The Siege Winter

I was very sad to learn when I picked up this book at the library that one of the authors, Ariana Franklin, is dead. I thoroughly enjoyed her Mistress of the Art of Death series, and will be sorry not to be able to read more of them. But her daughter Samantha Norman finishes this novel of 12th century England that Ariana began, and between the two of them they wrote one heck of a novel.

Told by an Abbot on his deathbed at the end of the 12th century, this is the tale of the civil war in the 1140s between King Stephen and the Empress Mathilda, rivals for the throne. But more importantly it's the story of two very strong females: Emma, the 11-year-old girl who in order to save her family, sacrifices herself to an evil monk and his band of mercenaries; and Maud, the 15-year-old chatelaine of an important castle that both Stephen and Mathilda would lay claim to.

Maud and Emma (now called Penda) eventually come to be together, but not before Penda has taken up with the honorable mercenary Gwil, who teaches her to use a bow with deadly precision, and not before Maud has found herself married to the nasty Sir John, who holds her castle for King Stephen. Then something happens to Sir John, and Empress Mathilda comes along, and well, that's where the siege in the title comes into play.

This is a wonderful historical novel, and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it.

The Siege Winter