Review: Named Of The Dragon By Susanna Kearsley

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Language: English
ISBN-10: 140225864X

A haunting tale of intrigue from New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley.

Although it goes against her workaholic nature, literary agent Lyn Ravenshaw lets herself be whisked off to Wales for the Christmas holidays by her star client, flamboyant children's author Bridget Cooper. She suspects Bridget has ulterior motives, but the lure of South Wales with its castles and myths is irresistible. Perhaps a change of scene will bring relief from the nightmares that have plagued her since the death of her child.

Lyn immerses herself in the peace and quiet of the charming Welsh village, but she soon meets an eccentric young widow who's concerned her baby son is in danger—and inexplicably thinks Lyn is the child's protector.

Lyn's dreams become more and more disturbing as she forms a surprisingly warm friendship with a reclusive, brooding playwright, and is pulled into an ancient world of Arthurian legend and dangerous prophecies. Before she can escape her nightmares, she must uncover the secret of her dreams, which is somehow inextricably located in a time long ago and far away...

My Thoughts:

In her classic signature style, Susanna Kearsley has created a beautifully  intriguing and haunting story rich in history and Arthurian folklore that blurs the line between the past and the present. Set against the coastal Welsh background of Pembrokeshire, Kearsley gives life and meaning to the ever-present legends of King Arthur and Merlin as well as other notable historic figures showcasing Kearsley's intricate attention to historical detail.   With each chapter opening with a line or two from such great writers as Shakespeare and Lord Alfred Tennyson, the reader is quickly swept back in time while contemplating the connections to the present story.  I certainly wouldn't consider this a "time travel" in the traditional sense simply because it's so well interconnected that there is no line to divide the past from the present.  I was immediately drawn into the pages of this story and often found it difficult to pry myself away!  Named Of The Dragon is truly a literary puzzle in which the reader fits together the the pieces of the past and the present in order to discover the bigger picture of the story as a whole. Very well-written with strong character development...FIVE stars.

This title will be released on October 6, 2015.  Both Kindle and Paperback editions are currently available to preorder on Amazon.