*May contain Spoilers*
Bane! Bane! Bane! That was my refrain after reading The Lady of Bolton Hill. I wanted Bane's story. I'm sure he was meant to be only a secondary character but for me, he stole the show in that book.
Once a renowned and highly feared drug dealer, Bane was raised by a terrible man who takes young children as hostages in order to control their parents. No one knows that the Professor is an opiate dealer and that he taught Bane everything about the business, grooming him to take over one day.
Against the Tide is set 10 years after we've witnessed Bane receive Christ and begin his journey to freedom. He has dedicated his life to thwarting the Professor's drug operation. There are no close, personal relationships for fear that the Professor would kidnap whoever he thinks is meaningful to Bane in order to control him.
I love Bane's character. He's always fascinated me with his cunning and intellect; that doesn't change. His drive and determination are incredible. I love the way he manages to get under Lydia's tough exterior. The scenes dealing with Lydia's drug addiction are realistic. They were intense and such a big part of the story and her relationship with Bane. We learn much about how opium was used and how easy it was to become addicted to the substance without even knowing it.
The author does a great job of depicting poverty and wealth, evil and good. The story is well written and the dialogue exchanges between the characters is riveting. I highly recommend this book to fans of Historical fiction.
I received a review copy from Bethany House for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review, just my opinion of the book.
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Author Bio
Elizabeth Camden, author of The Lady of Bolton Hill and The Rose of Winslow Street, received a master's in history from University of Virginia and a master's in library science from Indiana University. She is a research librarian by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. Elizabeth is a member of ACFW and RWA and lives with her husband in Florida. Visit her website at ElizabethCamden.com
Great review! Looking forward to read this book as well. I agree with what you said about Bane being a secondairy character in The Lady of Bolton Hill and stealing the show in that book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marian. This was probably the book I anticipated the most this year :) I hope those who haven't read The Lady of Bolton Hill will read it first. I know Against the Tide is supposed to be a stand alone novel, but I don't think you can thoroughly appreciate Bane's character otherwise. Happy New Year!
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