Rating: 
Summary: ancient AND modern story lines are great
Review: Like other reviewers, I found myself regretful at leaving the 13th century part of this tale to return to the world of the modern woman here, Clare. A few lines into Clare's story, though, I would forget my frustration and once again fall into the narrative. Dark, frightening, and forcefully compelling, both interwoven stories are excellent. The exploration of love, obsession, and "supernatural" connections is not unique to this author or this novel, but it is all done very well here. The book was hard to put down, though not as chilling or downright terrifying as another of Erskine's novels, MIDNIGHT IS A LONELY PLACE. Perhaps the strongest element here is the characterization: all of the characters are worth caring about, one way or another; even the purely despicable ones are well-drawn and very much alive, and you wait with baited breath to know what happens to them. KINGDOM OF SHADOWS is -- if it is nothing else -- excellent escape reading. Be warned, though, it may leave you with a nameless shadow on your mind...
Rating: 
Summary: A wonder of a read!
Review: This was the first Barbara Erskin book I read and since then have gone through everything she's written as quickly as I could. Her stories always sets the scene so clearly in my mind that I can't put it down for days! This would have to be my favourite book from Barbara Erskine, then it would be Child of the Phoenix and Lady of Hay. Someone wrote something about Diana Gababaldons book being just as wonderfull as this is and I have to agree 100%, also Virginia Andrews 'Heaven' series is a book to read if you want to get the same sort of quality in the writing and storyline.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh
Review: Unlike the similarly-themed (we won't say cookie cutter) _Lady of Hay_, in this one the historical sections of the book do not save the boring modern sections. Isobel, Countess of Fife fulfilled her family's destiny and crowned Robert the Bruce King of Scotland. For that, she was captured by the English and forced to spend years living in a cage. But I think having her life history exploited in this book is an even worse crime.
Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: Unlike the similarly-themed (we won't say cookie cutter) _Lady of Hay_, in this one the historical sections of the book do not save the boring modern sections. Isobel, Countess of Fife fulfilled her family's destiny and crowned Robert the Bruce King of Scotland. For that, she was captured by the English and forced to spend years living in a cage. But I think having her life history exploited in this book is an even worse crime.
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