Name: River of Destiny
Rating: 2.5 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9780007455652

Barbara Erskine

From the bestselling author of Time’s Legacy and Lady of Hay comes a thrilling new novel, River of Destiny, an epic story that spans Anglo Saxon Britain, Victorian Suffolk and the present day. Perfect for fans of Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth.

River of Destiny

Sian Wadey

** spoiler alert **
           Oh my Goodness! This book took me a long time to read, I thought it would never end! 
River of Destiny by Barbara Erskine is set across three periods in time and jumps back and forth between each period. The first period is set during the Anglo-Saxon times, based around sword maker Eric and his wife Edith. The second period is based during Victorian times. Lady Emily is married to the lord of the house but having relations with the blacksmith Dan. And the last period is based in present day around Zoe and Ken who live in one of three converted barns. All of these three interweaving stories are set by the river, where a ghost Viking ship is seen on a regular basis.
My Mum, was absolutely in love with this book and couldn't wait for me to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as she did. The concept of this novel is a great idea, the different periods of times and the mystery but for me the main thing that let it down was the characters. I didn't like Lady Emily, but you're really not supposed to, so that wasn't a problem. The problem was everybody else.
I feel like Zoe is the main character throughout the whole novel and you're supposed to sympathise with her, but I didn't feel that connection. Her relationship with her husband is debatable at best and the way their marriage comes to an end seems to me inconsequential. There is no bang, just a dull fizzle. Dan the blacksmith is originally seen in a positive light, claiming how much he loves his wife, but Lady Emily only has to click her fingers and he succumbs. I didn't enjoy the Anglo-Saxon sections at all, felt no sympathy towards the characters. Nobody is very likeable and I really struggle to enjoy books where I don't like the characters. 
The dialogue was also quite unrealistic and shoddy at times, and the culmination of the book was odd and seemed out of the place with the rest of the novel. I think it's fair to say I will give Barbara Erskine a miss for a bit.

On the banks of the River Deben in Suffolk lies a set of barns dating back to the Anglo Saxons, within their walls secrets have laid buried for centuries. Zoe and Ken have just moved into one of the barns, ready to start a new life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. To the outside world they seem like an ordinary couple, but underneath they are growing more distant by the day. And when Zoe becomes close to local recluse, Leo, she finds her attraction to him undeniable. Whilst farmers are ploughing the land surrounding the barns, sets of human bones are found and when the police arrive it becomes clear that the bones are much older than first suspected ... From an ancient burial ground to a Victorian murder, Erskine will have you gripped as the mystery unfolds across the ages.

River of Destiny

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