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Bohemian Trilogy #1
Bohemian Gospel
Title 1 of 3: Bohemian Gospel
🎧Listening Length = 10 hours and 46 minutes
Set against the historical reign of the Golden and Iron King, Bohemian Gospel is the remarkable tale of a bold and unusual girl on a quest to uncover her past and define her destiny.
Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. Some call her a witch. Others call her an angel. Even Mouse doesn’t know who—or what—she is. But she means to find out.
When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past. But when Mouse's unusual gifts give rise to a violence and strength that surprise everyone—especially herself—she is forced to ask herself: Will she be prepared for the future that awaits her?
A heart-thumping, highly original tale in the vein of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, Bohemian Gospel heralds the arrival of a fresh new voice for historical fiction.
🎧Listening Length = 10 hours and 46 minutes
Set against the historical reign of the Golden and Iron King, Bohemian Gospel is the remarkable tale of a bold and unusual girl on a quest to uncover her past and define her destiny.
Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. Some call her a witch. Others call her an angel. Even Mouse doesn’t know who—or what—she is. But she means to find out.
When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past. But when Mouse's unusual gifts give rise to a violence and strength that surprise everyone—especially herself—she is forced to ask herself: Will she be prepared for the future that awaits her?
A heart-thumping, highly original tale in the vein of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, Bohemian Gospel heralds the arrival of a fresh new voice for historical fiction.
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First published November 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews
September 8, 2018
Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamber Carpenter and narrated by Justine Eyre is a fascinating and riveting story of love, magic, and the paranormal. The characters are so interesting! A girl called Mouse that has supernatural abilities during a time of witch hunts. A monk that cares for the orphan Mouse and hides her gifts. A young king that falls in love with Mouse. Crazy adventure and action with unique creatures and creepy scenes. The plot goes sideways and keeps the reader on their toes. The ending...blew me away!!! Did not see that coming at all! Wow, I need the next book now!
The narration was excellent! Perfect emotions, timing, and voices!!
The narration was excellent! Perfect emotions, timing, and voices!!
June 3, 2015
Granted, I'm biased, as I edited this book, but Bohemian Gospel is AMAZING.
I was absolutely bowled over within the first few pages of the book. The world was so rich, the characters were so vivid, and the writing was so captivating that I could hardly believe the book was a debut. But indeed it was, and I feel so lucky that I got to work with Dana to polish it into a finished book.
Every one who has read it so far has been absolutely mesmerized by the book — from the Killer Nashville committee who honored it with the 2014 Claymore Award for best unpublished manuscript, to our editorial assistants who simply couldn't put it down, to our subrights agent who had worked on Elizabeth Kostova's blockbuster THE HISTORIAN and was the first of many readers to make that comparison, to our kind early blurbers (including New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison, who called it "a majestic historical novel — one of the most intriguing novels you'll read this year.”)
I can't wait for the rest of the world to get to meet the main character, the enigmatic Mouse. She's special for sure, and this is a very special book.
I was absolutely bowled over within the first few pages of the book. The world was so rich, the characters were so vivid, and the writing was so captivating that I could hardly believe the book was a debut. But indeed it was, and I feel so lucky that I got to work with Dana to polish it into a finished book.
Every one who has read it so far has been absolutely mesmerized by the book — from the Killer Nashville committee who honored it with the 2014 Claymore Award for best unpublished manuscript, to our editorial assistants who simply couldn't put it down, to our subrights agent who had worked on Elizabeth Kostova's blockbuster THE HISTORIAN and was the first of many readers to make that comparison, to our kind early blurbers (including New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison, who called it "a majestic historical novel — one of the most intriguing novels you'll read this year.”)
I can't wait for the rest of the world to get to meet the main character, the enigmatic Mouse. She's special for sure, and this is a very special book.
September 27, 2015
I love Mouse, the young girl at the center of this absorbing novel set in 13th century Bohemia. An orphan living in a monastery, Mouse has a sharp mind, a big heart, and powers that defy explanation. Many are afraid and call her a witch but in the monastery she is kept relatively safe -- until the day she saves the life of the Young King. Suddenly her life is turned upside down. Mouse is a fully developed and fascinating creation, and this book kept me up late nights as I raced through it to see what would happen to her. If you like character-driven historical fiction set in a unique place and time, don't miss this one.
September 9, 2016
"Bohemian Gospel" is my "American Beauty" of books. What I mean by this, is that the first time I saw the movie "American Beauty" with some friends, as soon as it ended I said, "I REALLY didn't like that." It was a super depressing, f'ed-up movie and made me feel weird. Then a few days went by, and I kept thinking about it, and thinking about it, and thinking about it. It was always on my mind. And by the end of the week, I sent my friends a text that said, "Guys... I think I liked 'American Beauty'?"
That experience was pretty close to my experience with this book. I started it and there was a young medieval misunderstood girl in Bohemia who saved the life of the crown prince - the basis for some interesting historical fiction. Then as I read, the subject matter got darker and darker, as well as weirder and weirder. There was raving madness, scary demon children, unrequited love, domestic abuse. Then the events at the end happen in quick succession and as soon as I finished all I could think was, "What the f--- was that?" and rated it 3 stars. It barely escaped two because I liked the setting and some of the characters before the craziness set in.
Then I thought about it. And thought about what happened in it. And I thought about the ending, and wondered if even though the story was weird and violent, whether it wasn't also pretty cool. And rated it a star higher to 4 stars. And thought about it all the next day. And now it sits at 5 stars on my rating and I am seriously considering buying myself a copy. Guys... I think I liked "Bohemian Gospel"?
Any of my Goodreads friends who want to dive into this and let me know their ratings/thoughts at the end would be much appreciated - maybe the demon children from the story are invading my mind and making me rate the book higher. But maybe it was also super awesome. I don't even know what happened here.
That experience was pretty close to my experience with this book. I started it and there was a young medieval misunderstood girl in Bohemia who saved the life of the crown prince - the basis for some interesting historical fiction. Then as I read, the subject matter got darker and darker, as well as weirder and weirder. There was raving madness, scary demon children, unrequited love, domestic abuse. Then the events at the end happen in quick succession and as soon as I finished all I could think was, "What the f--- was that?" and rated it 3 stars. It barely escaped two because I liked the setting and some of the characters before the craziness set in.
Then I thought about it. And thought about what happened in it. And I thought about the ending, and wondered if even though the story was weird and violent, whether it wasn't also pretty cool. And rated it a star higher to 4 stars. And thought about it all the next day. And now it sits at 5 stars on my rating and I am seriously considering buying myself a copy. Guys... I think I liked "Bohemian Gospel"?
Any of my Goodreads friends who want to dive into this and let me know their ratings/thoughts at the end would be much appreciated - maybe the demon children from the story are invading my mind and making me rate the book higher. But maybe it was also super awesome. I don't even know what happened here.
November 20, 2015
Ugg. This book was so different from the jacket description. What a total let down. I was expecting historical intrigue with some mystical elements. Instead it was about ***SPOILER ALERT*** demonic demons. The plot was all over the place - she's with the king, she's in the forest, suddenly it's fifteen years later and it's about her love for a dog. In the end she's the devil incarnate. Makes me want to go back to the library. I could have returned it. I really only finished because I purchased it for thirteen whole dollars. Yuck!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2016
Lightning review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
First of all, Bohemian Gospel needs to come with a trigger warning for EVERYTHING: rape and attempted rape, domestic violence, scenes of torture, and violence to animals and children. The last one was especially hard for me and I had to skim some scenes. A lot of historical fiction can get pretty gritty (history is not pretty, ya’ll), but this book was just goddamned depressing.
