I greatly enjoyed the first half of this book. The 11th-century English countryside felt alive, full of creaking wagon wheels, lowing cattle, and the scents of hay and livestock. The tensions between the native English and the more recently-arrived Normal nobility was also well-drawn, especially since the first and main viewpoint character is half-English, half-Norman and caught between the two social groups. I also loved how Simon's perceptions of the king's marshall turned out to be not quite accurate. The brewing tension over William II's kingship was fun, too.

However, I thought the book failed to deliver on this great setup. After setting up Simon as caught between Norman and English loyalties, his choice turns out to be dictated mostly by circumstance. The other POV character (the marshall, Roland) seemed at first to be a second protagonist, equally as important as Simon, but after we heard some crucial information from him that Simon couldn't have seen, he almost doesn't matter anymore. Considering the way he exited the narrative, it seems incredible that he didn't have some impact on events. Shouldn't we at least have heard about the response when Simon lets us know the rumors from England in the epilogue? Was Roland being vilified? Praised? Kept quiet about? (I'm trying not to spoil the ending here, so I apologize for being vague.)

Worth reading, I guess, but it's not one I'd keep on my shelves.

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