The Void of Muirwood (The Covenant of Muirwood #3) by Jeff Wheeler: A Book Review

The Void of Muirwood (Covenant of Muirwood #3)
Author: Jeff Wheeler
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: 47North
Release Date: 2015
Pages: 432
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: When banished Princess Maia is captured by her father and threatened with execution, it appears that all is lost…until the people rise in rebellion against their king. Suddenly, the cast-aside royal finds herself crowned the first Queen of Comoros. But enemies appear on all sides as her father’s conniving supporters assemble a new army against the fledgling ruler. While Maia struggles to keep the peace within her own walls, she rushes to form historical alliances with her neighboring kingdoms against an impending invasion of the ruthless Naestors—led by the cruel Corriveaux—who will destroy anyone Maia loves in order to ruin her kingdom and prevent the mastons from regaining power.

Realizing that Muirwood Abbey is once again her only hope for survival, Maia gathers her people there for protection. When she discovers an adversary greater than she’s ever known, she must use all the magic, strength, and wisdom gained from her life’s trials to prevent the Void that would bring destruction to herself, her true love, and the entire kingdom.

My Review: The Void of Muirwood is the thrilling conclusion to The Covenant of Muirwood trilogy. Maia’s evil father has died, leaving Maia as the only heir of Comoros. Maia must face the task of ruling her kingdom. She must appoint worthy people to serve her so she can bring peace to the kingdom. However, there are people in her country who do not see her as the true ruler and begin to rebel. Yet, while the country begins fighting each other, they face a bigger threat that will intends to destroy them all. Can Maia save her kingdom and restore peace and prosperity to her lands?

Maia has never been trained to rule as queen. Yet, she makes wise decisions. She appoints people whom she trusts and who have the interests of the kingdom to serve her. As queen, Maia is thrust into obstacles and hard decisions that she must make alone. She must rely on her instincts and let them show her the way. She must also learn to forgive her enemies and bestow them mercy. She strives to rule with truth and goodness. However, she is not perfect. She does not trust people easily, she is prone to jealousy, and sometimes has a thirst for vengeance. Yet, she is relatable because she wants to do what is right.

Overall, this book is about friendship, love, trust, mercy, choices, and forgiveness. The message of the story is to forgive those who have done you wrong. The story was fast-paced and full of adventure. The characters were likeable and the villains were complex and interesting. This book is a fantasy, however it is inspired by the life of an actual historical figure, Mary Tudor, the first female ruler of England. Thus, this book is full of court intrigue, suspense, danger, and action. I found that this book was a nice conclusion to the series. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Mary Tudor, warring kingdoms, and high epic fantasy.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer by Samuel Noah Kramer and Diane Wolkstein: A Book Review

Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer Author: Samuel Noah Kramer and Diane Wolkstein Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Religion, Mythology Publisher: Harper Perennial Release Date: 1983 Pages: 256 Source: Personal Collection Synopsis: With the long-awaited publication of this book, we have for the first time in any modern literary form one of the most vital and important of ancient myths—that of Inanna, the world’s first goddess of recorded history and the beloved deity of the ancient Sumerians. The stories and hymns of Inanna (known to the Semites as Ishtar) are inscribed on clay tablets which date back to 2,000 B.C. Over the past forty years, these cuneiform tablets have gradually been restored and deciphered by a small group of international scholars. In this groundbreaking book, Samuel Noah Kramer, the preeminent living expert on Sumer, and Diane Wolkstein, a gifted storyteller and folklorist, have retranslated, order...

Guest Post: The Ladies-in-Waiting: Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh

Today's guest writer is Alexandra Walsh. She is the author of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , which is a historical thriller surrounding the infamous Tudor queen. In this guest post, Mrs. Walsh discusses the life of Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Isabel Baynton. This post will be sure to fascinate fans of Tudor era. If you enjoy her post, please pick up a copy of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy ! Thank you, Mrs. Walsh! The Ladies-in-Waiting – Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh One of the most enjoyable things about writing an historical novel is discovering the tiny details that make the period real on the page. While I was researching The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , I spent a great deal of time hunting out the life stories of the women who surrounded the young queen in order to create a group of realistic friends and confidants. There are some well-known names linked with Catherine and her downfall: Lady Jane Boleyn,...

Guest Post by Aleksey Linetskiy: The Women Behind the Klondike Story

Today's guest writer is Aleksey Linetskiy. He is the co-author of Finch and Hawk: The Klondike Letters , which is a unique yearly subscription in which the reader reads a story by mail. In this guest post, he introduces us to a few historical women of the Klondike era. Some of these women are Alice Freeman, Flora Shaw, and Helen Dare. Thank you, Mr. Linetskiy! The Women Behind the Klondike Story Before we began writing Finch and Hawk: The Klondike Letters , my partner, Alona Umansky, and I spent a great deal of time researching the Klondike Gold Rush. We were interested in finding the stories of people who maybe didn’t become rich and famous but still went through the experience of a great stampede. As we were reading the newspapers of the time and firsthand accounts, it became very clear to us that we wanted to tell at least part of the story through the women’s eyes. There were so many incredible women who underto...

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog