The Ring Breaker (The Midwinter Dragon Book 1) - Jean Gill

Loyalty has a price the children pay

In the twilight of the old gods, when the last Vikings rule the seas, two cursed orphans meet on an Orkney beach and their fates collide.

Stripped of honour, facing bleak loneliness ahead, Skarfr and Hlif forge an unbreakable bond as they come of age in the savage Viking culture of blood debts and vengeance. To be accepted as adults, Skarfr must prove himself a warrior and Hlif must learn to use women's weapons. Can they clear their names and choose their destiny? Or are they doomed by their fathers' acts?

The award-winning author of The Troubadours Quartet returns to the 12th century, with skalds instead of troubadours and Viking warriors instead of crusaders. Get ready for authentic medieval adventures steeped in poetry, politics and passion. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy and Madeline Miller.

 

What did I think?

Jean Gill has done it again!  The Ring Breaker is an epic adventure and it's only the beginning!  What an outstanding start to an exciting new historical fiction series.  I love Jean Gill's writing, particularly her historical fiction, so I dived headfirst into The Ring Breaker knowing that I was going to love it and I was not wrong.  

Set on Viking Orkney, the research is impeccable and I learned so much more about the period than I previously knew.  The place and the characters are brought to life so beautifully for the reader that it is like stepping through time and observing events as they are happening.  I love that so much of this story was based on fact and The Ring Breaker has one of the best author's notes I've ever read - it's as fascinating as the novel itself.

The story follows two orphans: Skarfr and Hlif, whose stories are intertwined throughout the novel.  I was absolutely fascinated with the jarl hierarchy and loved the interactions between all of the characters.  The Viking names make it a bit tricky to remember who's who but there is a list of characters (both historical and fictional) at the start of the book.  I probably pronounced their names completely wrong in my head but I was so immersed in the story that I didn't stop to consider the correct pronunciation.

Although I'm already a fan of Jean Gill's writing, her writing in The Ring Breaker is exquisite.  From the rich and vivid descriptions to the lyrical poetry.  I shall never forget one particular dreamlike scene for as long as I live.  It's giving me goosebumps just thinking about it now.

Filled with danger and adventure, The Ring Breaker is immersive, evocative and stunning; this is historical fiction at its finest.  Very highly recommended.

Many thanks to Jean Gill for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Arrows Tipped with Honey (Natural Forces Book 2) - Jean Gill

 

Exiled in the Forest, Mielitta, Queen of the Warrior Bees, could be happy but for her responsibilities to the very people who think her a freak and a traitor. Her hopes for change in the Perfect society of the Citadel rest on one man.

Trapped in a society he loathes and fears, Mage Smith Kermon's mission becomes a test of survival. Can he remain loyal to Mielitta in the double life he leads as her spy in the Citadel? He is quickly embroiled in deceit and subterfuge, forcing him into actions that make him doubt himself and everything he values.

Nobody can be trusted. Least of all the Mages bound to Mielitta's treaty by blood oath. When the dead don't stay dead, a broken oath could be Mielitta's doom.

Block Nature out and she'll force a way in.

What did I think?

Having really enjoyed Queen of the Warrior Bees, the first book in the Natural Forces series, I read book 2, Arrows Tipped with Honey, whilst the story was still fresh in my mind.  As this is a continuation of the story, I would say that you really need to read Queen of the Warrior Bees first, although some of the previous story is covered to ensure that any new readers don't completely lose the plot.

Following the Battle of the Forest, Mielitta along with Jannlou and Drianne have escaped the Perfect society of the Citadel.  Now they are free to be who they are meant to be in the forest, without having their minds sealed to give the illusion of perfection in the Citadel.  Their friend Kermon is their link to the Citadel and now that he is the Mage-Smith, he can encourage changes to be made to so-called Perfection.  

I loved Kerman's visits to the walls and seeing another world through his eyes had almost a dreamlike quality.  It's a world where you can taste honey and chocolate but like a flip of a coin there's also danger hiding around the corner.  I can't say any more about Kermon for fear of spoiling the story but it's like something out of Harry Potter, especially He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  

I've been a fan of Jean Gill for a while now and I love how she manages to sweep the reader away with her beautiful writing, not only to a fantasy world but into the midst of a beehive.  I loved hearing the voices of the bees and seeing how they communicate through dance and rely on smell as they protect the hive and their queen.  Aside from producing honey, there's also a mention of propolis which is an an amazing antibacterial balm also produced by bees.  I only discovered propolis a few years ago and think it's an excellent salve to have handy in every home.  Reading about the bees also made me think of how few we see buzzing around our gardens these days.  I have heard that bees are in decline so it's more important than ever to act now to save these marvellous creatures.

Wonderfully imaginative, Arrows Tipped with Honey is an excellent continuation of the Natural Forces story and it leads on perfectly to book 3, The World Beyond the Walls.

Thank you to Jean Gill for sending me an ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Queen of the Warrior Bees (Natural Forces 1) - Jean Gill

Epic eco-fantasy from the award-winning author of The Troubadours Quartet

One misfit girl and 50,000 bees. Together they must change the world. As the Mages of the Citadel fight amongst themselves and prepare for war against the Forest, Mielitta, a despised servant, has her own battle to face. Bastien and Jannlou, the boys who terrorised her as a child, have grown into their status as Mages and she cannot escape them forever.

In desperation, she flees to the forbidden Forest and its dangerous attractions. Her scent angers thousands of bees and, although she survives their attack, she has changed. A strange bee symbol glows on her thigh and her senses are altered. She learns that her connection with bees enables her to summon their aid and gives her the power to shift shape.

This new-found bond works both ways and the bees need Mielitta's help as the rift widens between Forest and Citadel. Can one girl and a colony of bees reunite Man and Nature, or is the split irreversible?

Block Nature out and she'll force a way in.

What did I think?

Jean Gill is one of my favourite historical fiction authors so when I heard that she had turned her hand to fantasy, I just had to read Queen of the Warrior Bees.  It goes without saying that the quality of the writing is exceptional but the story is amazing too and I found myself fully immersed in the magical world that Jean Gill has created.

Mielitta is a wonderfully strong female character; as a child, her orphan status set her apart from her peers and the boys in particular used every opportunity to bully her.  This may have caused irreversible damage to a weaker character but Mielitta is destined for great things and rises above their taunts.  The Citadel is definitely a man's world but Mielitta knows her own mind and doesn't want to fill her brain with dresses and flowers.  When a bee sting changes Mielitta forever, we see just what she is made of.

I don't read a lot of fantasy but I do think that you really have to allow your imagination to run wild in order to enjoy books in the genre.  Jean Gill certainly has the amazing ability to use her beautiful words to paint a picture of a fantasy world that is as vivid as the world outside my window.  I have been a fan of Jean's for quite some time so I know that she is a beekeeper herself and the prose is peppered with her knowledge of bees that I found very informative.

In a world where it means more to be male than female, Queen of the Warrior Bees is as much a feminist novel as a fantasy novel.  It has as strong a feminist message as The Handmaid's Tale but it has the added entertainment of magic and of course bees.  It may feel like Margaret Atwood mixed with JK Rowling but it's unmistakeably the extraordinary talent of Jean Gill.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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