#The Ruadhan Sidhe

[jolieeason]

Goodreads Monday: Shadows Wake (The Ruadhan Sidhe: Book 1) by Aiki Flinthart

Goodreads Monday: Shadows Wake (The Ruadhan Sidhe: Book 1) by Aiki Flinthart

This is a weekly meme where anyone can choose a random book from their Goodreads TBR and highlight it This meme was formerly featured on LaurensPageTurners and was taken over by Budget Tales Book Blog. This Week’s Selection Rowan Gilmore and her mother, Anna, have spent most of Rowan’s life running, hiding Rowan’s speed, strength and precognitive powers—but without knowing why she’s different,…

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Blackbirds Sing by Aiki Flinthart

A Ruadhan Sidhe Origin Story

Intriguing, compelling, complex and enthralling this book drew me in and kept me reading till 3am. I could not put it down!

The idea of taking a nursery rhyme-song and then weaving a story around it was an interesting take but that idea, plot it out, create so many wonderful characters threading the whole into one large wonderful story was delightful beyond measure!

What I liked:

* The women...all but one

* The introduction of each woman that began each chapter along with the illustration of the woman

* The four and twenty blackbirds song and how it was used

* The bit of paranormal

* The concept of strength of women in an era when women were considered “less than” men

* The complexity of the story

* The unveiling a bit at a time

* Meeting a new writer and wanting to read more of her work

* The surprises, twists and turns

* That every woman had a purpose

* That I could feel myself in the story

* Everything about this book resonated with me

* Wondering about how some of the women went on after the last page meant I was invested in this story

What I didn’t like:

* The twisted men carrying out their evil plot

* That some good people suffered and/or lost their lives

* Being reminded of the evils of war, greed and human depravity

* Having the book end...I really liked this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, CAT Press, BOOKBUZZ,  and BookSprout for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Four-and-twenty extraordinary women; one chance to save a kingdom. What would you sacrifice to save your family, your loved ones, yourself? In September 1486, the reign of King Henry VII of England is again threatened by York loyalists. The only thing standing in the way is a four-hundred-year-old sidhe who just wants to be left alone, and a group of London women with a lot to lose if England is plunged back into war. But, in 1486, women have no power. Only the ability to make difficult choices and sometimes-heartbreaking sacrifices. Become immersed in the fascinating, perilous lives of these women, as told through the medium of 25 interwoven short stories. A prostitute selling her daughter’s virginity to pay her debts; a nun returning to the world after 30 years; laundress whose son is murdered; a lady’s maid hiding her Jewish culture; a blind musician running from a forced marriage; and more. Each story is a piece in the puzzle. Each woman faces her own trials as she plays her small part in the desperate attempt to protect King Henry and his wife, Elizabeth of York. Because if they fail, England will once again be thrust into civil war between the Yorks and Lancasters. And these four-and-twenty women have already sacrificed too much.  

AUTHOR BIO

Aiki lives in Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, (Ernest), teenage son (Leonidis - not their real names, obviously), aging dog and directionally-challenged fish.

In between being a wife, running a business full-time and helping Leonidis with homework, she squeezes in a few hobbies, including: Martial arts, painting, writing, reading, bellydancing and playing three or four musical instruments. Occasionally she even sleeps. Very occasionally.

website: https://www.aikiflinthart.com/

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/aikiflinthart