In the 1100s war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda for the crown, even the smallest child isn't safe. With thieves plundering villages and people being forced to choose sides in the war, eleven-year-old Emma, young woman and new bride, Maud, and loner, Gwil, all have surprisingly intertwined fates. As battles loom before them, no one will be the same while evil threatens to close in.
THE SIEGE WINTER takes no prisoners in this fast paced, edge of your seat historical novel skillfully written by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman. The story centers around three people, Emma "Penda", Maud, and Gwil, who are all complex, distinguishable, and heartbreaking characters. From Penda's tragic beginning, Maud's clever strength, and Gwil's slow journey to softening up, these characters will stay with you long after the book is done.
In between the plot points are conversations with an abbot and a scribe (who is writing this story down). Their discussion does a fantastic job of aiding readers who are unfamiliar with this point in history understand what's going on and painting an interesting picture of the major historical figures. As a reader who isn't shy about admitting getting lost in the political parts of historical novels at times, I particularly enjoyed these small interjections that made the bigger picture clearer.
Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman have truly done an exceptional job with this novel. THE SIEGE WINTER has everything you could ask for in a good story: war, action, bonds that form with unexpected people, strength, and just the right sprinkle of romance. It is without a doubt one of my favorite novels of the year so far, and I recommend it to any historical fiction fan looking for something brilliant to curl up with.
England, 1141. The countryside is devastated by a long civil war that has left thousands dead. With no clear winner in the conflict, castles and villages change hands from month to month as the English king, Stephen, and his cousin, the empress Matilda, battle for the crown. Emma is the eleven-year-old redheaded daughter of a peasant family. When mercenaries pass through their town, they bring with them a monk with a deadly interest in young redheaded girls. Left for dead in a burned-out church, Emma is one more victim in a winter of atrocities until another mercenary, Gwil, an archer, finds her by chance. Barely alive, she cannot remember her name or her life before the attack. Unable to simply abandon her, Gwil takes her with him, dressing her as a boy to avoid attention. Emma becomes Penda—and Penda turns out to have a killer instinct with a bow and arrow. But Gwil becomes uneasily aware that the monk who hurt his protégée is still out there, and that a scrap of a letter Emma was found clutching could be very valuable to the right person . . . or the wrong one. Maud is the fifteen-year-old chatelaine of Kenniford, a small but strategically important castle she's determined to protect as the war rages around them. But when Maud provides refuge for the empress, Stephen's armies lay siege to Kenniford Castle and Maud must prove that she's every bit the leader her father was. Aided by a garrison of mercenaries— including Gwil and his odd, redheaded apprentice—they must survive a long winter under siege. It's a brutal season that brings everyone to Kenniford, from kings to soldiers to the sinister monk who has never stopped hunting the redheaded girl . . .
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