Child of the Phoenix cover art

Child of the Phoenix

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Child of the Phoenix

By: Barbara Erskine
Narrated by: Ffion Aynsley
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £31.42

Buy Now for £31.42

Summary

Discover the powerful story of a remarkable mediaeval noblewoman whose life shaped the history of three crowns…

The child whose hands would hold three crowns is born in fire.

In 1218 an extraordinary princess is born. Her mystical powers and unquenchable spirit will alter the course of history.

Raised by her fiercely Welsh nurse to support the Celtic cause against the predatory English king, Princess Eleyne is taught to worship the old gods and to look into the future and the past. However, unable to identify time and place in her terrifying visions, she is powerless to avert forthcoming tragedy…

Despite impassioned resistance, Eleyne’s world is shaped by powerful men – but her tempestuous life and loves tie her to the destinies of England, Scotland and Wales…

Readers LOVE Barbara Erskine:
‘Atmospheric’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Enthralling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Spellbinding’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Another fabulous read from the mistress of the genre’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Immensely and deeply immersive fiction’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved every minute’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘An exceptional writer of great books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘You can rely on this author to keep you wanting more’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A joy to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Captivating and engrossing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers
Europe Fantasy Great Britain Historical Fiction Medieval Suspense Thriller & Suspense Royalty Exciting
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

Praise for Barbara Erskine:

‘Her forte is mood, atmosphere and the toe-curling frisson’ Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times

‘Barbara Erskine’s storytelling talent is undeniable’ The Times

‘Marvellous escapist stuff’ Woman & Home

Readers love Barbara Erskine:

‘Wow! Couldn't put it down until it was finished…and left me thirsting for more! History, past life regression, hypnosis, trances, ghosts and a passionate love story…Very powerful story.’

‘This is one author who deserves every accolade that has come her way.’

‘From the first few sentences I was hooked and…completely spellbound…it was such a shame to reach the end!’

‘What a fantastic novel…unputdownable!’

‘Barbara Erskine is a true literary treasure’

‘This is storytelling at its best…so descriptive that you could almost imagine you are there’

‘Woven to perfection’

All stars
Most relevant
Shame about the lazy narrating. All voices are read the same; men, women, children, adults, king, peasant. It's hard to tell at times who's talking. All emotions are read the same; anger, happiness, fear, whispering, shouting, they all sound the same, the same tone. All characters speak in the same accent, a northern one maybe, except for a few appalling attemps of Scottish and French ones. I expected proper Welsh accent at least from a Welsh narrator. Massive disappointment. The articulation could also be clearer. It's like the narrator is too tired to open her mouth to enunciate properly.

Magnificent writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved this story, it's very long but never dull, it went to one adventure to another good, bad and sad.

fantastic story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Over the years I have read all of Barbara Erskine’s books apart from this one. I’ve owned a hardback copy since its first publication but, for some reason, despite numerous attempts, I couldn’t get past the first few chapters.
Having it as an audiobook changed everything.
It’s every bit as good as all of the other books and I devoured it. The historical detail is astonishing, tying in, as it does nicely, with Kingdom of Shadows.
My only niggle is with the narration. Whilst being excellent overall, I find it a bit annoying when well known and familiar words are pronounced incorrectly by the narrator. Just my own opinion but irritating to an English purist.

Enthralling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I have loved learning Scotland’s history and can’t wait to continue it in the next book.

Brilliant Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It was a good listen. Beautifully read and great story but so sad especially the cruelty towards women and children. Nothing changes

Sadness

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews