I was also pleased to see trans representation within the book. There is a slice of life quality to the story which I appreciated. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all, it’s just not something I was necessarily expecting. That quite choppy structure does make it feel like you are only seeing the most significant parts in the lives of these characters. I’m no expert but it did feel well researched. These time jumps are named for (and indicate) important festivals in the year such as Beltane and I enjoyed getting to see those festivals and practices on the page. I think that’s partly due to the structure of the book – we have the three sibling’s perspectives which we jump between and there are also time jumps within the book. The book does have plot, don’t get me wrong, but my overall impression was of seeing parts of a story unfold in almost a clip show manner. Often authors will shy away from the all-consuming nature of early Christianity, particularly in fantasy, so I liked that Holland tackled the issue head on. I liked the way that Lucy Holland acknowledges the clash between the more traditional (pagan) practices and the newcomer Christianity. Some of you may know that I have a background in Ancient History and Archaeology and my particular focus was actually on Roman (and post-Roman) Britain so to read a book set in that kind of power vacuum was very interesting. That’s not to suggest I didn’t have a good time reading this book – because for the most part I did. Just my top reading tip for those who aren’t intimately familiar with murder ballads. I did a brief search for roughly what the story was about and I found myself waiting for particular events to happen that actually don’t come into play until later in the book which makes the whole reading experience a little less enjoyable. Having now investigated fully I would say that I think it would maybe be better to go in without reading it and then looking it up afterwards.

This is a retelling of a traditional murder ballad – and not one I had read before picking up this book. It’s a story that will shape the destiny of Britain.įind on Goodreads | Buy the Book (Affiliate Link) Riva, Keyne and Sinne must take fate into their own hands, or risk being tangled in a story they could never have imagined one of treachery, love and ultimately, murder.

But change comes on the day ash falls from the sky, bringing Myrddhin, meddler and magician, and Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear the siblings apart.

Keyne battles to be seen as the king’s son, when born a daughter.Īnd Sinne, the spoiled youngest girl, yearns for romance.Īll three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold – a last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. Riva, scarred in a terrible fire, fears she will never heal. In the ancient kingdom of Dumnonia, King Cador’s children inherit a fragmented land abandoned by the Romans.

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