Looking at this book through the lens of adult fiction it gets 4 stars. Under the YA banner a strong 5 stars, easily. I enjoyed this it was a fun read, after I think the third chapter. Once it opens up and reveals the plot it was a fun read. Fast paced and simple, but not in an insulting way. I thoroughly recommend this for a young adult audience or someone just looking for a quick read that just wants to relax and not think too much. I will be looking for the next books in the series.

Arc provided by netgalley

I absolutely loved this book.
I'm not usually drawn to YA, but this really captivated me from the first chapter. It was also my first audio book, and I felt the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life.

Dan seems to live a boring life until he comes home one day to find his father attacked! He's sucked into a whole new to him world and has to face many hardships never knowing who to trust.

Fast-paced and action-packed. I couldn't wait to hear what happened, and I can't wait for the next book!

Sixteen-year-old Dan is homeschooled and does not have any friends. His father keeps him busy with history lessons and weapons training. He would like to go to public school, but all the men in his family have been educated this way. To save his life one day, Dan's father helps him time jump into the past. Dan lands in 1066 England unprepared to face the challenges of the time. As a peasant and then a warrior, he follows the king's army for the weeks leading up to the battle of Hastings. Something has changed in time and the only way Dan can return home is to fix what is wrong.

The author did a great job of balancing the youthfulness of the character with heavier historical events including battles and death. The historical references were well done and I never felt bogged down with too much information. I felt like I was there with Dan experiencing everything with him and I enjoyed that very much. I was not the biggest fan of Sam as she was overly dramatic in my ears. The narrator of this book was perfect for Dan's character. He did a great job of expressing Dan's emotions and really sold all the characters. I enjoyed this audiobook immensely and was sad when it was over. This is definitely a series I will be interested to continue.

I downloaded this audiobook for a road trip with me and my 14-year-old son. What a great choice! This time travel historical fiction book took us back to that vital year of 1066, where our hero, Dan, a 16-year-old who was unwittingly thrust into the role of time traveler and time fixer, must make sure nothing happens that changes the course of history. We thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, and my son is looking forward to the next book in the series! The five star rating comes directly from him!

Mark Sanderlin's narration convinces you that you are listening to a 16 year old's tale of accidental time travel, In this book by Andrew Varga, after seeing his father viciously attacked, sixteen year old Dan Renfrew unexpectedly finds himself in England in 1066, Between the Vikings, the Normans, and the everyday threats of life in the 11th century, Dan has a tough time staying alive. Fortunately, he encounters another time jumper who helps him out. Sam also comes from a time jumping family and fills him in on some of the intricacies of the experience.

Dan and Sam need to figure out and fix the time glitch to ensure that they can return to an unchanged present. Things are complicated by the rogue time jumpers that are trying to break history. Dan is eager to get it fixed so he can get back to home to check on his father.

The sequel in this six book series is due to be released in September 2023. It will be a long wait!

Recommended for those who enjoy light romance, sci fi/time travel, and young adult books.

I had so much fun listening to this story! It kept me fully engaged on my daily commute.

Dan has the emotional maturity of any regular, modern 16 year-old boy. However, he also has some very special and unique training, thanks to his history professor father. When Dan suddenly finds himself travelling back in time, his normal 21st century instincts often get him in significant trouble. Thankfully, he has an unexpected, and slightly more experienced, time travelling ally in 16 year-old Sam.

The Last Saxon King is full of adventure and rich in history. It’s a fast paced and exciting story that will appeal to many readers, both young and old.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#TheLastSaxonKing #NetGalley

Although I am mostly over YA novels, I’ll still give one a shot from time to time. I’m glad I did in this case. Varga has written an interesting story that digs deep into actual history and writes fiction around it. There was grit in the telling and one quote that sort of sums up the book: “So Leofrick. You drank well, you slept well, and you even got a kiss from the comely maiden. Ready to die now?”

Four stars for “The Last Saxon King.” The narration was good and the ending was satisfying. I’m looking forward to the second installment. My thanks to Imbrifex Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

#TheLastSaxonKing #JumpInTime #NetGalley #IfCatsCouldRead #kindlesallthewaydown

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was even better than I hoped! I would have liked a little more in depth, especially in the historical aspects but it was a good read and the narrator did a good job.

This was a very simplistic time travel book where teenager, Dan Renfrew, travels back to 1066. He must “fix" a problem before he can return back to current time. Dan was homeschooled and a huge part of his
education was memorizing history and fighting with ancient weapons. His dad insisted on this education and training because he knew that his son would one
day need to time travel. I love that the author threw this part of the story in there. In most time travel books I find it odd that the person who traveled back in time was knowledgeable in so many historical facts. This explains why Dan knows the things that he knows. The writing style for this story was very basic and simple, making it a great book for young adults and even children. I'll
be watching for the rest of the series to come out.

A sweet and simple time-travel, historical fictional story which doesn’t go into the technicalities of the history or the science side of the time jump, but is still enjoyable and interesting enough to keep you glued to the end.

Dan, a sixteen-year-old homeschooled boy witnesses a brutal attack on his father by a mysterious man. While trying to save his father, the latter shoves a rod like thing in his hands and requests him to recite his childhood bedtime rhyme. Confused and clueless, Dan do as he is told and ta-da, he is transported in time to Anglo Saxon England in the year 1066. As he befriends another time jumper, he comes to know why he was heavily taught ancient history by his father and trained in war combat. His father belongs to a line of time jumpers (a role passed on from father to son) who go back in time and fix glitches in the time stream. Dan needs to figure out these glitches while save himself from his father’s attacker and make it back to his time.

What I liked: Obviously the theme, interesting concept and a fast paced story.
What I disliked: The execution was too simple. I expected a rich history packed plot but that wasn’t the case.It barely had any action despite the story enveloping two major battles. Also, the writing was quite bland and simple. Having said that, I’m still intrigued enough to read the next book in the series.

I mostly listened to the audiobook but also read the ebook here and there, especially every time I came across a new Anglo Saxon name which were a mouthful. I recommend the audio more than the text version.

Thanks to Imbrifex Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: March 7th, 2023.
3.25/5🌟(rounding down).

Thanks to NetGalley, Imbrifex Books, Imbrifex Audio, and Andrew Varga for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

.The Last Saxon King is an interesting time-jumping novel that follows the story of Dan, a teenage boy from the present, who finds himself in the year 1066 AD. One moment he's in his living room seeing his dad being furiously attacked and the next moment, Dan is transported to a different Where and a somewhat confusing When. He seems to have landed by a river in the middle of nowhere! Dan lands in the middle ages, teams up with another time-traveler (plenty of them throughout the ages), and sets off on a quest to save the timeline, but more importantly the world.

Now while this was a fast and engaging read, I couldn't help but find myself disliking Dan's naivety in relation to his situation. I could excuse it for most of the book, but after basically suffering a witch trial, he really should have realized he needed to get with the times. Still, this was a fun time, and I look forward to the next installment. Both the time traveling and historical fiction appeals to that tiny part of my brain that enjoys the chaos called the Butterfly Effect.

Narration by Mark Sanderlin: This wasn't the voice I was expecting when I first started reading those few chapters, but about halfway through the book I found my groove. I just expected the narration to have a bit more of a deep voice than what they gave Dan. I'll be honest and say it fits the character very well. As you progress through the story you see his growth in the way he speaks.

3 stars out of 5

Normally, I have a very hard time getting into these time travel kind of books but, I was shockingly surprised how much I loved it and got into it.
Dan is a time jumper descendant from his father and he never kenw about it until he accidentally finds himself in 1066 England. He finds himself trying to fix all these different rifts in time that are being destroyed by the bad time people. That's the best way I can describe them after having read the book a few days ago.

He finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard spot when he becomes part of this band of brothers, fighting a war and knowing what their fate has to be at the end just to fix time itself. I'm really excited to see where this series will go with the next book and just saying.. Sept 2023 is a long time :(

The Last Saxon King (Book One, A Jump in Time Novel) - Andrew Varga



I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Andrew Varga is an historian as well as an author. This is his first novel, the beginning of a YA Historical series.



Dan is your typical 16-year-old, that is if you ignore the fact that he is home schooled by his history professor father. So, Dan spends his days learning about history and memorising the names and reigns of long forgotten kings, whilst learning hand to hand combat and sword craft.

When Dean isn’t home, he spends his days wandering around the local mall, with being home schooled it didn’t provide a lot of options for making friends with other kids his age, life was boring and lonely for Dan.

Then one fateful day Dan discovered what he thought he know about his Dad, about his life, about everything, was all a lie. Dan was plunged into a world from another time, quite literally 1066 in England. Now Dan is alone in a strange land and time with no idea how to get back to his Dad.

Dan felt absolutely lost and alone just wanting to go home. But Dan found he wasn’t quite alone he discovered someone else from his time, here in 1055 with him. Sam, a beautiful girl about the same age as Dan but at the same time, so much older and wiser than he was.

Sam helped Dan learn all about the society of time jumpers that his father belonged to. Their burden – fixing glitches in time that occurred, stopping them from altering the course of history. Making sure history played out on the course that it was meant to take.

But most importantly the key to getting home - was figuring out the time glitch and fixing it, then Dan would be able to go home. But as always, this was easier said than done. Dan and Sam both worked together, it was hard enough figuring out the time glitch and how to fix it, whilst trying to survive the lift of a peasant in medieval England, shield walls and the odd battle. It was both a dangerous and exciting time.



“The Last Saxon King” is a riveting and engrossing read centered around a novel concept. Dan and Sam have been written in such a way by the author that will make them relatable to the reader – 16 is an awkward age but couple that with a time travelling father, well that is something new and captivating. I love the time period that the author picked, for me personally it's such an interesting time, and sad as it was the end of a people, a proud and fierce people – Vikings. I found this book such a marvelous and exciting read – I'm hoping for good things from the next instalment. My only criticism of the audio book was the voice artist, they did the voice of Dan well but all his other voices sounded the same. I would hope someone with a better range would be used for next one.

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“The Last Saxon King” is a time travel book that follows the adventures of sixteen-year-old Daniel Renfrew. Dan was raised by his father, who also home-schooled him with a strange emphasis on history. Dan’s father also highlighted survival at its core, including teaching Dan various modes of combat and how to camp with the bare essentials. What Dan did not know is that his father was preparing him to fulfill his destiny and carry on the legacy of his forefathers.

When returning home from the mall one day, Dan’s world is turned upside down, and he finds himself unwittingly thrust back in time. To Dan’s amazement, he finds himself transported to Anglo-Saxon England in the year 1066. Once there, Dan discovers the secret that his father had been preparing him for: he is a time jumper. Descended from a long line of time jumpers, Dan learns that his destiny is to travel to the past to fix breaks and glitches in the time stream in order to maintain the present. In order to return to the present, Dan must find and fix the break in the time stream to restore history to its rightful path. However, Dan’s journey will not be easy. Dan faces suspicious Anglo-Saxons, marauding Vikings, and invading Normans, as well as a group of time jumpers set on rewriting the future at any cost. Despite these challenges, Dan soon finds that he does not have to face these challenges alone. Joined by allies from the past and future, Dan fights not only for his own survival, but also for the survival of his future timeline. Can Dan and his rag-tag group save the future, or will Dan be doomed to live in the past?