So this book pissed me off because Mouse is incredibly powerful. When we get the big reveal as to why, it’s a Big Reveal. This book could easily have been Mouse coming into her power, wrecking shit, and finding her agency.
It wasn’t.
Mouse largely refuses to use her power because clearly this kind of power is evil and she wants to be good and for God to love her. The theme of God abandoning Mouse and her powers being bad came up over and over and over again. I’m so sick of the trope of Woman Has Incredible Power But Must Suppress It Because Powerful Women = Evil.
Fuck. That.
I wanted Mouse to reach her breaking point at some point and just destroy stuff and be powerful and magical and awesome. Instead she remains a victim up to the last page. I’m not sure if she was supposed to be a tragic character but it was so exhausting. There’s a scene where a man rapes Mouse and she lets him because using her power would be evil. I would have vastly preferred she turn him inside out.
The reason this book didn’t get a F was that I did find the time period and history of 13th century Bohemia interesting and something that I hadn’t read much about, but that didn’t make up for all the awful in the story.
- Elyse
First of all, Bohemian Gospel needs to come with a trigger warning for EVERYTHING: rape and attempted rape, domestic violence, scenes of torture, and violence to animals and children. The last one was especially hard for me and I had to skim some scenes. A lot of historical fiction can get pretty gritty (history is not pretty, ya’ll), but this book was just goddamned depressing.
So this book pissed me off because Mouse is incredibly powerful. When we get the big reveal as to why, it’s a Big Reveal. This book could easily have been Mouse coming into her power, wrecking shit, and finding her agency.
It wasn’t.
Mouse largely refuses to use her power because clearly this kind of power is evil and she wants to be good and for God to love her. The theme of God abandoning Mouse and her powers being bad came up over and over and over again. I’m so sick of the trope of Woman Has Incredible Power But Must Suppress It Because Powerful Women = Evil.
Fuck. That.
I wanted Mouse to reach her breaking point at some point and just destroy stuff and be powerful and magical and awesome. Instead she remains a victim up to the last page. I’m not sure if she was supposed to be a tragic character but it was so exhausting. There’s a scene where a man rapes Mouse and she lets him because using her power would be evil. I would have vastly preferred she turn him inside out.
The reason this book didn’t get a F was that I did find the time period and history of 13th century Bohemia interesting and something that I hadn’t read much about, but that didn’t make up for all the awful in the story.
- Elyse
October 19, 2015
Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamblee Carpenter
I wasn’t at all sure I’d like this novel when Pegasus Books sent it to me for review. It just didn’t seem to be the type of novel I usually read. But I was extremely surprised! I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in one reading!
Mouse, the heroine of the story has been raised in Teplà Abbey. However; although it is the only home she has ever known, she is not allowed into the church. She has never been officially baptized, and never even given a name, Mouse being what she is called, nicknamed by her wet nurse. The Abbot refers to her as his andílek, or angel.
It is Mouse’s strange abilities that cause the sisters and brothers of the abbey to fear her. All of her senses are heightened, so that she can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell more than any normal human should. For example she can smell truffles under the ground or hear an arrow the moment it is released at a distance.
There are other powers she possesses, but it would spoil the story to mention them. But she is haunted by dark spirits and spends many nights sitting in a ring of lit candles to keep them at bay, although they do find other ways to torment her.
As the story begins, the young King of Bohemia, Ottokar, called The Younger King because his father Vaclav also claims the throne has been wounded by an arrow. Brought to the Abbey, Mouse, who has learned the arts of a healer, knowledgeable in the uses of herbs, teas, poultices, and sewing wounds, saves his life.
And thus begins an adventure that will take Mouse far from her home at the abbey. She will travel with the King, who names her Lady Emma. She will have adventures with the supernatural, translate an almost untranslatable codex, be in danger from the warring factions of Ottkar and Vaclav, understand more about her powers, and live in solitude at times. She will have joy and sorrow, good times and bad; and through it all survive with the questions she most wants answers to forbade her time and again.
The book that she writes, The Bohemian Gospel of the book title is known by another name, which I will allow the reader to discover for him or herself.
The novel reveals much about the history of the time, stated finally at the end of the book to be 700 years before the present. The daily life of the people, their superstitions, and the battle their clerics face against the Church in Rome all add spice to a story already rich with fantasy and glazed with a touch of horror.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy The Sister Fidelma, Brother Cadfael, and Dame Frevisse novels. While this is not a religious crime-solver novel, the same type of tidbits of information and historical research can be found in this volume.
I congratulate Ms Carpenter on a job well done! Encore! I give the book an easy five stars plus.
Quoth the Raven…
I wasn’t at all sure I’d like this novel when Pegasus Books sent it to me for review. It just didn’t seem to be the type of novel I usually read. But I was extremely surprised! I couldn’t put the book down and finished it in one reading!
Mouse, the heroine of the story has been raised in Teplà Abbey. However; although it is the only home she has ever known, she is not allowed into the church. She has never been officially baptized, and never even given a name, Mouse being what she is called, nicknamed by her wet nurse. The Abbot refers to her as his andílek, or angel.
It is Mouse’s strange abilities that cause the sisters and brothers of the abbey to fear her. All of her senses are heightened, so that she can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell more than any normal human should. For example she can smell truffles under the ground or hear an arrow the moment it is released at a distance.
There are other powers she possesses, but it would spoil the story to mention them. But she is haunted by dark spirits and spends many nights sitting in a ring of lit candles to keep them at bay, although they do find other ways to torment her.
As the story begins, the young King of Bohemia, Ottokar, called The Younger King because his father Vaclav also claims the throne has been wounded by an arrow. Brought to the Abbey, Mouse, who has learned the arts of a healer, knowledgeable in the uses of herbs, teas, poultices, and sewing wounds, saves his life.
And thus begins an adventure that will take Mouse far from her home at the abbey. She will travel with the King, who names her Lady Emma. She will have adventures with the supernatural, translate an almost untranslatable codex, be in danger from the warring factions of Ottkar and Vaclav, understand more about her powers, and live in solitude at times. She will have joy and sorrow, good times and bad; and through it all survive with the questions she most wants answers to forbade her time and again.
The book that she writes, The Bohemian Gospel of the book title is known by another name, which I will allow the reader to discover for him or herself.
The novel reveals much about the history of the time, stated finally at the end of the book to be 700 years before the present. The daily life of the people, their superstitions, and the battle their clerics face against the Church in Rome all add spice to a story already rich with fantasy and glazed with a touch of horror.
I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy The Sister Fidelma, Brother Cadfael, and Dame Frevisse novels. While this is not a religious crime-solver novel, the same type of tidbits of information and historical research can be found in this volume.
I congratulate Ms Carpenter on a job well done! Encore! I give the book an easy five stars plus.
Quoth the Raven…
February 5, 2016
Amazing. Original. An awesome and complex heroine. A non-typical historical setting. One of those novels one finds themselves immersed in.
November 24, 2015
This book belongs in the fantasy or horror categories. I like supernatural elements in books, but in this book they were overt, and to my mind, overdone. What I didn't like about the story:
--It is dark, dark, dark. There is no light, no beauty, not even in the characters. Perhaps the only good characters in the story were Fr. Lucas, Gitta, and Luka, although we can't know for sure, because we never learn anything about them even though Fr. Lucas raised Mouse, and Gitta was Mouse's maid in Prague.
--It is unrelentingly disgusting and gory. I was most excited about the setting of this tale, but the filth and gore obscured any natural beauty of the place--which, unfortunately, was not well-drawn.
