Publication Date: 13 March 2025

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Ally Sherrick’s latest historical blockbuster, featuring a fantastic guest post from Ally. But first. find out a little more about this trip into the English Civil War…

The Blurb

England, 1645.

Merriweather Pryce is the daughter of a nobleman fighting for King Charles I in a war that divides the country. When her home is besieged by Cromwell’s army, Merri sets out to get help.

But in a land full of enemy soldiers, turncoats, and spies, who can she really trust?

The Review

A gripping historical novel set in the heart of the English Civil War, in 1645, a time of deep division and political turmoil.

Ally brings this turbulent period of English history to life with remarkable depth and detail, transporting readers deep into the world of 17th-century England. Her vivid descriptions and well-researched historical context make the novel not just an adventure, but a window into a pivotal moment in British history. Rebel Heart does an excellent job of capturing the uncertainty and fear, with Merri’s journey to find out the fate of her father reflecting the very essence of the chaos surrounding her. The tension is palpable, as Merri must navigate a web of dangerous encounters, all while grappling with the complexities of family loyalty in a divided nation.

Perfect for readers who enjoy a mix of history, danger, and complex characters, Rebel Heart is a story of bravery and survival, where Merri must ultimately decide who deserves her loyalty and trust. With its mix of historical depth and emotional storytelling, this novel is sure to captivate young readers and history enthusiasts alike.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, Rebel Heart is definitely a must-read. Ally’s beautifully written tale will leave you reflecting on the power of courage and the bonds that define us.

The Guest Post

A world turned upside down by Ally Sherrick

My new book, Rebel Heart, is set at a fascinating time in British history known as the English – or British – Civil Wars.

When I first studied the period at school for ‘A’ level history, attempting to make sense of the many and complex causes of the conflict was frankly bamboozling. Politics and religion were at the heart of it, of course, but there were so many different angles and interrelationships between the two. And the motivations and convictions of the two sides – the Royalists or ‘cavaliers’ fighting for the King, Charles I, and the Roundheads or ‘rebels’ for Parliament – were equally complicated.

It’s perhaps not surprising then, that in spite of, or maybe in part because of the conflict’s eventual shocking outcome – the execution of a king and the (temporary) creation of a republic – and its pivotal role in shaping our modern democracy, many people have only a vague idea of what a ballad of the day described as ‘the world turn’d upside down’.

For a long time, I confess I put away all thoughts of the Civil Wars myself too. Even so, their traces lie all around us. From battlefield sites to collections of armour, weaponry and other artefacts, and from church walls peppered with musket-ball holes to the ruins of great houses and castles, destroyed in the many sieges which took place. Once I became an author of children’s historical fiction, perhaps it was only a matter of time before an encounter with one of these war-torn ruins – Corfe Castle in Dorset, besieged not once but twice by an army of Roundhead troops – set my story whiskers twitching.

Told from the point of view of Royalist nobleman’s daughter, 14-year-old Merriweather Pryce, Rebel Heart is set in June 1645 nearly three years into the first and longest of the wars between King and Parliament. Wars which, as Merri learns from her father before he reluctantly rides off to join the King’s army, were born from years of arguments and power-play over the right to raise taxes and pass laws, and inflamed by fears that royal religious reforms were the first step in an attempt to return the country to Catholicism.

When her home of Compton Blaize comes under siege by a force of Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads, Merri sets out on a dangerous journey to get help. In a land torn apart by bitter conflict, it’s inevitable that she will witness and get caught up in the terrible consequences of war, just as so many people across Britain did in real-life. From fields grown thick with weeds because the men who usually work them have gone off to fight, to churches and homes pillaged and reduced to rubble by the opposing armies, to the sights, sounds and smells of the battlefield – in this case the game-changing Battle of Naseby.

Of course, as with all my other stories, I’m mindful of only showing ‘on camera’ what I think to be absolutely necessary for my young audience. But war, as we know all too well from the events of our own troubled times, is a dangerous and complicated business, and I would be doing readers a disservice if I didn’t acknowledge this in Merri’s story. For me, the important thing in the end is to have her able to try and make some sense of it all for herself. Whether I’ve succeeded on that score is for readers to judge. But I hope in portraying the topsy-turvy nature of those troubled times, and Merri’s courageous attempt to meet and overcome the many challenges she’s presented with, her story offers a touchstone for young readers trying to make sense of our own world and their place in it.

Huge thanks to Ally for such an insightful guest post, and to Chicken House for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. You can read an extract from Rebel Heart over at the Chicken House website, and do make sure you check out all of the other stops.