My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Under the Approaching Dark by Anna Belfrage
Publication Date: April 28, 2017
Matador
eBook & Paperback; 424 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Adam de Guirande has cause to believe the turbulent times are behind him: Hugh Despenser is dead and Edward II is forced to abdicate in favour of his young son. It is time to look forward, to a bright new world in which the young king, guided by his council, heals his kingdom and restores its greatness. But the turmoil is far from over.
After years of strife, England in the early months of 1327 is a country in need of stability, and many turn with hope towards the new young king, Edward III. But Edward is too young to rule, so instead it is his mother, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who do the actual governing, much to the dislike of barons such as Henry of Lancaster.
In the north, the Scots take advantage of the weakened state of the realm and raid with impunity. Closer to court, it is Mortimer’s increasing powers that cause concerns – both among his enemies, but also for men like Adam, who loves Mortimer dearly, but loves the young king just as much.
When it is announced that Edward II has died in September of 1327, what has so far been a grumble grows into voluble protests against Mortimer. Yet again, the spectre of rebellion haunts the land, and things are further complicated by the reappearance of one of Adam’s personal enemies. Soon enough, he and his beloved wife Kit are fighting for their survival – even more so when Adam is given a task that puts them both in the gravest of dangers.
"The writing is impeccable. The story has everything. Under the Approaching Dark is just perfect in every sense" - Sharon Bennett Connolly, History The Interesting Bits
Book review
First I just want to say that reading this book really makes me want to read the first book that I haven't had time to read. Not that it was hard to read Days of Sun and Glory without having read In the Shadow of the Storm, but I'm curious, I have read so much in these two books about how Kit and Adam met that I want to get the whole story. Also, for some reason, did I a couple of times during the progress of this book think that I should re-watch (or re-read) Ivanhoe as well...
Under the Approaching Dark is a fascinating book. I was quite captivated by the story. I, to be honest, didn't know much about this time period before I started to read this series. That's one thing that I like about the book. It's entertaining, and at the same time do I learn more about England during the 1400-century. Personally, the only thing I had a hard time with were the battles in the book, but that is more about my taste than anything wrong with the book. Like the rest of the book are the battles well-written, I just have a hard time being interested in reading about England fighting the Scots (especially since I feel sorry for the Scots). But, thankfully, it's just a small part of the book.c
Adam and Kit have a lot of things to deal with in this book. The loss of their son in the previous book has taken them hard, especially since the boy died when they were away and they never got to see his body. Thankfully they have each other and their love is strong. But, the world is changing around them and Adam has his duty to be at the king's side whenever he calls and Kit can not always be by Adams side. and, there is an enemy out there who wants to strike them down.
Under the Approaching Dark is a fascinating book. I was quite captivated by the story. I, to be honest, didn't know much about this time period before I started to read this series. That's one thing that I like about the book. It's entertaining, and at the same time do I learn more about England during the 1400-century. Personally, the only thing I had a hard time with were the battles in the book, but that is more about my taste than anything wrong with the book. Like the rest of the book are the battles well-written, I just have a hard time being interested in reading about England fighting the Scots (especially since I feel sorry for the Scots). But, thankfully, it's just a small part of the book.c
Adam and Kit have a lot of things to deal with in this book. The loss of their son in the previous book has taken them hard, especially since the boy died when they were away and they never got to see his body. Thankfully they have each other and their love is strong. But, the world is changing around them and Adam has his duty to be at the king's side whenever he calls and Kit can not always be by Adams side. and, there is an enemy out there who wants to strike them down.
And England has a new young king after Edward II is forced to abdicate. One who has yet grown into his role. It's his mother Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who actually do the most of the governing. However, Edward is growing up, and one day the boy will be a man and a true king. What will happen with Isabella, and Roger Mortimer when the day comes? Personally, I found it's interesting that one of the most poignant scenes in this book is about Edward II. I never thought I would really like him, he was not a strong king. But, if he had been spared being king, I wonder if he had not been a much happier man.
Under the Approaching Dark is just as Days of Sun and Glory well-written and well-researched. Reading this book made me want to know more about this era. I was fascinated to learn more about the monarchy in England and France and I can't wait to read the next book!
About the Author
Anna was raised abroad, on a pungent mix of Latin American culture, English history and Swedish traditions. As a result she's multilingual and most of her reading is historical- both non-fiction and fiction. Possessed of a lively imagination, she has drawers full of potential stories, all of them set in the past. She was always going to be a writer - or a historian, preferably both. Ideally, Anna aspired to becoming a pioneer time traveller, but science has as yet not advanced to the point of making that possible. Instead she ended up with a degree in Business and Finance, with very little time to spare for her most favourite pursuit. Still, one does as one must, and in between juggling a challenging career Anna raised her four children on a potent combination of invented stories, historical debates and masses of good food and homemade cakes. They seem to thrive… For years she combined a challenging career with four children and the odd snatched moment of writing. Nowadays Anna spends most of her spare time at her writing desk. The children are half grown, the house is at times eerily silent and she slips away into her imaginary world, with her imaginary characters. Every now and then the one and only man in her life pops his head in to ensure she's still there. Other than on her website, www.annabelfrage.com, Anna can mostly be found on her blog, http://annabelfrage.wordpress.com – unless, of course, she is submerged in writing her next novel. You can also connect with Anna on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, May 1 Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Tuesday, May 2 Interview at Let Them Read Books Spotlight at What Is That Book About Wednesday, May 3 Review at A Book Drunkard
Thursday, May 4 Review at A Holland Reads
Friday, May 5 Spotlight at The Reading Queen
Monday, May 8 Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Tuesday, May 9 Review at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, May 10 Review at A Bookaholic Swede
Thursday, May 11 Review at Pursuing Stacie
Friday, May 12 Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Monday, May 15 Review at Historical Fiction Obsession
Tuesday, May 16 Review at Back Porchervations Guest Post at Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company
Wednesday, May 17 Spotlight at A Literary Vacation
Thursday, May 18 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views
Friday, May 19 Review at Beth's Book Nook Blog
Monday, May 22 Review at CelticLady's Reviews
Tuesday, May 23 Review at A Chick Who Reads Review at The Muse in the Fog Book Reviews Wednesday, May 24 Excerpt at Jo's Book Blog Spotlight at The Paperback Princess
Thursday, May 25 Review at Broken Teepee
Friday, May 26 Spotlight at Laura's Interests
Monday, May 29 Guest Post at Yelena Casale's Blog
Tuesday, May 30 Interview at Dianne Ascroft's Blog
Giveaway
To win a copy of Under the Approaching Dark by Anna Belfrage, please enter via the Gleam form below. Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 30th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open internationally. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Under the Appraoching Dark
Great review, Magdalena! I am thrilled that you enjoyed Under the Approaching Dark, Anna is a fabulous writer.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting her blog tour!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours