The Soul Thief

Ewww. Irish twins with a mystical bond are separated by a cruel and unjust fate. Girl raped, pregnant, held hostage by evil old woman who wants to abort her unborn child; boy free, homeless, wandering the Viking world searching for his Other Half.

I can't believe I actually read this ghastly twaddle. It's simply inexplicable to me that a talent like Holland's should be deployed in service of this trite, twee, oft-told tale. And then...I looked it up. It's one of her all-time bestselling books.

Barnum was right: No one ever lost money underestimating the {taste} of the American public. NOT recommended unless you like tedious, repetitious maunderings.

Cecelia Holland’s series of Viking-era adventure novels have just been reissued in Kindle format and this proved a good excuse to make a start on them. I’ve had a mixed reaction to Holland in the past – enjoying her Byzantine Belt of Gold, but remaining unmoved by her Borgia-centred City of God. However, as many people have praised her to me, I’m determined to keep giving her new chances, especially as she writes about a fascinating variety of historical periods. This is one of the more familiar settings, of course, and I plunged with interest into Holland’s story of Corban Loosestrife – outcast, stranger, unwitting catalyst – on his quest to recover his kidnapped sister Mav. In doing so, he is drawn into the politics of show more Viking Jorvik and Norway; and, more worryingly, into the clutches of the enigmatic Lady of Hedeby, who has saved Mav from one kind of slavery, only to draw her into another...

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/03/05/the-soul-thief-cecelia-holland/ show less

Excellent. A brilliant evocation of Viking Yorvik and Dark Ages western Europe. The accidental side-trip to North America was a bit pointless but didn't detract from the story.

A historically interesting story, though it somehow did not take me where I expected to go. I never quite connected with the characters. I understand this is the first in a series about Corban Loosestrife.

It was OK... just didn't appeal to me.