Dauntless

Back Cover

Born a baron’s daughter, Lady Merry Ellison is now an enemy of the throne after her father’s failed assassination attempt upon the king.  Bold and uniquely skilled, she is willing to go to any lengths to protect the orphaned children of her former village – a group that becomes known as “The Ghosts of Farthingale Forest.”  Merry finds her charge more difficult as their growing notoriety brings increasing trouble their way.

Timothy Grey, ninth child of the Baron of Greyham, longs to perform some feat so legendary that he will rise from obscurity and earn a title of his own.  When the Ghosts of Farthingale Forest are spotted in Wyndeshire, where he serves as assistant to the local earl, he might have found his chance.  But when he comes face-to-face with the leader of the thieves, he’s forced to re-examine everything he’s known.

Review

Medieval history never ceases to fascinate.  There is something about that time period, the time of knights, queens, kings, warring countries, and lawlessness that draws people.  I am always intrigued when a new medieval novel comes out.  Needless to say, I was greatly excited to begin reading this story. 

Geared towards teens and a young adult audience, Dauntless had many points of excitement as Lady Merry and her band of “merry children” are on the run from a ruthless king.  The idea itself of a former Lady, leading a band of orphans that have to resort to living in the woods, and stealing for survival was greatly intriguing.  One thing I did have a little hang-up over was connecting with the main character, Lady Merry herself.  One of Lady Merry’s best qualities as a character is her selflessness.  She wasn’t out just to save her own bacon – she took charge of precious children, now parentless, and did her best to provide for them and give them a home.  However, I found her a little bit standoffish.   I understand that she had to build a tough as nails exterior in order to survive and take care of these orphans, but as a reader, it took a while before I actually connected with her. 

All in all, the concept and story were solid.  Teens will love the action and adventure spread throughout the novel – never a dull moment!

Book has been provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group.