[Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.]
Nicely written, nice story (although at parts a bit boring), but that's it.
Honestly, I was put up with everything when I found a citation of the Beowulf, as this book is set in 633 AD, way before the Beowulf was even conceived. Pity.

Couldn't read on time due to a broken e reader. My sincere apologies to the author and publisher for this.

I went out out of my normal genre with this author. I will admit I am glad I did because I kept wanting more. It is a definite page turner I felt I was part of the story while reading it. Note there are some violent parts in this book and may be hard to handle, however the plot stays true and does not hold back. I am glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to read this book.

Much as I enjoy reading historical fiction set in other countries, it’s also nice to have the opportunity to learn about the history of my own little corner of the world. This novel by Matthew Harffy, the first of a series, is set in the same time and place as Edoardo Albert’s Northumbrian Thrones trilogy, but as soon as I started to read The Serpent Sword I could tell it was going to be a very different type of book – not necessarily better or worse; just different.

The Serpent Sword opens in the year 633, when Britain is still made up of a collection of warring kingdoms. It begins with murder – the murder of Octa, a favoured warrior of King Edwin, and his lover, a woman called Elda. We don’t know the killer’s identity, but we see him lurking in the shadows of the fortress of Bebbanburg and we learn that there are two motives for what he is about to do. The first is that he has been rejected by Elda, who has chosen Octa instead, and the second, he is unhappy that Edwin has gifted the magnificent sword known as Hrunting to Octa rather than himself.

"It was a sword fit for a king. The blades forged from twisted rods of iron. The metal shone with the pattern of rippling water, or the slick skin of a snake. The hilt was inlaid with fine bone and intricate carvings. All who had seen the weapon coveted it."

Too late to be of assistance, Octa’s younger brother Beobrand arrives from Cantware in the south, keen to join the service of a great lord, only to be met with the devastating news of Octa’s death. On a happier note, despite Beobrand’s lack of experience, he impresses Edwin enough to be given a place in the king’s army for his upcoming battle against Penda of Mercia and the Waelisc king, Cadwallon of Gwynedd. However, the battle ends in disaster for Edwin and he and many of his men are killed.

Beobrand, one of the few survivors, is taken to a nearby monastery to recover and this proves to be another turning point in his life. Having formed some new but important friendships at the monastery, he sets off again in search of another lord to serve. He will learn some important lessons on his journey as he grows and develops as a person, acquires new skills and has the chance to fall in love – but he never loses sight of his mission to take revenge upon the man who killed Octa and recover his brother’s sword.

The Serpent Sword is a well-researched work of historical fiction and those readers who like their novels fast-paced and action-packed with plenty of scenes involving battles, weapons and fighting will find a lot to enjoy here. Matthew Harffy’s books have been receiving excellent reviews, many drawing comparisons with Bernard Cornwell, which is clearly high praise if that’s where your tastes lie. However, although I can understand the appeal of this book, the overall feel and style of Edoardo Albert’s novels works better for me with their fantasy-like atmosphere and deeper exploration of the political and religious changes taking place during that period.

Still, it was good to have the opportunity to add to my limited knowledge of Northumbrian history. The focus of Harffy’s novel (and the series, the Bernicia Chronicles) is on the history of Bernicia, the northern half of Northumbria, rather than the southern part, Deira. Bebbanburg with its coastal fort, for example, is modern-day Bamburgh, where an impressive castle still stands, and Hadrian’s Wall, the famous wall built by the Romans, is also referenced, although the characters in the book don’t seem to have a name for it. In some ways, the region described in the book seems almost like a completely different world from the area I know today, but in others it’s strangely familiar.

Despite not really loving The Serpent Sword, I did still find it an interesting read, touching on many different aspects of 7th century life. It is a satisfying novel in itself, but it also feels like the first book in a series, following our hero Beobrand’s transformation from an inexperienced young man to a brave warrior skilled with sword and shield. On reaching the end, there’s the sense that there are many more adventures to come for Beobrand – and yes, there are now another four books that make up the Bernicia Chronicles. Will I be reading them? At the moment I’m not sure, but I could possibly be tempted.

