Very well written and researched historical fiction, set in the times of the Druids. Devout, and daughter Hobble, a young girl surrounded by magic and pagan rituals, finds her life pre-arranged by these rituals. Fearing Roman invasion, which will threaten their lives, a sacrifice is demanded. Poignant and sensitive.

What a feat of writing! As a student of history, I was captivated by the world Buchanan has brought to life. She managed to transport me to another place and time — one that doesn’t generally get much notice in Fiction or storytelling. It was fascinating to think about the lives of those peoples living in Brittania before Roman troops completely swept through and built the furthest edge of their empire.

The story, itself, was simple. However, the pacing was very very slow, and combined with repetition and a very large cast of lesser developed characters, I just could not fall in love with this book. Personally, I felt it was too long, and the ending — the most interesting part — came and went too quickly.

I should also note that there are elements of this pagan society which are shocking to our modern sensibilities, but which the author describes with, at times, gratuitous detail which some readers might find overly disturbing and graphic, especially in contrast to the rest of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, right from the start. I loved the way it was written, every line flowed and the language was like listening to an old fashioned story. I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley and once I started I was not able to put it down. I wanted to know more about Hobble and her family. This book is a mix between the magical and historical and is definitely one I would recommend!