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![]() My rating: 3 of 5 stars Bells tolled a joyous clamor. Today he would become a knight, and everything around him was so bright it made his eyes burn. "Noble Traitor" is a tale about Thomas and his inward yearning to become a noble knight. He is the nephew of the future King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce, and a devoted squire to Lord Gordon. Indeed, he has all the makings to become a great knight, except one thing is holding him back- his divided loyalties. Caught between the never-ending war between England and Scotland, and living in a time of tumultuous battles across the land, it is up to Thomas to figure out where his true loyalties lie. I have a strong interest in Scottish history and their clans. As a fan of the film "Braveheart" and the life of William Wallace, I was pretty excited to read "Noble Traitor." The author has a talent for writing historically accurate books, frequently using terminology and language that is attributed to that time period. The dialogue is heavily laced with the Scots language and phrases commonly used in the Highlands. The manner of speech is used by the high and low, and it gave me immense pleasure to see even Bruce using it when addressing his young nephew, Thomas. Bruce's kind words of "I always saw the makings of a braw knight in you," must have greatly pleased the young lad. Although this story was exceptionally well-written and historically accurate, I did experience some trouble getting into the novel. I believe it was my inability to emphasize with Thomas, or at least vividly pin-point him. He was as vague as ever, and it was only Robert the Bruce that I could see quite vividly in my mind's eye. Most of the characters in the story were somewhat shadowy too, but the epic battle scenes and courtly entertainment made up for it. If you are a fan of Scottish history or medieval battles, I firmly believe this is the book for you. View all my reviews
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![]() My rating: 5 of 5 stars "The Ghoul" is sure to be a classic piece of Gothic literature. Echoing the descriptive narrative flair of Charles Dickens, the author of "The Ghoul" takes the reader into the seedy districts of El Ravel, where crime, cruelty and devilish characters await you. From the onset, I thought the highly descriptive narrative was very Charles Dickens like, as if the readers were walking down the cobbled streets and seeing the city from the eye's of various characters. The main character in this Gothic novel is a humble priest, Marçal, a kindly man that feels that it is his purpose in life to serve God and to bring relief to those that are suffering. Still a novice, he accepts a new position in the bustling city, El Ravel, in Barcelona. Immediately he is taking back by the need of the city; the high crime rate, poverty and overall suffering of the people of his parish. As he becomes familiar with his role as the new priest of El Ravel, he takes it upon himself to explore the dregs of society, and becomes acquainted with the city's prostitutes, criminals, and beggars lining up along the dirty streets. Marçal is determined to be an ever shining light in the midst of a great darkness. The people in the city begin to think favourably of him, and he is slowly succeeding in bringing people back into the church, but little does he know the dark forces surrounding him, anxious to bring him to his doom. I thought the author's writing style closely echoed Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. If you are a fan of Collin's "The Moonstone" or "The Woman in White," it is likely that you will love Connelly's work. There were also instances in the end, when I thought of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," which brought a certain level of paranormal and horror elements into the mix. "The Monk" by Matthew Lewis also came across my mind more than once, probably because Connely's "Marçal" so closely resembled the fallen character of Lewis' "Ambrisio." Indeed, they were both self-righteous man that were unknowingly lured by unknown forces, all contrived by the Devil. I believe if you are a lover of classic Gothic literature, or a spooky tale that will leave you turning the page well into the night, then "The Ghoul" is the book for you. The only fault I found was the beginning, because it felt quite sluggish and I was impatient for the plot to really begin. Half-way through the novel things began to pick up, and the reader was able to witness all manners of events quickly unfolding for the main characters. I also developed a feeling of empathy for Marçal, which is attributed to the marvellous writing skills of Connely. In the end, this young priest was too good for such a seedy, sordid place. There are instances in life, or even in this world, where light can sometimes be blotted out by supreme darkness. There are sad instances where evil does win, and we are helpless to watch "the fall" as it were, or at least in this case, the unexpected fate of Marçal. I believe this quote in the novel epitomizes the failings of this Godly devout priest: "I see that you have a good heart and your intentions are noble but to be perfectly frank, your wide-eyed optimism and naïve attitude to rescuing our godforsaken little precinct are at best, misguided and misplaced." If you are a lover of nineteenth century literature, or possess a penchant for horror and the grotesque then this is the book for you. Drama, suspense, and mystery are all the words I would use to describe the novel. I eagerly await for Connelly's next book, and hope that he will one day publish "The Ghoul" in a physical format so that I can add to my book shelf. View all my reviews
Hello everyone! I wanted to spotlight a special book reviewer on Instagram. I believe @lil_bookmonk deserves more recognition for her work, since she is amazing at what she does. Here is a little testimony for @lil_bookmonk 😊
Thank you for taking the time to read my books this month 📚 |
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