It has been along time since I have read a book from this era and it was great to be back. Good story line and many interesting and well described characters. Lots of blood and gore which was a way of life all those centuries ago but there was a love story to lighten the load. Enjoyable read.

Whatever his wyrd had in store for him, he would face it as it came.

As many have said, there are similarities between Harffy and Cornwell, but to be honest, I did not feel it too much, except when the fortress Bebbanburg was mentioned. Harrfy's style is easy to read and after, at least for me, bit rocky start, the book becomes a real page-turner and it is hard to put it down. I even ignored the fact that I had to study for the exams and the fact that I should sleep. I read the book in two days and I even sacrificed some sleep just so I could read it as soon as possible. I cannot wait to start reading next books in the series, but they should probably wait till I am done with my exams.

I would totally recommend the book to my friends and to anyone that is interested in historical fiction, especially if they are also interested in British history. I realise that this is fiction, but it still gives the reader some information that I found extremely interesting and there is also a historical note at the end. It seems well-researched and well-prepared.

The Serpent Sword is about a young farm boy turned warrior in 7th Century Britain. His family is all dead by the plague (except apparently his father, who is also dead, but not by plague). He goes in search of his older brother in Bebbanburg, who is a revered warrior fighting for the current King, Edwin. When he arrives he discovers it is suspected that his brother Octa, committed suicide. Except Beobrand does not believe this is something his brother would ever do. So he swears an oath to finding Octa's murderer.

I was a little disappointed in this book. I love anything Dark Ages Britain. It was a tumultuous time with many small kings and kingdoms vying for power over others. A new religion was sweeping over the people and it left many confused as to which gods they should worship. Some picked a side and stuck with it. Some seemed to worship both, or worshipped one and gave half credit to the other, just in case. Much later in history you see Viking invaders return with the old gods, and King Alfred forging the path for these minor kingdoms to become England. Eventually.

All of these factors make for fascinating historical fiction. We see many of them at play in The Serpent Sword. I just wish there had been more of it. At it's heart, The Serpent Sword is a personal quest of vengeance from a 17 year old boy who has lost too much in his short life. You see him grow from boy to man, farmer to warrior. There are three big battles in the book. One at the very beginning, where Beobrand fights in his first shield wall. Two at the very end. The middle is more about his quest for vengeance and it was this part of the story that I thought dragged a bit. I wish we had been able to see a little more of what was going on in the wider world.

During the middle portion, Beobrand is following a group of rogue warriors around Bernicia aimlessly through the winter. At times I just wanted to shake him and tell him to go find a king. A lord. Anyone that wasn't camping in the woods with no real purpose. The leader, Hengist, claimed that was where he was going, but later, when Beobrand is back in Engelmynster, Bassus (King Edwin's military commander), shows up and takes him to a new king only a week's journey away. Mind you, this is where Beobrand started from when he began wandering aimlessly. If he was looking for a new lord and there was one only a week away.... Why was he camping out in the woods all winter? Why were any of them? I understand the purpose it served in the overall plot, I just thought there might have been a better method of delivery.

The other critique I have, is this book suffered from too much telling and not enough showing. Everyone seems to notice that Beobrand is a warrior. They claim he suffers anger management issues, and also that he is a killer. Many of these comments are made at a point before Beobrand has really killed anyone. I didn't see any of these qualities present when many of those comments were made. I still disagree that Beobrand should be regarded as a "killer" in the sense that his natural instinct is to kill people. His treatment of Sunniva, his sympathy for Cathryn and Tata, his adoration of and friendship with Coenfred, all speak to a kind, honorable, brave man. Not a "killer". Those are the parts the reader is shown, and they were naturally at odds with the way people spoke about him. Maybe I just misunderstood what was meant by the term, but it didn't sit right with me. The first time it's mentioned that Beobrand has anger management issues, I was literally shocked. Nothing in the book prior to that pointed to a man with anger issues. Sure he was sad. He was angry maybe with Octa's killer. But he wasn't prone to angry outbursts until he met Acennan. I just wish Beobrand's qualities had been allowed to speak for themselves, rather than reminding the reader again and again what the other characters think of him. There's nothing wrong with the character the author showed. In fact, he was quite likable, but the way people kept speaking about him bothered me. Like being a killer was somehow better than being a protector of the meek.

The character development was excellent, and Beobrand definitely grows. As I stated above, he was likable and he grew on me in the course of the story. Many characters are killed in the course of the story and the author does manage to make you feel for all of them. I won't mention any names because spoilers, but there were a few I was surprisingly sad about.

Additionally, though I felt much of the middle of the book was slowly paced, the ending third was excellent. The battles were exciting and very well written. There was a lot at stake and you were definitely rooting for the characters to pull through. Beobrand puts all his training to good use and he becomes the warrior everyone else has been saying he is.

So my overall feelings on the book are relatively neutral. I might preview the next book in the series and read a few reviews to see what it's about. With the main conflict in this book resolved (Octa's murder) I'm hoping the next book will be more like the last third of this book, where we see Beobrand fighting and earning his stripes as a warrior.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the story of Beobrand,a young man from Cantware (Kent) who goes North so he can join his brother (who has been murdered). Set against the historical background of 7th century Albion,a time when the death of Edwin,High King of Britain plunges the country in darkness.Albion is more than divided. Several kingdoms are battling for supremacy over their neighbours, bands of warriors are on the loose and the power relations between pagan beliefs and budding Christianity are changing.. But this is in the first place an adventure story, but also a story about revenge, betrayal, psychopathic warriors (yeah,even then...),loyalty, camaraderie and friendship. A fabulous story.

Glorious dark ages tale of violent men with revenge at it's epicentre. Beautifully written in a style reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell at his best this sets a high standard for subsequent outings of our hero. I look forward to more with relish!

Book Title: The Serpent Sword.

Author: Matthew Harffy

Rating: 5/5

Time it took me to read: 31 Days

Review:I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and it drew me in from the start.It was a great adventure accompanying Beobrand through his tale of love, loss,bravery and revenge. Follow Beobrand's adventure in the next book: The Cross and the Curse (The Bernicia Chronicles Book 2).

A historical novel with good versus bad, however this is really good and not cringe worth but a real page turner. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to anyone who wants a great story set in the distant past which interacts with the past but without twisting it or being bound by it. The hero grows at a believable pace warts and all. So basically I do recommend this book to you and I will be keeping a eye open for other books from this impressive author.

This book is set in 7th century Britain in war torn Northumbria . Our hero is Beobrand, a young farmhand who finds out that his brother Octa, has been murdered and he sets off in search of the killer. An Anglo Saxon murder mystery, that is fast paced, gripping and violent. It is brutal in its descriptions of everyday life with its injustices and punishments, with fantastic descriptions of battles, the horrors that await women and children in the aftermath of such skirmishes are not glossed over. Friendships are hard to forge, yet true friends are loyal to each other and take many risk both in battle and in the precious days of peace.
I like Beobrand as he matures from a callow youth in his first battle to become a trusted friend and protector of Coenred, a young monk that he meets along his way to finding who killed his brother and getting his revenge. The murderer is pure evil and you are horrified by his deeds and the influence he has over his gang of followers.
Matthew Harffy is a talented author and I personally await his next book with great eagerness. He describes the Northumbria coast line and villages very well and Bamburgh or Bebbanburgh is central to the books main battle. I am currently watching The Last Kingdom on tv and Uhtred of Bebbanburgh falls into as many scrapes and disasters as young Beobrand ! Bernard Cornwall has a young pretender looking over his shoulder!! I have rated this as 5 stars and left this review on Goodreads. Thank you for a thrilling read.

One of the best books I have read for a long time. Excellent characters and plot. Author is not afraid of killing characters off in fairly gruesome ways!
Cannot wait to read the next book in the series!