Half the year has flown by fast

It is astounding to think that half the year has already gone by so quickly. There has been a lot of growth and change on the website packed in that little space. I hope you have appreciated all the new book goodies. Please leave me feedback for how to improve. I'm really working to make a go of this website.

Highland Raven by Melanie Karsak

I am patiently, yet excitedly, waiting for the third novel in the Lily Stargazer series to publish. While I wait, I thought it would be nice to check out some of the other works by Melaine Karsak. She has a horror series about zombies and a Shakespearean romance series available. I'm not one for zombies in this over-crazed phase of fad, so I picked the fiction based from the play Macbeth. (Who doesn't love some Scottish tales right now? Is one fad really better than another? Maybe I'll try out those zombie books next after all.)

This is not the original title or cover art of the novel. It has been through some rebranding in its year or so since publication. I felt those marketing pains as I had some hurdles in the first couple of chapters. I persevered, though, and am thankful for the growth in the latter half of the book. 

The idea of seeing from Lady Macbeth's viewpoint after hundreds of years living in the shadow of Shakespeare's most frightening woman was interesting speculation. There are plenty of nods to Shakespeare for the discerning reader as well as a good bit of historical research, but these novels are always more a fun game of what-if. This is one of the better done character sketches in historical fiction, but maybe not in terms of Lady Macbeth.

The other characters that make an appearance are gems and make this story complete. They really help to flesh out the concept of Lady Macbeth being a living, breathing piece of history in a way the play just didn't capture. I especially loved Sid. Oh, Sid, you belong in Wonderland. Another area of interest is the realm of the three witches, and I hope will be present in the next books with some more detail.

This novel certainly has a graphic nature and would not be recommended for teens.

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