Book Review: Raven: Blood Eye

DISCLAIMER: I received Raven: Blood Eye byGiles Kristian free as a First Read on Goodreads.

I’d never really read any Viking based fiction before this book, so I didn’t really know what to expect… apart from blood.

I was expecting at least some gore given that I had already knew what a ‘blood eagle’ was.

The story centres on Osric, whose village is visited and then destroyed by the Norsemen (not all the Norsemen’s fault I might add). Osric is taken prisoner by the Norsemen and then becomes accepted and eventually renamed ‘Raven’ by them. As with any story some of the characters are more likeable than others.

Even though most of the story takes place on land, we learn about the Norsemen’s relationship with the sea; what life on a longboat was like. We also learn a little of the Norsemen’s religion and how they were viewed by the Christian Church, and vice versa. Although there is a fair amount of violence we learn that violence was not the be all and end all of Viking life.

Allegiances in the story change back and forth as we discover new things about the different characters. It is not just Group A versus Group B for instance. Sometimes it’s Groups A & B versus Group C. And then there are conflicts within groups; loyalties change, groups gain members and also lose them. The story twists and turns; people are used and betrayed.

There was never really a lull in the story; something always seemed to be happening or about to happen.

Overall, for my first jaunt in to this particular period in history, I enjoyed Raven: Blood Eye.

4 stars out of 5 on Goodreads

This review can also be found on Goodreads