--It felt like the author started with an idea--a good idea--and began writing without any clear plan or direction. The story meanders strangely into areas that are never fully developed (I'm talking about Houska; Mouse's and Ottakar's relationships with his father; the weird fifteen years in the wilderness and Mouse's rescue by the old woman; the whole wolf thing; etc., etc.) and fail to move the story and characters forward meaningfully.
--The two "big" reveals were both enormous let downs. The first was Mouse's parentage. I think I actually said aloud, "Oh, for heaven's sake," when her father's identity was given. To me, it was a very poorly imagined explanation for Mouse's abilities. As a reader, I found it insulting and incompatible with Mouse's character. The second was the identity of Ottakar's assassin. No surprise there.
--And then there was the ending. Which I won't go into.
I really wanted to love this book--I pre-ordered it! I will say that the book's design is very nice: the cover art is lovely and the typeface easy-to-read. Unfortunately, the story itself is sloppy and, in the end, without hope or point.
--It is dark, dark, dark. There is no light, no beauty, not even in the characters. Perhaps the only good characters in the story were Fr. Lucas, Gitta, and Luka, although we can't know for sure, because we never learn anything about them even though Fr. Lucas raised Mouse, and Gitta was Mouse's maid in Prague.
--It is unrelentingly disgusting and gory. I was most excited about the setting of this tale, but the filth and gore obscured any natural beauty of the place--which, unfortunately, was not well-drawn.
--It felt like the author started with an idea--a good idea--and began writing without any clear plan or direction. The story meanders strangely into areas that are never fully developed (I'm talking about Houska; Mouse's and Ottakar's relationships with his father; the weird fifteen years in the wilderness and Mouse's rescue by the old woman; the whole wolf thing; etc., etc.) and fail to move the story and characters forward meaningfully.
--The two "big" reveals were both enormous let downs. The first was Mouse's parentage. I think I actually said aloud, "Oh, for heaven's sake," when her father's identity was given. To me, it was a very poorly imagined explanation for Mouse's abilities. As a reader, I found it insulting and incompatible with Mouse's character. The second was the identity of Ottakar's assassin. No surprise there.
--And then there was the ending. Which I won't go into.
I really wanted to love this book--I pre-ordered it! I will say that the book's design is very nice: the cover art is lovely and the typeface easy-to-read. Unfortunately, the story itself is sloppy and, in the end, without hope or point.
December 16, 2015
Disclosure first. The editor suggested that I might enjoy reading this book and sent me a copy. This person seems to be able to intuit what I will like though and so I was quite pleased to have the chance to read this book.She thought that since I had gone 'gaga' over "Hild" this book would be of interest...ad it was! The 5 stars are all my own decision though - this is a great read!
When I turned the last page I began trying to think about how I would describe this book. It is light and dark, sweet and bitter, tangled and clear. There is one scene towards the end that reminds me of a verbal rendering of the Hieronymus Bosch's painting " The Fall Of The Damned Into Hell" . This book grabbed my attentopn from the first page - and that does not happen all that often.
Synopted:
This book tells the story of 'Mouse'. She is a 13th century Bohemian girl with who has no history, no family, not even a name. Mouse feels that she does not belong anywhere - she feels unloved and unwanted. Her parents are unnamed and all she has to tell her story is a bracelet that was her mothers that is marked with a sparrow sigil. Her adoptive 'parents' are Mother Kizi and Father Lucas who brought her to their abbey as an infant so that she can be brought up in safety. She is not,however, allowed to share in mass or to become a member of the church, but she is well trained as a healer. She has unusual abilities; highly sensitive to her environment and able to hear and see things that others cannot as well as possessing the gift of eidetic memory and the ability to heal herself quickly from any wounds or illness.
The young king of Bohemia, Ottaker, is grievously wounded and , in the absense of the regular physicians at the abbey, Mouse tends to him- healing a 'through and through ' arrow wound. Of course, he wants her to remain with him when he ready to leave. Mouse hesitates but accompanies him to follow her greater destiny. Of course, romantic feelings begin to grow between the pair and, for a time, Mouse envisions a perfect life of belonging and family as the young kings wife, but she and Father Lucas have greater dragons to slay - erhhh I mean evil to conquer... and they travel to a dark place to bind the evil forces . Meanwhile, back at the castle, the young kings nasty father returns from his travels and quickly imprisons his son and his men. Mouse intuits his need and returns to engineer a plan to save Ottaker . The elder, evil, king is found to be insane and Mouses' plan includes holding the elder king in his rooms as Ottaker assumes the reigns of power and heals his countries wounds. Part of that plan requires him to make peace with Austria and marry the princess Margaret - dashing Mouses' happy dreams of belongoing and family. The youn king marries her to his trusted friend, but not before Mouse seduces him for one night of passion before her marriage to Lord Rozemberk. Of course this results in a pregnancy which leads her husband to become unbelieveable cruel.
The twisty plot continues until the last pages and a very dramatic , unexpected, end. This book is very well done; complex ,well written , characters, a plot that twists and turns. Historically based facts that refect the darkness of the 13th century and a bit of the history of Bohemia. For a very quick look to check some yhe historical facts Wikipedia has a decent, albeit short entry about Bohemia at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemia.
I coulld easily read this as an allegorial book; good and bad, right and wrong, saints and sinners, dark and light, that addresses feelings that most of us experience at one point or another in lives - belonging (or not), frustrated love, being captured by darkness (depression), and the choices that we make to choose good over evil. It is a bit of cautionary tale. Perhaps that is too deep an interpretation - but it did cross my mind - and I tend to read fiction for pleasure and don't generally over anaylze what I read.v... so perhaps you might find these elements as you read as well....
I am not sure that I would class this as YA read... but of course that would depend on both the youth as well as the parents sensibilities. It has a very dark edge and there is quite a bit of cruelty, but, at least, no overt sexual content.
I will be eager to read the next book from this talented author. For a debut novel - this really does get 5 stars!
When I turned the last page I began trying to think about how I would describe this book. It is light and dark, sweet and bitter, tangled and clear. There is one scene towards the end that reminds me of a verbal rendering of the Hieronymus Bosch's painting " The Fall Of The Damned Into Hell" . This book grabbed my attentopn from the first page - and that does not happen all that often.
Synopted:
This book tells the story of 'Mouse'. She is a 13th century Bohemian girl with who has no history, no family, not even a name. Mouse feels that she does not belong anywhere - she feels unloved and unwanted. Her parents are unnamed and all she has to tell her story is a bracelet that was her mothers that is marked with a sparrow sigil. Her adoptive 'parents' are Mother Kizi and Father Lucas who brought her to their abbey as an infant so that she can be brought up in safety. She is not,however, allowed to share in mass or to become a member of the church, but she is well trained as a healer. She has unusual abilities; highly sensitive to her environment and able to hear and see things that others cannot as well as possessing the gift of eidetic memory and the ability to heal herself quickly from any wounds or illness.
The young king of Bohemia, Ottaker, is grievously wounded and , in the absense of the regular physicians at the abbey, Mouse tends to him- healing a 'through and through ' arrow wound. Of course, he wants her to remain with him when he ready to leave. Mouse hesitates but accompanies him to follow her greater destiny. Of course, romantic feelings begin to grow between the pair and, for a time, Mouse envisions a perfect life of belonging and family as the young kings wife, but she and Father Lucas have greater dragons to slay - erhhh I mean evil to conquer... and they travel to a dark place to bind the evil forces . Meanwhile, back at the castle, the young kings nasty father returns from his travels and quickly imprisons his son and his men. Mouse intuits his need and returns to engineer a plan to save Ottaker . The elder, evil, king is found to be insane and Mouses' plan includes holding the elder king in his rooms as Ottaker assumes the reigns of power and heals his countries wounds. Part of that plan requires him to make peace with Austria and marry the princess Margaret - dashing Mouses' happy dreams of belongoing and family. The youn king marries her to his trusted friend, but not before Mouse seduces him for one night of passion before her marriage to Lord Rozemberk. Of course this results in a pregnancy which leads her husband to become unbelieveable cruel.
