Review: The Chalice

The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I've had a hard time categorizing this series. The Crown was nominally a historical mystery, which is why I had picked it up, but ended up being more historical suspense. Now The Chalice drops mystery altogether, focusing instead on a prophecy for Sister Joanna that throws her into danger. So maybe historical suspense is the most appropriate label, at least so far. The fact that it is difficult to categorize is one of the reasons I'm enjoying the series.

The story focuses on a Dominican novice during the time when Henry VIII was dissolving the monasteries and priories and stripping the churches to fill his coffers. Joanna, who took vows to avoid the tumult of politics, has been torn from that peaceful existence and is now trying to make a living in the village near her old priory. A few of the friars and nuns remain together, attempting to continue their observances as well as they can while being reviled by the locals who once came to them for aid and education. They find themselves at the mercy of petty authorities with the weight of King Henry behind them.

This is a great perspective on the time period. It does not deal very directly with the Royals, instead showing how ordinary, loyal papists made their way through the tumultuous changes of the English Reformation. From this angle, it was not a holy enterprise!

At the end of The Crown, I had an idea of where this sequel might be headed. I thought that with the Priory closed and Joanna no longer a novice, she would settle down and find herself a new life - most likely (hopefully!) with Geoffrey. She would maybe run into some new intrigues and mysteries related to his position as a constable. In my experience of historical mystery/fiction with a side of romance, this was the predictable route, and one that I would have been perfectly happy to explore.

I was completely wrong! There was very little about this book that I could have predicted. Although there was part of me wishing for those next steps that I had envisioned, it was refreshing to find myself being led around by the nose without any idea of where it was going to end up. The way that Bilyeau intertwines Joanna's life with actual events of the time, giving this insignificant woman an importance that few people are aware of, is brilliant.

Joanna is once again caught up in politics against her will, dragged into matters beyond her understanding by family ambitions, and tossed about by forces beyond her comprehension. She is confused and changes a lot during the book, betraying her sense of self and struggling with guilt. The prophecy forces her into crises, muddies the waters of right and wrong, and inexorably drags her in a direction she does not want to go. But rather than making the plot predictable, the prophecy plays out with enough twists to bring about a satisfying ending, so that you look back on what happened with new understanding.

Both novels so far have been very well done. I'm looking forward to the next installment but I no longer have any expectations about where it could go next. (I still have hopes for where it might end up eventually.)



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