Another review for The Beltane Choice!
Ancient history is the least genre that I would be interested to read but when I started reading The Beltane Choice, it has actually caught my attention and has changed my perspective. Nancy has successfully turned the past era to the present time and she made it more livable for the readers. The flow of the story is engaging and riveting; the characters are realistic and have definitely fulfilled its purpose.
Nara of Selgovae has a very interesting character- being heroine and strong-willed, she was able to use her sexual prowess to her advantage, to choose her suitable mate and to save the tribe from Roman subjugation. While Lorcan of the Brigantes, although was in a dilemma and was torn between his tribe and his love for Nara, he was able to succeed in unifying both tribes to defeat a common enemy. The dialogues are exceptional and believable, having written in first person, they make it a lot easier for the readers to feel that they are part of the story.
If I would be given the chance to rewrite some parts of the story, it would be
the organization of characters’ names and places. It is in my understanding
that the names are all fictional thus I would personally limit the names,
places, and god names, so it would be easier for the readers to follow. I
reached chapter seven and I was still astonished to find new names of new
characters, with no prelude as to why and how the characters came up. I would
also like to have, maybe a map of Nara and Lorcan’s journey. I would like to
read more detailed descriptions of the physical features of the main characters
as well. In addition, instead of just putting an asterisk to mark an end of the
chapter, it would be better to just end there and then start a new chapter.
Based on personal experience, readers are more likely to continue reading novels
with short chapters.
Ultimately, I liked the way the story ended. The story is highly commendable!
Lynn Bardo
Review Team Member
Thank you very much for your review, Lynn. Your comments towards the end are very interesting to read. In my original draft there was more description of physical features and settings but this was pared down during redrafting. Your idea of a map of the journey is intriguing, since I'm currently wroking on a sequel. I'm pleased you've been prepared to read a different sub-genre.
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