I thoroughly enjoyed reading In the Heart of the Linden Wood. The story throws you right into an intense scene where you meet the major characters and I was hooked. The storytelling, imagery, and dialogue kept my interest throughout the entire story. I loved the development we see with Christopher and Geraldine from the beginning of the story to the end and how their story of forgiveness, grief, and love evolves. I would highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy historical fiction and fantasy.

I almost DNF'd this book. I'm glad i didn't. While I fully thought this was a fantasy book when i first picked it up i quickly realized it was not. I didn't like how the author dedicated a quarter of the book to the same scene of heartbreak. I go the point, I didn't need the reminder. That was around the time I was considering not finishing it. But I pushed through a little longer and it got better! I only wish Christopher and Geraldine would've sparked together instead of her and sir Martin.

I received this ARC in exchange from the publisher for an honest review.

My heart was just was not in the Linden Wood.

"In the Heart of the Linden Wood" is a historical fantasy based in the aforementioned Linden Wood and its kingdom. A King loses his wife to miscarriage and fires the healer responsible for the Queen's care. The story unfolds between the King's grief, a sickening woods that surrounds it and aids in the industry of the kingdom, and the healer's defiance to let the inevitable death of the Queen to stop her from her calling.

Thumbs up: The cover is absolutely gorgeous, the characters motivations were clear, and there are parts within that certainly tug at the heartstrings.

Thumbs down: The storyline does not offer anything revolutionary in the world of fantasy. I found the plot was a bit hard to find once the story started to pick up which made it difficult to remain invested throughout. It is quite dialogue heavy but didn't feel like it moved the story along at all.

Was it a nail biter? No, it was a bit middle of the road for me but I think the author has a lot of promise in the fantasy genre once they add a bit more of a hook to their plot.