Scotland 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.
As the long siege plays out, Will moves between hunger, fear and boredom; so cold he's burning furniture and books and so hungry he's eating rats. 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, determined the infant Mary Queen of Scots will marry his son, and Scotland's auld alliance with France is invoked.
This debut novel closely follows the events of the siege of St Andrews Castle, and its dramatic re-taking.
About the Author :
VEH Masters was born and brought up on a farm a few miles outside St Andrews, Scotland. The first time she ever visited St Andrews Castle was aged 12, when her history teacher took the class on a school trip. They crept down the siege tunnel and peered into the bottle dungeon, where Cardinal Beaton's body was said to have been kept pickled in salt. She was hooked! The Castilians, her debut novel, tells the story of how the Cardinal's body ended up in the dungeon and why the siege tunnel was built.
Review :
Finalist, Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Runner-up, SAW Barbara Hammond Trophy
'Historical Fiction at its absolute best.' Bookly Matters
'By the end...I find myself hoping for a sequel, which shows how much I enjoyed this excellent novel.' Historical Novel Society Review
'Tense and romantic with unexpected dashes of humour. A marvellous debut.' Lesley Glaister.
'A clever blend of fact and fiction...gripping action, drama galore, and a dash of romance.' Margaret Skea
'I highly recommend this intriguing novel.' Jean M Roberts
'The darker side of St Andrews Castle's history, written with such delightful detail I could almost taste and smell the medieval streets of the historic town.' Lynsey Maxwell
This book has everything I like - suspense, romance and humour. Beautifully descriptive and left me
thinking about the characters even after I finished reading it.
As a woman, it made me reflect on and value the rights many of us take for granted - most girls' fates were decided by their fathers or by the constraints of the social class they were born into. I found myself cheering on the spirited Bethia
An extremely well-written historical novel, the best I've read since Kate Grenville's 'The Lieutenant', and that's high praise indeed
I have bought six copies as Christmas presents, it is such a good read
