Book Review
of Saint Sanguinus sponsored by Bewitching Book Tours
Saint Sanguinus
by Julia Phillips Smith
Book blurb:
An elite brotherhood stands between
humans and vampires, preventing one side from annihilating the other. Who are
called to this service?
Only those warriors who curse God
with their dying breath. Welsh warrior Peredur falls to a spear before he can
claim Tanwen for his bride. Raging on the battlefield, Peredur utters the curse
that seals his fate and leads him to another life. Using the power of a saint
whose bone makes up an amulet, Peredur takes on the trials to become a true
member of the brethren. Yet his need for the chieftain’s daughter Tanwen still
burns.
Tanwen resists her father’s command
to take a husband. The only one who understands her sorrow is Cavan, the wise
woman’s son. When he promises that he can reunite her with her beloved, she
agrees to his terms.
But does Tanwen truly understand
the depth of the price that must be paid?
Book trailer 2 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY8gACi2aaY&feature=relmfu
Excerpt:
Peredur hung forward, his arms stretched
awkwardly behind him, bound behind a large tree. Now fully awake, he tried to
stand upright and surge forward, but the bonds held.
His brethren gathered all
around the tree. Melnak who stood farthest away in the shadows, pulled his
amulet from where it hid in his robes then lifted it over his head. As he
approached, Melnak said, “God our Father, our brother now descends into the
trial you have given him.”
The brethren intoned, “Our
Father, hear us,” just as Peredur’s body began to jerk away from the amulet as
though compelled to do so. Melnak brought the shining polished bone to rest
against the bottom rib of Peredur’s left side.
For a moment Peredur
couldn’t see. All before him was blinding white light.
When he came to, Peredur
sensed he was somewhere else entirely, no longer bound to the tree.
In the distance, a figure
waited for him, a miserable bent man barely clothed in rags. Peredur tried to
join him, but at the hint of motion his legs shot through with fiery tendrils.
The figure turned his face to see who approached.
Such a man. His face held the expression of one who had endured a
torturous vigil, rather like the one from which Peredur could not free himself.
But the face also held a beauty that hurt to see. Peredur wanted to turn his
face away, but the gaze of those tormented eyes held him and despite the pain,
he forced a step or two forward.
_I’m coming, Peredur
tried to tell him, but the bent figure lowered his head as if overcome by agony
after all. Peredur grit his teeth and pushed forward with all his might.
His feet finally moved,
but suddenly it seemed the saint was miles from where Peredur could reach him.
Peredur’s heart sank.
He remembered in his
boyhood, how heavy the sword had been at first, when the sword master made him
swing it again and again. His legs just now were the same. They rebelled
against his commands.
_Move! he shouted
at them. _Move!
Anger at the injustice of
it coursed through him. As the anger rose, the binding stiffness released his
legs and his steps grew easier.
Peredur wanted to race to
the saint’s side, but what use would there be in that? Now that he could move,
he walked with dread toward the fallen bundle of rags and limbs. Kneeling
there, he took the saint in his arms and brushed the matted hair from the
bruised face.
Saint Cittinus’ eyes
fluttered open.
Peredur looked down at the
youthful saint in his arms, made old before his time by the captivity and
mistreatment he’d endured. As if for the first time, Peredur saw the clear
white line of a scar across the saint’s neck, as if a rope had choked him
there.
Saint Cittinus looked into
Peredur’s eyes. Those cracked lips moved. Instead of ‘I thirst,’ the saint
spoke clearly, if softly. “We have no one else to fear,” he said, “but our Lord
God. Who is in Heaven.”
Peredur nodded. He stayed
as he was and watched the saint expire before his eyes. All the while his angel
never took his hand from Peredur’s shoulder.
Saint Cittinus faded from
Peredur’s grip, though he still felt the weight of him in his arms. No sooner than he’d seen it, but Peredur came
to.
He found himself still
straining in his bonds against the tree. With breathtaking intensity, the pain
in his rib returned. Melnak held the amulet to him still, with unyielding
grimness.
He thought of the scar
upon the saint’s neck. Instead of struggling and cursing as Peredur had done on
the battlefield against the spear, Cittinus had accepted the wound that had
given him the scar.
It was time to stop
fighting.
Author bio:
A graduate of Ryerson University’s
film program, Julia Phillips Smith’s previous writing credits include scripts
for radio and television. She has donned various creative hats, including stage
manager (theatre), editor (TV documentary) and director (short films.)
Julia lives with her husband and
her mom on Canada's east coast, where the rugged sea and misty forests feed her
thirst for gothic tales.
A longtime blogger, she invites you
to visit A Piece of My Mind (http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/). ~~~
Web site - http://juliaphillipssmith.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/apieceofmymind
Book Review:
This is a very intriguing tale. Told in a modified third person, it switches
point of view between Peredur, a brethren; Tanwen, the woman he loves; and
Cavan, the wise woman’s son who loves Tanwen.
Normally not a big fan of love triangles, but this one has so many
twists and turns and unique characteristics that it worked for me.
Brethern, vampires that aren’t
vampires (you’ll have to read the book to understand) and vampires that are
vampires dominate this book. However the
complexity of these two factions and the war between them and how humans fit
into it is flawlessly portrayed. This
could easily become a hopeless tangle web with no direction, but Julia Phillips
Smith skillfully weaves the threads into a beautiful tapestry of a story.
A must read, I give this story 5 out
of 5 clouds.
This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.
Wow--thanks, Mindy!
ReplyDeleteThia was an intriguing read so rich in the atmosphere of ancient Wales! It made me want to know more about the stories of the rest of The Brethren.
ReplyDelete