Peaceweaver by Rebecca Barnhouse

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

Sixteen-year-old Hild has always been a favorite of her uncle, the king of the Shylfings. So when she protects her cousin the crown prince from a murderous traitor, she expects the king to be grateful. Instead, she is unjustly accused of treachery herself.
As punishment, her uncle sends Hild far away to the heir of the enemy king, Beowulf, to try to weave peace between the two kingdoms. She must leave her home and everyone she loves. On the long and perilous journey, Hild soon discovers that fatigue and rough terrain are the least of her worries. Something is following her and her small group of guards - some kind of foul creature that tales say lurks in the fens. Will Hild have to face the monster? Or does it offer her the perfect chance to escape the destiny she never chose?

MY REVIEW

If you were looking at the cover of this book and thinking: "This book looks like fun", well then you would be absolutely right! Believe me when I say that the cover isn't the most exciting thing about this book, but rather it is the extremely believable story that lives within it!
When reading, you form theories on how the book is going to end, and one by one they are all disproved until you get to the end, and even then nothing is for sure. That is one of the things that I loved about this book, it keeps you guessing until the very end, and then you have to somehow suck yourself out of the story so that you can go on to other books.
The cover is what really drew me in at first, and I'm happy to say that this IS a book that you can judge from the cover. The cover art depicts very realistically the horror that you encounter later in the book, a fight between Hilde and whatever that is, so take comfort in the fact that it won't catch you completely by surprise (even though it will surprise you still).
Hild's blackouts are intense and unpredictable and make you wonder what in the heck is going on, which makes it really fun to read. Still, this book is very violent, so we (my class) were thinking that this would be appropriate for ages 12+.
Another thing that is wonderful about this book is the fact that it looks at the sort of aftershock after King Beowulf (yeah, that's right, THAT guy) died while defeating the dragon. Even if you haven't seen or read Beowulf, the story is explained very well, so you don't have to force yourself to read it if you don't want to (though I would recommend it, just so that you have read it and have said bragging rights). The tie-in with another Medievalist novel was a good move and really sets you into the time-frame.
With all of that comes another plus: Norse mythology. Once again, if you don't know anything about Norse mythology, don't sweat it, because that is explained as well, and although it is a major part of the book, you don't need to know much to dive-in, feet first. (Pretty much if you watched Thor or Thor: The Dark World, you'll be fine.)
And the rest? Well, you'll just have to read it for yourself, won't you? ;)

A LITTLE EXCERPT

Within Hild, something snapped. White-hot fury filled her, and without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed her skirt in one hand, her sword in the other, and ran blindly toward her cousin. In less time than it takes a hawk to plummet from the sky after its prey, she was across the practice area, shouldering Arinbjörn aside and pushing with her sword. Her arm jolted as the weapon met resistance, but she shoved back against something she couldn't see, then shoved again, pushing her blade in front of her as it buried itself in something solid.
Everything stopped. Insects in the grass quit their chirring mid-note, the breeze in the birches held its breath, the bright autumn sky blanked into white -
-and then a weight was on her sword as the man standing in front of Arinbjörn staggered.
Now her own lips were parted and she stepped back, taking her blood-spattered hand from the sword, which was still embedded in the man's guts, and looked over his shoulder at Arinbjörn. A tuft of her cousin's hair was sticking up on one side, she noted incongruously. It gave him a comical appearance.
A raven cawed, unlocking the stillness, shocking the world back to life.

(pages 56-57)

Well, that's all for now!

See you next time!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Visit Rebecca Barnhouse's website!:
http://www.rebeccabarnhouse.com/index.html

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Today's review will be about:

THE SUMMARY

"A road's a kind of holy thing...
it brings all kinds of people and
all parts of England together."
Eleven-year-old Adam loved to travel throughout thirteenth-century England with his father, a wandering minstrel, and his dog, Nick. But when Nick is stolen and his father disappears, Adam suddenly finds himself alone. He searches the same roads he traveled with his father, meeting farmers, pilgrims, minstrels, priests, and thieves along the way. Through these encounters, Adam discovers that somewhere in the crowds of people are his father and his dog. But will Adam be able to find them and end his desperate search?

MY REVIEW

I was assigned this book for my Medieval Lit class, and loved it so much that I had to share it with you guys!
The adventures that you go on with Adam are fun and hold your mind until the last page. All the while, you are wondering if everything will turn out all right in the end. The music and minstrel's tales held the book together and really transported you back into the middle ages.
Adam is a very lovable character, with a big head sometimes, but is always out to make people happy, no matter what he himself is feeling at the time. As a reader, you watch him grow up, following him in his quest to find his dog and his father.
The most important thing that this book did for me was it reminded me of what it was like to be a kid. Many times in our lives we want something that we don't have; adulthood and childhood being one of the things we want throughout our long lives. We forget, however, about what it is to be a child, and this book brings us back. We feel the same sort of mystery and adventure as with any book, but rather than making us long for said adventure, it reminds us of the children we once were. And that, my friends, is the greatest gift of all. :)

A LITTLE EXCERPT

"Nick!" shouted Adam. "Nick!"
There he was. There was Nick in that boat, and every minute the strip of water between them was widening. "That's my dog!" he cried. "He took my dog!"
The people on the dock at once gathered around him with exclamations and questions.
"When the ferry comes back, dearie," said a pleasant-faced woman, "you can have my place and I'll wait for the next one."
When the ferry came back! By that time Jankin would be gone, and Nick with him. They were nearly to the other shore now.
Adam took his harp from his shoulder and his bundle; he unfastened his belt and wallet and took off his shoes, and piled them all together. "Watch them for me," he said to the friendly woman.
Then he dived.

Well, that's all for now!

See you in the next one!

~Sea-Solo

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Listen to Sumer is Icumen In, a medieval song mentioned in the book!