It took me awhile to get this book read. Although I love the subject matter of Anglo-Saxon England the story was a bit dry. The characters were amazing, especially Lord Icel and his cohorts but some of the describing of the situations was repetitive. To have a series in favor of Mercia instead of the more written about Wessex is a boon.

This was a strong historical fiction novel, it had that element that I enjoyed from previous books by MJ Porter. The overall feel worked with the time-period and enjoyed the way the characters continued to work overall. I thought this worked with the overall concept and was glad it was so well done.

I enjoyed this rather entertaining novel! Even though large parts of the story depicted bloody battles (I did skip some passages!), it all made sense and did reflect the violence of these times. I found it interesting to see how justice could have been investigated and rendered in a trial . The characterisation was good with a brilliant plot. I really enjoyed it and definitely will read more novels by the author!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.