A Wonderful Adventure

This is a terrific alt-historical adventure novel that should be totally accessible to young readers, and a delight to readers of all ages. Michael Hajiantonis’s narration was particularly absorbing! (I intend to buy more of his work.)

Young Aelfric is a gifted piper and escaped thrall. Aliwyn is a sick girl with the toddler son of an English lord in her keeping who has taken to stealing to survive. These two orphans fall in together, and try to find their way to safety in 1000s England in the aftermath of the harrowing (a time of unrest).

Aelfric's past is pursing him all the time, while at the same time Aliwyn's mysterious illness only seems to get worse. Is it really a curse on her caused by loneliness, and is there anything Aelfric can do to stop it?

Full of wonderful historical detail, as well as some inventions, it was the characters that stood out most starkly to me in this narrative. Their motivations were always crystal clear and their psychology was well explored. I was following their twin journey every step of the way, ever wondering how they would get themselves out of the next mess they found themselves in.

The dangers and escapes of the novel are dramatic and thrilling, but they always rang as true to me. There is a narrative reserve and a realism about the action that grounded the story beautifully and never leaves the humanity of its characters behind.

For me, the journey of our protagonists' friendship lives at the heart of the story. Their deepening relationship, which they themselves hardly understand, grows into a trusting friendship through one hardship after another. The choices they make drive them apart, and at the same time somehow conspire to drive them closer together.

This is a story of goodness and the human spirit. It was wholesome, but not without its strife and grief. Candidly, it could not have come to me at a better time. It was a companion to me on many restless nights sitting up with a sick dog, my beloved friend. This story was a balm to my own grief and anxiety.

I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone and anyone. There is so much here that is compelling to read: themes of friendship, prejudice, different faiths, anger, morality, and much more. Most of all this is a human story, and one I want to continue.

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Heartwarming and adventurous!

I had seen several reviews about this one, and I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it because it is no-magic, historical fiction, but it is such a sweet story! Two orphaned strangers have a chance meeting when Aelfric is trying to escape from his former master. Aliwyn helps him hide until he can board a ship to freedom in Scotland. However, through many twists and turns, the two end up having to save each other from one danger after another, and in the end discover that friendship is the most important blessing of all. There is some mention of child ab*se and violence to children, for anyone sensitive to that, but it has a happy ending for everyone. 🥰

I listen to audiobooks mostly, and the narration on this one was well done. It was duel narration, and both also did well at voicing the other character/gender when it was during their chapter, as well as capturing the innocence and spirit of the children vs the adult characters.

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