My Review of Deadly Prospects by Clio Gray

Deadly Prospects by Clio Gray is exquisitely written and both a literal and literary delight to read.

The narrative begins in Storofshvoll, Iceland 1855 as the volcano Hekla erupts; as readers we're given a detailed and gripping account of not just what happened to the humans on the island but also the animals too. Gray made me feel as if I was there, and I thank her for that as I felt as if I had stepped back in time and was living and breathing history as it happened. I loved the fact that Gray was not afraid to focus on this event before the main characters arrive, and the action takes place, in Scotland with a bit of a detour into Scandinavia too. The writing and depictions were never extraneous and always had a relevance that became apparent as events unfolded.It seems to somehow reinforce the idea that everyone's life is important and also how we're all interconnected in ways that we cannot imagine or foresee. 

Solveig, Brogar and Sholto are the main characters and I found myself caring for them with very little effort as Gray depicted them as so fully rounded and plausible. Solveig is my hero, she could be described as a woman ahead of her time but there have always been strong women who do do the best they can to improve the lot of others in spite of the restrictions placed on their sex. Gray's Solveig uses her brain as opposed to her physical attributes without ever becoming masculine and I applaud that.   

It was such a delight to be completely immersed in the history of Brora in the Scottish Highlands. It was superbly woven into the narrative so as I never felt that I was receving a history lesson but at the same time I learned so much about the plight of the highlanders being uprooted on the whims of the Sutherlands. Gray never made their suffering maudlin and through their stoicism created a greater feeling of pathos in me as a reader.

I'm unbelievably excited that it's only Book One and love the idea that I have no idea where Book Two will go and who will be in it but it doesn't matter, I'll be buying it anyway and so should you!

Thank you to Kelly @LoveBookGroup for inviting me to take part in the blog tour.