The twisty plot continues until the last pages and a very dramatic , unexpected, end. This book is very well done; complex ,well written , characters, a plot that twists and turns. Historically based facts that refect the darkness of the 13th century and a bit of the history of Bohemia. For a very quick look to check some yhe historical facts Wikipedia has a decent, albeit short entry about Bohemia at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemia.
I coulld easily read this as an allegorial book; good and bad, right and wrong, saints and sinners, dark and light, that addresses feelings that most of us experience at one point or another in lives - belonging (or not), frustrated love, being captured by darkness (depression), and the choices that we make to choose good over evil. It is a bit of cautionary tale. Perhaps that is too deep an interpretation - but it did cross my mind - and I tend to read fiction for pleasure and don't generally over anaylze what I read.v... so perhaps you might find these elements as you read as well....
I am not sure that I would class this as YA read... but of course that would depend on both the youth as well as the parents sensibilities. It has a very dark edge and there is quite a bit of cruelty, but, at least, no overt sexual content.
I will be eager to read the next book from this talented author. For a debut novel - this really does get 5 stars!
April 13, 2024
When I started Bohemian Gospel I was absolutely in love. This story is so dark. The prose is beautiful. Dana Chamblee Carpenter writes lush and visceral description, but manages to also keep it succinct. I was thrown into the captivating world of 13th century Bohemia and I loved it. But this book is not really historical fiction. Yes, Carpenter added true historical figures, but she didn’t follow their history exactly. No, instead this story is more like dark fantasy, and the main character is a very dark witch.
Now when I say dark, I mean it. Mouse is very powerful, but she doesn’t completely understand her powers. A lot of the situations that Mouse gets into made me think of the Monkey’s Paw by Diane Mowat, which gives out the dire warning, be careful what you wish for.
However, Mouse doesn’t even have to wish. She can just say something and it happens, usually in a way that horrifies her. Now with a power like that, you’d think that she would become very precise. She would have to think about everything she says. Mouse never really does that though, and she doesn’t always try to fix her mistakes. That’s one of the things that baffled me. If she injured somebody by mistake, you think she’d try to fix it, right?
By the end of the book, Mouse is still careless with her words. She hasn’t learned a damn thing. Her way of dealing with her power is to hide away. But come on, you know that doesn’t work.
This is when the book started to lose its charm. If this was a coming-of-age story, Mouse would eventually be able to master her power, but she doesn’t. If this was a story about how virtue and goodness can come from someone who is made to be evil and vice versa, then other characters would embody this trait as well. But that’s not the case. All the other characters are either good or bad, except maybe Ottakar. They’re not truly complex.
This means that Bohemian Gospel doesn’t have a premise or a theme. At least not a strong one as far as I can see. I suppose the book might be saying you can't change your destiny. You are what you are, but if that's the case, what a downer. Plus the other characters don't go through this. So for me, the ending just kind of fizzles out. Maybe Carpenter did that because this is a trilogy and this is just the first act. However, I’m not that excited to read the next book.
There were also a couple of plot points I didn’t like.
First, I have no idea why Mouse agreed to get married. She kept saying she had nowhere to go, but with her power, she could do anything. It made no sense.
Then there was Bohdan. What happens to Bohdan is horrific. I absolutely hated it, and it didn’t do a damn thing for the story. I wish she had changed it or left it out.
Anyway, I’m still going to give Bohemian Gospel four stars because the beginning and middle were so good.
Now when I say dark, I mean it. Mouse is very powerful, but she doesn’t completely understand her powers. A lot of the situations that Mouse gets into made me think of the Monkey’s Paw by Diane Mowat, which gives out the dire warning, be careful what you wish for.
However, Mouse doesn’t even have to wish. She can just say something and it happens, usually in a way that horrifies her. Now with a power like that, you’d think that she would become very precise. She would have to think about everything she says. Mouse never really does that though, and she doesn’t always try to fix her mistakes. That’s one of the things that baffled me. If she injured somebody by mistake, you think she’d try to fix it, right?
By the end of the book, Mouse is still careless with her words. She hasn’t learned a damn thing. Her way of dealing with her power is to hide away. But come on, you know that doesn’t work.
This is when the book started to lose its charm. If this was a coming-of-age story, Mouse would eventually be able to master her power, but she doesn’t. If this was a story about how virtue and goodness can come from someone who is made to be evil and vice versa, then other characters would embody this trait as well. But that’s not the case. All the other characters are either good or bad, except maybe Ottakar. They’re not truly complex.
This means that Bohemian Gospel doesn’t have a premise or a theme. At least not a strong one as far as I can see. I suppose the book might be saying you can't change your destiny. You are what you are, but if that's the case, what a downer. Plus the other characters don't go through this. So for me, the ending just kind of fizzles out. Maybe Carpenter did that because this is a trilogy and this is just the first act. However, I’m not that excited to read the next book.
There were also a couple of plot points I didn’t like.
First, I have no idea why Mouse agreed to get married. She kept saying she had nowhere to go, but with her power, she could do anything. It made no sense.
Then there was Bohdan. What happens to Bohdan is horrific. I absolutely hated it, and it didn’t do a damn thing for the story. I wish she had changed it or left it out.
Anyway, I’m still going to give Bohemian Gospel four stars because the beginning and middle were so good.
June 25, 2015
It was refreshing to read a piece of historical fiction set in Bohemia/Central Europe as opposed to England/France/Germany (as much as I love historical fiction set in England, France, and/or Germany). While it took me a while to get into the novel, I later grew attached to Mouse and invested in her story. Over the course of Bohemian Gospel, Mouse gradually learns more details about her identity and past, and she has to find a way to reconcile herself to what she discovers and what her supernatural abilities mean.
Bohemian Gospel blends paranormal/magical elements into historical fiction, while simultaneously telling a love story. While I found a few of the details of the story to be not fully worked out and I sometimes wished for more extensive emotional reactions from Mouse, I enjoyed and would recommend Bohemian Gospel, which will be released in November 2015!
Bohemian Gospel blends paranormal/magical elements into historical fiction, while simultaneously telling a love story. While I found a few of the details of the story to be not fully worked out and I sometimes wished for more extensive emotional reactions from Mouse, I enjoyed and would recommend Bohemian Gospel, which will be released in November 2015!
April 7, 2017
*spoilers*
An equally if not more appropriate title for this book would be “Bohemian Gothic” because readers are in for an unusual dose of horror with their historical fiction.
But it's a buildup to said horror, so I'll start at the beginning.
The book starts out by throwing you right into the thick of things—literally. The main character, Mouse, is trapped in the middle of a thick cluster of knights, and there was some great imagery at work here. You could really feel and smell everything Mouse did. That was a fantastic way to open the book, and also exactly the sort of thing you want to read when you click “look inside.”
The first few chapters continue this full-speed-ahead narrative, with Mouse acting quickly to save King Ottakar from an arrow wound, despite the misgivings of his loyal friend and advisor, Lord Rozemberk (who I would think would know a bit more about field medicine and not question her as much, but whatever). We also get our first glimpse of the macabre when Mouse goes down to the river for a respite and accidentally resurrects a squirrel. But she puts that aside when Ottakar demands she accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer.
