Book Review: Fraternity of Brothers Book 1

Fraternity of Brothers Book 1 by Marina Pacheco 📱

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5/5 Star Rating

The Summary:

Medieval Europe, 996 AD. Fifteen-year-old Galen survived a horrendous assault, only to be exiled by his family. Taken in by monks and grateful to be spared as a suspected sinner from the execution block, he ekes out a lonely existence of unrelenting pain. But he gains a chance to prove himself worthy when a famous young illustrator arrives at the abbey and selects him to help with an important manuscript.

Thrilled to be handpicked for his superb scribing skills, Galen fears the other members of the order will sabotage his newfound fellowship with their whispered accusations. But when more brutal attacks rock the quiet community, a confrontation with his assailant might force him to finally speak his truth.

Will Galen find his voice and triumph over trauma and tragedy?

While it took me about 50 pages to really be drawn into The Life of Galen, the first book in Marina Pacheco's Fraternity of Brothers series, I ended up really enjoying this book.  I became so enraptured that I read it in one day.

I loved this story and how it explores the ways true friendship can heal emotional wounds. A young scribe, Galen, learns to trust that he is worthy of a friend as he has become somewhat content with his lonely existence when he meets fellow monk, Alcuin, a  man brave enough to choose the company of an outcast and risk the judgement of his peers.  I aspire to be the type of person who chooses a friend based on my own opinions, not those thrust upon me by others, and I love how that is beautifully represented in this book. 

My chief complaint was how quickly the villain was bested at the crescendo of the conflict in the story. There seemed to be an awful lot of build up to something that was over and down with in just a few short paragraphs.  I still look forward to reading more in this series of five books set in 996 AD Anglo-Saxon England.  

Thanks to the author and Voracious Readers Only for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.