Book review: Annwyn’s Blood (The Paladin of Shadows Chronicles, #1) by Michael Eging

Annwyn’s Blood (The Paladin of Shadows Chronicles, #1) by Michael Eging is a fantasy science fiction set in Sub-Roman Britain. King Mattheus’ daughter Marianna  has been abducted, but when no word of ransom comes the King is forced to take matters into his own hands, dispatching his warriors to scour the land in search of her. The book follows this adventure from alternate perspectives, from the group of warriors following heresy and hope, to young Erik who finds far more than he bargained for. There is more at risk than the fate of one princess, the Ruler of the Dead has his own plans, to which both Marianna and Erik are central. Forced into a world between life and death Erik seeks a way to rid himself of the curse forced upon him by Marianna, and attempts to save her in the process.

The first thing that struck me about this book it the beautifully descriptive style of writing. the author has a skill to take even the most simplest things as inject feeling and magic into the words. Remaining true to the era the author describes things that would be, whilst avoiding those which would not, this is not only limited to equipment and structure, but things such as the exclusion modern day colloquialisms to embrace phrases and words which would have been used. One thing I am always wary of when reading historical books is the dialogue, sometimes, in a bid to be genuine to the speech too many old words can hinder the experience, but here the author, much in the style of my favourite author Karen Gray, finds the perfect balance between use of old/ appropriate words and phrasing a sentence appropriate to the time and speech pattern.

The turmoil suffered adds depth to the characters and the plot itself is full of unexpected twists and revelations, as well as an amalgamation  of different religions to produce a well-rounded story. The author’s style is immerse and events drive the plot forward. As the first book in the series it provides a very good hook to see readers will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

Here are the Amazon links, why not see what other people have to say about it

UK: Annwyn’s Blood

US: Annwyn’s Blood