Publisher: Independent (Mirador
Publishing)
Year: 2012
Price in sterling: £8.99
pb / £3.24 Kindle
Format: Paperback
& eBook
Pages: 201
ISBN: 978-1-908200-84-6
It is a time of fear, of suspicion and of death. Medieval Europe has long been under the shadow of the
Black Death and now England is succumbing to the plague. A family of Roma gypsies cross the Narrow Sea
and find themselves on the outskirts of a village where the Black Death has
struck. Sophia, the eldest, is a woman of confidence. She
has knowledge of healing using herbs, something that could be misconstrued as
witchcraft but the people of the village just want their loved ones to
survive. She clearly states that there
is no cure, but still they beg her for their assistance. Her companions are a brother, Shandor and his
younger sister, Kali.
The village is dominated by its feudal lord, a man
with little mercy for the plight of his people.
In an attempt to protect his family – his daughter especially – from the
plague, he order the gates to the Manor House closed and leaves those outside
to face certain death. His malicious
attitude towards his serfs is noted with scorn by Sophia who decides to stay. When the Roma come up with a plan to save the
remaining villagers and give them an opportunity to take their revenge on their
cruel overlord, they readily agree to assist.
But revenge, love and passion come with a price and the question remains
– can you risk it all in order to win your heart’s desire?
Review
Writing in first person perspective, using two of
the central characters rather than the usual one, is a tricky skill to
master. It is possible to lose track of
the story, even to become confused between which character is talking but in
The Sister & The Daughter, Ciel Dexter pulls it off with ease. The story that grabs you right from the start
and it is impossible not to be moved by the plight of the villagers as they are
excluded from sanctuary by a man who values his black stallion more highly than
the men and women who work his land and harvest his crops.
Each character is superbly
created and the different sides of their personality are gently teased out as
the story develops. The plot is never
lacking in depth and each page provides glimpses, pieces of a jigsaw, that you
are compelled to complete and you read on with excitement and anticipation. The description of the plague and the brutal
way it decimates a community is written emotionally, as are the
characterizations.
An independently published writer needs to make
their work as attractive as possible, in the standard of writing and by
creating an attractive cover – or at least one that catches the eye. I have to say I am no fan of the cover; it is
too garish and is slightly off-putting.
However, the writing is wonderfully rich and vibrant. This book is a great example of how good independent
writing can be and I am proud to award “The Sister & The Daughter” 4 Crosses .
X X X X
Another example of a quality self published book that should have made mainstream.
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