Review of Dagger's Destiny
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photosynthesis19
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Review of Dagger's Destiny
[Following is a volunteer review of "Dagger's Destiny" by Linnea Tanner.]
Dagger’s Destiny, authored by Linnea Tanner, continues the forbidden love story of Catrin, a Cantiaci warrior princess, and Marcellus, a Roman nobleman. In the first book in the series, Apollo’s Raven, Catrin meets Marcellus when he is held hostage in King Amren’s castle while Catrin’s father, the king, attempts to forge an alliance with Rome to quell political unrest among several tribes in South Britannia. At a prisoner exchange, Catrin disobeys her father in order to save Marcellus from certain death. This results in Catrin being charged with treason.
Dagger’s Destiny continues the story immediately after the prisoner exchange. Marcellus, barely having escaped death, returns to his Roman encampment while Catrin must face her father’s punishment for disobeying his orders and saving a Roman enemy. King Amren considers proclaiming the death sentence when a fierce warrior, Ferrex, steps up and offers to train Catrin and forge her into a loyal warrior. King Amren agrees, under the condition that Catrin forsakes Marcellus and swears utmost loyalty to her father instead. However, Catrin’s love for Marcellus and loyalty to her father are tested yet again when she and Marcellus reunite due to an unexpected turn of events. As political tensions among several tribes in South Britannia spiral out of control, Catrin must choose her next course of action wisely to protect her family and kingdom and to break the curse that foretells the destruction of her homeland.
I was excited to see that Dagger’s Destiny was available for review after I had read Apollo’s Raven, the first book in this historical fantasy series that combines elements of Roman and Celtic history, romance, and magic. Dagger’s Destiny contained realistic and creative worldbuilding, relatable and interesting characters, and unexpected plot twists and developments that kept me engaged and eager to read on until the very last page. The author also switched between the points of view of different characters every other chapter, which I found added to the feeling of suspense. I could never really anticipate what would happen next, and some story developments genuinely surprised me, such as Ferrex’s interest in Catrin, which turned the love story into an exciting love triangle. The appearance of Myrddin, an ancient druid who only showed his face when it was time for a new ruler to be announced, also added to the sense of foreboding that some important changes and plot developments were about to be introduced.
In my review of the first book, Apollo’s Raven, I mentioned my initial concern that Catrin’s personality felt somewhat shallow and that some of her actions and behavior felt too bold for the time period that the book was set in. This was not the case for the second book, in which interactions between the characters felt much more natural. However, something to keep in mind is that while it is possible to read this book without reading the first title in the series, I highly recommend reading the first book because Dagger’s Destiny builds heavily on many of the events and plot developments in Apollo’s Raven.
Overall, there was nothing that I disliked about this book, and I confidently rate it 5 out of 5 stars. Although I found a handful of minor grammar errors, they did not interrupt the reading flow, and the book appeared to be well edited overall. I have already purchased the third book in the series and am determined to follow Catrin and Marcellus’s story until the end. I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading adventure, fantasy, and romance novels. The book contains several instances of profanity and a few scenes with sexually explicit content.
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Dagger's Destiny
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Dagger’s Destiny, authored by Linnea Tanner, continues the forbidden love story of Catrin, a Cantiaci warrior princess, and Marcellus, a Roman nobleman. In the first book in the series, Apollo’s Raven, Catrin meets Marcellus when he is held hostage in King Amren’s castle while Catrin’s father, the king, attempts to forge an alliance with Rome to quell political unrest among several tribes in South Britannia. At a prisoner exchange, Catrin disobeys her father in order to save Marcellus from certain death. This results in Catrin being charged with treason.
Dagger’s Destiny continues the story immediately after the prisoner exchange. Marcellus, barely having escaped death, returns to his Roman encampment while Catrin must face her father’s punishment for disobeying his orders and saving a Roman enemy. King Amren considers proclaiming the death sentence when a fierce warrior, Ferrex, steps up and offers to train Catrin and forge her into a loyal warrior. King Amren agrees, under the condition that Catrin forsakes Marcellus and swears utmost loyalty to her father instead. However, Catrin’s love for Marcellus and loyalty to her father are tested yet again when she and Marcellus reunite due to an unexpected turn of events. As political tensions among several tribes in South Britannia spiral out of control, Catrin must choose her next course of action wisely to protect her family and kingdom and to break the curse that foretells the destruction of her homeland.
I was excited to see that Dagger’s Destiny was available for review after I had read Apollo’s Raven, the first book in this historical fantasy series that combines elements of Roman and Celtic history, romance, and magic. Dagger’s Destiny contained realistic and creative worldbuilding, relatable and interesting characters, and unexpected plot twists and developments that kept me engaged and eager to read on until the very last page. The author also switched between the points of view of different characters every other chapter, which I found added to the feeling of suspense. I could never really anticipate what would happen next, and some story developments genuinely surprised me, such as Ferrex’s interest in Catrin, which turned the love story into an exciting love triangle. The appearance of Myrddin, an ancient druid who only showed his face when it was time for a new ruler to be announced, also added to the sense of foreboding that some important changes and plot developments were about to be introduced.
In my review of the first book, Apollo’s Raven, I mentioned my initial concern that Catrin’s personality felt somewhat shallow and that some of her actions and behavior felt too bold for the time period that the book was set in. This was not the case for the second book, in which interactions between the characters felt much more natural. However, something to keep in mind is that while it is possible to read this book without reading the first title in the series, I highly recommend reading the first book because Dagger’s Destiny builds heavily on many of the events and plot developments in Apollo’s Raven.
Overall, there was nothing that I disliked about this book, and I confidently rate it 5 out of 5 stars. Although I found a handful of minor grammar errors, they did not interrupt the reading flow, and the book appeared to be well edited overall. I have already purchased the third book in the series and am determined to follow Catrin and Marcellus’s story until the end. I recommend this book to people who enjoy reading adventure, fantasy, and romance novels. The book contains several instances of profanity and a few scenes with sexually explicit content.
******
Dagger's Destiny
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: The Middle Reaches (Episodes 1-8) by L. Andrew Cooper
