This is the first of Helen Hollick’s books I have read and on the strength of it I have now bought book two as well as the Arthurian series. I am half way through book two and getting to know the characters even more.
This is a fun blend of authentic historical action adventure in the pirate era – you can almost hear the rigging creak and the wind blow – with a light touch of fantasy and sorcery.
The story is that of a rogue pirate Jesamiah and the young girl destined to be his lover, the white witch, Tiola.
Jesamiah is a engaging hero and Tiola, an at time fierce heroine. The story winds back and forth between them keeping the reader interested in both main protagonists.
Hollick is not afraid to use graphic descriptions both of the fighting scenes and the sexual encounters and manages to portray a grimey, often desperate world with believable heroes and villains.
You can tell that more books were planned right from the start as there are major characters introduced who are designed to be recurring figures. A sense that more is yet to come is also apparent in the fantastical parts – in particular the interaction between Tiola and Tethys a goddess of the sea.
The descriptions are rich and detailed, the dialogue authentic and laced with many 17th century expressions and curses  and as such may not suit some readers not used to archaic terms. But anyone reading a historical novel is generally after the detail – the feeling that  you are living the moments with the characters and you certainly get that here and Hollick does not drown you in detail: it is more a case of being nicely immersed.
Well recommended.
Related Articles
3 users responded in this post
[…] Marianne and Judy (stop here also on the 18th and 25th) July 12……….. …..Richard’s Ramblings with Richard Denning July 14…………………..VVB32 Reads  with […]
I love the background in which Jesamiah and Tiola’s love story plays out. Their love is desperate and fierce and hints at being forbidden. She young and untainted, while he is no more than a rogue. He lives for the sea, an escape for him while she is stable and solitary, tethered to the land. I am looking forward to reading this series,
It sounds like this book will definitely take you on an adventure! I can’t wait to read it.