It was once we got to Prague that I started having issues with this book.
My first issue was the romance between Ottakar and Mouse—which I knew was coming from the synopsis, but, nevertheless, I found cliched and unbelieveable. (Though I'm not sure what other way it could turn out.) I mean yes, at this point, Ottakar was a young king, and could surely have any girl he wanted in his bed. And many kings did have official mistresses. But given Ottakar's shaky political position at the beginning of the book, could he really afford to be so open about his favoritism of a mere orphan girl? And for the same reasons, wouldn't he have more important things to do than constantly run around looking for Mouse to make sure she's okay? (In that regard, he was the standard YA boyfriend.) Point is: historically, Ottakar was a badass king. Was there room for some doomed romance? Yes. Was there room for it to consume such formative years of his life? Probably not.
My second issue was the aforementioned horror angle. Now, I'm not opposed to fantastical/supernatural elements in my historical fiction, but it got pretty over-the-top at some points. Demons tormenting Mouse peronsally? Yes. Demon children running rampant through the city? No. Mouse and Father Lucas sprinkling the church with blood to protect everyone, without attracting unwelcome attention and being burned at the stake? Uh, no. I will say that Dana Chamblee-Carpenter does horror very well, though. This would all make an excellent horror movie—exactly the sort I would avoid! (I actually had to skip part of the Houska Pit scene because it was creeping me out.)
(Also, one smaller complaint: a lot of sentences in this book could benefit from a comma or two. There were so many sentences that seemed almost run-on, and could easily have been fixed. Then again my copy, which I ordered from Amazon, got here before the official release date, so maybe that had something to do with it.)
So: ironically, despite my 5 star rating, I was grumbling and groaning my way through a good chunk of this book—aka the Prague and Hluboka scenes, which focused on the Ottakar-Mouse relationship. All the YA-romance-frolicking just did not serve to advance the plot. (Mouse's pregnancy sure did, but it took a long time to get to that point, and it did not need to. Like I said before: Ottakar, being a king, would have just taken her to his bed. There would have been no dilly-dallying.)
But toward the end of the book, my opinions and emotions began to change. Starting from Mouse's marriage to Lord Rozemberk, I was glued to the page in a way I hadn't been probably since the beginning of the book. (Maybe not even then.) I was initially excited for them, hoping they might prove to be an unlikely love story, but when he morphed into an abusive asshole (I'm assuming due to the torture...that sub-plot in itself was quite tragic) I was just as enthralled with Mouse's resilience in that situation. She had been an incredibly strong person before, but when she had someone else (her baby) to fight for? Whoah.
And when we cut to Mouse's time in the wilderness? I was on the verge of tears. Without the distraction of cliched-YA-boyfriend Ottakar, the real heart of the story—Mouse's mental and spiritual journey—was able to take center stage, and it was gripping. There are many stories out there about people with unwanted powers, but none are quite like Mouse. Because while they all wish to protect those they love, Mouse wants something more—she wants a soul, and a purpose, and to know that she is loved by God despite being the daughter of the devil. While searching for all three, she goes through understandable ups-and-downs, and endears herself to the reader. Even more so after the shock of learning she is immortal, her reunion with Ottakar (truly moving, despite my previous dislike of their relationship), his death, and her several attempted suicides. Her final decision to have herself sealed in a tomb was a particularly gut-wrenching twist. But it also felt right, as an ending, because life had never been fair, for Mouse, and presumably never would be.
But then we cut to the future, and lo and behold—the infamous Devil's Bible! While I'd known what it was before reading this book, I hadn't read in detail about its creation—or should I say its creator, Herman the Recluse. What a brilliant way of tying everything together! (Also notable was Chamblee-Carpenter's use of the Voynich Manuscript as inspiration for the mysterious book of Father Lucas.)
In conclusion, while the middle of the book was bogged down by a lackluster and unnecessarily-prolonged romance, those final plot twists more than made up for it, and more than earned 5 stars. Chamblee-Carpenter's writing style is a perfect fit for historical fiction—active enough to carry the reader through emergency operations and important battles, but atmospheric enough to soak the reader in the rain and darkness so prominent throughout the work. (Also bold enough to tackle tough existential questions and leave them, if necessary, on a less-than-pleasant note.) I look forward to any of her future publications in this genre, and of course the sequel to Bohemian Gospel. (Actually, I'm a bit nervous that it won't live up to the original!)
An equally if not more appropriate title for this book would be “Bohemian Gothic” because readers are in for an unusual dose of horror with their historical fiction.
But it's a buildup to said horror, so I'll start at the beginning.
The book starts out by throwing you right into the thick of things—literally. The main character, Mouse, is trapped in the middle of a thick cluster of knights, and there was some great imagery at work here. You could really feel and smell everything Mouse did. That was a fantastic way to open the book, and also exactly the sort of thing you want to read when you click “look inside.”
The first few chapters continue this full-speed-ahead narrative, with Mouse acting quickly to save King Ottakar from an arrow wound, despite the misgivings of his loyal friend and advisor, Lord Rozemberk (who I would think would know a bit more about field medicine and not question her as much, but whatever). We also get our first glimpse of the macabre when Mouse goes down to the river for a respite and accidentally resurrects a squirrel. But she puts that aside when Ottakar demands she accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer.
It was once we got to Prague that I started having issues with this book.
My first issue was the romance between Ottakar and Mouse—which I knew was coming from the synopsis, but, nevertheless, I found cliched and unbelieveable. (Though I'm not sure what other way it could turn out.) I mean yes, at this point, Ottakar was a young king, and could surely have any girl he wanted in his bed. And many kings did have official mistresses. But given Ottakar's shaky political position at the beginning of the book, could he really afford to be so open about his favoritism of a mere orphan girl? And for the same reasons, wouldn't he have more important things to do than constantly run around looking for Mouse to make sure she's okay? (In that regard, he was the standard YA boyfriend.) Point is: historically, Ottakar was a badass king. Was there room for some doomed romance? Yes. Was there room for it to consume such formative years of his life? Probably not.
My second issue was the aforementioned horror angle. Now, I'm not opposed to fantastical/supernatural elements in my historical fiction, but it got pretty over-the-top at some points. Demons tormenting Mouse peronsally? Yes. Demon children running rampant through the city? No. Mouse and Father Lucas sprinkling the church with blood to protect everyone, without attracting unwelcome attention and being burned at the stake? Uh, no. I will say that Dana Chamblee-Carpenter does horror very well, though. This would all make an excellent horror movie—exactly the sort I would avoid! (I actually had to skip part of the Houska Pit scene because it was creeping me out.)
(Also, one smaller complaint: a lot of sentences in this book could benefit from a comma or two. There were so many sentences that seemed almost run-on, and could easily have been fixed. Then again my copy, which I ordered from Amazon, got here before the official release date, so maybe that had something to do with it.)
So: ironically, despite my 5 star rating, I was grumbling and groaning my way through a good chunk of this book—aka the Prague and Hluboka scenes, which focused on the Ottakar-Mouse relationship. All the YA-romance-frolicking just did not serve to advance the plot. (Mouse's pregnancy sure did, but it took a long time to get to that point, and it did not need to. Like I said before: Ottakar, being a king, would have just taken her to his bed. There would have been no dilly-dallying.)
But toward the end of the book, my opinions and emotions began to change. Starting from Mouse's marriage to Lord Rozemberk, I was glued to the page in a way I hadn't been probably since the beginning of the book. (Maybe not even then.) I was initially excited for them, hoping they might prove to be an unlikely love story, but when he morphed into an abusive asshole (I'm assuming due to the torture...that sub-plot in itself was quite tragic) I was just as enthralled with Mouse's resilience in that situation. She had been an incredibly strong person before, but when she had someone else (her baby) to fight for? Whoah.
