennial status and is too vulnerable for the mission. Reluctantly, she sets off with several companions to put their plan in motion but no one, even the oldest and strongest of the group, is sure they will return.

I didn’t know what to expect with this book — vampires hunting Nazis seemed a bit too much at first. However, once all disbelief is suspended, it works. It’s part love story, part vampire lore, and part action/thriller. It’s a strange combination and I will admit to being leery at first but, once I got into, I flew through it. The vampire background that Stratford creates is interesting and the long histories of the characters is enough to make it all work.

The Midnight Guardian is a fast read and good brain candy if you’re looking for a quick distraction. I liked the new vampire category added here and it seems set up for a second book as a few story lines are left hanging but not in such a way that leaves you annoyed. I think I might be willing to read a second one these books. While the idea was a bit outlandish, the characters were good enough to pull you in and, while it might not be a book you remember for years to come, it is an entertaining read.

The Wild Hunt

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The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt

By Elizabeth Chadwick

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0-312-06491-8

3.75 stars

Guyon, Lord of Ledworth, is told by the king that he will be marrying. His future wife, Judith of Ravenstow, is a child and he’s none too happy with the arrangement which will make him an Earl and a pawn to keep an evil treacherous man from clutching more land and power.

Guyon is loathe to leave the mistress he’s been with for a number of years but they both know it can go no further with his impending marriage. Reluctantly, they part and he finds himself married to a willful and terrified Judith, who having been traumatized by her father’s beatings and brutality, is scared of him and what he might do to her. She is a skilled healer and capable of running a strict household but innocent and helpless when it comes to her husband. Guyon treats her with nothing but kindness and the two become less tense around each other. The war deposits several tragedies at their feet and Guyon and Judith grow closer and find a true love that neither thought was possible.

I’ve been wanting to read The Greatest Knight by Chadwick but my library doesn’t have it. I found this one on the shelf and was pleasantly surprised by it. I was a bit annoyed by Judith — who while headstrong and competent, she’s also young and inexperienced. She doesn’t want Guyon to herself but she also wants no one else to have him. Guyon, on the other hand, is quite likable and the relationship between the two becomes more tolerable and even compelling by the middle of the book.

Chadwick does a great job with characters, even the ones you don’t like. They are all very genuine and the story, while nothing new — war over land, drunken lords, raping, pillaging, etc. — it feels different and slightly exciting. I’m going to be picking up more of her books in the future.

Into the Path of Gods

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Into the Path of Gods

Into the Path of Gods

By Kathleen Cunningham Guler

Bardsong Press

ISBN: 0-9660371-0-3

3 stars

Marcus ap Iorwerth is a spy in 5th Century Britain working to free his people and help the rightful ruler of Britain take his place. On one of his missions, he meets Claerwen, a woman who has visions of the future, and is being hunted by a man who believes she holds the key to a mythical treasure.

Claerwen was promised to a man named Drakar. He’s a cruel and brutal person and she refuses to agree to the marriage arranged by her mother. To avoid the marriage, she runs away with her cousin Grania. In time, their paths cross with Marcus. He helps put the two women into a convent to keep them safe from Drakar who is hunting them relentlessly believing that Claewen knows where a legendary treasure is buried. When Draker is killed, Marcus and Claerwen feel it is safe to profess their love and marry, but he carries on with his spying dragging them deeper into the mystery of the treasure and putting their lives in danger.

This book moved a bit slow for me in the beginning but did speed up in the end. It seemed every time Claerwen turned around, she was in trouble. She didn’t always want rescuing and did her best to help herself but, all the same, Marcus seemed to be there when needed. The relationship between Claerwen and Marcus was fairly genuine, although Grania was like nails on a chalkboard. Very, very annoying. I did find some of the dialogue awkward and the use of the word awesomely through me off completely for a few pages. I don’t know, but I somehow don’t think 5th Century Britains were using the word awesomely but I could be wrong.

Into the Path of Gods is the first book in the Macsen’s Treasure series. There are four books in all. Being the series lover that I am, I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself reading a few more of the books. While it was a bit awkward in places, I found it mildly entertaining and a fast read once I got past the first few chapters.

I won this book through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway.

Heretic

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Heretic

Heretic

By Bernard Cornwell

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 0-06-053049-9

4 stars

Heretic is the final book in the Grail series by Cornwell. It picks up where Vagabond left off.

Thomas is fighting in Calais when he decides to continue his search for the Grail. He takes a small band of mercenaries to France where he believes his cousin, who is also hunting the Grail, may be and captures a small village. He rides out looting neighboring settlements attempting to lure his cousin to him. Once again, a woman becomes the root of his troubles.

On taking over the village, he pardons a woman being held captive in the castle who was named a heretic by the local priests and refuses to burn her at the stake. He falls for her, and so does one his men who is also a good friend, and it becomes a dividing point between the two. Before he has the opportunity the fight his cousin, he’s fighting his own men and being cast out as a heretic himself. It’s devastating for him but he still doesn’t give up the search, wondering about god’s plan and his own place in the world.

I flew through this book. For some reason, I needed to know what happened to Thomas. During this series, he gets captured several times, hung, tortured, becomes a leader, falls in and out of love, loses his faith, and finds it again. While I did feel a tinge of sorrow for him, he didn’t let you down. He was so driven to find his cousin and keep him from the Grail and, while his quest was single minded, he wasn’t and that made him very likable.

