Tag: Historical Fantasy Fiction

Review:  Ravenwood (Tanyth Fairport Adventures Book 1) by Nathan Lowell

Rating: 4.5⭐️

“You’re never too old to make a bad decision.”

That was the line that hooked me. And one I may have printed out on a sweatshirt. 

From there I tumbled gently into the fantasy world of Tanyth Fairport, a older woman who’s been traveling around for 20 years, learning her craft, teaching others, and hoping for word of her son who got away from his abusive father as soon as possible. 

Her backstory is one that unfolds along with the other characters she encounters, as the situation develops.

She travels alone, dresses in clothing that could be either gender, disguising herself on the road from those who would victimize a woman. That’s a perfect representation of her on the cover, with her metal tipped staff. 

She has a goal to achieve. She wants to learn from one of the last Witches of the Woods before that woman dies. If Hermit of Lammas Wood will teach her.  And she must reach there before the winter comes. 

Of course, things will not go as planned. People will need help. And as Tanyth must decide whether to stay or go, we learn about the herbal remedies and medicines, communities, and religious rituals in a way that is real and meaningful. It’s built slowly and carefully grounded in these characters and their lives and beliefs. 

And then comes the magic, seeping into the world and storylines on the wings of a Raven. 

For a novel that was a slow start I was absolutely absorbed by the concept, characters and the journey that Tanyth was taking midway through. By the end I was sorry to see this stage end but excited for the next chapter to come. 

I’m late to the writing of Nathan Lowell but I’m so impressed by the stories and worlds I’ve encountered. 

Here’s one more recommendation I’m happy to share. 

Tanyth Fairport Adventures (3 book series) :

Ravenwood #1

Zypheria’s Call #2

The Hermit of Lammas Wood #3

I wish I knew who did that amazing cover and artwork. That’s a perfect illustration of Tanyth on the road right down to her staff. 

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 3: Tanyth Fairport Adventures 

Blurb 

You’re never too old to make a bad decision.

After twenty winters on the road, Tanyth Fairport makes one last pilgrimage in her quest to learn all she can about the herbs and medicinal plants of Korlay before settling down to write her magnum opus. Her journey is interrupted when she decides to help a small village and learns that much of what she knows of the world may not be quite as it seems. 

Nathan Lowell blends wiccan tradition and shamanistic lore into a fantasy quest for a new – if unlikely – heroine. She learns that the familiar sometimes hides the fantastic and that, even when you think you’ve made your decisions, life doesn’t always agree.

Publisher

Durandus

Publication date

October 26, 2011

Language

‎English

Print length

382 pages

Book 1 of 3

Tanyth Fairport Adventures

Review:  Weyward: A Novel by Emilia Hart

Rating: 5⭐️

“The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.—Adrienne Rich”

That’s the quote that ends this extraordinary story but just as easily could be the one that begins it. 

This is one of my most favored books. 

Emilia Hart’s story of three women, related to each other by blood and by the horrific abuse they are experiencing, and the cottage named Weyward that’s their home and finally their sanctuary. 

The author relates their stories simultaneously in three different time frames , managing to emotionally and historically connect them and us as a whole rich tapestry. 

Kate is the first voice, so fearful and utterly desperate. It’s 2019 and she’s got one chance to flee her abusive husband.  The scene is chilling and the terror palpable. 

Altha, a healer, is equally terrified, afraid for her life when we first meet. She’s on trial for witchcraft. The year is 1619. 

Violet is the third voice heard, an innocent in 1942, one who listens to her bees and mayflies in the gardens, and crows in the trees. She’s a wild child hidden away from the world by a harsh father , a woman, damaged by those close, who will be an unlikely bridge to the other two women and their worlds. 

The writing is remarkable, Hart is able to create a wild magic in her descriptions of the natural beauty and sounds of a garden. She brings alive the power of winds blowing through the woods, a dark threat imminent, on a dark, scary night, making the reader feel the fears for ourselves. 

The basics of the book is the women come from a long line of witches, which make them in tune with the power of the natural world , the insects and animals, as well as the environment around them.  But it’s  also about each of them finding their inner strength,  their acceptance of themselves and their past experiences. And these women have had some truly traumatic past histories and experiences occur to them.  Every possible thing you can think of. 

They survive, are courageous and resilient and beyond brave in going forward with their lives in the end. 

This is one of my favorite books besides The Women by Kristen Hannah .  Such a remarkably crafted story and memorably well written women. 

Highly recommended. Read the trigger warnings. 

I love the cover. Morg the crow and possibly his descendants play an important role in their lives. 

Cover art by Michael Storrings

Buy link

SponsoredAmazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comWeyward: A Novel: Hart, Emilia: 9781250280800: Amazon.com: Books

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weywardscratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience.

  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (March 7, 2023)
  • Publication date: March 7, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 408 pages