A talent that many healers including her mother are blessed with but she has not been able to wield herself If this power does linger within her she must protect herself from exploitation of this ability Positives are that I really enjoyed the writing style of this book It is different to a lot of books I ve read recently and I found it refreshing The world building captured the time period well and was obviously well researched There was a captivating story with action from the start and it felt well paced The negatives are that the characterisation was a little underdeveloped and the insta love romance unconvincing 3 stars for being an engaging start to a planned trilogy with an intriguing story with a well researched and developed world.

Particularly in how the men she encountered spoke to her or physically intimidated her Characterisation This is where I felt the book was let down The vast majority of the characters felt very one dimensional and as a result the relationships formed between the characters felt quite stale Synne is depicted as bolder and braver than the other typical women in her world with a brazen acid tongue She never allows herself to show fear or weakness and is fiercely loyal She is a clever tactician and able to analyse situations well or escape tricky situations However she does not come across as a particularly relatable or likeable character Her audaciousness rarely gives her a sense of humour or makes her admirable.

Historical fiction at its finest 1066 While England reels from invasion one young woman rises In the chaotic aftermath of the Battle of Hastings Synne an orphan healer chooses a dangerous path She has royal blood in her veins but can she survive long enough to rescue her sisters Soon she becomes entangled with Magnus the arrogant son of the fallen King Harold He offers her a dangerous mission Driven by a fiery determination to rescue her sisters from slavers Synne agrees and becomes a spy in the enemy s camp Her inherited seer s gift lies untapped a powerful force waiting to be unleashed Captured by the man destined to be King of England William the Conqueror Synne finds herself before the assembled nobility at William s coronation feast branded a traitor In a world where alliances are shifting sands Synne must fight for her life But why does her accuser want her dead and what has her involvement with Magnus got to do with it Dive into a rich saga where history and destiny collide If you enjoy the novels of Elizabeth Chadwick Philippa Gregory or Anne O Brien you will love this Praise for LP O Bryan s O Bryan is a master storyteller providing us a view rarely seen in historical fiction Verified Reviewer A brisk plotwhich draws the reader into a conspiratorial rapport The Telegraph The strength of this novel handsdown is the author s fabulous characterizations and precision details Verified Reviewer well written beautifully descriptive and with a smart dialogue and a compelling air of menace throughout The Lancashire Evening Post I didn t know what to expect going into the book it being a historical fiction and all and I have loved every bit of it wanting even as I was reading the last sentence Verified Reviewer The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 Set in 1066 just after the Battle of Hastings this is the story of Synne a healer who is the daughter of a seer She is searching for her sisters who have been captured by Danish slavers whilst also becoming a spy for the brothers of the recently deceased King Harold She then ends up fighting for her life when William the Conqueror takes the throne These are the least of her adventures I enjoyed this book although I did find it a little disjointed at times as there were gaps in the story which weren t explained It s told in the first person by Synne herself I liked her voice and found myself cheering her on throughout the tale She goes on quite the journey It s well researched and interesting to read I haven t read many books set during this era and it s a period in time I know little about so it was great to immerse myself in the 11thC world and gain some knowledge I read this book via the Pigeonhole app one stave every day over ten days I looked forward to each instalment and I now look forward to reading book two in the series The Power of Synne The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 The overall tale of Synne a healer at the time of William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066 told of Synne s quest to find her sisters who had been taken as slaves after their mother had been killed On her journey she was acknowledged as a healer and asked to help others around her She becomes increasingly involved with the politics of the old and new courts and becomes an enemy spy The story itself was fine and I enjoyed reading about the time period what I did have a hard time with however was the sentence structure many sentences were short and choppy or relied on cliches and tired words A strong editor would make this a really good book. