It is the third book of the Bernicia Chronicles. This historical fiction in Bernicia (also called the northern kingdom of Northumbria.

Beobrand was having the revenge against the Picts, who were vengeance against the kingdom. He was encountered with sadness and tragedies.

The readers can get used to accepting the old names for places in the United Kingdom as they continue reading the second and third books of the Bernicia Chronicles. The author still focused on the Anglo-Saxon world with rich descriptions of how people lived and worked.

I will ask myself when there will be the happy endings in the series.

Caesar13

The third instalment in The Bernicia Chronicles was the first that I requested to read from Netgalley, so I figured it was best to get through the first two beforehand and purchased the audiobooks. I have a weakness for the Seventh Century, so of course I want for it because it was set during the reigns of the legendary Kings Oswald, Edwin and Oswui for Northumbria.

Certainly, the Bernicia Chronicles and the latest instalment are exhilarating adventure stories peopled with a host of colourful and interesting characters. They do bring the period of warriors and warlords, blood-feuds and heroism, saints and superstition at a time when the distinction between myth and history were not easily distinguishable. The author has done a good job creating characters who are true to the time, but relatable and real in their emotions and desires.
However, whilst this series was enjoyable historical fiction, it’s far from my favourite. Perhaps it’s because this series is cast in the mould of Bernard Cornwell’s Warrior Chronicles, with almost invincible hero sporting a Thor’s Hammer pendent, who trudges along from battle to battle with his trusty band of very manly warriors. I couldn’t get on with the Warrior Chronicles or Uhtred of Bebbanburg the hero of that story, which sort of prejudices me against this.
With the exception, perhaps of Sunniver, Beobrand’s wife, who was genuinely strong and interesting, one gets the impression that most of the female characters in the series as only there as ‘Romantic interest’ (read for the men to sleep with), or as extras. Really, I don’t need all the detailed descriptions when the hero remembers back all the ‘action’ of the night before, as he does in many scenes. I get it, the warrior who the ladies fall over themselves for might have been some ideal, but that content just doesn’t appeal to me.

Also, some of the incidents in Blood and Blade did not seem consistent. I don’t recall Beobrand and Oswui being on bad terms in the last story, but suddenly, the Northumbrian atheling is arrogant and totally hates him? Why, just to create more tension and conflict I suppose. I may read the next books in the series, but they’re not entirely my cup of tea. Personally, I prefer Edoardo Albert’s Northumbrian Thrones Trilogy

I arrived at this one rather late - two volumes too late, and as such did not really connect with the characters which is a shame as this period in English history usually sparks my interest

The novel is set in the time of the turmoil in the Kingdom of Northumbria in the AD7th century - a similar period covered by Edoardo Albert in his trilogy (which I read a roughly the same time - and have the opportunity to read again).

I gave this three stars as the writing and plot kept me captivated, and I guess had I read the books in sequence, a higher star rating would have ensued. That doesn't mean that I wont return to these in sequential order (so a second review could be in the future).

Blood and Blade by Matthew Harffy is the third book in his Bernicia Chronicles following the exploits of his, quite frankly, bad-tempered warrior, Beobrand. He's no hero - he's too self-involved, grumpy and lacks any likeable characteristics, even though the author is at pains to explain this away due to the tragedies that have befallen him in Book 2.

However, these do not excuse the foul natured monster that Beobrand has become, and I did struggle to understand why any man, or woman, would want to spend any time with him, or rely on him in his guise as a warrior or a lover. He is, quite simply, lacking in any likeable qualities, without even the spark of any humour to soften his harshness, no matter how often Athelstan tries to recount his exploits in the mead hall and make them appear heroic, it simply does not work.

The constant shifts in point of view in chapters is annoying, but this is something that I personally don't understand or like in any novel so it's not a particular complaint about this author. I'm always left feeling that if the chapter needs a shift in POV then it's either not a chapter and needs splitting, or the author needs to approach this part of the novel in a different way - give the voice of the story to a different member of the cast.

The storyline of Blood and Blade is somewhat simplistic, and you do reach a certain part of the novel and know exactly what has to happen before it reaches its end. Nothing unexpected happens to bring the novel to its conclusion. This is somewhat of a shame. I would have liked even the idea of a different ending.

The author is at pains to show society, as he perceives it, at this time, and the insistence on the small details is repetitive, as is the constant recounting of Beobrand's aches and pains, recovering wounds and new ones that he receives.

I would reiterate, Beobrand is no hero, but neither is he an anti-hero. He's been thrust into a time in history that is very exciting, and yet it seems that with his constant moaning and complaining, that he has no appreciation of this and is never likely to. For a young man, he often appears to be about 100 years old.

On a final note. I still do not like the way the author treats women of this period. They are either witches, bed companions, or someone else's bed companions, and they are presented as petty and mean to each other. This might be a novel about a (very) grumpy warrior, but Anglo-Saxon women were, and should be, given the place in society that they earned and deserved. Much of this is, obviously, to do with the author's interpretation of this time period, and I suppose, it is worth remembering that it is a work of fiction, and not fact. Still, this is also a shame and I hope, something, that is corrected in later books to allow the author to reach a wider fan base.

Overall, the novel was enjoyable to read.