26 May A. M. Linden The Oath Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #HistoricalFiction #Medieval #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @shewritespress @maryanneyarde

FEATURED AUTHOR: A. M. LINDEN

It is my pleasure to introduce the featured author, A. M. Linden, as part of The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held May 23th — June 3rd, 2022. She is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Oath (The Druid Chronicles, Book One), which was released by She Writes Press on 15th June 2021 (319 pages)

Below are highlights of The Oath, A.M. Linden’s bio, and my review of her novel.

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HIGHLIGHTS: THE OATH

The Oath

(The Druid Chronicles, Book One)

By A. M. Linden

Blurb

When the last of members of a secretive Druid cult are forced to abandon their hidden sanctuary, they send the youngest of their remaining priests in search of Annwr, their chief priestess’s sister, who was abducted by a Saxon war band fifteen years ago. With only a rudimentary grasp of English and the ambiguous guidance of an oracle’s prophecy, Caelym manages to find Annwr living in a hut on the grounds of a Christian convent.

Annwr has spent her years of captivity caring for the timid Aleswina, an orphaned Saxon princess who was consigned to the cloistered convent by her cousin, King Gilberth, after he assumed her father’s throne. Just as Caelym and Annwr are about to leave together, Aleswina learns that Gilberth, a tyrant known for his cruelty and vicious temper, means to take her out of the convent and marry her. Terrified, she flees with the two Druids—beginning a heart-pounding adventure that unfolds in ways none of them could have anticipated.

Praise:

“Linden’s well-researched tale eloquently brings to life a lesser-known period of transition in Britain. . . . The author has created a strong foundation for her series with well-developed characters whom readers can embrace. . . . [a] layered, gripping historical fiction.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The story rolls along at a lively pace, rich with details of the times and a wide cast of characters. [The] plotting, shifting points of view of the three engaging protagonists, and evocative writing style make The Oath a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.” —Historical Novel Review

“Linden uses a fairy tale-like style almost as though this story has been passed down orally over the centuries.” —Booklist Review

Trigger Warnings:

Sexual assault, child abuse

Buy Links:

Amazon UK  ♦  Amazon US   ♦  Amazon CA   ♦  Amazon AU   ♦  Barnes and Noble   ♦ Waterstones   ♦  Kobo   ♦ Apple Books

AUTHOR BIO: A. M. LINDEN

Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the east coast of the United States before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. The Druid Chronicles began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband and their cat and dog in the northwest corner of Washington State.

Social Media Links:

Website   ♦  Amazon Author Page   ♦  Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW: THE OATH

The Oath by A. M. Linden is Book 1 in the medieval historical fiction series, The Druid Chronicles, set in the backdrop of AD 788 Britain. The prologue provides the background to a minor monarchy in the Kingdom of Derthwald for which there is only one obscure reference for its existence in surviving documents at the time. King Theobald, a former commander of a Saxon army, is rewarded with the Kingdom of Derthwald for his successful siege of the last Celtic stronghold in the area below the mountains. When King Theobold dies, his nephew Gilberth becomes the king, and his four-year-old daughter, Aleswina, becomes a novice at the Abbey of Saint Edeth the Enduring in Derthwald.

The story begins fifteen years later, when Druids are forced to abandon their hidden sanctuary. They charge Caelym, a young priest, to find Annwr, the sister of the supreme priestess. Annwr was abducted fifteen years prior by a Saxon war band. Caelym discovers Annwr on the grounds of a convent, where she is the nurse to Aleswina. When King Gilberth’s men come to abduct Aleswina to marry him against her will, she joins Annwr and Caelym to escape her fate. The trio venture on a harrowing adventure into unknown territory to find Caelym’s two sons, to find a safe place for Aleswina, and finally to connect with the remaining Druids en route to their new homeland.

Author Linden uses the perspectives of several characters to convey the story. The story is most engaging in the first half of the book when Caelym, Annwr, and Aleswina verbally spar with each other over decisions they must make before and during their escape. Their conflicts are often due to their stereotypical perspectives of each other as either Christian or pagan. Some of their arguments are humorous and made me chuckle. By the end of the book, the trio ultimately accepts each other, with Aleswina changing most dramatically from a naive to an independent woman who learns to depend upon herself.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story is the contrast between the religious beliefs of Druids and Christians. Christians consider Druids to be in league with the devil and their healers to be witches who brew poisons. Though little is known about the rituals of Druids, the author does an admirable job of portraying their religious beliefs as well as daily life in the Christian abbey. For the most part, the story is fast-paced but fizzles toward a non-climatic ending when Caelym strives to find his two sons.

For readers interested in the medieval history of Britain and the contrasting cultures of native Britons and Christian Saxons, The Oath will immerse you in a period for which there are few written records.   

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