By Virginia Crow
"Go out and tell all those you meet, Caledon has risen. Caledon will be protected and defended. And to you who would cause her harm, be prepared. A new fight has come."
After the destruction of the Jacobite forces at Culloden, Scotland is divided, vulnerable and leaderless, with survivors from both sides seeking to make sense of the battles they have fought against their fellow Scots.
James Og flees Drumossie, seeking the protection of his uncle's house in Sutherland. It is here that James learns that the Northern Highlands hold a secret power only he can wield: Caledon. When Ensign John Mackay begins hunting Og's family, James realises he must harness this power to defeat the enemies of Scotland.
But, as the ageless Caledon awakes, so too does an ancient evil. When it allies with Mackay, the small Clan of Caledon faces enemies at every turn, discovering that even those closest to them may seek to destroy them.
James Og is a wanted man in a divided Scotland. He fled Drumossie, and ran for his uncle’s house, desperate for protection, but rather than finding safety, but brought the danger with him. James’ arrival forces his cousins, Mary and Donald, to flee, for their name, Mackenzie, is of a divided clan, and the only thing worse than being a Mackenzie, is to be a Mackenzie caught harbouring a fugitive.
After the death of their father, Mary and Donald find themselves separate, choosing different paths. While Donald chooses to follow his cousin, Mary can no longer stand the sight of him, for James did nothing to try and stop her father’s death. Both find themselves following new paths, but the directions they go in are dramatically different, and the siblings find themselves on opposing sides of a new war.
There is a secret power, hidden in the Northern Highlands, that James stumbles upon while running – Caledon. A legend that appears to be true, James takes on the power of Caledon, and slowly builds up a united force fighting for the greater good of Scotland – Power, Stealth, Zeal, Strength, Nobility, and Wisdom. Together with Donald, James travels Scotland and they fight injustice, although they have one target in particular. Ensign John Mackay was the one who killed Donald’s father, and he is on a mission to hunt down James, and kill the Clan of Caledon, one by one.
I have read two books by Virginia Crow before, and absolutely loved them, so I went into this book with the highest of expectations. I am happy to say, I was not disappointed. This is an absolute masterpiece of a mythic, historical novel. Simple words on a page brought an entire world to life, and I was entranced from beginning to end.
The power of Caledon changes everything in this novel. James is, for lack of a better word, a coward, who would run from a fight for fear of death rather than jump in to save someone. With Caledon, though, he grows brave, ready and able to fight against whatever he needs to. The change in him is clear, showing just how much Caledon affects him. It brings out the best qualities, pushing down the worst, allowing him to fulfil a destiny already prewritten.
Out of all of the members of the Clan of Caledon, I must say, my absolute favourite was Donnie. He is not a fighter, but would follow James to the end of the earth if needed. He is so incredibly loyal to his cousin, and although he is not quite as competent as the others at sneaking around unnoticed, he is kind and caring. I adored his character, and especially the bond between him and James, for together they became a force unstoppable, even though they were sometimes like children running around and play fighting.
As much as I love Donnie, though, I absolutely loathed his sister. Mary blames James entirely for her father’s death, and decides that he must also die. She makes it her mission to be his downfall, and quickly runs to the person who hates James just as much as she does – Ensign John Mackay. Mary is a devious, horrible person, and although I liked her in the first chapter or so, a deep hatred quickly developed, and I couldn’t stand to even read her name. The author has done a great job at creating characters to both love and hate. The problem occurred when the characters I loved and the characters I hated ended up in the same room…
Although this is a fabulous book, and Virginia Crow is quickly becoming a favourite author, whose books I absolutely have to read, I must say, there are aspects of this novel that I didn’t like… for the sole reason that they completely destroyed me. Why the author feels the need to play with my emotions like this, I don’t quite know, but what I do know is that I didn’t appreciate it at all. In particular, there is one part of this book that I hated reading, just because of how upset it made me. I won’t spoil it, but if you’ve read this book, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
When I reached the end of this book, and saw the words “The Quest of Caledon will Continue” I prepared myself to find out that book 2 wouldn’t be out for ages, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it has already been released, and that I won’t have to wait to read it. I will definitely be buying it and reading on, for I haven’t yet had enough of the Clan of Caledon, although there are definitely characters that I will sorely miss as I read on.
Virginia grew up in Orkney, using the breath-taking scenery to fuel her imagination and the writing fire within her. Her favourite genres to write are fantasy and historical fiction, sometimes mixing the two together. She enjoys swashbuckling stories such as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and is still waiting for a screen adaption that lives up to the book!
When she's not writing, Virginia is usually to be found teaching music. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of music, especially as a tool of inspiration. She also helps out with the John o' Groats Book Festival which is celebrating its 4th year.
She now lives in the far-flung corner of Scotland. A doting spaniel-owner to Orlando and Jess, Virginia soaks up in inspiration from the landscape as she ventures out with her canine companions.
She loves cheese, music, and films, but hates mushrooms.
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Thank you for hosting Virginia Crow today, and for your wonderful review. So glad you enjoyed Caledon. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this incredible review! I am so pleased you enjoyed it and felt so invested in the characters π
ReplyDelete...and sorry for *that* scene!
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