The premise sounded interesting, so I thought I would give this book a shot. I’m glad I did: I absolutely loved this book! The author has an easy writing style that pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the very end. The characters were well-developed and engaging. I felt invested in Dan’s story, cheering him on along the way and fearing for him as he faced various challenges. This book was rich with historical facts and events, but it never felt like a history lesson. The author integrated this fictional story with real-life history flawlessly. The story arc was clear and flowed well. This book is the first in a series, but it still reached a satisfying conclusion to its narrative while also setting up the theme for the rest of the series. I’m very stingy when it comes to five-star reviews, and I honestly haven’t found any books in this general genre that earned that status. Until this book came along. I found myself unable to walk away from the book as it progressed. I was dying to know how the book would end while also not wanting it to end because I was enjoying the story so much. Any books that make me feel that way definitely earn five-star status. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in this series!

My copy of this book was an audiobook, so I must also comment on the narrator. I thought he did an excellent job. His narrative tone and pace were appropriate and engaging. His character voices, including female voices, were well done and easily discernable. His narration helped to pull me into the story and keep me engrossed the whole way.

Overall, this was an excellent book. I highly recommend this book for both young adult and adult readers. Fans of time travel, historical fantasy, historical fiction, and general fiction genres will all be pleased with this story. This is the first in what should be a seven-part series (at the time of this review, the author noted he was working on the seventh concluding novel in the series), and I will most definitely be buying copies of every book along the way. My only disappointment is that the rest of the series is not available right now! Pick up a copy of this book right away, in either written or audiobook format, and enjoy the journey!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley & the author for letting me read this book.
I was drawn in immediately! From the very start until the very end something was always happening, I was never bored.
I enjoyed Sam's character a lot & enjoyed Dan's journey & the relationships he made along the way. I honestly can not wait for the next book. I'm so excited.
I also want to point out that the narrator, Mark, did a fantastic job & has a lovely voice.
Thank you to Andrew for sharing this incredible story with us.

this was FUN!

Originally I did not realize it was supposed to be a YA novel - so at first I was a bit reluctant as it felt a bit too youthful for me, and I am not used to reading from POV of regular modern-day teenage boys. I feel like this novel would be perfect for boys 10-16 years old - and I am not that.
However, the novel is fast-paced and it quickly sucked me in.

I mostly listened to it on audiobook narrated by Mark Sanderlin and I really liked the narrator - his voice sounded youthful and fit perfectly with the story. Dan really came alive with Sanderlin.

Overall it was a very fun read. It's not the most complex of novels - it doesn't answer the questions to "why?" or "how?" or goes too deep into the "messing with the historical timeline" stuff, but it was enjoyable and hard to put down.
The place where it didn't work for me was Dan being a 16yo boy - I don't feel very comfortable reading male gaze pointed at female characters (or "character" as this book had only one).

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Last Saxon King by Andrew Varga. This is a time traveling novel where Dan, a teenage boy gets transported to 1066 where he encounters many adventures.

After back-to-back fantasy books, historical fiction was a welcome change!
The story starts hitting you from the first chapter itself(fast-paced) unlike the books which take around 4 chapters to tell you what's happening(slow-paced)!

My Blurb:
A historical fantasy book with dual timelines focused around the 11th Century and the modern day. A young boy: Dan is being homeschooled by his father for reasons he doesn't understand and is bored to the bone. One day when he is out in the city taking a stroll, an unknown visitor hits his home, By the time he comes back, he sees his father on the brink of death with a sword to his neck. Suddenly everything is tumbling down & in chaos and as a final goodbye, his father rolled off some sort of a monument/device and asked him to fix the time glitch. Wonderstruck by why his father wants to use the device when he is on the brink of his death he does as told n elopes to the 11th century. Will Dan be able to survive and do what he is asked? only time will tell!!!

Recommendation:
Now let me tell you the book is very audience-specific, not just for the lovers of history but it will also take an open mind and a good imagination to appreciate this. Often history lovers don't like the actual stories being tinkered so they might get offended, but for people like me, this was an amazing roller-coaster ride in a haunted house!