Iona

by E.M. Knowles

A haunting Troubadour weaves the tale of the unfortunate Princess Iona and her people, a Caledonian tribal kingdom, at the end of the first century CE. The mystery of a murder and the madness of seeing the spectral hand of guilt from all directions propel the young Princess through her journey, delving into the political, societal and psychological darkness at the root of her declining kingdom. Willing to wield the weapon of vengeance in her quest for justice, this tragedy marks the fragility of a mind racked with sorrows and the determination gained through absolute love.

338 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2013

About the author

E.M. Knowles lives in historic Cook County, Georgia with a lovingly patient husband and a gregarious little daughter. She has worked for Examiner.com as their Savannah Progressive Examiner and as part of the 2010 Southeast Regional Elections Team and is currently a member of The Berrien County Historical Foundation. As a graduate of Columbia College with a B.A. in psychology and sociology, and as enraptured by current events as she is history, her works of fiction lean to the cerebral and macabre. Her novels have been award winners for NaNoWriMo in consecutive years with Diary of Mimosa Creek (2012), Iona (2013), and her most recent fantasy novel, The Yawning Veil (2014).

Reviews

[Amanda Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read I look to escape from the reality of my everyday life. With her most resent book, Iona, E.M. Knowles created a world that I wanted to keep returning to, and not because Iona's life was easy, or even pretty. The tale that was told was one of great heartache, but it was written in such a way that I wanted to experience it. As I took in each world I was transported to a far away land - and I kept wanting to return. I was thankful that the ending brought closure, even though I found myself haunted for days afterward. There was great attention to detail and a true desire to remain true to history, even while being a work of fiction. It is clear that the author loved the characters and the story, and as such so did I. I felt like I was there, experiencing it all. Many authors can only dream of doing what E.M. Knowles has done with this book. It's a true gift. And I look forward to more works from this author.

[Michaela Lubbers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting.

Haunting is an excellent word for this story. Written in a nested format, this really is a "story," in the best sense of the word. Book, novels, are words on paper. Stories speak of humanity. Books smell of ink. That's not to say that books aren't wonderful, or even that the aesthetics of this print copy novel aren't incredible - I love the matte/gloss contrast, the font, the feel of the pages. But stories, all told, are more important than their casing, or at least should be. And this one is purely transcendent.

This princess is no Disney princess. She's not beloved by all, off to save the world and then marry a prince, to live happily ever after. She's an outsider in her own tribe, and later, a mourning sixteen year old. She's a child in a world of hurt, trying to solve the mystery, soothe her heart, and do her duty to her people.

The ending is brilliant, absolutely stunningly brilliant, but I won't discuss why. Go read it! Find out for yourself.