Book Review: The Seed of Rosewood by Massimo Rozzoni

This book is a historical novel (many of the characters are real), set in 1715 in Scotland, the Caribbeans and in London.

In the form of a diary written by the protagonist, the 15 year-old Patrick Douglas, it narrates the events that the boy in spite of himself, has to face.

He will be kidnapped from his small fishermen’s village in the North of Scotland by a crew of adventurers, who will sow death and violence on the route that will lead them to cross the Atlantic.

He will be thrown into a crude and ruthless reality and he will witness the real life of pirates, made of cruelty, superstition, greed and depravity.

In the profound darkness of evil and resignation, he will see the shining light of hope, of good and love, but like the defenseless flame of a candle in the storm…

*****

Scotland, 1715.

Translated from the original novel, Il Same Del Palissandro, The Seed of Rosewood is where we meet fifteen-year-old Patrick, who is kidnapped by the notorious Captain Alexander and his men.

Forced to sail the Atlantic with a group of pirates, Patrick quickly has to adjust to a harsh and violent reality whilst trying not to lose hope that one day, he might see his family again.

Books about piracy are not normally at the top of my list but having read the blurb for this novel, I found it intriguing especially as I love historical fiction.

From page one, the reader is immediately thrown into the action as we are introduced to Captain Alexander and his crew and we see what they are capable of.

For someone like Patrick – a young boy who has known nothing but love and safety to be suddenly introduced to the violent and chaotic life of a pirate, really creates an interesting contrast with these characters. I instantly felt such fear, anxiety and empathy for the main character, that I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to know what happened next.

Told from Patrick’s point of view in the form of a diary, the author draws the reader in as we get to know Patrick, his thoughts and fears and his determination not to be swallowed up by his new life.

The supporting characters are a wonderful variety of good and bad. I found myself wanting to learn more about where they’ve all come from.

The author also does a good job of setting the scene and creating an electric atmosphere. Tension builds all the way through and I could see it playing out very clearly.

The novel tackles some sensitive themes and it had me thinking about them long after I had finished reading.

If you’re a fan of this blog, you’ll know I don’t like to give too much away when reviewing and as I’m hoping that this book makes it onto your reading list, I won’t say much more about it.

The Seed of Rosewood is a thought-provoking, action packed novel which focuses on bravery, human resilience and finding light even in the most bleakest of circumstances.

I very much enjoyed this novel and I hope this isn’t the last we see of some of these characters.

I thank the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Click to buy The Seed of Rosewood on Amazon UK. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.