This book follows the lives of characters years after a traumatic home invasion, and it gets really interesting when their attacker is caught decades later. The character development is amazing!

By Her Hand is a feat of exquisite storytelling that gripped me from the first page. Set in 900s Mercia, we are immersed into Freda’s tumultuous world of navigating her complicated father and an even more complicated time of territorial conflict and brutal raids. When her own village is ravaged, Freda is injured and taken to an abbey where she is nursed back to health. There she finds solace and friendship and a new way forward in a world bereft of family. But Freda dreams of more than the domesticity and prayer of abbey life. She yearns to write—almost impossible in a world that is not the dominion of girls and women. When the powerful bishop observes something of value in Freda, he sees to it she learns her letters and trains to scribe. At first, Freda is unaware of the forces at play around her, that shape her and her world. But she grows in skill and courage, and is guided by Aethelflaed, the Lady of Mercia—she has challenges to meet and decisions to make. And now she is equipped.

Taffe is a dream of a writer, creating rich, immersive setting, complex characters and a stirring narrative, woven together by her sublime writing style. By Her Hand is a powerful story and a compelling read.

I was very much looking forward to reading this one but I must say I was a little disappointed. Although it was an interesting read it was very long and very drawn out. It seemed to take a long time to get anywhere. The writing is descriptive, but the language is hard to understand and it didn't keep me interested throughout (I put it down numerous times and also skipped through parts that dragged on).

I really wanted to like this one but in the end it just didn't have the magic and oomph I was expecting and I wanted.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I honestly don't know what it was about this book that pulled me in so much. I'm not a big historical fiction reader, let alone, one to do with religion. But the writing was so captivating, even with the hard to pronounce words.

I enjoyed the FMC growth and the friendships formed. The writing was so descriptive and gripping! It reminded me of the show Vikings with all of the names.

I thought I wasn't going to like this one however it surprised me and ended up a 4 star read. Congrats on the debut.