I was drawn to this book due to the the intriguing premise and the blurb- not to mention, the cover is beautiful! Having said that, this book unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

There were a few issues for me. Firstly, I was not able to connect with the characters and the writing wasn't quite as gripping as I'd like it to be. I found that there was a lot of telling, rather than showing. I think that this book could have benefitted with more development regarding the characters and the plot. Second, I found that the plot twists were quite easy to figure out and so I think there could have been better execution with the mystery aspect- perhaps adding in some more intricate plot twists and more adventure/crime solving scenes. Since the mystery aspect was lacking for me and I was not invested in the characters or the romance, it did feel a little like a chore to get through this book at times.

Despite this book not working for me, I think that the concept of combining astrology and mystery in a historical fiction setting is great and very unique. The world building was one of the strongest aspects of the book, I could tell that the author put in a lot of work and research, which paid off considering the atmosphere of medieval times was encapsulated really well.

I requested this book from NetGalley as an ARC mainly because of the cover and the premise. I am an astrologer and so I am always looking for fiction books that use astrology as a plot device. Sadly this one left a lot to be desired. There were a few glaring astrology mistakes such as saying Scorpio is ruled by Mercury. Scorpio is ruled by Mars if you follow the medieval planetary scheme, which I believe the MC would. There were other similar examples, which someone familiar with astrology could have pointed out prior to release. In addition to some astrology mistakes, I just couldn't get over the level of detail that the master astrologer was able to provide in his predictions. I know the author addressed this point in their afterword, but it seems like a fundamental misunderstanding and misapplication of astrology. It felt like almost a completely different kind of astrology that was like a magic system all its own. Yet it used terms from our world. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

Aside from the astrology, this book suffered from an acute case of telling, not showing. Large chunks of this book were entirely happening in character's heads which left the reader with the distinct sensation of floating through the plot points rather than feeling them viscerally. You could see the author straining under the weight of moving the characters to where they needed to be next in order for the plot to move along. Characters would say one thing and immediately do another with little explanation except the plot demanded it.

I felt little to no stakes in this story and the answer to the whodunnit was so obvious that I felt almost no suspense. I didn't really enjoy the romance element either, it was entirely formulaic and I have no idea why these two were attracted to each other apart from proximity.

Overall, I had to rate this book low on stars because it was a chore to read. Too bad because we need more astrology fiction! It would actually be a great plot device for someone who understood its purpose and how it worked.

Hunting the Wren by Susanna M. Newstead. BooksGoSocial, 2021.

I enjoyed reading this story about new master astrologer Bennet and his new servant Christa, their everyday life in medieval Marlborough, and their efforts to see a murderer and a pair of con artists brought to justice.

The book is well written, easy to read, with descriptions that make visualizing the setting very easy. Main characters are engaging, supporting characters develop as the story progresses, and life as described could very likely be what it was like at the time. Aside from the role of astrology in the story, woven in pragmatically as the work of a journalist or lawyer might be today, an element of magic and some romance help the story along.
This light, easy, pleasant read is my first experience with Susanna M. Newstead who writes medieval murder mysteries.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of Hunting the Wren for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #HuntingTheWren #NetGalley

The concept of this was interesting but I couldn't get past the writing style which I found to be just really weak. There was a lot of what I commonly hear called "floating head" syndrome, where there was a lot of dialogue kind of driving the story along without being anchored to the setting in any way. Like honestly, this felt more like reading a screenplay than a novel. I also felt like there was a lot of "telling" and not "showing." Combined, I really feel like this story would've benefited from further development and editing.

For a mystery romance, I appreciate the amount of effort that went into the research for this book. It was well thought out and the research and lore were my favorite parts of the book.

I think I would have appreciated more twists and mystery to the story, more crime solving and adventure and a little less romance, since I didn't quite connect with the characters and the writing wasn't my favored style. If the reader is looking for something more light and whimsical, Hunting the Wren should hit the nail on the head.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me a free ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC.

I honestly didn't enjoy this very much, at first I thought I was going to love it because of the setting. I like that the MC is an astrologer. I like the plot, it was very unique and intriguing but I just couldn't finish the book. The romance moments didn't make me feel anything and maybe that's just me! But I wouldn't recommend if you don't like unnecessary romance in historical fiction mystery books. I would've preferred it much more if it was a crime-solving mystery with some unique twists.

A sweet story with beautiful writing from the author - you can truly tell that a lot of time and effort went into historical research to present the town set in medieval times. It’s a good mix of crime solving, relationships and with sprinkles of romance throughout. Highly recommended read.