I adored this story and can’t wait for book 2 (Queen of Stone)! The plot and characters are tightly woven together. The romance is definitely there, but it’s more romantic fantasy than fantasy romance. It comes across as true to the lives and times of this setting.

The historical aspects and belief systems engrossed me thoroughly. Note: I’m a huge fan of Boudica anyway! The writing was good, but there were a couple of ticks in voice. The notable ones for me were: The word “waspishly” is repeated a lot and it’s a mouthful. And the phrase “once more” stuck out. But these are really minor hiccups. It’s suitable for teen audiences beyond middle-grade level, so if you have young fantasy readers, grab this!

My rating comes in at 95/100, owed to the plot, characters, and romance. The slight lowering is because of the hiccups I mentioned, and I would have loved it to be an adult fantasy rather than YA. Still warrants a 5* though.

See full review here: https://susanstradiotto.com/book-review-queen-of-oak/ ( )