The Grip of God by Rebecca Hazell Review!

Book Details

• Paperback: 380 pages (Paperback)
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (July 23, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1475213085
• ISBN-13: 978-1475213089

• File Size: 2345 KB (ebook)
• Print Length: 412 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publication Date: September 23, 2013
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00FENSOS8

The Grip of God is the first novel in an epic historical trilogy, The Tiger and the Dove. Set in the thirteenth century, its heroine, Sofia, is a young princess of Kievan Rus. She begins her story by recounting her capture in battle and life of slavery to a young army captain in the Mongol armies that are flooding Europe. Not only is her life shattered, it is threatened by the bitter rivalries in her new master's powerful family, and shadowed by the leader of the Mongol invasion, Batu Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson. How will she learn to survive in a world of total war, much less rediscover the love she once took for granted? Always seeking to escape and menaced by outer enemies and inner turmoil, where can she find safe haven even if she can break free? Clear eyed and intelligent, Sofia could be a character from The Game of Thrones, but she refuses to believe that life is solely about the strong dominating the weak or about taking endless revenge. Her story is based on actual historical events, which haunt her destiny. Like an intelligent Forrest Gump, she reflects her times. But as she matures, she learns to reflect on them as well, and to transcend their fetters. In doing so, she recreates a lost era for us, her readers.

I have loved reading, writing and making art from age two, my first canvases for both being the hall walls. I've been writing for decades, both nonfiction and fiction. My nonfiction included educational materials for public schools, coloring books, and most recently collections of biographies of heroic people, but I have recently made the transition to writing historical fiction. I love bringing the past to life and connecting our present with our past. I have moved across the North American continent twice, among the almost 70 moves I have made. I have also visited Europe, Mexico, and the Antipodes. 

My inspiration for how to write comes from Nobel Prizewinner Isaac Bashevis Singer, whose quote I found in a collection of short stories: The purpose of writing is to entertain and inform. I liked that because it reminds me that people want to broaden their world more than they want to shrink into themselves. 

http://rebeccahazell.com/

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My Thoughts

A few years ago I tried to read The Grip of God and was unsuccessful. Not sure why, I think it may have been the era that the book was written in. I had not read a lot of the Mongols, I love historical fiction but mostly 15th-17th century Britain and Ireland. So this was a bit of a stretch for me to read or even want to read about the Mongols. When I was offered the book again for review I figured that I had better give it another chance. I am really glad I did though, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. 

A young girl, Sofia, a princess from Kievan Rus, now called Russia, is captured and enslaved by Mongols. This story is written from Sofia's point of view and she tells of life as a captive of a young man. She is raped and abused by Armagon repeatedly until slowly their relationship changes and I believe that he truly comes to love Sofia, but the Mongol culture is a savage one, where the Mongols take over Asia and  Europe. They live a nomadic life, never in one place for very long, which I imagine was very difficult for Sofia, who had lived a privileged life in Kyiv. 

Sofia's goal is to escape however she can but along the way she becomes a part of the lives of these Mongols, becoming close to Armagon's mother, Q'ing-ling and Dorje, a man who teaches Sofia the customs and language of the Mongols. Sofia is a very well educated young girl and eventually becomes a translator for the leader of the Mongol tribe, Batu Khan grandson of the famed Genghis Khan. Life for Sofia is difficult at best, having to learn the ways of this violent and nomadic people, she struggles with her faith, while trying to understand the Mongols religion and beliefs. 

I did enjoy this novel, it is well researched and I did learn a lot from this book, I liked Sofia, it is amazing to me how young she is in the story, 12 years old, snatched from a life of privilege to live with these barbaric people but she perseveres and makes good from a bad situation, making friends and even coming to understand and maybe even love her captor, but always with thoughts of escape and finding her family. 

There are two more books to the Tiger and the Dove series, Solomon's Bride and Consolamentum, which I look forward to reading. When reading historical fiction, I don't always read or stray very far from British or Irish history, and reading The Grip of God, I became more aware of the other cultures during this time period. This is a story of a strong young princess who comes of age in a violent world, who makes her situation work for her. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the rest of Sofia's story.

I received an ebook for review and was not monetarily compensated for the review.

The other books in the series: