Tag: Young Adult

Shadow of the Raven by Millie Thom

Reviewed by Ernest Russell

Shadow of the Raven by Millie Thom is excellent. She has taken known history, chosen a point with some ambiguity, and woven her fiction seamlessly. While reading, I spot checked her history from time to time. To discover the accuracy of the event each time was this history buffs delight. As someone who enjoys researching to find Beorthwulf, the King of Mercia was involved in the Thanet landings. Still, his death appears to have no surviving record of exactly how he departed sometime around 851-852. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles suggest Beorthwulf was put to flight by this invasion. The event of his death was well written. Thom using the ambiguity of his death as a springboard to the deeper story.

For a novel which is primarily driven by politics, Anglo-Saxon’s, and Danish raiders, another delight is the word Viking only appeared in the “About This Book” section, in reference to other books. This is no one sided account. Thom’s tale shows us both the good and bad parts of two societies, Anglo-Saxons and the Danes. These people are human. Just as we are today. They have similar desires, wants, and needs. You’ll find a full spectrum of the human condition in these people. A portion of my marvel of Thom’s work is her ability to have we, as modern humans, identify with these people of 1,100 years ago.

Shadow of the Raven by Millie Thom lovingly and with passion created a compelling novel. A tale of intrigue, adventure, and revenge that would enthrall Machiavelli. This is a well told tale for a wide variety of readers. A brilliant start to the series sure to grace my bookshelves.

Shadow of the Raven is available on Amazon. It is available in print or on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

Thank you for reading,

Ernest