Review: "The Spider and the Stone" by Glen Craney

A rollicking good read about James Douglas, more widely known as the Black Douglas and his lady love, Isabelle MacDuff. The time period is roughly starting in 1207 where the young Douglas meets Isabelle and their love story begins. James is instrumental in the fight for Scottish freedom from England and spends his life fighting beside Robert Bruce for this independence and trying to find his way back to his lady love.

This story is told in the narrative style by the Queen of England in her elderly years which brings the story to life as you live it thru her eyes. You are swept up in Scotland’s fight for freedom along with the trials and tribulations of both James and Isabelle. That is only half of the story as the queen has her own adventures to relive along with the many amazing characters and situations that keep you turning pages.

I loved this story and couldn’t stop reading. Not only is the star-crossed lovers’ story engrossing but all the characters have exploits that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If that isn’t enough to keep you reading, the time period during which Scotland fought for their independence is enthralling as you can’t help but root for the underdogs of Scotland to persevere. This book can be enjoyed by teen to adult readers and I highly recommend it.