Anticipation by Melodie Winawer

Release: November 2nd, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Suzy approved Book Tours
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N

After the death of her beloved husband and becoming a single parent to her nine-year-old son Alexander, scientist Helen desperately needs an escape. So when Alexander proposes a trip to Greece, Helen quickly agrees.

After spending several days exploring the streets, they arrive at the ancient city of Mystras. Its only resident is Elias, a mysterious tour guide living on the city’s edges, both physically and temporally.

In 1237, Elias’s mother promised his eternal service to the Profitis Ilias in Mystras in exchange for surviving a terrible illness. But during his 800 years of labor, he’s had one common enemy: the noble Lusignan family. The Lusignan line has a curse involving a deadly disease that worsens with each generation. A prophecy hints that Elias’s blood is their only hope for a cure. He has managed to survive throughout the centuries, but the line has dwindled down to the last Lusignan. He is desperate to avert his family’s destiny.

When Elias runs into Helen, he meets his match for the first time. But he unwittingly puts both her and her young son in danger as a result. With time running out and an enemy after them, Elias and Helen have a hard choice between the city they love and each other.

About the Author:

Melodie Winawer is the author of The Scribe of Siena, with translation into German, Czech, Polish and Norwegian to critical acclaim. She is also the author of Anticipation.

A physician-scientist and associate professor of neurology at Columbia University, Melodie has published over fifty articles and contributed to several anthologies. To find the energy to write, she relies on unflagging enthusiasm and green tea. Melodie lives with her spouse and their three children in both Brooklyn, New York, and Ludlow, Vermont.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Anticipation Review:

I loved everything about this unique historical fiction that toggles the past and the present.

Firstly, I did not “anticipate” this book to immerse me so deeply into the characters’ lives. Initially, when I started reading, the story felt a bit confusing about Prophets and fortune-tellers. But, as soon as I figured out what was happening, I LOVED it! This book has romance, reincarnations, revenge, and a lovely bond between a mother and son that’s amazing. I loved Helen and Alexander’s relationship. Alexander is excellent, and I loved his persona as a historian, even if he doesn’t know it.

Secondly, I adored the author’s style of writing. She merges fact with fiction so beautifully! We have the Ottoman Turks, Charles of Anjou, Ibrahim Pasha, the fall of Constantinople, and fierce battles with Greece over the centuries. Moreover, the author’s medical language, like Huntington’s disease and Dysgraphia, fascinated me. And, let’s not forget the beautiful way the author describes The Chronicle of the Morea and Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia and other historical elements, which added so seamlessly to the story.

Thirdly, the plot itself is just fantastic. Even if you take everything else apart, I just loved the concept of reincarnation and having multiple births until you fulfill your destiny. Elias is the show’s star, and I was rooting for him. The author also adds mystery elements like the prophet so well, and I loved how different each generation of Lusignan behaved differently from Elias.

However, MY FAVORITE parts of the story were the ones between Elias and Demetrios. I JUST LOVED reading about these two and the profound and, at times, bittersweet moments.

Overall, “Anticipation” is one of the best historical books I have read in a long time, and I highly recommend it!