And when we cut to Mouse's time in the wilderness? I was on the verge of tears. Without the distraction of cliched-YA-boyfriend Ottakar, the real heart of the story—Mouse's mental and spiritual journey—was able to take center stage, and it was gripping. There are many stories out there about people with unwanted powers, but none are quite like Mouse. Because while they all wish to protect those they love, Mouse wants something more—she wants a soul, and a purpose, and to know that she is loved by God despite being the daughter of the devil. While searching for all three, she goes through understandable ups-and-downs, and endears herself to the reader. Even more so after the shock of learning she is immortal, her reunion with Ottakar (truly moving, despite my previous dislike of their relationship), his death, and her several attempted suicides. Her final decision to have herself sealed in a tomb was a particularly gut-wrenching twist. But it also felt right, as an ending, because life had never been fair, for Mouse, and presumably never would be.
But then we cut to the future, and lo and behold—the infamous Devil's Bible! While I'd known what it was before reading this book, I hadn't read in detail about its creation—or should I say its creator, Herman the Recluse. What a brilliant way of tying everything together! (Also notable was Chamblee-Carpenter's use of the Voynich Manuscript as inspiration for the mysterious book of Father Lucas.)
In conclusion, while the middle of the book was bogged down by a lackluster and unnecessarily-prolonged romance, those final plot twists more than made up for it, and more than earned 5 stars. Chamblee-Carpenter's writing style is a perfect fit for historical fiction—active enough to carry the reader through emergency operations and important battles, but atmospheric enough to soak the reader in the rain and darkness so prominent throughout the work. (Also bold enough to tackle tough existential questions and leave them, if necessary, on a less-than-pleasant note.) I look forward to any of her future publications in this genre, and of course the sequel to Bohemian Gospel. (Actually, I'm a bit nervous that it won't live up to the original!)
November 29, 2015
Magical realism. Bohemian court life in the thirteenth century. A young king with a desire to improve life for all his subjects. And a mysteriously gifted protagonist whose only name is Mouse.
Someone's been peeking at my Christmas list.
That someone, of course, is none other than up-and-coming novelist Dr. Dana Chamblee Carpenter. Her debut, Bohemian Gospel, was my welcome companion over Thanksgiving break: I picked it up, read the first chapter, set it down briefly, and then returned to devour the rest in one sitting. It's that good.
Bohemian Gospel refuses to be categorized as historical fiction or romance or fantasy or young adult or even horror: instead, Chamblee Carpenter beautifully combines elements of each in a novel as captivating and rich as the historic kingdom of Bohemia. Think Pillars of the Earth meets A Discovery of Witches. But even if you think you've read books like Bohemian Gospel, you haven't. Mouse is unpredictable in so many ways, and she drives the heart of the story. Not just a girl, indeed.
Chamblee Carpenter isn't afraid to leave readers with unanswered questions, though, in the best possible way. Hot dang, that is how you write a freaking epilogue. I refuse to disclose any spoilers, but trust me—you won't see the ending coming. I can only sit tight and wait for a sequel.
Someone's been peeking at my Christmas list.
That someone, of course, is none other than up-and-coming novelist Dr. Dana Chamblee Carpenter. Her debut, Bohemian Gospel, was my welcome companion over Thanksgiving break: I picked it up, read the first chapter, set it down briefly, and then returned to devour the rest in one sitting. It's that good.
Bohemian Gospel refuses to be categorized as historical fiction or romance or fantasy or young adult or even horror: instead, Chamblee Carpenter beautifully combines elements of each in a novel as captivating and rich as the historic kingdom of Bohemia. Think Pillars of the Earth meets A Discovery of Witches. But even if you think you've read books like Bohemian Gospel, you haven't. Mouse is unpredictable in so many ways, and she drives the heart of the story. Not just a girl, indeed.
Chamblee Carpenter isn't afraid to leave readers with unanswered questions, though, in the best possible way. Hot dang, that is how you write a freaking epilogue. I refuse to disclose any spoilers, but trust me—you won't see the ending coming. I can only sit tight and wait for a sequel.
November 23, 2015
Bohemian Gospel is a smart and assured debut. Beginning with the first action-filled chapter, I found myself completely immersed in the world of Europe's High Middle Ages: it felt grubby and earthy, full of a sense of Medieval magic. I love that feeling of immersion, and it was only deepened by the sense that there is much going on that Mouse isn't quite ready to access. This Medieval magic is not a romantic thing; it has complicated roots in both good and evil, and Mouse is completely entangled. She's a deliciously complex character, and the beauty of her being so young is that we get to discover her gifts and emerging personality right along with her. Even though this is the first book featuring Mouse, Carpenter knows her character well, and I have the feeling that she is bursting to tell us more, ready to plunge Mouse into further adventures. I'm pleased to say that the ending left me frustrated in just the right way: I demand more Mouse, asap!
December 29, 2015
The stunning cover of Bohemian Gospel shelters a wonderfully unique tale about a poor young girl of unknown birth circumstances named Mouse who saves King Ottakar's life and swiftly becomes his most trusted personal healer. But Mouse is no ordinary girl. She possesses numerous gifts - the gift of foresight, the gift of healing, the gift of unusual hearing and sight, name a few. She is reluctantly swept into court life with its many political machinations and intrigues. King Ottaker becomes her protector and a forbidden love burgeons between them.
The first section of the novel was fast paced and gripping. As the story progressed, the pace did slow a little, but it did still managed to hold my interest. In many ways, Mouse was a sympathetic character, but she had too many "gifts" to make her completely credible. For me, this diminished the historical feel and gave the story a more fantasy/magical atmosphere.
For those who are historical fiction purists, this novel many not completely please. However, for those readers who love historical fantasy, then this is definitely a blockbuster! Well written, wonderfully creative, and with plenty of twists and turns, this is one novel that should be on your to be read list.
Thank you to the author and publisher. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The first section of the novel was fast paced and gripping. As the story progressed, the pace did slow a little, but it did still managed to hold my interest. In many ways, Mouse was a sympathetic character, but she had too many "gifts" to make her completely credible. For me, this diminished the historical feel and gave the story a more fantasy/magical atmosphere.
For those who are historical fiction purists, this novel many not completely please. However, for those readers who love historical fantasy, then this is definitely a blockbuster! Well written, wonderfully creative, and with plenty of twists and turns, this is one novel that should be on your to be read list.
Thank you to the author and publisher. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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November 29, 2015More brutal and creepy than I expected! The world is engrossing and original, yet authentic, and the story takes the main character places that I could not predict, but was happy to follow. Recommended for fans of The Queen of the Tearling or The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic who are brave and like twisty supernatural things.
November 18, 2015
I'm sad to leave Mouse's world. I read the book in a single sitting and definitely want more. The research serves as a strong backbone, but the real strength is in the characters and the story. I was left wanting to know more of the back story for nearly every main character - not that the book was lacking at all, but that the characters were so rich that I wanted to know them better. I'm a total sucker for strong, smart, capable female characters. I've also been recently reading the Sister Fidelma mysteries and now want to find out more about the role of women as leaders in the early Christian church - especially in regard to their access to education
May 31, 2018
What a wonderful novel!!! Rich historical detail, fascinating characters, and a well-crafted story...with a supernatural plot that just fits the time and place. It vividly brings to life 13th century Europe, especially Prague. A powerful and beautiful book!
