I guess it was the cover of this book really grabbed my attention first and I’m glad because the story was great. A mixture of history, fiction, adventure, murder, deceit, betrayal and a little romance tossed in for good measure. I didn’t know much about the Spanish Inquisition really and this book filled me in a little. The story is about two teenagers, Zarita, a daughter of a wealthy magistrate and Saulo, son of a beggar. An incident early in the story sets the scene when Saulo’s father is killed unjustly by Zarita’s father, and Saulo is sold as a slave to a captain of a ship. This causes a hatred for the Zarita’s family and Saulo devotes himself to revenge his father and kill the magistrate’s entire family.
In the meantime the Inquisition is taking place and the town and there is torture and killings that has everyone living in fear. Family and friends betray each other to save their lives. Zarita is forced to live in a convent with her aunt and she tries to right the wrongs that have been done. Eighteen months on she and Saulo meet again but don’t recognize each other. Although the story is told in dual viewpoints narrated alternatively by Zarita and Saulo, it didn’t make the story disjointed at all and I think it added to the tension. I also liked the fact the Christopher Columbus was a minor character in the story. It was a gripping story that had me turning the pages as quickly as I could.
About the author: Theresa Breslin is the critically acclaimed author of over 30 books for children and young adults whose work has been filmed for television, broadcast on radio, and is read world-wide in many languages. She was born and brought up in a small town in the middle of Scotland close to castles, old burial grounds and the Roman Wall, all of which helped fuel an active imagination as a child, further developed by a real love of reading.
About the author: Theresa Breslin is the critically acclaimed author of over 30 books for children and young adults whose work has been filmed for television, broadcast on radio, and is read world-wide in many languages. She was born and brought up in a small town in the middle of Scotland close to castles, old burial grounds and the Roman Wall, all of which helped fuel an active imagination as a child, further developed by a real love of reading. Her books have been praised for their elements of strong setting and sense of place and she acknowledges that she draws on the dramatic landscape of Scotland, its history and its culture.
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