An Isle Full of Noises some Goodreads reviews
5*
I went in expecting a fun historical fantasy and came out an emotional wreck in the best way. Merlin or Colt, or Al Hayuu, whoever he's going by this century is one of the most quietly devastating characters I've read in ages. Watching him protect Elizabeth while carrying centuries of grief he never talks about broke something open in me. This is what "immortal character done right" looks like.
5*
Queen Elizabeth I as written here feels more alive than in half the "serious" historical fiction I've read about her. She's vain, brilliant, lonely, terrifying, funny, and so, so human. The scene where she asks Merlin why he protects her and he actually tells her the truth genuinely got me a little misty.
5*
The William Shakespeare cameo could so easily have been cheesy fan service and instead it’s one of the sweetest parts of the book. Merlin quietly helping build the Globe Theatre, nudging beams into place with a bit of magic, striking up an actual friendship with Will over ale, be still my nerdy little heart. If you love the Elizabethan theatre world even a bit, this is for you.
5*
I love a slow burn and this whole series is basically the world's longest, most heartbreaking slow burn between Merlin and every single person he lets himself love, knowing he'll outlive them all. Nettie especially. Their history together goes back so far and it shows in every scene, even the small ones.
5*
Can we appreciate how much research went into this? The Armada speech at Tilbury, the building of the Globe, the plague, the Great Fire, it's all woven in so naturally that you learn a ton of real history without ever feeling like you're being lectured. Rhuddem Gwelin clearly knows this era inside out.
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