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The Summoner’s Sins (Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers #3)
The Summoner’s Sins (Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers #3)
Keith Moray | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Summoner’s Sins is a really engaging historical fiction set in the 14th century. I really liked that real historical people were used in the narrative, and the attitudes of medieval people towards religion and witchcraft always fascinates me. The average medieval person was a very superstitious type - which I suppose was an understandable way to make sense of the world without science. Curses shouted out from the gallows abound in this story, and there are plenty of rebels in the background who are only too happy to make it look as though they are curses that have come true.
Richard Lee is a reasoned and logical man, and able to tell a curse from an actual murder - and thank goodness for him! I really liked the characters that Keith Moray has written in to this story, and Richard and Hubert are great lead characters. Richard is a god-fearing man, but he doesn’t let religion get in the way of the truth. Hubert is ever faithful to Richard and their pursuit of the truth.
I really very much enjoyed this book - I do like historical fiction (you’ve probably guessed this by now!) and I enjoy a good mystery. This delivered in spades on both counts.
Many thanks to Sapere Books for providing me with an e-ARC.
  
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
Joanna Cannon | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
A nice message but gets lost in confusion
The best part of this read was the author's afterword explaining how she wanted to highlight the stigma of mental health. Unfortunately it's hard to decipher that clearly in the book with a few wishy washy themes of religion and racism, and a heavy focus on gossipping neighbours.

The 10-year-old protagonist and her friend Tilly are heroes attempting to sleuth their way into finding the missing Mrs Creasey and as much as I wanted the entire book to be from their perspective, we were lost in the haze of irritating adults. A nice idea but not quite there.
  
TR
The Raindrop
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
These stories were very cute, the illustrations were wonderful, and parts of them had great messages for kids about bullying, being on earth for a reason, and responsibility. However the philosophy behind them is all wrong. The philosophy consists of “oneness with everything” and “made of the same energy” and “we are Divine presence,” and “we are truth” and “Makes no difference the religion”. It is a worldly viewpoint, and I do not come from that viewpoint.

Again, there some great messages in these books, but I personally won’t be sharing them with the children in my life because of the strength of the new-age views that shine through.
  
TS
The Sun and the Moon
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
These stories were very cute, the illustrations were wonderful, and parts of them had great messages for kids about bullying, being on earth for a reason, and responsibility. However the philosophy behind them is all wrong. The philosophy consists of “oneness with everything” and “made of the same energy” and “we are Divine presence,” and “we are truth” and “Makes no difference the religion”. It is a worldly viewpoint, and I do not come from that viewpoint.

Again, there some great messages in these books, but I personally won’t be sharing them with the children in my life because of the strength of the new-age views that shine through.