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for permitting this book to be a Read Now to help members develop their Feedback Ratio in exchange for an honest review Review Summary Set directly following the events of the 1066 Battle of Hastings in England this story follows the healer Synne a recent convert to Christianity from Norse paganism as she tries to survive the war between the Anglo Saxons and the Normans We follow her as she navigates between the different allegiances within the Anglo Saxon forces who must become allied to face the Norman threat while also trying to find her missing sisters A mysterious threat from the Danes also pursues her a threat she cannot yet explain All the while she battles with an inappropriate attraction to King Harold s son Magnus Synne must also avoid being mistaken as a Seer but lacking in some characterisation and suffering with a flat romance plot FULL REVIEW BELOW SPOILERS HIDDEN FOR DESKTOP USERS ONLY APP USERS BE AWARE World building The world is set in Anglo Saxon England a few years after the dissolution of the Danelaw and directly following the death of Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings His sons Magnus and Edmund are now faced up against the invading Normans to fight for the throne of England I have a personal love for this particular time period in History so this was right up my alley I was really able to envision Anglo Saxon England through the author s writing down to the little details such as the floors made of rushes the tents made of leather the celebrations of Yule and All Hallows and doors framed with animal skulls The interactions between the opposing warbands and the politics surrounding the crown felt realistic and the depictions of battle and particularly Synne s role as a healer were really immersive Synne s treatment as a woman played into this too but instead makes her feel a bit bland You re also left wondering how she gets away with talking to these powerful threatening people when she speaks to them so out of turn or why she pushes her luck so much as a clever person Her love interest is Magnus and unfortunately he is very flat There is maybe one conversation where he shows a sense of humour and the author tries to depict him as respectful and sensitive towards women than the other men in his proxy but he ends up just being very boring So boring in fact their insta love feels pretty unjustified because they barely interact The only character that it feels she has a genuine connection with is Ulf although it is never really explained why he feels as fiercely protective of her as he is They at least seem to have a somewhat playful relationship while Ulf simultaneously tries to reign in her impulsivity Villains include Earl Morcam Earl Edwin s concubine Catheryn and the Norman Duke William s brother Odo While these characters did create a sense of peril with scenes involving them genuinely leaving me holding my breath at points their scenes are quite short and I found myself curious about the background characters such as Duke William William the Conqueror Magnus brother Edmund or his concubine Elva Story I loved the story and I loved that it tried to stay largely historically accurate Synne s motivations are established very early on and we watch her navigating trauma and adversity within the first few chapters We then have The Infiltration trope one of my guilty pleasures Lots happens here We see Synne making some risky choices and agreements and trusting the wrong people with disastrous consequences She makes a blood oath with Catheryne becoming her blood sister Only for Catheryne to then attempt to force her into a marriage with Earl Morcam She then manages to escape only to later on have to fight Catheryne in a Holmgang to get out of this agreement. We have the classic forbidden love trope with some really great angst scenes that would have been fabulous had their relationship been developed better We have battle scenes ransoms fake outs But it was all still so well paced despite there being so much action We also had introductions to the storylines that will be in book two which I will definitely be reading We now know where Synne s missing sisters are and know she is being actively pursued by the Danes due to a still yet unknown connection through her Dane father We also know that Synne does possess the powers of a Seer which up to the end of the book had only been hinted at through her mother s voice communicating to her in her mind. Prose The writing style of this book is very different to things I have read recently by trying to capture the medieval Old English feel while still using modern English There were a couple of moments that felt a little jarring namely characters suddenly taking on a common dialogue reminiscent of modern day colloquialisms such as saying proper careful which is reminiscent of Northern accents or I guess which we use a lot in modern language It just felt out of place when these particular characters had largely spoken in a archaic style and we hadn t learnt which region the characters were from which could have justified it a little This only happened a handful of times so I could see past it pretty easily There was a few too many mentions of the floor being made of rushes it started to make me giggle a little There were also times where characters laughed when I hadn t realised something funny had been said or when characters would stick their tongues out when I hadn t realised they were having a light hearted silly interaction This led into the characterisation issues where I felt some of the personalities of the characters didn t translate very well through their dialogue Other than that I found it very readable The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 I have just finished the final stave of The Rise of Synne by L. P O Bryan which I have been reading with The Pigeonhole and what a satisfying read I never learned much about eleventh century history at school just a bit about the Battle of Hastings and anything else I picked up from museums and television programmes so it was interesting to read a well researched book about the period It was a blood thirsty and turbulent time but the British Isles had been invaded many times before that and its inhabitants were resilient I enjoyed following the healer and possible seer Synne s path on her