January 31, 2019
This book had me enthralled from the beginning. Contrary to the fun, light read I expected, it was weird and compelling. Unfortunately, the plot drags towards the ending.
November 18, 2015
Mouse is fifteen, has no baptised name, no parents and lives in a monastery in thirteenth-century Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). However, Teplá Abbey is no home to this strange girl. Mouse is distrusted by its inhabitants for her uncanny abilities, and – as one unbaptised – certainly cannot become a nun. Life changes radically for Mouse when the Younger King, the eighteen-year-old Ottakar, is brought to the monastery with an arrow in his chest. Mouse, trained as a healer, saves his life and Ottakar, still weak, takes her back with him to Prague.
Bohemian Gospel is an historical novel with fantastical elements set within the rein of the ‘Golden and Iron King’, Ottokar II of Bohemia. As Mouse aids Ottakar in his struggle against his deranged father and fractious nobles, the two fall in love. However, there can be no happy ending between a nameless girl and a king in need of political allies. Thus on one level, Bohemian Gospel is a tragic romance. On another, the tale centres about the mystery of Mouse’s parentage and supernatural abilities. Mouse discovers more and more about her powers as she battles against evil spirits, lustful men, and finally her own nature. Finally, the novel’s title is explained when Mouse seals herself away to produce the famous Codex Gigas, the world’s largest medieval manuscript.
In those parts of the tale in which Mouse must counter threats, the novel is a compulsive read, full of historical and supernatural (yet historically-founded) detail. However, there are significant stretches in which the tale lacks narrative drive. Mouse’s sufferings are set at a distance by the author’s ‘telling’ of emotions, and there are occasional point-of-view slips. I enjoyed the unusual historical setting and the novelistic ‘explanation’ of the Codex, but overall Bohemian Gospel was a little disjointed and the writing patchy.
(reviewed for the Historical Novels Review)
Bohemian Gospel is an historical novel with fantastical elements set within the rein of the ‘Golden and Iron King’, Ottokar II of Bohemia. As Mouse aids Ottakar in his struggle against his deranged father and fractious nobles, the two fall in love. However, there can be no happy ending between a nameless girl and a king in need of political allies. Thus on one level, Bohemian Gospel is a tragic romance. On another, the tale centres about the mystery of Mouse’s parentage and supernatural abilities. Mouse discovers more and more about her powers as she battles against evil spirits, lustful men, and finally her own nature. Finally, the novel’s title is explained when Mouse seals herself away to produce the famous Codex Gigas, the world’s largest medieval manuscript.
In those parts of the tale in which Mouse must counter threats, the novel is a compulsive read, full of historical and supernatural (yet historically-founded) detail. However, there are significant stretches in which the tale lacks narrative drive. Mouse’s sufferings are set at a distance by the author’s ‘telling’ of emotions, and there are occasional point-of-view slips. I enjoyed the unusual historical setting and the novelistic ‘explanation’ of the Codex, but overall Bohemian Gospel was a little disjointed and the writing patchy.
(reviewed for the Historical Novels Review)
January 8, 2016
"Bohemian Gospel" is an original meshing of historical fiction and fantasy. Set in 13th century Bohemia, we meet Mouse, an unusual girl that has some supernatural powers. She grows up as an outcast, taken care of by the church, even though she is not allowed to get close to the religion itself. Then she saves a king and her life changes. This book has a lot of historical detail with a twist of the extraordinary.
At first, this book seems to be very much a straight historical fiction. There's great characters like Mouse, a young woman who really doesn't know her family or her origins, and King Ottakar, a young man who is fighting against his father's shadow. The author gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to live in Bohemia during this time through a lot of good historical detail, which I ate up. Historical fiction fans will eat up the way the author immerses the readers in such a richly detailed world.
And then the fantasy comes in. I didn't quite expect it but I ended up loving it! The author did a good job of making Mouse's powers feel real to me! I loved it. The story line about Mouse's origins was so fascinating to me. The author does a great job of just giving the reader enough to keep reading.
And then there's the ending. Oh man, there isn't a sequel listed that I can see on Goodreads but the ending is so abrupt and leaves a huge opening for a really awesome sequel. I usually don't like endings like that but I am so hopeful that there will be another book that I am willing to forgive it!
At first, this book seems to be very much a straight historical fiction. There's great characters like Mouse, a young woman who really doesn't know her family or her origins, and King Ottakar, a young man who is fighting against his father's shadow. The author gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to live in Bohemia during this time through a lot of good historical detail, which I ate up. Historical fiction fans will eat up the way the author immerses the readers in such a richly detailed world.
And then the fantasy comes in. I didn't quite expect it but I ended up loving it! The author did a good job of making Mouse's powers feel real to me! I loved it. The story line about Mouse's origins was so fascinating to me. The author does a great job of just giving the reader enough to keep reading.
And then there's the ending. Oh man, there isn't a sequel listed that I can see on Goodreads but the ending is so abrupt and leaves a huge opening for a really awesome sequel. I usually don't like endings like that but I am so hopeful that there will be another book that I am willing to forgive it!
October 26, 2015
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/10...
Sooooo I am way too boggled by the ending of this book to think about the beginning! I will do my best to summarize. This novel is set in 13th-century Bohemia, and focuses on a young girl--with some very uncanny abilities--who's been raised in a convent. But now she's saved the life of young King Ottakar (a real historical dude!) and is whisked away to Prague to make sure he stays healthy--and also because they're totally into each other. I admit to being way more interested in her powers and her religion-related activities than in her obviously ill-fated romance with a king, but things generally move along at a good pace and I liked both characters. The religion nerd in me really appreciated where her journey led, and the epilogue left me wanting more. There should have been more!! B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in November.
Sooooo I am way too boggled by the ending of this book to think about the beginning! I will do my best to summarize. This novel is set in 13th-century Bohemia, and focuses on a young girl--with some very uncanny abilities--who's been raised in a convent. But now she's saved the life of young King Ottakar (a real historical dude!) and is whisked away to Prague to make sure he stays healthy--and also because they're totally into each other. I admit to being way more interested in her powers and her religion-related activities than in her obviously ill-fated romance with a king, but things generally move along at a good pace and I liked both characters. The religion nerd in me really appreciated where her journey led, and the epilogue left me wanting more. There should have been more!! B/B+.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in November.
November 14, 2015
I loved it. Fast paced. Never boring! I'm hoping the story will continue.
December 23, 2015
Raised as an orphan among the sisters of the Tepla Abbey in thirteenth-century Bohemia, the young girl known only as Mouse is regarded as “odd,” perhaps even as a witch. The sisters do not interact with her and cross themselves when they must. It is only through the love and understanding of Mouse’s beloved mentor, Father Lucas, that she grows to understand that she is more than just odd. Mouse has supernatural powers that give her the ability to see demons, to heal, and to control another person’s actions. She is able to bring the dead back to life. But her mysterious gifts are both a blessing and a curse.
When young King Ottakar is brought to the Abbey, a victim of a traitorous act, there is no other to help him, save for Mouse. Using skills learned at the Abbey, instead of her powers, she heals the dying Ottakar. Grateful to the teenaged girl, the intrigued Ottakar brings her to Prague as his personal healer. Politics and the conventions of the church do not stop the two from falling in love, but it does prevent them from living their life together. Mouse’s relationship with Ottakar is sweet, but young. And while there are some well-written characters, there were others in the novel I just wanted to squash under my shoe.
