i would say a thank you for sending the arc of this book. Vikings and a period piece and P.C. Cast. This book was a great ride. Slow ride but a great ride. And a ride I would ride again.

The Vibes:

—revenge

—female rage (but legit)

—prophecy and "the gods are real" style mythology

—I mean... it's Boudicca

The Review:

So here's what I'll say about this one: I suspected that advertising it as a romantasy would perhaps underscore exactly why I complain about the romantasy marketing scheme... Because this isn't at all a romance.

Nor is it a fantasy.

It is, simply put, a pretty solid if not spectacular historical fiction novel that I think could've been spectacular, but settles for "solid". Aside from some things you may or may not be able to see coming and the interference of the gods, this really is a historical fiction novel. I mean, I've actually read a lot of historical fiction in the past wherein the gods in which the leads believe are real and involved. Where prophecy is real. They just weren't marketed as fantasy, because the genre lines were more solidly drawn at that time—in my opinion.

This is romantasy in the way that Margaret George's Helen of Troy is a romantasy, in that it is a) not b) about a heavily mythologized (if, in this case, based more on reality and fact) controversial woman reclaiming her story c) there is a romantic subplot, it's not huge, but it offers our heroine some depth and additional motivation.

While the action and the drama of it all stayed on point, and I do think Cast dealt with some pretty hard content sensitively (TW TW TW TW all around for this—please read up on the history of the real Boudicca if you have questions as to why) the character depth was lacking. I didn't object to either of Boudicca's love interests...

Because yes! She has more than one, and not in a "love triangle" way in a "non-monogamy" way. Which I liked a lot. However, because neither of those love interests was particularly well-developed, I kinda felt like "... okay cool I guess" about the relationships themselves. And that was where the impact of the book generally fell for me. I just didn't care as much about these people as I wanted to.

But it could be a taste thing, it could be because I as a romance reader want a bit more OOMPH to my emotional drama. And a lot of people will probably enjoy what was done here. I liked it; I just felt like something couldn't taken it to another level.

That said, the me of 8ish years ago who read nothing but woman-centric sometimes-mystical historical fiction? Probably would've loved this.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The very mention of Boudicca’s Revolt is enough to thrill even the most casual fan of British history. Boudicca was the queen of the Iceni, a tribe of native Britons who chafed under Roman colonization. After the death of Boudicca’s husband King Prasutagus, Rome violated the terms of the will he had made that was meant to give half of his kingdom to his daughters. After Boudicca was flogged and her daughters assaulted by Roman troops, Boudicca united several neighboring British tribes and led a violent revolt that destroyed several settlements and nearly drove Rome out of Britain. The revolt ultimately failed, however, when the British army engaged the Roman army on Rome’s terms. We don’t know what happened to Boudicca and her daughters afterward. The few records we have of the event come from Rome well after the fact, and the primary accounts– that of Tacitus and Cassius Dio- conflict with each other on multiple points. But whatever the details, most will agree that the story of Boudicca’s Revolt is a fascinating tale that would make for an exciting novel.

Unfortunately, PC Cast’s Boudicca is not that novel.

Though it is somewhat historically accurate, pulling its plot points primarily from Tacitus’ account of Boudicca’s Revolt (which was written down just a handful of years after it happened), that is the best I can say about this book. It is both over-written and badly written, with clunky dialogue more reminiscent of a thirteen-year-old’s first fanfiction than an author with multiple books already under her belt. It reads like Cast was trying for ‘ye olden times’, but doesn’t have the writing chops to pull it off. We are treated to such phrases as “The ancient servant’s words caused Arianell to share a smile with me, and I hastily returned the conversation to our topic” or “My hand fisted around a fallen branch”. The word ‘Iceni’ appears 397 times, and is used to describe everything from an Iceni queen to Iceni chickens, as though Cast thought her audience wouldn’t be smart enough to remember what tribe Boudicca was part of if she didn’t mention it a few hundred times, as well as making it seem like there would be a drastic difference between Iceni chickens and the neighboring Catuvellauni chickens.

