About the book
Duncan, BC Canada: Award Winning Writer Rebecca Hazell Releases First Book in Trilogy of Historical Fiction Novels
Rebecca Hazell's The Grip of God, the first novel in an epic historical trilogy, is available on amazon.com and its affiliates and by special order through your local bookstore. The saga’s heroine, Sofia, is a young princess of Kievan Rus. Clear eyed and intelligent, she recounts her capture in battle and life of slavery to a young army captain in the Mongol hordes that are flooding Europe. Not only is her life shattered, it is haunted by a prophecy that catalyzes bitter rivalries in her new master's powerful family. She must learn to survive in a world of total war, always seeking the love she once took for granted.
Sofia's story is based on actual historical events that determine her destiny. Readers will delight in this very personal and engaging tale from a time that set the stage for many of the conflicts of today's world.
Praise for the trilogy
“How deftly and compellingly Hazell takes the reader with her into that mysterious and exotic world, and makes it all seem so very close to hand!” – Peter Conradi, Fellow of Britain's Royal Society of Literature and author of Iris Murdoch: A Life, and of A Very English Hero.
"I enjoyed watching her morph from a spoiled sheltered princess with slaves of her own, into a tough, savvy survivor, with a new awareness of social injustice. The book is action packed. I couldn't put it down." -- from a review on Amazon.com.
"I got completely caught up in the characters and story and always looked forward to getting back to them. What a fully fleshed and fascinating world you developed and it was wondrous to learn so much about that time and the Mongol culture. Your gifts come out in your lush descriptions of place and objects. All very vivid and colorful." --author Dede Crane Gaston
The novel is available both in paperback and Kindle versions and through your local bookstore by special order. The subsequent two novels in the trilogy are scheduled for publication later this year.
About the author
Rebecca Hazell is a an award winning artist, author and educator.
She is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and she holds an honours BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz in Russian and Chinese history.
Rebecca lived for many years in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1988 she and her family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 2006 she and her husband moved to Vancouver Island. They live near their two adult children in the beautiful Cowichan Valley.
Visit Rebecca:
My Review:
“The Grip of God: Book One of The Tiger and The Dove” by
Rebecca Hazell was definitely an interesting read. I was a little lost in the
beginning though. There were several words that I did not know the meaning of,
because they were a different language, and there was also a lot of talk about
spirits/gods which I was not familiar with. After Dorje was introduced to the
novel, and began to translate for Sofia things became much clearer, and I
started to grasp exactly what was going on. The writing style was smooth
throughout, and the author had a way of creating images in the readers head
through great imagery. I felt like I
really got to know Sofia and her beliefs, and she was definitely a likable main
character. It was amazing how she was able to find inner strength in order to
deal with the horrible situation she was thrown into. She is definitely a
character who you will be rooting for as a reader. There were a number of
colorful characters in this novel, and the author uses great descriptions,
right down to how the Mongol’s smell (not good)! As the novel goes on, Sofia
becomes more and more self-aware, and she continues to grow as a person.
The passion/sexual parts of the novel grossed me out a
little bit, one because Sofia is raped repeatedly by Armagon (the Mongol who
‘stole’ Sofia, and two because they never, ever bathe, which is just disgusting
to imagine. I wish I had a clearer understanding of the novel over all. I felt
lost a lot of the time, and although the supernatural aspect of the novel was
interesting, it was also confusing. I was confused as to whether the different
creatures, like the ‘maidens’ under the ice, were actually really there or if
it was just a part of Sofia’s belief system? It just got a little confusing at
times.
Over all I thought it was an interesting book. I felt like I
learned quite a bit about the Mongol way of life, and I also like that I cared
about Sofia as a character.
I give this novel a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Tour Schedule:
Monday, February 17
Review at Must Read Faster
Tuesday, February 18
Guest post/giveaway at Must Read Faster
Friday, February 21
Interview at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Monday, February 24
Review/giveaway at Oh, For the Hook of a Book
Wednesday, February 26
Review at A Rose in the City
Thursday, February 27
Review/Giveaway at Book Drunkard
Friday, February 28
Guest Post at Book Drunkard
Monday, March 3
Review at She is Too Fond of Books
Thursday, March 6
Spotlight/Giveaway at Celticlady's Reviews
Friday, March 7
Review at Historical Fiction Obsession
Monday, March 10
Guest post/review/Giveaway at Lost in Books
Tuesday, March 11
Guest Post at The True Book Addict
Wednesday, March 12
Review/Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Thursday, March 13
Review/giveaway at Create with Joy
Friday, March 14
Guest post/giveaway at HF Book Muse- News
Guest post/giveaway/review at Le Vanity Victorienne
Great Review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Kimberly! I like books that make me think and stretch my mind. I'm starting the book myself this weekend. My review is on the 12th.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for being on the tour!