Book Friday - By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson
11 December 2009
Fantasy is normally not my thing. I read the first Lord of the Rings books by my husband’s request, and while I was able to recognize that it was good literature, I didn’t feel compelled to read the next two in the series.
So I wasn’t entirely sure how I would like Jill Williamson’s By Darkness Hid, but I’d never read a fantasy book targeted at teens and wanted to give it a try.
It’s 490 pages long, so it’s kinda tough to summarize in my normal short style. The book follows Achan, who’s 16 and a “stray.” This means he has zero rights, and has been beaten and held down his entire life. A knight offers to train him for the Kingsguard, but Achan ends up getting a little more than he bargained for when he stops drinking this nasty tonic forced on him every morning and discovers he has the gift of “bloodvoicing.” Which is a mind-communication thing.
The other character we follow is Vrell, who’s a noble girl but is masquerading as a stray boy so she’s not forced to marry the awful prince. She can also bloodvoice, and before she’s able to get home safely, she feels called to help Achan in his journey.
I was shocked by how much I enjoyed By Darkness Hid. There were a few nights where I thought, “I’ll just read for 10 or 15 minutes before going to bed,” and then about an hour and a half later, I’d finally force myself to turn off the light. Achan is so endearing, and I spent most the book wanting to leap into those pages and give him a big hug. Especially when his girl gets stolen by this total pig of a guy. Grr…. And Vrell is my kind of heroine—brave, strong, and inventive.
The book ends in one of those places where you’re like, “Hey! I wasn’t ready yet! Not cool.” Fortunately, two more books are coming. To Darkness Fled releases April 1st.
Have a great weekend everybody!
Comments
DEFINITELY makes me envious :) And Jill’s book did an excellent job of that.
Posted by Stephanie on 13 December 2009
Thanks, Stephanie! I want to give Achan a hug, too. :-)
Posted by Jill Williamson on 20 December 2009
Although I love C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, fantasy isn’t my favorite either. One advantage to those authors is that they could write easily on the essential conflict between good and evil, and the fact that nothing is morally neutral, without being criticized for not being in-your-face Christian. Doesn’t that make you a little envious? The style isn’t so important when we realize whose side we are on (as I know you realize).
Posted by Bruce Morrill on 12 December 2009