“For the love of God, let her die! Let her die!”
“The stink of burning flesh lingered in the square for hours afterwards”
When the respected daughter of the local magistrate’s life is turned upside down it affects the fate of the whole town, for the wrath of the Holy Inquisition shows no mercy. In the summer of 1490 Zarita watches helplessly as her distraught and inconsolable father hangs a beggar on the spot, using a worn rope from the servant’s quarters. Saulo, son of the beggar endures his father’s wrongful prosecution and sees his fathers dying moments unfold before him. Swearing revenge he is forced to become a slave, whisked away from his dying mother to do manual labour at sea. Little did they know that barely a year later they shall meet, brought together by the terror of the inquisition and to face the final acts of betrayal and revenge.
I really enjoyed this book as it tells the tale about two different characters whose stories of wealth and poverty are brought together to reflect on just how ruthless the Inquisition could be. Although they remain far apart from one another, they both experience the force and power which the Inquisition brings and I think that Breslin really shows an incredible amount of in depth knowledge which drew me in and for me made the book utterly un-put-down-able!
Throughout the book there were many different events which sparked off varying feelings as there was torture, love, injustice, action and sadness which Breslin has made all come together and I think this shows amazing ingenuity without over-crowding the main plot. Breslin’s ability to captivate your thoughts and make you feel as though you are really there and experiencing the novel is clearly natural and you can really get a good sense of the flow of the story from page one. I particularly enjoyed the thrill of never knowing what was going to happen next as it made me both excited and curious which I think Breslin was very good at.
The book is written from both Zarita and Saulo’s points of view by alternating each narration chapter to chapter. I personally feel this gives great insight on to how both characters are feeling at different times and I find that it allows you to feel closer to Zarita and Saulo’s journey. My favourite character from page one has to be Zarita as although Saulo’s first opinion of her is vanity, reading from Zarita’s narration you can see her true thoughts and internal struggles. At moments in the book I feel that Zarita can be quite selfish and self-centred but at other scenes I think that she is the most selfless and brave person I’ve ever read about. Some people may dislike the book for this reason as they may find it confusing and that the perception of Zarita’s personality should be clearer, but I like the complexity of Breslin’s style.
Overall I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys books about historical events, love and a small bit about action. Personally I think that this is one of the best books I’ve read in terms of style, plot and genre and I urge other readers to try this book. I would not have chosen this book off the shelf usually as I prefer more mystery/ crime fighting type dramas but I am glad that through Carnegie Shadowing I have been able to experience this genre. This has definitely been my favourite Carnegie shortlisted book so far and I can’t wait to read more books by Theresa Breslin!
“The stink of burning flesh lingered in the square for hours afterwards”
When the respected daughter of the local magistrate’s life is turned upside down it affects the fate of the whole town, for the wrath of the Holy Inquisition shows no mercy. In the summer of 1490 Zarita watches helplessly as her distraught and inconsolable father hangs a beggar on the spot, using a worn rope from the servant’s quarters. Saulo, son of the beggar endures his father’s wrongful prosecution and sees his fathers dying moments unfold before him. Swearing revenge he is forced to become a slave, whisked away from his dying mother to do manual labour at sea. Little did they know that barely a year later they shall meet, brought together by the terror of the inquisition and to face the final acts of betrayal and revenge.
I really enjoyed this book as it tells the tale about two different characters whose stories of wealth and poverty are brought together to reflect on just how ruthless the Inquisition could be. Although they remain far apart from one another, they both experience the force and power which the Inquisition brings and I think that Breslin really shows an incredible amount of in depth knowledge which drew me in and for me made the book utterly un-put-down-able!
Throughout the book there were many different events which sparked off varying feelings as there was torture, love, injustice, action and sadness which Breslin has made all come together and I think this shows amazing ingenuity without over-crowding the main plot. Breslin’s ability to captivate your thoughts and make you feel as though you are really there and experiencing the novel is clearly natural and you can really get a good sense of the flow of the story from page one. I particularly enjoyed the thrill of never knowing what was going to happen next as it made me both excited and curious which I think Breslin was very good at.
The book is written from both Zarita and Saulo’s points of view by alternating each narration chapter to chapter. I personally feel this gives great insight on to how both characters are feeling at different times and I find that it allows you to feel closer to Zarita and Saulo’s journey. My favourite character from page one has to be Zarita as although Saulo’s first opinion of her is vanity, reading from Zarita’s narration you can see her true thoughts and internal struggles. At moments in the book I feel that Zarita can be quite selfish and self-centred but at other scenes I think that she is the most selfless and brave person I’ve ever read about. Some people may dislike the book for this reason as they may find it confusing and that the perception of Zarita’s personality should be clearer, but I like the complexity of Breslin’s style.
Overall I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys books about historical events, love and a small bit about action. Personally I think that this is one of the best books I’ve read in terms of style, plot and genre and I urge other readers to try this book. I would not have chosen this book off the shelf usually as I prefer more mystery/ crime fighting type dramas but I am glad that through Carnegie Shadowing I have been able to experience this genre. This has definitely been my favourite Carnegie shortlisted book so far and I can’t wait to read more books by Theresa Breslin!
By Imogen
Year 7
Ok I am kinda sad that no-ones commented on my review so I have decided to just complement myself (I deseve it! :) Here goes: Dear me, our review was just DASHiNG! I loved our insight and depth!Bravo! Love, me xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteImogen
Year 7
This is such a good review. I thought it was interesting to see what you thought!
ReplyDeleteEmily, year 7
Imogen great Review!
ReplyDeleteLoved the opinions though Saulo is soooooooooooo much better.
By anonymous