Author: K. A. Hayton
Title: The Other Side of Whale Road
Publisher: Lightning Books
Publication Date: 2 September 2021
Genre: Teen Historical Fantasy
Comments: I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review from The Write Reads and the author. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by travelling in time.
Synopsis
HOW DARK WERE THE DARK AGES? JOSS IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT…
‘The Vikings are better armed than we are. They have long, heavy axes that can take a man’s head from his shoulder.
‘I know this because I see it happen.’
When his mum burns down their house on the Whitehorse estate, sixteen-year-old Joss is sent to live in a sleepy Suffolk village.
The place is steeped in history, as Joss learns when a bike accident pitches him back more than 1,000 years to an Anglo-Saxon village. That history also tells him his new friends are in mortal peril from bloodthirsty invaders. Can he warn their ruler, King Edmund, in time?
And will he ever get home?
Initial Impressions
Due to ill health I haven’t been able to read as much as I wanted this month and have only managed to get to the first few chapters of this book. This is partly my fault for agreeing to do so many blog tours this month in addition to suddenly becoming sick.
What I have read so far, though, I have really enjoyed.
The character of Joss seems well-rounded without your usual clichéd ‘child plucked from the system with a chip on his shoulder’.
He genuinely seems to care about people, especially his sisters and the foster parents he is placed with. He is steady but realistic about his chances at his new school and found myself rooting for him early on.
The author has a great way with descriptions and has given the area a real focus. I’m looking forward to seeing how things progress with the time travel aspect but have heard good things from the other people on this tour.
Author Bio
K.A. HAYTON was born in Lincolnshire and read English at Sheffield University. She lives in Suffolk with
her husband and has two daughters. The idea for The Other Side of the Whale Road came from her study of old
English poetry at university, and from living in a place where Anglo-Saxon history feels very close.
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