Reviews of Alvar the Kingmaker

Some of the kind reviews that people have left on Amazon/Goodreads



From David's BookBlurg.Wordpress.com:
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since I finished To Be a Queen. While the books are standalone tales I very much recommend reading them both. Annie has a way of writing her female characters which makes these novels stand out for me.
For the main this book follows Alvar as he tries to guide the king as best he can with numerous things getting in his way… mainly the church.

It’s another beautiful piece of work from the author who manages to make the pages cover alive with her descriptions of the surroundings and her way of describing death manages to humble the reader.

One of the things I liked the most about this book is once again Annie has managed to write a love story amongst all this war/hatred and backstabbing. It takes a while for Alvar to get to grips with the political game he’s forced into.

As mentioned I loved the female characters in this book, two stood out Kata & Alfreda.(although there were more). I won’t spoil the story but the author manages to show real strength within these two for different reasons and for me these two made the book what it is.

As far as historical accuracy goes Annie Whitehead takes a great approach, sticks to the facts when possible and uses her imagination where needed. The author handily gives the characters nicknames since most of the real names would be unpronounceable to most of us. I felt this gave the book a better flow as I would have been stuck every time a name popped up. All of these name changes along with any other liberties the author has taken are explained at the end of the book..this shows just how good of an author Annie is, The perfect mix of fact and fiction to showcase her talent.

This book is full to the brim of love & deceit.. it keeps you hooked wondering what else can happen.. Then when events play out your left with a lump in your throat. Real emotion from words set on paper is a wonderful thing.

I only wish we knew more about what happened to Alvar..
From Amazon.co.uk:
"Another excellent book from this talented author. Having thoroughly enjoyed her first book, To Be A Queen, I was waiting impatiently for her next offering, hoping it would be as fascinating as the first, and haven't been disappointed. The author has an elegant, beautiful style of writing that draws you in from the first page, and holds you until the end. She has clearly researched her period minutely, and the story is a true one, but she does not bombard the reader with lengthy descriptions, instead incorporating not only the political situation but also the details of domestic life of the period into a fascinating story about a period seldom written about. At the end I had not only been highly entertained, enthralled even, but I also came away knowing a lot more about this turbulent and fascinating period of English history. I could not ask for more."

From Goodreads:
"Another fabulous read from Annie Whitehead!
This author has the knack of whisking the reader away to more than a thousand years ago and making it seem so real. The historical detail in this book is second to none and makes it so easy to picture in one's mind.
The story is intriguing, exciting and above all based on truth. And as with the author's first book, To Be A Queen, I now feel as if I know far more about this period in our history.
Fantastic - you won't be disappointed.

And definitely one I will read again!!"


From Amazon:
This is the second of Annie Whitehead's book I have read and both have been truly excellent. I am normally much more comfortable in the 19th century, but with this author I did not have any difficulty in sliding into the period. As with her first book, the characters are entirely believable and everything that should be told, was told with no excess padding. The use of more modern versions of the original Anglo-Saxon names was sensible: there is nothing worse for readers unfamiliar with the period than stumbling over tongue-twisting names!
The dialogue was equally good - the characters spoke naturally as they followed their lives, hopes and ambitions.
It was good to read a book about the period that was not crammed with battles and gore: these people were like us. They could not have spent their entire lives battling, and in Alvar the Kingmaker they had other things to occupy their time other than pointless slaughter.
Overall - well balanced, historically accurate and captivating.

This is a great read - full of intrigue and romance, set in well-researched Anglo-Saxon times. I recommend it.

Having already read Annie Whitehead's other novels, I knew the quality of writing I would be getting, but I think in terms of character, Alvar might be my favorite yet.

The author's ability to shed light on a period of history not often shown, much less shown to be as interesting as it was, is as exceptional as her ability to manage an enormous cast of highly individual characters.

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