mission to rescue her sisters from slavers how she met and became attached to Magnus one of King Harold s sons became a spy for him and his brother and ultimately fight for her life in front of William the Conqueror and his men This book is full of intrigue and secrets past and present which lead Synne to discover something about her own lineage and possibly the reason she is being hunted by the Danes The thing I like most about this book is the way O Bryan has captured Synne s voice in the first person narrator A little editing wouldn t go amiss though The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 Was this the end of the beginning Against all odds William Duke of Normandy emerged as the winner in a battle where Harold Godwinson and his Anglo Saxon army were favoured to win Now Harold was dead his body mutilated and those who survived the fray were fleeing towards the relatively safety of London where they could regroup and decide the next course of action. Among their number was Synne and her brother Stefan After the murder of their mother the capture of their sisters and the banishment from the only home they knew Synne and Stefan travel across the country Synne is a gifted healer and healers are always in demand Synne holds onto the hope that someone somewhere has information about the location of their sisters Tate and Gytha It was why they had joined Harold and his army in the first place Unfortunately Harold s death meant that the possibility of finding her sisters was dwindling with each passing minute But Synne was not one to give up easily. Despite Stefan s urging Synne chooses to stay and see if any of the nobility has survived before the Normans catch up to them This decision would change the course of her life forever. LP O Bryan s The Rise of Synne is a gripping account of war betrayal and the unbreakable bond of kinship O Bryan s novel based on real events and includes many historical figures is poised to captivate readers with its brilliance authenticity and historical precision. O Bryan possesses an instinctive comprehension of history s captivating allure The Battle of Hastings irrevocably changed the course of England s future and signalled the near end of Anglo Saxon rule Still the victory at Hastings was not the singular event that established William as king After the battle he had to solidify his position and form alliances with English nobility while neutralizing any potential challenges to his aspirations O Bryan s story begins where the battle ends and what an extraordinary story it is The attention to the smallest historical detail demonstrates the hours of research that have gone into writing this book Such dedication is to be praised for this novel screams authenticity and makes this book all the appealing. The narrative features a highly appealing ensemble of characters Told in the first person the reader experiences the events of this story through the eyes of Synne Synne treads a fine line between the spiritual world and the religious one The prophecy stated that she would follow in her mother s footsteps as a seer However due to her mother s identity she has experienced profound and inexplicable heartbreak which makes her cautious of men of the cloth especially at the start She has to hold her ground again and again and convince them she is a good Christian woman and not a threat Initially there is suspicion in her relationship with the monk Ulf but it transitions into trust as the story unfolds unlike her encounters with a certain Norman clergyman Synne despite her healing background becomes embroiled in a tragic power struggle This struggle involves not just the Anglo Saxons and the Normans but also the Anglo Saxon nobility who are torn between national interests and personal gain Who should they stand with the Norman outsider or the hastily approved Witan appointed Edgar theling The illustration of the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria was stunning highlighting their deceitful nature in their interactions with the House of Godwinson In the same way Harold s other children Edmund and Magnus grapple with diverse personal beliefs in which direction to take but they maintain a united front as a family at least publicly The portrayal of these historical figures greatly enhanced the story s credibility and made it an absolutely captivating read. Although the looming threat of William Duke of Normandy persists throughout the book readers only meet him near the end of the novel The combination of his arrogance ambition and battle prowess propelled him to his current status He is no man s fool and knows when to withdraw and when to advance Although when he withdraws the local population pays a heavy price Similar to historical events William seizes control of the treasury in Winchester giving him an advantage over Harold s followers who are regrouping in London The novel expertly showcases this advantage revealing that even supposed allies can be bought if the price is right. In my opinion this book struck the perfect balance between history and fiction The Rise of Synne by LP O Bryan is so captivating that once you begin reading it you won t want to stop There s no such thing as too much when historical fiction is written like this This story is brilliant from beginning to end and will leave a lasting impression on you Without question this is a book that requires your undivided attention until the final full stop Discovering that this novel is part of a series was a delightful surprise and I am eagerly anticipating reading the other books in what is sure to be a memorable saga. Yarde Book Reviews Book Promotions The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1

