I really wanted to like this book. The premise sounded interesting and I was looking forward to the Norman period setting. Unfortunately, getting through this book was a chore. As other reviewers have pointed out, this book has a very juvenile tone, which for me had less to do with the main character's age and more to do with the writing. I often felt I was reading something written by a thirteen year old girl, with the occasion attempt at sounding more adult. Other than some bits and pieces of generic Norman history and a few descriptive details, there was little to suggest the story took place in the eleventh century. The idiomatic language and clichés made Lassair seem more like a modern teenager than a young Anglo-Saxon woman. There was a lot of anachronistic behavior on the part of the characters, and the "old ways" practiced by some of the villagers were more New Age than ancient tradition. The plot and the characters were underdeveloped and the only real surprise for me at the end of the book was the casual, unconcerned attitude of Lassair when Sibert killed the villain. Overall, the book was a major disappointment. ( )

Enjoyable mystery set just after William the Conquerer's death in the fens of the British Isles. Or whatever they were called back in the 1080s. An appealing young heroine, 13 year old Lassair, is enjoying her unpleasant older sister's wedding and impending departure from her family's small cottage. When a handsome young stranger visits, it sets in motion a sequence of events involving politics, ancient history, and rather surprisingly, magic that I thought at first was simply a depiction of the conflict between the older pagan religious beliefs and the more strict version of Christianity brought by the Norman conquerers... but that turned out to be "real", in a pagan religion sort of way. The brave young heroine, the relationship between the family members, and the political history make this a satisfying if light mystery read by the fire. it's the first of a series. I think it has crossover appeal, given the young heroine and her young friend and romantic interest Sibert, who shares this adventure with her (at some peril). ( )

I like historical novels,this is a decent one. Plot moves right along and the character development is good, a beliveable young woman for the plot to hinge on. Also interesting is the time period (1087) when Christianity was a new religion and pagan practices still hold sway with the population. ( )