num_pages: 290
description: Amazon BESTSELLERChill with a Book Premier Award WinnerFinalist Wishing Shelf'...an extremely well-written historical novel, the best I’ve read since Kate Grenville’s ‘The Lieutenant’, and that’s high praise indeed.' Amazon ReviewerScotland 1546. Seeking revenge for the burning of a young preacher, a group of lairds take St Andrews Castle by stealth, and murder Cardinal Beaton, the nation's most powerful man.For a sister and brother – Bethia, living in the town outside the castle, and Will, one of the rebels within – the siege becomes a battle for survival. Flea-bitten, worm-ridden, rat-eating Will moves between hunger, fear and boredom as the long siege plays out. His actions mean the family could lose everything, unless Bethia gives up the hope of love – or forces Will home.But this is not just a struggle between them, it’s about the choices a nation must make as Henry VIII coerces from across the border and Scotland's auld alliance with France is invoked.This debut novel closely follows the historical events of the siege of St Andrews Castle, and its dramatic re-taking.‘By the end...I find myself hoping for a sequel, which shows how much I enjoyed this excellent novel.' Historical Novel Society Review
language: English
title: The Castilians
publisher: Nydie Books