Named of The Dragon by Susanna Kearsley: A Book Review

Named of The Dragon
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Paranormal
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 322
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: SOMEWHERE IN THE HEART OF LEGEND
LIES THE KEY TO HER TERRIFYING DREAMS
The charm of spending the Christmas holidays in South Wales, with its crumbling castles and ancient myths, seems the perfect distraction from the nightmares that have plagued literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw since the loss of her baby five years ago.
Instead, she meets an emotionally fragile young widow who's convinced that Lyn's recurring dreams have drawn her to Castle Farm for an important purpose--and she's running out of time.
With the help of a reclusive, brooding playwright, Lyn begins to untangle the mystery and is pulled into a world of Celtic legends, dangerous prophecies, and a child destined for greatness.

My Review: Lyn, a literary agent, decides to spend the Christmas holidays with her best friend and client, Bridget, in the town of Angle. She hopes that during her stay she will get to convince Bridget’s boyfriend and famous author, James, to be her client. While there, she meets a young widow, who fervently believes that a dragon is trying to take her child away from her. Lyn agrees to help protect her child. Soon she is thrust into Celtic Mythology and Arthurian Legends, and soon learns that the infant that she has vowed to protect is destined for greatness.

Lyn is an emotionally distraught woman. She has lost her child, and still suffers from it. She uses her work as a way of coping. She is drawn to the young widow because she relates to her situation. I found her to be clever and observant. However, I found her to be a passive character. She lets people walk all over her and does not make many decisions. I found her to be a flat character because there was not any growth development in her character. She stayed the same throughout the novel.

Overall, this story is about a woman’s journey to heal. The story is very slow-paced, and there are no twists until the end. I found the mystery aspect to be disappointing. I wanted the whodunit epic to be a part of the Celtic mythology as the book hinted on throughout the story. Sadly, it had nothing to do with the prophecies and was very misleading. The whodunit was very passive in itself, rushed, and filled with gaping plot holes, so that it seemed to be the author’s rough draft instead of the final copy. The characters were one-dimensional and boring. The only character I liked was Bridget, and I wished she was the protagonist in the story. However, I did like the setting of the novel. It seemed like the perfect place for where legends were created and a gothic mystery. I also like the historical and mythological aspects in the novel. If you like old castle settings, and Welsh and Arthurian legends, then you may like this book. However, this is clearly not Mrs. Kearsley's best work.

Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow: A Book Review

The Other Bennet Sister Author: Janice Hadlow Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Release Date: 2020 Pages: 480 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice’ s five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own. What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice ? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister , a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Jane Austen fans. Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can o...

Interview with Melanie Karsak

Today, I have the pleasure of having an interview with Melanie Karsak! I have read and enjoyed her many series of books on some of history's more obscure or misunderstood women. Often, little is known about their true histories, either from not being recorded because of their gender and the unimportance given to women or else intentional character assassination. Mrs. Karsak seeks to bring light where much is shrouded in darkness. As a result, we are enriched by their lives and these fascinating women can speak to us through the centuries. In this interview, Mrs. Karsak talks about what drew her to these women and her writing pro cess! Thank you Mrs. Karsak! You have written books on Lady MacBeth, Hervor, Queen Boudica, Queen Cartimandua, and now Freydis. What drew you to write about these women? I like the unsung and maligned heroines. Hervor is a significant character in the Norse Hervarar Saga . In fact, there are two Hervors in that tale—grandmother and granddaughter. But ...

Interview with Melanie Dickerson

Today, I have the honor to host Melanie Dickerson, who is not only the author of The Healer’s Apprentice , but also of her latest novel, The Captive Maiden . She is a young adult author that spins classic fairy tales into a historical and Christian perspective. I have all of her books. I am still in the process of finishing her series, but the books that I have read, I love them. I even went to her book signing to get her to sign my copy of The Healer’s Apprentice . This interview gives readers a good insight to her writing and style of her novels. I would like to thank Mrs. Dickerson for her time and cooperation with the interview and generosity to give my readers a book giveaway. 1. Can we learn from fairytales, and why do they appeal to you? Fairy tales have amazing themes, and I think we can learn from them. Most of them have some sort of moral or takeaway, a lesson we can learn. I like them, but it's hard to say what it is about them that ap...

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog