This story follows Dan Renfrew, a young teenage boy who time travels to the year 1066 AD, The author did a great job researching the time period and staying historically accurate. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

5+ Stars and 2 thumbs up! I absolutely LOVED this book! I normally hate books that leave the story unfinished, especially if it’s a big cliffhanger. This book wrapped up most of the book but does have a smidge of an unfinished story which will continue and get wrapped up through the entire upcoming new series. This was a winning read for me, especially because this is a first time author! If this is how great his first book is, I can’t wait to read the rest of his books! I loved the characters in this book and actually cried in the end! This book had it all - mystery, time travel, historical facts, murders, fighting, a bit of love, friendship, entertainment, plotting, evil doers, and hero’s. I normally read romance books and this had a tiny bit of a love story but was mostly just a time traveling, historical fiction book with historical nonfiction bits also. I could not put this book down, it was a phenomenal read. I love historical books that entertain and teach at the same time so now I feel smarter too! I absolutely loved this book, I can’t say it enough. I highly recommend this one and I don’t give out 5 stars easily, so when I do, you know it’s gotta be fantastic! I really can’t wait to read this authors future books, this first one was that awesome.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

For a book that pitches itself as a novel for teens and young adults from the start, it quickly turns into a deep and engaging narrative of alternate history and time travel.

Its vision of the Middle Ages is much more focused on real aspects than the vast majority of titles in the genre, managing to arouse curiosity and admiration for the world-building work done here. It is one of those novels that I wish I could see in the cinema. Highly recommended.

When Daniel’s father is attacked by an assassin, he is thrown a six-inch rod with a forgotten set of symbols. He is given a phrase to say and is thrust back into the time of the Battle of Hastings.

The rod seems to be a translation device and allows him to talk to the people in the village. At 16 years of age, Dan is expected to join the local authority and fight for the kingdom.

The class system is well described in this narrative as are the problems Daniel faces. The leaders in this part of the world are either royalty or the most-wealthy individuals. Peasants are required to fight for the royal and will be killed gruesomely if they do not comply but Daniel manages to become a companion to Edward and the future king of England.

The description of society as well as the interactions with the various characters describe a very colorful existence. Conscripted into the service of the overlord being mandatory, the conscripts must supply their own weapons. Additional weapons are prizes of battle such as swords, lances, and poleaxes.

The author has developed a very fine example of life in the middle ages and the dangers faced. Modern man is not equipped for these dangers. Can Daniel save himself long enough to return to his own time? 4 stars – CE Williams

Dan Renfrew has a boring life. Nothing ever happens. Until the day he gets home and is thrown back in time to Anglo-Saxon England. Dan has to 'fix' history. Someone is out to change the true course of events and he has to stop them before it is too late. He meets a fellow time-jumper and the two soon become firm friends as they race to stop history from being rewritten.

Mild spoiler alert. I loved this action packed story. The historical events and time-period were researched really well. The characters and their friendships were also well written. Dan and Sam stole my heart. The author did a wonderful job of making Dan's first trip back in time real (well as real as time travel can get). The emotions he feels, his reactions to facing battle, his confusion and the way he befriends the king's housecarls all make for a very authentic experience. I enjoyed his growth as well.: the way he learns to think about people, about death and life and his role in all of it and his relationship with his father, complicated but full of love and finally also understanding. The last battle was done so beautifully, in that moment he realizes the cost of 'fixing' history, I almost cried.

As far as historical YA fiction goes, this is a brilliant book. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

Dan Renfrew is a sixteen-year-old homeschooled teenager with an unusual set of skills, thanks to his history-obsessed father. A terrible event sends him to England back to the year 1066 AD, where he learns he is a time jumper, responsible for fixing a glitch in history that jeopardizes his ability to return to his time as well as the course of history as we know it.
We follow Dan’s journey as a series of alternative history events unfold and endanger his mission. He makes friends, but also faces individuals who want to make sure that he does not fulfill his purpose.

The author has done a fantastical job of teaching us the historical events leading to the end of the Anglo-Saxon reign in England, while providing a highly entertaining account of a young man (from his own POV) whose life has been suddenly turned upside down. The characters are likable, and relatable. Dan is particularly honest in his impression of things and the dilemmas he encounters while trying to survive in extraordinary circumstances. The story is well paced, and there is never a dull moment, right up to the end.

