Review: Peaceweaver by Rebecca Barnhouse
February 8, 2012
Peaceweaver by Rebecca Barnhouse
A well-crafted historical novel based on the epic verse of Beowulf, this book follows a minor character from that tale on her own adventure.
In historic Scandinavia, 16 year-old Hild is a member of Shylfing nobility, niece to the king. As she moves from role of pampered child to take her place in adult society she learns that life is not always what she expects. Her lofty visions of being her uncle’s trusted adviser and stepping into her ill aunt’s place are not to be.
Shortly after her first official appearance in the king’s court, she begins having visions. Only these visions do more than just invade her mind, they take over her body completely. In a vision-induced rage, she kills a visiting ambassador. She “knew” he was going to murder the king’s only son and heir. She expects to be rewarded.
But the king’s skald, a holy man and adviser, declares she is controlled by evil spirits and recommends expelling her from the village.
The king decides to send her to a far away tribe as a peaceweaver and wife to the about-to-be-crowned Beowulf.
She journeys with several of her uncle’s warriors, and her slave-nanny across the dangerous wilderness to her new home. Along the way she will need all her cunning, the violent visions she learns to control, and to come to terms with the prejudices of her upbringing against the people she is sent to become queen over, to realize just what a gift losing everything she’s ever known and held dear will turn out to be.
I like well-wrought historical fiction. I truly enjoyed this book. My only compliant is that the reader needs to have either read Ms. Barnhouse’s previous book or know the original Beowulf verses to really understand the storyline. Some of the sections of the book will leave readers without background at a loss as to what is going on.
I recommend this book for readers13 years old and up.
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Note: I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley for review.
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