The Price of Blood

January 1, 2015

Bracewell returns to 11th-century England with this second entry (after Shadow on the Crown) in her historical trilogy about Emma of Normandy. Queen and bride to King AEthelred and mother of the heir to the English throne, Emma struggles to unite a country ravaged by war and a royal family beset with mistrust and false alliances. Illness, unfortunate luck, and bad counsel lead the king to ignore his wife, his sons, and his councilors as he tries to buy peace with the raiding Danes. Emma reaches beyond the traditional roles for women by strategizing ways to lessen the impact of the king's misjudgments. The queen must work behind the scenes to protect her children and save her people. VERDICT Battles, treacherous plots, and desperation are multiplied in this tense novel. The reader sympathizes with the fiery and compassionate Emma as she fights off both external enemies who approach England's shores and ones who scheme from within. Historical fiction fans looking for a new noble heroine will embrace this excellent saga.--Catherine Lantz, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Lib.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
The second volume of Bracewell's richly textured Emma of Normandy trilogy weaves together the threads of the story left dangling at the conclusion of Shadow on the Crown (2013). Still unhappily married to an increasing brutal and erratic king, AEthelred, Emma now has an infant son, the heir-apparent to the throne, to protect. England in 1006 is beset by enemies both within and without the government. As the Vikings continue to threaten, vultures are circling in the upper echelons of the royal house, and it is difficult to know who to trust. Emma sets aside her own dreams and desires, shrewdly forging political alliances to ensure her son's safety and safeguard his birthright. Set approximately one century later than Bernard Cornwell's popular Saxon Tales, Emma's intriguing and historically authentic saga will appeal to a similar audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)