The Rise of Synne (Believe in Destiny Book 1) By LP OBryan

English

448

Kindle Edition

I read this through my online bookclub Pigeonhole The story is set in 1066 following the battle of Hastings under William The Conqueror and Norman rule Synne the daughter of a healer and Seer loses her brother Stephan and is determined to find her two sisters who she believes have been sold into slavery For the most part as a healer she is left untouched until recruited by King Harold s sons to spy on their behalf on the Normans In return they promise to help her find her sisters. I m pretty sure the way history is told in this story though compelling has embraced much poetic licence and while I liked the pace of the story some of the writing was disjointed It ends on a note that sets up the sequel This is part of a series 4 stars The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 Title The Rise of Synne Author LP O BryanGenre Historical Saga Romance Rating Amidst the chaos and upheaval of the Battle of Hastings LP O Bryan introduces us to an unforgettable heroine in The Rise of Synne This historical saga is a captivating blend of intrigue danger and resilience earning it a well deserved 4. In the tumultuous aftermath of the Battle of Hastings Synne an orphaned healer with royal blood embarks on a perilous journey to rescue her sisters from slavers Her path crosses with Magnus the proud and determined son of the fallen King Harold who offers her a risky mission to spy within the enemy camp. As Synne navigates the treacherous political landscape her dormant seer s gift begins to stir hinting at a powerful force within her Captured by the formidable William the Conqueror Synne finds herself accused of treachery at his coronation feast With alliances as unstable as shifting sands Synne must fight for her survival while uncovering the true motives behind her accuser and her complex relationship with Magnus. What I Loved 1 Dynamic Protagonist Synne is a compelling and multi faceted heroine Her evolution from a determined orphan to a key player in a dangerous game of thrones is both inspiring and riveting Her courage and resourcefulness in the face of overwhelming odds make her a character you can t help but root for. 2 Rich Historical Setting LP O Bryan masterfully brings 11th century England to life immersing readers in the chaotic aftermath of one of history s most pivotal battles The detailed depiction of the period s political intrigue and social dynamics adds depth and authenticity to the story. 3 Intriguing Plot Twists The narrative is filled with unexpected turns and revelations keeping readers on the edge of their seats The interplay between Synne s seer s gift and her espionage activities creates a thrilling and unpredictable storyline. 4 Complex Relationships The evolving relationship between Synne and Magnus is intricately woven with tension mistrust and a burgeoning respect Their interactions are a highlight of the book adding emotional depth and complexity to the tale. The Rise of Synne by LP O Bryan is a spellbinding historical saga that combines rich historical detail a fierce and relatable heroine and a plot full of intrigue and suspense I found much to love in this tale of courage loyalty and destiny Dive into a world where history and destiny collide and witness the rise of a young woman determined to change her fate The Rise of Synne is a must read for anyone who enjoys a gripping character driven historical novel. 5 stars Masterful re telling of the events that unfolded after the Battle of Hastings was fought The story takes the reader on a journey into the days the beginning of the Norman Conquest of England began. King Harold Godwinson had fallen and Duke William s army advanced towards London sweeping the countryside of the old ways ridding England of healers seers and all who aligned themselves with the Saxon regime Through the story I was a witness to the Norman horsemen riding in on their giant horses wearing chainmail hauberks flanked by their infantry foot soldiers carrying spears archers with crossbows and culminating in the coronation of William the Conqueror at Westminster Abbey London on 25 December 1066 despite the fire that broke out all over London. Woven into the story is the mystery of Synne s origin and the reason for her pernicious pursuit by the Danes as well as her developing relationship with Magnus the son of King Herold now in fleeing in exile. Thanks to Pigeonhole and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read the book The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 The Rise of Synne by LP O Bryan was an interesting interpretation of the events surrounding the Battle of Hastings in 1066 The storyline has great potential to develop further as the premise is interesting in itself The writing style is not my usual taste but I can see how it is stilted to match the narrative of the times perhapsFull disclosure I read this purely as a work of fiction and enjoyed the dynamics between Synne and those she encountered Synne is a character that is easy to get behind The writing style is challenging but notsomuch as to detract from the storyline itselfThank you very much to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this interesting ARC My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 Set in the days following the Battle of Hastings this is the story of Synne and her quest to find her two sisters who have been captured by slavers Synne s mother who was a seer and healer and Synne herself is also a healer Initially she is travelling with her brother Stefan but after his murder she s on her own She uses her skills as a healer to care for the many men injured fighting the Normans She meets Magnus the son of King Harold and is persuaded to act as a messenger spy for him. This was an enjoyable story which I read courtesy of the Pigeonhole However it seemed rather disjointed at times and I felt there was a section missing but it s difficult to tell without seeing a printed copy I understand there s a sequel which I look forward to reading The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 .

, Thank you to The Author LP O Bryan for a proof in exchange for my honest review The Rise of Synne Believe in Destiny Book 1 4 4.5 stars