Stephanie Jane recenzis After Whorl: Bran Reborn de Nancy Jardine
Emotionally genuine
4 steloj
After Whorl: Bran Reborn is the second novel in Nancy Jardine's Celtic Fervour quartet and it follows swiftly on from The Beltane Choice which I read and reviewed in September. I would recommend that the books be read in order because I think I got a lot more depth from After Whorl: Bran Reborn having already met various characters in the first book. That said, Jardine takes the brave step of setting this second book in different locations to the first and, although we continue to follow one main character, he finds himself in a very different place after the epic battle at Whorl.
Bran is the former warrior champion Brennus, now critically injured and disfigured. Jardine has a strong understanding of this man who cannot now continue his former life and must overcome the shock of his changed circumstances. This would be a challenge for anyone, but in such …
After Whorl: Bran Reborn is the second novel in Nancy Jardine's Celtic Fervour quartet and it follows swiftly on from The Beltane Choice which I read and reviewed in September. I would recommend that the books be read in order because I think I got a lot more depth from After Whorl: Bran Reborn having already met various characters in the first book. That said, Jardine takes the brave step of setting this second book in different locations to the first and, although we continue to follow one main character, he finds himself in a very different place after the epic battle at Whorl.
Bran is the former warrior champion Brennus, now critically injured and disfigured. Jardine has a strong understanding of this man who cannot now continue his former life and must overcome the shock of his changed circumstances. This would be a challenge for anyone, but in such a critical time of invasion and war, I really Bran's journey towards finding a new sense of himself. The scenes felt emotionally genuine and I again have a great appreciation for Jardine's detailed historical research. Even seemingly insignificant details such as differing weaves of cloth add authenticity to the situations in which our characters find themselves.
Bran's recovery at the hands of healer Meaghan leads him to meet young Ineda, a teenager who develops somewhat of a crush on this damaged brooding hero. Ineda is a brilliant character who I found equally entertaining and exasperating! I think that Jardine has done an excellent job of depicting the Romano-British world in the Celtic Fervour series and I felt that After Whorl: Bran Reborn was an even more engaging novel than The Beltane Choice. I'm now looking forward to the third in this series, After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks.