The Outlander King (The Aetheling’s Bride, Book 1)
by Hilary Rhodes
Publication Date: June 1, 2015
Amazon/Smashwords
eBook; 476 Pages
ASIN: B00XM9QJ1K
Genre: Historical Fiction
The story of The Lion and the Rose and the Norman Conquest continues
in this spellbinding new historical fiction series from author Hilary
Rhodes, pulling back the curtain on the lives of two remarkable women
connected across centuries: Aislinn, a seventeen-year-old English girl
caught up in the advancing army of the “outlander king,” the man who
will become known to history as William the Conqueror. Thrust into the
center of the new Norman court and a dizzying web of political intrigue
and plotting princes, she must choose her alliances carefully in a game
of thrones where the stakes are unimaginably high. Embroiled in
rebellions and betrayals, Aislinn learns the price of loyalty, struggles
to find her home, and save those she loves – and, perhaps, her own soul
as well.
Almost nine hundred years later in 1987, Selma Murray, an American
graduate student at Oxford University, is researching the mysterious
“Aethelinga” manuscript, as Aislinn’s chronicle has come to be known.
Trying to work out the riddles of someone else’s past is a way for Selma
to dodge her own troubling ghosts – yet the two are becoming
inextricably intertwined. She must face her own demons, answer Aislinn’s
questions, and find forgiveness – for herself and others – in this
epically scaled but intimately examined, extensively researched look at
the creation of history, the universality of humanity, and the many
faces it has worn no matter the century: loss, grief, guilt, redemption,
and love.
My Review
4 out of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this
historical fiction set in the time of William of Normandy (later known
as William the Conqueror). The main story follows a commoner girl,
Aislinn, as she is taken away from her home and goes through various
personal and historical events to becomes a strong yet flawed woman.
Aislinn and her family are fictional characters but most of the rest of
the people surrounding her are in fact historical characters, and I
really liked the mix of the two. Most of the secondary characters were
also well fleshed out and interesting. There were a couple of Aislinn's
actions that had me shake my head and wonder why she would do it, but on
the whole, it was a strong and captivating story.
The other part of the book is about Selma, an American graduate student studying at Oxford, on a search of the “Aetheling” manuscript, presumably written by Aislinn herself. In honesty, I could have done without that part. I
felt like taking a sharp break from the medieval story for Selma's part took
me out of Aislinn's story and did not add much value to it. I also didn't connect much with Selma's story and didn't find much of a connection between her story and Aislinn's (it's possible there will be more of an explanation in the next book).
Minus
the modern day part, I loved the novel and would recommend it for any
historical fiction aficionado. I will also pick up other novels by
Hilary Rhodes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hilary Rhodes is a scholar, author, blogger, and all-around geek who
fell in love with medieval England while spending a year abroad at
Oxford University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in history, and is
currently preparing for doctoral studies at the University of Leeds,
fulfilling a years-long dream to return to the UK. In what little spare
time she has, she enjoys reading, blogging about her favorite TV shows,
movies, and books, music, and traveling.
For more information please visit Hilary Rhodes’
blog.
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