Summary
Linnea is a Swedish princess who is reluctantly settled into her role as the middle child: never as influential as the eldest and never as beloved as the youngest. With her fiancé missing in action for nearly a decade, her future is uncertain. But when the Norwegian king curses her younger sister, the fate of Sweden itself is at risk. As war breaks out, Linnea goes on a quest to meet the king and strike a deal that will save the lives of her family and her people — even if it means using her own life as a bargaining chip.
But quests rarely go as planned, especially as she uncovers the secrets of Norway's royal family and the hidden purpose of the war…
This loose retelling of the classic fairy tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" takes place near the end of the Viking Age when the old, fierce gods of myth and the new, omnipotent Christian God were both considered equally true and real.
My Thoughts
I love fairytale retellings! Every time i receive review requests that say the book is a retelling I get super excited. If the story is done well, it doesn't get much better than a clever retelling.
With that being said, I had actually never heard of East of the Sun and West of the Moon ,the original fairytale (or folk tale), that No Longer Hidden is based off of. That makes it a bit impossible for me to review this book based on a comparison to the original story.
I did, however, enjoy this book. It wasn't the best or most exciting book I have ever read but it was still enjoyable. Now, it was a bit slow for my taste. Especially being that it isn't even a long book! Typically with books this short the storyline moves at a quicker pace.
So, all in all, this wasn't my favorite book ever but it was still pretty good. Thanks to you, M. C. Aquila, for sending this book my way!
*Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Summary
Karen Walker is an ex-homicide detective slowly recovering from the trauma of an automobile accident in which she was injured and her husband was killed when a drunk driver struck the car she was operating. After a year of surgeries and attempts to come to terms with her feelings of guilt, she finds herself living the narrow life of a semi-recluse. Her seclusion comes to an end when an old friend from college, Clarissa Hammett, asks Karen to help in the search for her missing sister, Justine. Karen agrees, and she goes to live alone in the family’s summer home on the coast of southern Maine, which Justine was occupying at the time of her disappearance. Karen even goes one step further and takes on Justine’s job as hostess in a local restaurant, hoping to learn more about the missing woman’s life from her co-workers. Conversations with the sister’s estranged husband, her present boyfriend, and a mentally disturbed young girl on the beach, lead Karen to believe that Justine’s disappearance was not voluntary and that, if still alive, she may desperately need help.
My Thoughts
The Accident is a good, fast-paced book. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it but I think I actually liked it more than I thought I would. There's not much better than a good book that keeps you interested and that is what The Accident did.
The characters were interesting. There were definitely things I didn't love about some of them but that is usually the case with most books. I don't expect to love everything about every book character.
I did find that some of the characters and situations didn't seem completely believable to me. The fact that Karen Walker was able to just walk in and get the job that Justine had so quickly didn't feel real. Also, Some of the relationships (I don't want to give too much away) felt a little to unbelievable. It wasn't anything to make me want to stop reading the book but it wasn't great.
Overall, The Accident was a good read. I enjoyed it enough to read it pretty quick! Thanks for sending it my way!
*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
