Book review – For King and Country: The Saga of Thistles and Roses by Karen Gray

Good morning all,

Last night I finished reading For King and Country by Karen Gray. I have to say that so far this year it is one of the best books I have read.

The book itself follows the protagonist Morag as she starts to discover who she is and secrets she has been protected from since the time of her birth. The plot is exciting and well-conceived, not to mention fun. I really enjoyed the character interactions and watching the bonds grow, change, and develop through them. For me, one of the most important thing in a book is character development and interaction, I like to feel drawn into the characters, I like to root for them, and hate for them too. I have to admit, with such a wide array of non-cookie cutter characters I felt truly spoilt. Not to mention the author did a fantastic job in writing a character that really got under my skin.

The book is set in 27th century futuristic Scotland, in a place that is home to many mythical creatures  (although not everyone can see them for what they truly are) and turmoil as kingdoms battle for power, and unknown to her, Morag has plenty of that, a potential she is forced to unlock and embrace in order to survive. I enjoyed how the author includes some typical Scottish dialect, without it being overbearing.  For anyone who hasn’t heard the dialect, (which I love listening to by the way) it can seem quite harsh, yet not only could I read the words with ease, it was written in such a manner I didn’t even have to pause to consider what was being said. The author found an ideal balance between adding a authenticity to the dialogue, and ensuring it remained reader friendly.

To be quite honest, I had a very difficult time putting this book down. I had finished within three days of first opening it, it would have been sooner but commitments meant I have not had as much time as I would have liked. Each night I would climb into bed and start reading, ‘just one more chapter’ I’d think to myself, only to glance at the clock and see it was already 2am, oops. Needless to say this book was the cause of few tired mornings, then again, that is nothing if not the sign of a good book.

I can’t wait until its next instalment, which I believe, according to the final page, is in December. I am marking it on my calendar, and you can bet that it will jump a few books before it on my reading list. I can’t express enough how fun this was to read. As always I have included links to the book below, why not check it out for yourself, you won’t regret it.

Amazon Links

U.K. For King and Country: The Saga of Thistles and Roses (The Warrior Queen Book 1)

U.S For King and Country: The Saga of Thistles and Roses (The Warrior Queen Book 1)