The Green Branch (Heaven Tree #2) by Edith Pargeter
Summary (from the publisher): Young Harry Talvace, the son of Ralf Isambard's master-builder who raised the great church of Parfois and was put to death by his jealous patron, has grown up at the court of Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales. Deep in his heart he nurses a desire for vengeance, and when Harry become innocently involved in the tragedy which strikes Llewelyn's marriage, he sets out to avenge his father's death. Alone he makes his way to Parfois to challenge Isambard. But enmity can prove as complex as love, Harry discovers, as in his turn he falls under the spell of the old warrior.
Review: In this second book in the trilogy, young Harry Talvace takes up the mantle of his father's name. His father was put to death by his patron and while his son has been raised at the court of the Prince of North Wales, his greatest desire is to avenge his father's death. When the boy is unwittingly involved in a betrayal of Prince Llewelyn, Harry flees the only home he knows and sets out set on vengeance against Ralf Isambard. But the old enmity between Isambard and his father is a complicated relationship and vengeance proves a much more complicated task than he could have imagined.
I liked that we got to know new characters in this book, namely Prince Llewelyn and his wife and see how fully they have embraced young Harry into their home and hearts. It is fitting that Harry is determined to live with the same steadfast devotion to honor and being true to his word that his father lived by.
The characters in these books remain almost too good to be true. They live by principle rather than emotions although they are not infallible. Despite being shorter than the first book, this felt like a long read, likely because it began to drag for me. The obsessive nature of Isambard's fixation on Harry Talvace and now his son seems almost unbelievable.
Stars: 3
Related Title:
Comments
Post a Comment