This is a YA book that, as an adult, I found very refreshing. I highly recommend it to people that enjoy history, adventure, and time-traveling themes. I am excited to follow Dan’s new adventures in time and cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Imbrifex books for providing me a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

This was an interesting story in the sense that the protagonist essentially had to adapt to an alien environment that at the same time is so familiar to us. In addition, while the author allowed some amount of modern politics into the book, the book was refreshingly apolitical compared to most major young adult novels being released now. Also as a history enthusiast and one who sees the misrepresentation of the period daily, it was pleasant to read a novel with a primarily accurate representation of the times (discounting time travel aspects and "time glitches" plot devices). I would recommend this book to fans of adventure, time travel, coming of age, historical fiction, and high fantasy.

adventurous funny informative lighthearted tense medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75

A really fun and captivating read that takes historical fiction on a different front. I'm a fan of isekai/time travel sci fi so having it set in this particular era was intriguing. One qualm I do have is with how Sam was written, particularly how stilted her speech was in some places. Other than that, a really nice read to take a break from too much academia.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing me this ARC via NetGalley. This does not in any shape or form influence my review on this book.

My favorite way to study history is via alternative histories. The author has done an amazing job in researching the era into which he “drops” his character. Our homeschooled protagonist shows how his dad/teacher has prepared him as he works through numerous precarious and interesting adventures.

I'm hooked! Want to binge-read the entire series of 7 books in total. But only this one has been released yet...must find a time jump device!
(Read the book for details!)

The author doesn't keep you waiting long for action, twists and turns to start happening. After the introduction of the main character the story takes you on an adventure!

Second book in the series will be released in September 2023. I can't wait! Is is September yet?

One of my favourite prompts is the one where people get stuck in time. Either from the people from the past getting stuck in the future or people from the present getting stuck in the past.
The author took a historical figure not many people talk about and wrote his story from a different perspective.
The characters, even the secondary ones, are well written as well as the fight scenes.
What I really liked was that the action didn't take much away from the main plot.
The descriptions of the landscape and the people were okay.
A thank you to Netgalley for providing ne an ebook.

For fans of alternative history/ historical fiction and time travel. As an adult who enjoys ya, this was a fun read. As a mom with a houseful of boys, this was a terrific find. It's a more grown up version of Haddix's time travel series and all around better than Harry Turtledove's Cross Time Traffic series.

We meet our main character, 16 year old Dan, as he's about to be kicked out of a shopping mall for loitering. He's homeschooled by his history obsessed dad and his PE curriculum consists of historical fighting techniques. Nothing weird about that, right? This character reminds me of a young Sam Winchester if his dad had been a time traveling professor not a demon hunter.

He interrupts a life and death struggle at his house and escapes with a mysterious device to England in 1066. We learn that time flows and can actually change the past. Small changes don't matter, but large changes require time jumpers to go in and set things right so that the present doesn't come undone.

The time travel devices are also universal translators and somehow don't attract much notice from the people in the past. We learn the devices are very old (ancient aliens, maybe?) and are passed down in families. Dan receives help from another time jumper whose family was murdered. He has to find a way to fix the past without becoming the next victim in a war between the time jumpers.

This book teaches history by having an alternative set of events start to unfold, causing Dan to have to remember what actually happened and then figure out how to fix things.

This book features professional level writing, good editing, strong plots, and well developed characters. It is suitable for ages 13+. I stayed up to finish this book. I can't wait to read the whole series. I will be buying these for my boys.

What a fun story! If you've ever fantastised about jumping back in history, you'll enjoy this story. I, for one, cannot wait to read the next in the series. Well done!

The Last Saxon King by Andrew Varga, is a marvelous time-jumping novel that follows the story of Dan, a teenage boy of current times, who finds himself in the year 1066 AD. One moment he's in his living room seeing his dad being furiously attacked and seriously wounded with ancient weapons by a strange man called "Victor",. In the next moment, his dad tosses him a unique rod looking device and tells him to say the riddle he taught him! Now! Do it now his dad pleads... and upon saying the riddle while he holds the device in hand, Dan is transported to where and when he doesn't have a clue! He seems to have landed by a river in the middle of nowhere!

All he knows is, is that his phone doesn't work, his life is in danger with someone pointing a bow and arrow at him, and he has to fix SOMETHING that is wrong in order to return to his own time period, thereby, having the chance to hopefully save his dad.

He discovers It's Anglo-Saxon England, and takes on a new made up name (Leofric), from Eoforwic.. If they handed out an Oscar for Best Spontaneous Lie in Life-or- Death Situation, he would have just won it., But he must become whatever he needs to become to survive.

It's one unforgettable and enjoyable journey!

Appealing to Time-Travel lovers , fans of YA and historical fiction.

5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My thanks to NetGalley, Imbrifex Books, and Andrew Varga for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Be still my beating heart, this book was phenomenal! The Last Saxon King follows the story of Dan, a teenage boy of today who finds himself in the year 1066 trying to fix history. The historical accuracy of this book as well as the characters made this impossible to put down. I've always had a deep passion for history, especially European. It's rare that I find a work of historical fiction that doesn't irk, or disappoint me, in some fashion as to it's accuracy. This may be the first YA novel I've read that is accurate down to the language, lifestyle, buildings, food, and hierarchies. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series and find out what happens! Young adult readers will learn so much about this period and in a way that allows them to understand and identify with the characters.