The magical elements are poorly done as well. In this fantastical version of the past, the ancient British gods are real. Andraste, goddess of victory, exists and influences the lives of her people, and Boudicca is her special girl, while the Iceni are her special people. It’s too bad that she’s only willing to actually aide her people when they decide, for some reason, to travel nearly 200 miles across the entirety of the island of Great Britain to, essentially, vacation in Wales in the middle of their great revolt. Andraste helps them fast travel there, but when it comes to the Iceni’s dire need at the end, she throws up her hands and effectively says, “It’s a canon event and cannot be changed”. So much for the great and powerful gods of Britain. Andraste might be beloved of the Iceni, but in the end she only cares about her one special girl.

And while this book is listed as a “romance”, the romantic elements are about as strong as the fruit flavor in a LaCroix sparkling water- like someone suggested romance in an adjacent room. The romantic elements fall out like this: Boudicca is attracted to a man, so she sleeps with him. Boudicca is attracted to a woman, so she sleeps with her. The end.

Had I not received the ARC for this book, I would have quit reading within the first twenty percent. Alas, I felt obligated to complete this slog of a novel and so I dragged myself through it to the bitter end.

Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni has inspired people to fight for their freedom for centuries. Though we don’t know a lot about her, her story is fascinating and deserves far better than this.



Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book.

Boudicca, Victory. Warrior queen indeed, and the author does not shy away from the challenge of why she needs to become one. (Trigger warnings for SA, SA of minors, threat of SA in this book.)

Boudicca is a masterful and beautiful way to build a world we know little about because the victors tell our history. Cast gives insight into how the Iceni regarded the natural world, theirs gods and goddesses, and their Druidic leaders and lets these guide what could have happened when Boudicca defeated the Romans. Seeking to drive the invaders from their land, Boudicca becomes Andraste’s, her goddess’s, Victory for herself, her daughters, and her people.

Overall, this book is feminist with a strong character-driven story. I appreciated that there wasn’t a large focus on the battles—what we know most about historically. The focus is on life in Briton, who the Iceni are, and what it felt like to be conquered and rebel against it. I highly recommend for historical fantasy and mythic retelling lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I was so excited to read this one.

As Boudicca's story is, or I suppose should be, well known I'm not going go into the synopsis because this is just a fictional work of her life, and it is a damn good fictional look at her life.

Cast relies heavily on two things in this story: 1. The reliance on not just her faith but the Britons' faith in their goddesses.
2. The role women played in Iron Age Britain as well as a very clear and truly uplifting message of women helping women.

This is the first fictional account of Boudicca's life I have ever read and to be honest I had expected this to focus much more on the battles than it did, and I am extremely glad it did not. It would be almost impossible for Boudicca's beliefs in her goddesses to have not played a large role in her decisions. To discount that entire portion of Iron Age Briton is like saying the Greeks weren't bugging one god or another for every little thing. And, no we can't say for certain how large of a role Boudicca's faith in Andraste played in her decision making process, I don't believe it's going out on a limb to say that Cast is probably pretty close to the mark here.

The women in this book play just as large of roll if not larger than her faith. One scene that I will not feel bad spoiling is after Boudicca's daughters emerge from their "ordeal" (I'm sorry I will be uploading this review to Amazon and they are not fans of words like rape even though that's exactly what happened to her daughters and in every account of ever read non fiction wise points to this being one of the main causes of her rebellion) the women of the Iceni line the way for the girls to make sure that they do not have to encounter men as they make the way to the funeral pyre for their grandmother. It was painful, it was beautiful, and I think it is an excellent example of the role the women of the Iceni will play in Boudicca's life from that moment on. But it is also one I believe that each of us can identify with, the strength that we find in the women around us. Especially in times or crisis.

