Book Review: FIREBIRD - Susanna Kearsley

Firebird by Susanna Kearsley                                                      

Hardcover (UK edition)

Publisher: Allison & Busby

Published: 28 February 2013

Genre: Gothic Historical Fiction (Time-Slip)

Purchased by me from: www.bookdepository.co.uk      

My rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis

When a carving called the Firebird, leads Nicola Marter, a young women with psychic abilities, on an exciting adventure across Europe (from England, Scotland, Belgium to Russia), she is aided by her friend Rob McMorran, (who first appeared as young Robbie in the novel Shadowy Horses), and who's psychic abilities are even greater than Nicola's.   Suddenly, the Past meets the Present...

Quote:  “What you bring back with you in the end might not be what you started out in search of to begin with.” - character Rob Morran

Review

Firebird, is a beautifully written novel, where the story just flows from the pages and is captivating from the first page to the last. It is clear that Susanna Kearsley was very passionate about her well developed characters and her richly atmospheric plot when she wrote this novel.  The historical information in this novel, especially about the Jacobite activities,  has been very well researched .

This book is a sort of sequel to two of the authors earlier novels, Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses.  Both these novels are "stand alone" novels, they have nothing in common until you read Firebird.   Susanna Kearsley has done a splendid job connecting these novels effortlessly.  Firebird, centres around Ann Moray who is the daughter of John and Sophia who were the central characters from the authors previous novel Winter Sea.

The novel has an engaging story plot and dialogue which transfers between contemporary and historical characters with ease. I also found this novel to be extremely visual. I felt my senses come alive while reading this wonderful story. It was if I was travelling with these believable characters from England, Scotland, Belgium and then on to Russia and what a wonderful journey it was! I found myself completely engrossed by the lives of the characters and the excellent plot. The journey involved an exciting adventure, that I did not want to see come to an end and the protagonists in this story, were so endearing, that I found myself emotionally attached to them.

Simply put, "It was a Damn Good Read!"

Author's Bio: As a former museum curator, Susanna Kearsley brings her own passion for research and travel to bear in her books, weaving history with modern-day intrigue in a way that, in the words of one reviewer, 'tells the story of the past and illuminates the present'. She won the prestigious Catherine Cookson Fiction Award for her novel Mariana, and was shortlisted for the UK's Romantic Novel of the Year Award for Sophia's Secret. www.susannakearsley.com