Bohemian Gospel: A Novel

by Dana Chamblee Carpenter Narrated by Justine Eyre

Overview

Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. Some call her a witch. Others call her an angel. Even Mouse doesn't know who-or what-she is. But she means to find out.



When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past. But when Mouse's unusual gifts give rise to a violence and strength that surprise everyone-especially herself-she is forced to ask herself: Will she be prepared for the future that awaits her?



A heart-thumping, highly original tale in the vein of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, Bohemian Gospel heralds the arrival of a fresh new voice for historical fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

09/07/2015
Carpenter’s deliciously creepy debut novel explores 13th-century Bohemia through the eyes of a supernaturally gifted young woman. When Ottakar, the disputed “Younger King” of Bohemia, sustains a near-fatal arrow wound on the battlefield, he’s brought to the local monastery for treatment. There, he’s treated by a young girl known only as Mouse, who came to the monastery as a young orphan and whose healing abilities are unparalleled. Certain that this attempt on his life will not be the last, Ottakar insists that Mouse return with him to Prague as his personal healer. Over time, romance blooms. But Mouse’s mysterious origins are an obstacle to the couple’s happiness—not just because a commoner can never marry a king, but because Mouse’s emerging gifts are beginning to hint at darker secrets in her past. What’s more, dark creatures have emerged from the spirit world and are threatening to rain evil down on Prague. With the help of the priest who raised her, Mouse attempts to unravel the secret formula that will banish the spirits forever, but even as she succeeds in vanquishing them, Mouse isn’t prepared for the truth about her origins, or for the full extent of her abilities as her power grows. Carpenter’s vivid imagination creates a well-rounded, sympathetic heroine and an intricate world full of terrifying details. The volatility of the evil forces threatening Mouse’s world makes for an unpredictable journey, and while the final reveal of her origins feels a little cheap, readers will be too caught up in the action to mind. Agent: Susan Finesman, Fine Literary. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

"Fresh and surprising. . . . Brings the Dark Ages to strange and bewitching life." ---Kirkus

Nancy Bilyeau

This entrancing and suspenseful story pulls you in as if you were reading a

Grimm's fairy tale but with a strong, complex yet vulnerable woman at its core.

A page-turner of eerie shivers and supernatural questions.

Philip Freeman

One of the best novels I've read in years. Wonderful writing, great characters,

a fantastic story—everything a reader of historical fiction could want.

Ellen Findley - Odyssey

Bohemian Gospel isn't afraid to leave readers with unanswered questions, though, in the best possible way. Hot dang, that is how you write a freaking epilogue. I refuse to disclose any spoilers, but trust me—you won't see the ending coming. I can only sit tight and wait for a sequel.

Chapter 16

Carpenter deftly plays with readers’ expectations throughout the novel. The book’s opening gives every indication that this will be a Cinderella story: the tale of a young, handsome king who rescues a nameless orphan and who is in turn rescued by her. But in Bohemian Gospel, this scenario is only the beginning of a long, complicated relationship. Carpenter’s debut runs readers through the gamut of emotions, hoping against hope for a happy ending in a time and place where endings tend to be anything but happy.

Shelf Awareness (starred review)

Carpenter expertly combines elements of gothic fantasy with historical details of 13th-century Bohemia. The combination creates an atmosphere of mysticism and tension. With a strong and nuanced central character and a rich sense of mystery, Bohemian Gospel is breathtaking.

Nina Sankovitch

The most badass heroine I’ve encountered in a long time. One part historical thriller, one part adventure fantasy, and all parts girl power.

Historical Novel Society

In those parts of the tale in which Mouse must counter threats, the novel is a compulsive read, full of historical and supernatural (yet historically-founded) detail.

Mark Richard

Like a rushing river, Bohemian Gospel flows bright, dappled with a patina of legend, and has a current that runs deep and wonderfully dark. The reader will be swept along in this bold debut.

Linda Lafferty

Bohemian Gospel is a fast-moving, seductive read. A fascinating mix of dark fantasy and rich historical detail, swirling around Mouse, a fiercely independent, brave young woman who struggles with a gift that is both a blessing and a curse.

S.D. Sykes

A
riveting, spell-binding tale that brings 13th century Europe vividly to life.

Diana Bretherick

A thoroughly enjoyable read — gripping and exciting with a wonderful and intriguing central character in the enigmatic Mouse and a sting-in-the-tail ending that is a genuine surprise. We will be hearing much more from Dana Chamblee Carpenter in the future.

J. T. Ellison

A grand,
thought-provoking adventure in sorrow, joy and magic.

One of the most intriguing novels you'll read this year.

An unforgettable debut with an enchanting, compelling lead.

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Fresh and surprising. . . . Brings the Dark Ages to strange and bewitching life." —Kirkus

Library Journal

10/15/2015
Set in 13th-century Bohemia, this historical novel, which won Killer Nashville's 2014 Claymore Award, introduces Mouse, a young woman raised in a convent, whose life changes when her path crosses with a wounded young king. Mouse's unconventional healing skills save King Ottakar's life and he insists that she return with him to Prague to look after him until he recovers fully. Mouse hopes to prevent a further attempt on Ottakar's life as she fears it was no accident that injured him. She also wants to find out the truth about herself and escape the supernatural creatures that plague her. The otherworldly elements and the attempts on Ottakar's life add suspense to the narrative. Magic and the supernatural combine with court intrigue and romance in this absorbing but slightly uneven tale. Though the king is based on a historic figure (Ottakar II, 1233–78), many liberties are taken with fact to enhance the story. The strength of Carpenter's promising debut is its unusual Central European medieval setting and protagonist. The abrupt ending will jar readers. VERDICT Those who enjoy historical fiction with a paranormal twist such as Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian may find this book of interest.—Christina Thurairatnam, Holmes Cty. Dist. P.L., Millersburg, OH

Kirkus Reviews

2015-09-03
Thirteenth-century Bohemia: the kingdom is cursed by infighting, and a young girl with strange gifts struggles to heal and win the heart of a king, safeguard the kingdom, and fight some nasty demons in Carpenter's debut novel. Mouse has grown up in an abbey but finds herself ostracized from the rites of the Church. Trained in healing and possessing preternatural senses about the world and about human souls, she saves King Ottakar's life following an assassination attempt. He's taken with her beauty and her skill and insists she travel back to his court as his ward. Once there, she must not only navigate the dangerous political landscape, but also begin to come to terms with her own mysterious abilities, which earn her muttered accusations of witchcraft. Father Lucas, one of the men who raised Mouse and who calls her his "angel," returns to help her banish some ghosts who have been terrorizing her and the kingdom, and then he and Mouse travel to Houska, an abandoned fort that has been constructed over the gate to Hell. Carpenter's novel is an odd hybrid: part history, part horror, part love story, part Christian mythology, and this at first keeps it fresh and surprising. But all these parts fail to become a comprehensive whole, and the fragments splinter the narrative, rendering it uneven and each part of the story frustratingly incomplete. There will be some comparisons to Kostova's The Historian, and like that novel, this one does a good job of interweaving history with mythology and the supernatural, offering a new take on somewhat familiar themes. Unlike that novel, however, this one clocks in at an easily readable length; it should have been longer in order to fully develop the interesting seeds from which it springs. Brings the Dark Ages to strange and bewitching life for a time but proves too ambitious for its own good.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170546084
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/14/2017
Series:	Bohemian Gospel , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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