This book, as with all three in this series, is violent. Deaths are described in graphic detail as well as a few torture scenes. It’s not for the fainthearted. If you’re the type of reader that will skip disturbing scenes, that might not work in this book. You’d end up skipping so much that you’d miss a good portion of the book. It’s these battles and hard to read scenes that make these characters as good as they are. Cornwell has a way with warfare — it’s very real, sad, dirty, and disgusting. It does make the series what it is though.

Vagabond

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Vagabond

Vagabond

By Bernard Cornwell

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 0-06-621080-1

4 stars

Vagabond is the second book in the Grail series by Cornwell. It picks up after the final battle in The Archer’s Tale.

Thomas, an archer in the English army, is searching for the Holy Grail. He’s not sure if he believes it exists, and his friend and traveling companion, Father Hobbes, keeps reminding him of the promise he made to his dying father which involved another holy relic.

Most of France is under siege by the English and it’s not safe to be traveling for Thomas, Father Hobbes, and Eleanor, Thomas’s soon to be wife. They run into a band of English soldiers who are very interested in the treasure he is seeking. He soon finds himself back in an archer line and, during the battle, both Father Hobbes and Eleanor are killed by another group seeking the Grail. Wrought with grief, he finds new determination. He plans on hunting down the ruthless murderers and exacting revenge for Eleanor’s life.

I liked The Archer’s Tale, the first in the series, but didn’t get into it much. Vagabond moved much faster for me and I began liking Thomas instead of feeling sorry for him. There was still a lot to feel sorry for, but he becomes stronger and more determined which made him much more likable.

It’s a true quest book. Thomas is forever walking somewhere and somehow always seems to find himself in an archer line. He gets closer to the Grail with each fight and deals with an enormous amount a guilt along the way. People around him constantly die and you expect him to give up at any moment.

It’s a violent story. The life of an archer and man-at-arms is not clean, fun, or healthy but it makes for good reading. Cornwell has a way of clearly and very realistically describing battles, sword fights, and the damage an English bow can do. It’s not for the squeamish.

The Archer’s Tale

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The Archer's Tale

The Archer’s Tale

By Bernard Cornwell

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 0-06-621084-4

3.75 stars

Thomas is protecting the Treasure of Hookton, a holy relic, on the eve of Easter when his English village is attacked by the French. The place is ransacked, men murdered, women raped and kidnapped, homes burned, and everything worth stealing, stolen, including the Treasure. In an attempt to save his home, Thomas takes up his bow against the invaders. A son of a priest, Thomas promises his dying father to bring the relic back. He also silently swears to avenge his death.

He soon finds himself in the English army marching through France. Smart and very skilled with his bow, he rises fast among the archers. His conscience, in the form of a friend and fellow soldier named Father Hobbes, keeps reminding him of his promise to his father and his god, which Thomas would rather forget. Unfortunately for Thomas, his road to redemption is not easy. He runs afoul of a knight, and in an effort to help a lady, finds himself hanged. He survives and once again finds himself an archer only this time facing enemies he didn’t know he had and a large French army wanting very much to kill him.

The last month, every book I checked out of the library was set in the 14th Century. It was all coincidence but I’m enjoying the setting.

This is my fifth Cornwell novel this year. I like his writing, enjoy the characters immensely, and like the action, which in some way is always attached to an army. While I liked this book, I didn’t like it as much as the others I read. No reason really, just didn’t get into it as much.

Thomas is an engaging character but I felt bad for him the entire time. His family was killed, home wrecked, a friend constantly reminds of any bit of guilt he might feel, and he’s not so lucky with the ladies. There is a good villain though, Sir Simon, who has it out for Thomas and a few other characters which make it interesting. There’s a lot of information and characters in this book that will obviously feature heavily in the sequel so I’m looking forward to Vagabond to tie up a few loose ends.

The White Queen

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The White Queen

The White Queen

By Philippa Gregory

Thorndike Windsor Paragon

ISBN: 978-1-4104-1930-9

3 stars

Elizabeth Woodville is young, beautiful, and a widow with two small boys when she plans to petition the newly crowned King Edward to get her lands back from her former mother-in-law. She waits patiently with her two boys by the side of the road knowing he will pass by with his army. While the Woodvilles fought on the side of Henry, Edward’s cousin and now defeated king of England, she has hopes that her beauty will make him stop and help her.

The two fall in love, marry in secret, and wait for Edward to secure his crown before announcing the marriage. Elizabeth is a commoner and the marriage is not popular with the King’s counselors who do all they can to convince him to leave her. He doesn’t and the two begin building strong alliances by marrying off every supporter, brother, sister, and friend to anyone they see as a future problem. In the end, the war they fought so hard to end, never does. After Edward’s death, the world Elizabeth knows is gone but she keeps fighting wanting to continue and secure the Plantagenet line that she and Edward worked so hard to protect.

This is the first Philippa Gregory book I’ve read. I love historical fiction but somehow I’ve managed to pass her over. I picked this one up with very high hopes. I won’t say the hopes were dashed, but it may be a while before I read another.

I liked the time period, I liked the royals fighting, I liked the court, and I liked the characters. Edward and Elizabeth had good chemistry and the court intrigue was really interesting but there was something that was holding me back from really liking it and I think it was the magical element to the story. It felt silly and contrived to me. I usually like the fantasy, magic, and witchcraft additions to a story but here it didn’t work for me. I vaguely remember reading that either Elizabeth or her mother were accused of witchcraft and I understand the need to include it in the story but I couldn’t get into it here.

I almost put this book down a few times but I decided to finish it and I’m glad I did. Gregory’s writing style can pull you in and in a few places I felt I was really liking the book and then the queen and her mother would get to cursing someone and I quickly backed away again. I don’t know what it was here but in a few months time I think I will give her another chance.