Something Red by Douglas Nichols

Irish Healer and Exiled Queen Molly, her lover Jack, her granddaughter Nemain and apprentice Hob are trekking the Pennine Mountains, hoping to cross before being snowed in. Filled with a sense of foreboding and danger, the small party stops at a Monastery for sanctuary. Still the feeling persists, causing Molly to insist the party travel on. The woods prove dangerous, with the dark shadows almost stalking the group. As the group travels on to an Inn and a castle, danger is never far behind.

Something Red combines myths, superstition, danger and mystery to perfection. The sense of foreboding in the novel is the first thing that comes to mind. The danger seems to be present from the first page and is very tangible to the reader. The group looks to Molly for safety, decisions and information. When she is spooked, all know danger is around. Even the oxen.  As the novel goes along, we realize that though Molly is older than normal for this time, she is amazing. A Healer, a Queen, a warrior and a mother. Jack, her lover, is a grizzly of a man. Quiet, he follows Molly's strict orders. Hob is Molly's apprentice and the newest member of the family. His apprehension and astonishment make for great narration. Nemain is the young Queen in training. Though she is young, she has the grace of her grandmother. I loved the way that all the characters function independently of each other, but compliment each other. At the end of the novel, it was hard to tell who was the hero. This novel is a great novel, for the mystery and the characters! It really sticks with you.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.