Heather’s Bookshelf: Daughter of the Sky
Author: Alison Blasdell
Released: 05/09/21
Genre: Historical Romance
“King Henry and Gwenivere dimmed from Jennifer’s view. She felt the darkness closing in again and knew what it meant. The vortex was bringing her back—violently. She felt like her body would surely burst from the force pulling on her, spinning her. Her stomach was twisted until, at last, she saw light filtering through her closed eyelids. Then she retched.”
“Daughter of the Sky” introduces Jennifer, living in the Highlands with her boyfriend, Derek and his family. Jennifer experiences blacking out episodes where she spirals into another time and body, waking up a short time later with new memories and a little nausea.
Jennifer’s found the love of her life in Derek, leaving her husband, and wanting nothing more than to start her life over. But her visions are powerful and her episodes sudden, worrying her about the life she can have with Derek and any kids they might have. This isn’t the first time she’s observed someone else’s life and she is scared it won’t be the last.
This time she ends up in 1522 and sees Lady Gwenivere Tudor, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII of England. She’s kidnapped, her life in danger, and at the mercy of a politically-driven and powerful man. When the visions turn out to be more than just dreams, Jennifer’s worlds collide as she tries to reconcile her newfound knowledge. But even with all she learns, nothing can prepare Jennifer for the truth- in this life or the next.
Trigger Warning: sexual situations, rape, violence, death
Overall, I really enjoyed the historical fiction aspects of this novel. The references to times, places, and people of the past felt natural and realistic. I felt the main character of Jennifer was less developed than the subsequent character of Gwenivere, Jennifer’s identity seemed to center around her relationships with men (past and present) and fretting over the unknown, while Gwenivere was a strong and educated woman in a time not ideal to being either one of those things. I loved the detail of the six dogs, but didn’t understand why Jennifer continually ignored their warnings. I also found some of the story to be repetitive with the retellings to different family members of the status of Jennifer or what was going on with her. I was torn on the romance portions as well. Some scenes I felt super sweet and endearing while others I found to be drawn out and repetitive (including the multiple sex scenes). This may be more of my preference to lean towards the historical more than the romantic genres, but something to keep in mind for readers wondering if this book is for them. I was also really torn by the ending. I liked the fantasy aspects and thought the author did a nice job of opening it up for future stories. However, I did not like what happened with Gwenivere’s realization at the end. I found it pretty unbelievable and awful at the same time. Perhaps that was the author’s purpose…
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A genre-bending novel with an interesting premise, but a repetitive storyline that doesn’t match in character development.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Alison Blasdell
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