PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Cecelia Holland began writing at age 12 and focused on history because being 12, I had precious few stories of my own. Her earlier novels Firedrake and Great Maria were New York Times bestsellers, and Holland's historical fiction is noted for her meticulous attention to detail.
In a lesser author's hands, this would all be so much epic-fantasy boilerplate. But Holland imbues her tale with an elemental, archetypal magnificence that's heightened even further by her lush, Gothic atmosphere and mystique. Her sentences are exquisite, and she renders scenes of sex and death with poetic, visceral power. --NPR Holland revisits the enthralling saga of Corban Loosestrife in this equally engaging sequel to The Soul Thief.Holland interweaves elements of romance, magic, and suspense into a superlative historical epic featuring a stoic hero often at odds with the all-powerful Viking warriors. --Booklist on The Witches' Kitchen Holland's inspired combination of familial domesticity and political plotting changes moods neatly and repeatedly, managing to be cozy, horrific, and mythic by turns. --Publishers Weekly In the hands of another writer--perhaps most other writers--Dragon Heart would be three times as long, but It wouldn't be nearly as knife-sharp as Holland's spare, tightly focused prose makes it. --Locus In a lesser author's hands, this would all be so much epic-fantasy boilerplate. But Holland imbues her tale with an elemental, archetypal magnificence that's heightened even further by her lush, Gothic atmosphere and mystique. Her sentences are exquisite, and she renders scenes of sex and death with poetic, visceral power. NPR Holland revisits the enthralling saga of Corban Loosestrife in this equally engaging sequel to The Soul Thief.Holland interweaves elements of romance, magic, and suspense into a superlative historical epic featuring a stoic hero often at odds with the all-powerful Viking warriors. Booklist on The Witches' Kitchen Holland s inspired combination of familial domesticity and political plotting changes moods neatly and repeatedly, managing to be cozy, horrific, and mythic by turns. Publishers Weekly In the hands of another writer perhaps most other writers Dragon Heart would be three times as long, but It wouldn t be nearly as knife-sharp as Holland s spare, tightly focused prose makes it. Locus