Overall, Cast's Boudicca is not just a testament to what an amazingly badass woman she was, but it is a reminder that long before the Roman's, the Norman's, or Christianity the Britons had their own culture, rich in diverse gods and goddesses that embraced the feminine in a manner that allowed a woman to bring a group of invaders to their knees.

I love everything P. C. Cast! I have been reading them since the early 2000's and have loved everything about each book!

Great for readers that like magical realism or historical fiction without too much romance. I don't know where Cast got her information from but I really enjoyed her descriptions of food and daily life among the Britons.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Pros:
The story introduces the reader to a historical figure, a badass woman at that, who doesn’t get the attention she frankly deserves.

Cons:
Heavy heavy topics that may not be good for all readers, check content warnings.
“Romantasy” tag is misleading imo, or at least made me disappointed in a way that I wouldn’t have been without the tag. It really is more of a historical/retelling with little romance element. This is ok but leading readers to believe otherwise will get you disappointment.
Dialogue and pacing a bit clunky

I really wanted to like this book because the story is so interesting and I love a book with a badass heroine. However, it was so slow to get going that I really did struggle with it. I have limited knowledge of anything Boudicca related and perhaps it would have been more interesting if I did. I requested the ARC though because I have had great success in the past with subjects I was unfamiliar with being turned into amazing books! Plus Mythology is an interesting subject. This one, I guess, just didn't really hold my attention. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review!

It took me along time to read this book. Longer than I would have liked considering I not only knew about Boudicca but also have a love of Celtic history and mythology. I’m also a fan of P. C. Cast, sort of…

I just don’t think this one lived up to the hype and the genre tags I saw. “Romantasy,” really?! This was more of a historical fiction with some fantasy elements for the mythology. It was also not written in a typical style that was accessible for me, but then again I don’t read a lot of historical fiction or mythology.

I have to admit that most people won’t know who Boudicca is or what her story is. For some readers, this will be a great introduction to her story and encourage further reading, but for others it will only lead to further confusion and misunderstanding, even denial. My limited knowledge was not enough to slog through the book, which felt long and tedious at times.

We live in a world of trigger warnings. I will not warn other readers of the horrors of the past. People, men especially, did evil things. They are depicted here, in great detail. Cast did do a good job at that. I’m not going to elaborate further, read at your own risk and quit spoiling books for yourself and others. Much of the book was spoiled for me by other reviews due to said TWs and CWs.

Overall, an okay read. But only that.

Boudicca: Queen of the Iceni* is an exhilarating dive into the life of one of history's fiercest leaders, set in the gritty world of Roman-occupied Britain. From the moment you meet the fiery-haired Boudicca, you’re hooked. Her strength, resilience, and bravery leap off the page, making you root for her every step of the way.

The supporting cast is just as compelling. Each character feels alive and contributes to a sense of camaraderie that draws you in. You genuinely feel like you’re on this journey with them, facing challenges and celebrating victories together.

Though it’s labeled as a “romantasy,” this book is so much more than that. Yes, there’s some romance, but it’s really about Boudicca’s incredible journey and the unification of the tribes against Rome. The author has woven such rich detail into each scene that it feels like you’re reading a fantastical history lesson—one you actually want to read!

Overall I thought this was is a fantastic read. If you enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller, you’ll love this. It’s an empowering story that will leave you wanting more—more of Boudicca, more of her fierce tribe, and more of the epic battles against Rome. This book is a book thar stays with you long after you finish it.

I loved this book. It had me hooked from the first chapter, all the way to the end. Extremely well-written and engaging.

The potential of this book! And sadly, I don't think it lived up to it.

This is a book I would definitely recommend looking up content warnings for because there are some subjects in here are that quite sensitive or could upset people who are sensitive to depictions of certain things. And there are some quite gore-y depictions of battle and war and fighting because that is what this book is really about.

A cool, badass female historical figure who leads a rebellion against the Romans! Such potential, especially because I don't think that many people know very much about Boudicca. (And some scholars even question if she ever existed, so this is also one of those historical fictions that is also mythology-inspired.)

