Review of On a Highland Shore, historical fiction set in medieval Scotland by Kathleen Givens
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Synopsis
Margaret MacDonald, daughter of the Laird of Somerstrath, has just discovered that the man she is to marry has been unfaithful to her with her best friend. Because of her family’s refusal to cancel the betrothal, she travels to court to ask King Alexander to release her from it.
Returning home, she and her escort find that Norsemen have destroyed Somerstrath and massacred the inhabitants. While cleaning up the bodies, they find that several young boys are missing, including one of Margaret’s younger brothers.
They are joined by several relatives and allies, including Gannon MacMagnus, a young Irish warrior with a Norse father. Together they start recovering from the invasion and track down the attackers.
Review
The beginning seemed to get off to a bit of a slow start. However, once the Norsemen attack Somerstrath the story takes off. As the book continues, it is intense and suspenseful, especially during the battle scenes (warning: they were a bit graphic).
I enjoyed the brief appearances of real historical people, such as King Alexander. This ties the story in to the real historical setting. The book does a great job of showing the beauty of this time along with the brutality.
I struggled to care about Davy, the brother who was abducted. I just hadn’t seen enough of him to become attached to him before he was taken. I was more concerned about whether they would find and stop the Norse invasions or not.
There was a tease about Nell’s story. She meets a man called Liam and it seems obvious that eventually they’ll get together. Apparently the author planned to write another book featuring Nell, but died before she could do so. That’s a shame, because I want to understand that reference.
The author did a really good job of showing Margaret’s emotions; I could really feel her helplessness, loss, and betrayal.
‘Margaret stumbled down the hill behind Rignor. They checked every house. They found no one alive.
Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think.
They stopped before what had once been the gatehouse, staring at the still-smoldering roof of the keep. Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think. The chant ran through her mind, but thought was already very difficult. There was a roaring in her ears, almost like the sea. She no longer even saw the bodies of the men who had died here, simply stepped over the fallen who lay strewn across the stone courtyard and in the storeroom that had been the ground floor.’
The relationship between Margaret and Ganon adds a bit of romance to the story, but not enough to make it a romance novel rather than historical fiction. It also seems a bit shallow; I think the author hasn’t done a very good job of the “show don’t tell” thing with regards to this part of the story.
Margaret and Ganon were both strong people. I liked them much more than weaker characters such as Rignor. While I didn’t want Rignor to die, I was glad that his death allowed Margaret to become the clan leader; she always looked like a better leader than him.
The Norseman (main baddie) is pure evil. Rignor and Lachlan are shown as bad, they certainly do bad things, but they aren’t evil at heart. They are understandable given the setting and context.
Conclusion
Have you read On a Highland Shore? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.
If you haven’t, it can be bought at Book Depository (they have free worldwide shipping!).
