Set in medieval England during the period 1399-1219 AD, Richard Cullen's novel is not for the fainthearted.

From 1399, the novel leaps into the middle of King John's reign, following the fortunes of an ordinary, nobody: a country-bred orphan lad - Estienne Wace. Estienne is sent to Earl William, Marshal of England and the best knight of Christendom as a foster - a common medieval practice - and to train as a squire until he eventually gains his spurs.

The novel plods through Estienne's teenage years, training and fighting as a squire all through the tumultuous upheavals of John Lackland's reign, before slightly picking up pace after King John's death in 1216 A.D.

With the Earl's death soon after in 1219, and the discovery of a vital letter, twenty-year old Estienne's whole life is once again summarily upended, but he has no clue why.

The book ends with his embarking on a crusade with the Knights Templar.

The author does a fantastic job of hiding until the very end, vital information that drastically changes the reader's views on this entire novel and the main lead, Estienne Wace.

The novel is not a girly read nor for the squeamish. There are no soft, feminine touches. It is about the coming of age of a young lad in mediaeval England and the rites of passage of the times.

It plods, but it's a well written historical novel without major errors of language or history. You end up mildly curious about where Estienne Wace's next adventures will lead him.

I love mediaeval history, especially that of mediaeval England and Richard Lionheart is a favourite. I wish the author had included a historical note. At the end, I fleetingly wondered if there really was an Estienne Wace and if there was, I think his life until this point, must've been like the fictional Estienne Wace's.

However, here's hoping the next book will not plod along, but will proceed along briskly and deftly.

A little less gore, little less heavy handed, a few more deft touches would help me appreciate it even more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy. I enjoyed it. The opinions are my own.

Such a captivating book. Reminds me of Phillipa Gregory and Elizabeth Chadwick in the style of writing and perspective. Huge fan of this style of writing of having another view point other than nobleman's view of this period in history.

Some creative liberties have been taken to help the modern audience understand the time and thinking of that period but it made it better. I hope there is more about this story in the future as the ending is set up for sequels.

Rebellion by Richard Cullen is the first in a new series featuring young Estienne, an orphan sent to be raised in the household of the fabulous William Marshall in the final troubled years of King John's reign. (You may have noticed that I'm a huge William Marshall fan—I wasn't expecting to find him in this book, so I was very pleased.)

Estienne quickly makes an enemy for himself in the form of one of the other squires while showing his loyalty and fierce desire to succeed. In the process, he wins the high regard of William Marshall and two of his older sons.

The story is very busy. A lot is happening as rebellion against King John builds, and there's the threat of invasion from France, and Estienne finds himself at the heart of much of it. This leads to some good battle scenes and harsh depictions of life in a siege. I did feel a bit sorry for his poor horse and the miles he had to journey. Although I knew the period's history, I still found it very enjoyable to follow Estienne's role in it all. He does witness many of the major elements and, of course, gets to face off against his enemy, although he never discovers his identity.

This is a thrilling start to a new series, and I'm excited to see what happens to Estienne in the future. It is sure to appeal to fans of the genre and those interested in the events of King John's reign. And, we can't forget, it features the fabulous William Marshall in all his wonderful glory.

I really enjoyed the overall concept of this book, it had that historical adventure element that I was hoping for. The use of the English Kings worked with what I knew about these Kings. It was a strong start to this series and enjoyed the adventure element to this. Richard Cullen has a great writing style and the characters were realistic and worked in this story.