Brianna in Cymru, by T. N. Traynor, is a historical romance novel following Brianna, who has a powerful gift that is passed on from mother to daughter. She heals people by putting her hands on them. Yet in the year 1664 her demonstrations of faith are called witchcraft. With a witch hunter on her tail, Brianna loses her mother as she tries to find where the Nightjars sing and the man she’s destined to be with.

Author T N Traynor helps the reader fully immerse themselves in this epic fantasy story with sharp writing and eloquent prose. By providing the reader with some of Brianna’s thoughts and feelings the reader is able to easily put themselves in her shoes. I could understand what she was going through and I think readers will truly be able to feel what she feels as all the emotions are so vividly painted throughout the story.

Brianna’s faith is important to her, and the story, and passages from the Bible are quite often referred to, ensuring that the importance of faith in this novel is never forgotten. Brianna’s character feels real and there is enough conflict to keep the story and the momentum going among the plethora of Bible references.

I was expecting to find an emotional romance plotline weaved into the story, similar to what one would read in a Julia Quinn novel. While this Christian fantasy story does contain a romantic aspect between Brianna and Arwen, we never dwell on it, which keeps the focus on Brianna and her adventure.

There were a lot of interesting characters that are introduced throughout the story that I thought were well developed. But despite that, I would have liked to have explored Brianna, Arwen, and Benedict’s characters more, as I thought they were fascinating, and I would not have minded seeing their characters more often on the page.

Brianna in Cymru is an exhilarating and thought-provoking historical fiction novel that will surprise readers with a subtle but creative use of magical realism. Emotionally stirring and brimming with a cast of interesting characters, this is an adventure story that I heartily enjoyed.

Pages: 283 | ASIN: B09VCSX2W7