This first book in a historical fiction series is almost a stand-alone with the end imparting some closure but also sending me off to find out what history says happened thereafter. The characters are sensitively developed with interesting detail. The capture of time and place is good and also interesting. The pace and plot kept me reading happily. ( )

3.5 Stars.

The Crown in the Heather is the first novel in N. Gemini Sasson's Bruce trilogy, a series of novels chronicling Robert the Bruce's rise to the Scottish throne and Scotland's fight for independence. Told from the perspectives of Robert the Bruce, James Douglas (a young Scottish nobleman) and Prince Edward of Caernavon, son and heir of King Edward I of England, the novel brings to life a period and place not commonly subjects of historical fiction.

This novel is well-written and the overall story engaging. In addition, the descriptive prose helps to create a solid sense of time and place. Nevertheless, the novel does have a few weaknesses, the most significant of which are Gemini Sasson's use of multiple narrators and her characterization of Robert the Bruce. Although I don't generally have an issue with multiple narrators, the shifts in narration were jarring rather than smooth, interrupting the flow of the story. As for the characterization of Robert the Bruce, the main protagonist of the novel, the reader doesn't get a strong sense of what drove him to become a rebel and seek Scotland's throne.

My final issue with the novel, which I don't consider a weakness as it is a matter of personal preference, relates to the book's lack of historical complexity. While I felt the history presented in the novel to be interesting, it was a little too simple for my tastes -- Scottish politics during this period were quite complex, but this novel makes it seem as if this wasn't so. In her author's note, Gemini Sasson does acknowledge that things were more complex than she has presented.

Despite my misgivings, I enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy. This novel should appeal to fans of historical fiction. ( )

interesting style where each chapter is a character speaking in first person ( )

I stopped reading when I reached 21% on my tablet. I typically love historical fiction, but this was not to my taste. Most historical fiction contain a beautiful blend of romance, drama, action, and even sarcasm. This book felt like a reading documentary--not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not that type of person who wants to read diaries/journals or documentaries. That's what the History Channel is for, right?

Definitely will avoid this author in the future.

( )

This is the first of a trilogy about Robert the Bruce. It is the fourth of her historical novels I have read, but whereas I quite enjoyed her brace of novels about Isabella "the She Wolf" and Roger Mortimer, and her self-standing novel about Owain Glyndwr, I found this disappointing by comparison. The author again evokes the setting well, but I just couldn't care about any of the characters either on the Scottish or English side and found myself skimming parts of it, though it's a fairly short read at 285 pages. Disappointing and I probably won't bother with the sequels. ( )