Review: The Oxenbridge King

Title: The Oxenbridge King

Author: Christine Paice 

Publisher: 31st July 2024 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 335 pages

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Rating: 5 crowns

Synopsis:

Imagine, if you the lost soul of King Richard III; a talking raven; a lost, lonely angel; and Molly Stern - heartbroken, grieving, a bit stroppy and definitely not feeling herself.

When the worlds of the lost soul of a King and the angel sent to collect him collide messily with the 21st century world of Molly Stern, anything can happen. Hilary Mantel meets Sarah Winman, with a dash of Neil The Oxenbridge King is endearing, quirky, tender, lyrical and magical - and entirely original.

The lost soul of Richard III is trapped in the afterlife, below the last Abbey he visited while alive. Though his soul has been between worlds for hundreds of years, up in the real world, it's 2012 and Molly Stern has a broken heart from losing her father and a recent breakup. Leaving London, Molly goes home to seek solace from her Aunt Peggy and Uncle Frank in Oxenbridge, but there are strange noises in the basement of her childhood house, and Peggy and Frank seem to have domestic troubles of their own, and nothing feels right. When the soul of Richard III is startled from the Abbey catacombs and the angel sent to collect him goes missing in action, all their worlds messily and unexpectedly collide, with surprising and definitely unexpected consequences.

Inspired by the discovery of the bones of Richard III found buried underneath a car park in the UK, award-winning poet Christine Paice has fashioned a beautiful, singular, warm and funny novel that weaves in and out of time and space and possibility. The Oxenbridge King is a love story, a meditation on what survives of us when we're gone, and how, in the end, love and family is everything.

My Thoughts

Let me be honest from the outset. I am on a bit of a King Richard III binge. Ever since finishing Annie Garthwaite’s novels I have become obsessed with learning more about this King - the last English king to lose his life in battle. Annie portrayed Richard in such a modest way that would make many historians fire up in opposition - especially Shakespeare and his damning play.Therefore when this intriguing book came up promising an engaging spin - I was in!

‘The king with a crown that didn't belong to him, but all kings had blood on their hands. That's how they stayed king.’

The Oxenbridge King is such a unique and extremely satisfying read and, I promise, no prior knowledge on Richard III is necessary - but it certainly does increase the enjoyment. Inspired by the actual discovery of Richard III’s bones this book is a fantastical journey if you allow yourself to swim with the tide. With Richard’s soul trapped he is reliant upon a talking Raven (his link between heaven and earth) to become free and ascend to the afterlife. Yet, Richard is a very, very minor player in this tale. 

‘Life happens, we're all caught and tugged by desires we claim not to know anything about.’

This is a tale of the contemporary characters and it is warm and funny, full of love and forgiveness in this life. No major events here except how souls can become lost when on earth and learning about the things that give us direction and make us feel love, getting us back on the right path. At first I thought,’this is a bit weird’ but then I just went with it and found it truly delightful. 

‘… maybe one day we'll discover the great villain of history isn't so bad after all.'

If you are looking for something that is left of centre, a retelling from a different direction with a touch of magic then look no further. As the blurb promises, Oxenbridge King is ‘tender, lyrical, surprising, and magical - think Sarah Winman with a dash of Neil Gaiman’. 

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This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.