Bohemian Gospel by Dana Chamber Carpenter and narrated by Justine Eyre is a fascinating and riveting story of love, magic, and the paranormal. The characters are so interesting! A girl called Mouse that has supernatural abilities during a time of witch hunts. A monk that cares for the orphan Mouse and hides her gifts. A young king that falls in love with Mouse. Crazy adventure and action with unique creatures and creepy scenes. The plot goes sideways and keeps the reader on their toes. The ending...blew me away!!! Did not see that coming at all! Wow, I need the next book now!
The narration was excellent! Perfect emotions, timing, and voices!! ( )

Something about this book just captured my attention right away. Maybe it was the cover, with its medieval times look. Maybe it was the fact that this story combines fantasy, historical fiction, and the Devil. Either way, it's been on my mind for a while and now seemed like the best time to get into this story!

This is a book that I still haven't been able to pin an opinion on. There were so many things that I loved about this novel and I read this book in record time. However, there were also certain elements of the novel that didn't work for me. Let me start by talking about the things I liked:

Mouse having powers was the thing that really drew me to this novel. I love fantasy and a female protagonist with "gifts" during a time period when people like her would be considered witches or worse .... well, that is my weakness!
I really liked that the author didn't just focus on Mouse's powers; she took the time to explore Mouse's life, her emotions, and all of the other factors that influenced Mouse. It made Mouse come alive, made her more than just your usual protagonist trying to figure out her identity. Mouse falling in love, suffering, and rising from that was just as important to the story as her powers.
I liked the historical backdrop of the story a lot. This novel takes place in a variety of different settings and the author does a really great job transitioning from one to the other.
While the story has its slow points in the middle, it definitely ramps up closer to the end and it kept me on my toes until the very last minute. It was worth the dull stuff to get to that last page!
So now that I've covered the good stuff, here are some of the things I disliked:

Mouse's character was not as strong as I would have liked. For someone who has badass powers, she didn't really do much to discover them and I wasn't too happy with the fact that she never properly embraced them.
The author made Mouse very submissive ... and that bothered me a lot. I understand that she may have wanted to maintain some kind of historical accuracy, as the times in which this novel took place, there was no feminism movements.... but Mouse had POWERS! She really shouldn't have been placed in such submissive roles, she should have been way more badass and strong. This really bothered me in the story and I wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I had hoped because of this aspect.
The dull moments were ... dull. If the author had included some magical power stuff, then it would have been a bit easier to get through those parts.
Overall, this story was gripping and original. I really enjoyed the overall plot and made my way through this book quite quickly. While there were some elements that I didn't enjoy, the book was mostly amazing and I am definitely going to be reading the sequel! ( )

I had not heard of Bohemian Gospel before I selected it from the Book of the Month club. It has been sitting on my desk for about two weeks. I began it this morning and finished it this evening. It was the perfect book to read during a blizzard. It kept me engaged and curious.

I can only imagine the amount of research the author conducted on the time period and the very complicated politics in addition to the Church. I am not an expert in any of those areas but I can tell you without a doubt she created a very real atmosphere. The places and characters who inhabited them seemed very real. Mouse, the main character, was a very unusual female for the time period. Her back story explains how she came to be better educated then most women at the time. Its not her education that struck me as much as her spirit. She was trying to live a life of her own choosing, and while it did not always work out, she still continued to try.

Although I have read a lot of historical fiction from this time period, I had not read any from this area. It was all new and very enjoyable. I would recommend Bohemian Gospel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. ( )

I didn't hate this book. I loved the story telling, the world, and the characters. However, the ending was odd to me. I had never heard of the Devils bible so it caught me off guard. And i felt the whole reveal of who her father was felt rushed. I think as time goes on, i will change my rating of this book. But right now, its a 3 star for me. ( )

In Bohemia, in the thirteenth century, just before the days of the Golden and Iron King, an orphaned girl grows up in a monastery but isn’t allowed to worship, heals but isn’t allowed to reveal her skill, and sees souls. Seeing souls can be a problem if you can’t see your own—a problem that invites a mystery in this tale, as Mouse tries to work out who and what she is—and why she exists.

When Mouse helps to heal a dying prince, she finds herself invited to court, where she becomes a part of its mystery and intrigue. Prince and pauper could maybe fall in love, but there are wars to fight, fatherly machinations to overcome, and loyalties to be cemented if a kingdom will grow. Meanwhile, outside the monastery’s protection, horrors that haunted Mouse come to haunt the populace, so there are souls to be saved.

The story combines myth with faith, history with horror, and hope with fear, drawing readers deeply into the questions of Mouse’s life. Who were her parents? What is her soul? And where is the line between evil and good?

The story’s told with much of its action just slightly off-stage, keeping readers just slightly on-edge until those final pages turn. I found myself wondering how the author could possibly draw this tale to a close, but she does it in one swift masterful and truly unsettling stroke, leaving the reader, perhaps, as haunted as the protagonist.

Bohemian Gospel is richly historical, hauntingly Gothic, and powerfully character driven, a rich feast for long dark nights.

Disclosure: I was given a copy from the publishers and I offer my honest review. ( )