The woman-child protagonist called Mouse in this stunning debut novel is an amazing character of strength and integrity and unconditional love. Her supernatural powers give her the ability to control the thoughts and actions of others and rule supreme in her world, yet she does not. Intensely faithful to a religion that scorns her very existence, Mouse still remains true to its teachings. She is constantly faced with heartbreaking decisions, tested again and again, like Job. Even in moments of sheer anguish, moments when her powers could completely change the outcome, Mouse will not give in, she will not break. But, she is still fallible and she is not perfect. And that makes her one of the strongest main characters I have read in a long time. She is also the most heartbreaking.
Carpenter writes beautifully and she is able to bring the character Mouse to life as a person that I thought about for days, even after the book ended. Because I wanted her life to be full and happy, many times I found myself practically yelling at the book “Who cares if it’s unnatural, just do it!” I wanted to hate Mouse for all the times she should have used her power when she didn’t. But, by the end of the book, both Mouse and the reader will understand the importance of her choices.
It’s a beautiful story that paces well and the last few chapters are the kind that truly makes you sit on the edge of your seat. I have questions about the epilogue, though. It was kind of jarring and, to me, unnecessary. Some think it is an opening for a sequel with Mouse, but I think not. To me, her story has been told and I loved it. I can’t imagine another.
When young King Ottakar is brought to the Abbey, a victim of a traitorous act, there is no other to help him, save for Mouse. Using skills learned at the Abbey, instead of her powers, she heals the dying Ottakar. Grateful to the teenaged girl, the intrigued Ottakar brings her to Prague as his personal healer. Politics and the conventions of the church do not stop the two from falling in love, but it does prevent them from living their life together. Mouse’s relationship with Ottakar is sweet, but young. And while there are some well-written characters, there were others in the novel I just wanted to squash under my shoe.
The woman-child protagonist called Mouse in this stunning debut novel is an amazing character of strength and integrity and unconditional love. Her supernatural powers give her the ability to control the thoughts and actions of others and rule supreme in her world, yet she does not. Intensely faithful to a religion that scorns her very existence, Mouse still remains true to its teachings. She is constantly faced with heartbreaking decisions, tested again and again, like Job. Even in moments of sheer anguish, moments when her powers could completely change the outcome, Mouse will not give in, she will not break. But, she is still fallible and she is not perfect. And that makes her one of the strongest main characters I have read in a long time. She is also the most heartbreaking.
Carpenter writes beautifully and she is able to bring the character Mouse to life as a person that I thought about for days, even after the book ended. Because I wanted her life to be full and happy, many times I found myself practically yelling at the book “Who cares if it’s unnatural, just do it!” I wanted to hate Mouse for all the times she should have used her power when she didn’t. But, by the end of the book, both Mouse and the reader will understand the importance of her choices.
It’s a beautiful story that paces well and the last few chapters are the kind that truly makes you sit on the edge of your seat. I have questions about the epilogue, though. It was kind of jarring and, to me, unnecessary. Some think it is an opening for a sequel with Mouse, but I think not. To me, her story has been told and I loved it. I can’t imagine another.
December 20, 2015
Dana Chamblee Carpenter's debut novel, set in 13th-century Bohemia, follows Mouse, a teenager grappling with supernatural gifts that are tied to her mysterious past. As the novel opens, Mouse saves King Ottakar (Bohemia's real-life Gold and Iron King) and accompanies him to Prague where she must navigate court politics and a romance with the young king...all while battling her demons (both literal and figurative). Without giving away too many spoilers - because this book has quite a few twists and turns - the action takes a dark, suspenseful course that compels readers to keep turning the page to find out what happens to Mouse. How can she reconcile her powers and her past? Will she find some sort of redemption? The last few pages of the novel...dang. This novel can be classified historical fiction with strong fantasy/supernatural elements and draws attention to a somewhat neglected facet of medieval history. As for Mouse, her story will stick with me...and I can't wait to see where she ends up in the sequel.
May 11, 2018
A book about a character who has no family, is raised in an abbey, but not allowed to be an actually part of that abbey, and goes on to have experiences of ‘great joy and sorrow’ while attempting to fight good and evil within herself is Dana Chamblee Carpenter’s Bohemian Gospel, the first book of her Bohemian Trilogy. That appears to be a mouthful, does it not?! I found this book of almost 400 pages drew me in from the first page. The writing flows so very well that reading this book I found to be a pleasure. Mouse, the main character, is intriguing, fantastical, and I like her immensely! She wants desperately ‘to belong’ somewhere plus she has certain gifts which in the medieval era had people crossing themselves if they had knowledge of these gifts. The epilogue of under two full pages is very ‘thought-provoking’ and has me searching my brain for answers. Needless to say, I shall be reading The Devil’s Bible, (Bohemian Trilogy, #2) very soon! Well done, Ms. Carpenter!
December 17, 2015
Excellent entertainment! It's not a difficult book, but it's beautifully written and Mouse is so fully fleshed she makes for a wonderful character. The big twist at the end was both heartbreaking and awesome--such an unexpected turn (admittedly, I was kind of disappointed, but I think most readers would be if they love Mouse, so overall the disappointment is great sign?). I would definitely read a sequel (but it doesn't necessarily need one)!
November 23, 2015
Absolutely enchanting. A beautifully written story with a strong, complex female protagonist and a surprise ending you won't see coming. I couldn't put it down!
February 18, 2018
Dark and despairing in so many ways, the clarity and audacity of this harrowing tale will leave you breathless. At its center is Mouse, an unbaptized girl for whom no one ever cared enough to give a proper name. Raised in an abbey whose sisterhood she can never be allowed to join, Mouse is a gifted healer who possesses other, more frightening gifts as well.
She's 15 when she saves the life of Ottakar, the youthful "Younger King" of Bohemia, who rules in an uneasy alliance with his tyrant father. Whisked off to Prague to aid the recovery of the Younger King, unworldly Mouse struggles to navigate life at court and understand the intense attraction growing between herself and Ottakar — all while trying to unravel the mystery of her birth and the source of her powers.
Dana Chamblee Carpenter breathes life into Ottakar, the Iron and Golden King, a historical figure who founded cities, created just laws, and sparked an era of prosperity in 13th Century Bohemia when he wasn't busy defending his turf and his people from the armies of rival nobles. But it's Mouse — both vulnerable and defiant, intelligent and intuitive, in and out of God's favor, yet boldly carving out a place for herself in an unforgiving world — whose journey keeps us turning the pages.
There's a lot to process in this book, plot-wise — including a finale so incendiary, readers might be outraged if we didn't know there was another book (or two) coming to complete the story. Yet the book is such a vivid portrait of the human spirit, in all its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the complexities of its medieval era, that you can't help getting swept along like a current in the Vltava River by the drama of these characters' lives.
She's 15 when she saves the life of Ottakar, the youthful "Younger King" of Bohemia, who rules in an uneasy alliance with his tyrant father. Whisked off to Prague to aid the recovery of the Younger King, unworldly Mouse struggles to navigate life at court and understand the intense attraction growing between herself and Ottakar — all while trying to unravel the mystery of her birth and the source of her powers.
Dana Chamblee Carpenter breathes life into Ottakar, the Iron and Golden King, a historical figure who founded cities, created just laws, and sparked an era of prosperity in 13th Century Bohemia when he wasn't busy defending his turf and his people from the armies of rival nobles. But it's Mouse — both vulnerable and defiant, intelligent and intuitive, in and out of God's favor, yet boldly carving out a place for herself in an unforgiving world — whose journey keeps us turning the pages.
There's a lot to process in this book, plot-wise — including a finale so incendiary, readers might be outraged if we didn't know there was another book (or two) coming to complete the story. Yet the book is such a vivid portrait of the human spirit, in all its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the complexities of its medieval era, that you can't help getting swept along like a current in the Vltava River by the drama of these characters' lives.
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