It takes a while for this book to pick up or for the reader (me) to get into the story and the characters. I just couldn't get invested in this story the way the story of the figure Boudicca should have me be invested. And a story about a badass warrior lady should always get my full attention!

I can definitely see a lot of people loving this book (fans of The Song of Achilles definitely come to mind), it really just depends on the individual reader!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

2.5⭐️

This book had such potential. Beautiful cover, great historical figure whose story doesn’t show up much in historical fiction (at least as far as I’ve seen). But the beginning was traumatic while also being slow and the dialogue never really clicked for me. I think it’s possible she was going for a more old-timey style but it didn’t work for me.

If you are interested in a Celtic story with some girl power and anti-colonial themes, and you’re not fussy about style, you should check this out.





+++ SPOILERS +++






Trigger warnings:
- SA of a minor
- SA of a supporting character
- threat of SA
- whipping
(All of these are in the first few chapters)

Other content warnings:
- injury and death of animals
- discussions of enslavement
- mild descriptions of battles

OMG this book was sooooooo good! I don't think I have read aything by this author before but man! they can write! I knew who Boudicca was before going into this and knew some of her story. The writing is so good, it pulls you in and you become part of this world, part of the tribe. A friend was lucky enough to get approved for this ARC and we read it together. She liked it too. I am recommending this to all my friends and if I ever get another cat, I am naming her Boudicca. Ty so so so much for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Boudicca!

P.C. Cast was a staple author during my pre-teen reading obsession. I adored the House of Night series, so Boudicca was an obvious pick for me today.

Strong female main character, great writing, well rounded characters, and a gripping storyline. If you are a fan of mythology and/or feminist tales, you'll eat this up.

At first, it was really hard to get into the book. The beginning was a little too complex, which altered my reading experience. It also took me forever to finish, which is abnormal for me. I had to keep dragging myself back to the book. I enjoyed the overall idea of the book and the mythology behind it, but other than that it was a difficult read.

Thank you!

Boudicca by P.C. Cast is a historical fiction account of Queen Boudicca of the Iceni tribe who led a rebellion against Rome during the Roman occupation of Briton. I had never heard of Boudicca prior to reading this book and now I can see why she is a celebrated heroine of Britain independence.

This book is on the longer side, and if you love it, it’s not long enough, and if you don’t, it will drag. Its science fiction aspect is due to the interactions the characters have with their patron deities. The world Cast has created in ancient Briton seems to be her idea of a utopian society fighting against the tyranny of the patriarchy. It was such a strong impression that I wonder how much of the worldview was idealized and how much was based in fact. What it did do was opened my mind up to the bias found in history books and consider how a different viewpoint with the same essential facts might change our understanding of it. This reality is not something I’ve been ignorant of, but Boudicca was one of the first fictionalizations that I have ever read about a historical figure whose history has been reimagined by shifting the perspective. Even to the ending - which by the time I made it to the end, I did some research on Boudicca and felt sure I knew what to expect— Cast took the facts and gave an alternate perspective.

The romance elements in this book took me wholly by surprise— this book is by and large one of war and gore. But in the second half of the book, there are scenes and they are descriptive.

Also - there are some graphic sentences describing brutality of the Romans (and in some cases the Britons) against women and children. Cast doesn’t linger with flowery descriptions of the violence, but the sentences are explicit enough to be startling and upsetting.

I’d like to thank William and Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great historical fiction novel and the character choices are amazing. Boudicca is an awe.enspiring woman of great renown and this book shows as much.

I'm easily giving this 5 stars.
I knew the story of Boudicca going in, but by the end I felt that I'd lived it with her and come to know and love the cast of characters that are brought to life so vividly they'll be with me long after the final page.
I found this to be a very emotionally intense read. It's been a long time since I "felt" a story the way I felt this one, and now, I just want to read it over again.