Reviews for Boudicca : a novel

Publishers Weekly
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Sprawling mythology meets precise period detail and character-driven action in this vivid historical epic from bestseller Cast (the House of Night series), which reimagines the life of an Iron Age Celtic queen who dared to take on the Roman army. In 60 C.E., following the death of Prasutagus, chief of the Iceni tribe in Tasceni (present-day Norfolk, England), his widow, 33-year-old Boudicca, becomes queen. The Iceni’s patron goddess, Andraste, admonishes her for Prasutagus’s decision to make a treaty with Rome and give up Tasceni land. Andraste foresees the Romans’ destruction of Tasceni, but proclaims to Boudicca, “a great blue tide of vengeance will sweep across your world and you will ride its crest, leading the charge.” Like all Iceni women, Boudicca has been trained in combat, so she agrees to become a warrior queen. That day, the Romans attack Tasceni, whip Boudicca, and rape her two daughters. She curses the Romans and enlists high Druid Derwyn and seer Rhan to help lead her army in successful attacks against the region’s brutal Roman governor. Despite the many victories, Rhan sees a dire omen for Boudicca’s future and attempts to change her fate. Cast imbues Boudicca’s narrative voice with strength and resilience as she encounters enemies, traitors, lovers, and gods. Boudicca is a heroine readers will root for. Agent: Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Nov.)


Library Journal
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After the death of her husband, Boudicca is crowned queen of the Iceni tribe. In Roman-occupied Britannia, the idea of a woman ruler is one of weakness, and the Roman tax collector Catus Decianus leads an attack on the tribe's stronghold, to deadly and personally damaging results. However, instead of folding, Boudicca calls a war council, determined to strike back at the Romans. With the help of childhood friend and Druid seer Rhan and horse master Maldwyn, Boudicca finds strength, her goddess's support, and love. With success in brutal attacks against wealthy Roman-held cities, the Iceni prepare to wait out the icy winter and plan their final attacks. When traitors emerge and destiny is bleak, Boudicca must place her faith in the powers beyond to ensure the survival of her people. VERDICT The real history of the red-haired warrior queen is given new life in Cast's (Out of the Dawn) well-told reimagining and worldbuilding, with prose that allows readers to see both a battle-hardened leader and a mother fighting for those she loves.—Kristi Chadwick


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Cast (best known for the YA House of Night series, with Kristin Cast) transports readers to an ancient world where women are the force behind the famous legends. Warrior queen Boudicca is devoted to her daughters and the Iceni tribe who follow the goddess Andraste. She is determined to lead her people through hardship, but when omens of the past come back to her tribe, Boudicca must make decisions to either flee or stand and fight against the might of the Roman Empire. She's accompanied by her childhood friend Rhan, a seer who foresees a grim outcome for her queen. Boudicca now must trust in the fate determined by the gods she worships. Readers are treated to a lush world of Druids and details of Celtic mysticism and life. Throughout, we see how harsh this beautiful world is, and the book presents a new, interesting approach to romantasy. Fans of the mythical retellings of Sue Lynn Tan and Madeline Miller will enjoy Boudicca.

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