The Season of the Beast is brought to you courtesy of those clever people at Gallic Books who provide you with the opportunity to enjoy French to English translations of some very good reads.I've spent the past six weeks reading this novel by Andrea Japp (translated by Lorenza Garcia), partly because it has been a hectic and exhausting six weeks and partly because I was doing my utmost to take my time and savour this mystery.
Set in medieval France it tells the absorbing tale of Agnes de Souarcy, an admirable and believable character whom I found myself fascinated with. The struggles everyone faced in daily life back in 1304 is portrayed in the most vivid way. Some of the most mundane scenes are absolutely shocking because of this writing skill. An added bonus is the Historical References and Glossary which added layers to the detail within the story.
The suspense in this novel is exquisitely delivered in rich detail page by page. I found myself either cheering Agnes on or greatly concerned for her well being throughout the novel. The fact that I found myself so engaged with Agnes and the troubles she faces is, to me anyway, the prefect example of the quality of content you'll find between the covers of The Season of the Beast.
A word of warning for those of you who will buy The Season of the Beast after reading this post: there is a second and third installment in the Agnes de Souarcy chronicles called The Breath of the Rose and The Divine Blood. Buy them all at the same time because when you finish reading The Season of the Beast you will be desperate to know what happens next.
