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chb's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, and Death
aceofknives's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Colonisation, Medical content, Alcohol, Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Sexism
readiac1999's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I almost passed this book over given the other reviews but I'm so glad I didn't! I can understand the frustration with the writing given that it was at times a bit vague but based on the approach that the book is trying to take of creating a plausible narrative for an uncovered artifact it's remarkably told. Her acknowledgements show she was clearly wedded to telling an approximately accurate story. The vagueness, I think is Stott not wanting to veer too far away from the little that is known about this period. A remarkable work of critical fabulation about a period that I would not have otherwise cared to read about!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
kaitlinlovesbooks's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
ruthmoog's review
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
The research that went into this book is amazing, and it's well worth a read just to land yourself in a time and place in history that isn't often described.
I loved exploring the Roman ruins of London, and I had been thinking about what happened to them after playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla so it was a treat to explore them with the characters.
The key women of the book are badass, their journey is difficult as they forge forward with their taboo abilities, all the while caught between their tradition and the cultures they live in, and a fear of ghosts - and enemies.
The story didn't pull me in as much as the history did.
I loved exploring the Roman ruins of London, and I had been thinking about what happened to them after playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla so it was a treat to explore them with the characters.
The key women of the book are badass, their journey is difficult as they forge forward with their taboo abilities, all the while caught between their tradition and the cultures they live in, and a fear of ghosts - and enemies.
The story didn't pull me in as much as the history did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Grief
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Drowning/Water injurybleucrow's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
To start with, I wasn't expecting to find a book so intriguing about the Dark Ages period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the emergence of the Kingdoms in Britain afterwards. It was absolutely brilliant, and very interesting to read.
(Expanding upon my thoughts more on my blog https://www.theblueeyedcrow.com/2022/08/dark-earth-one-of-girls-spoilery-book.html)
(Expanding upon my thoughts more on my blog https://www.theblueeyedcrow.com/2022/08/dark-earth-one-of-girls-spoilery-book.html)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
emjen16's review
I wasn't sold on the writing style and it got quite dark and a little creepy really quickly. I did like the relationship between the two sisters, however.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Death of parent
golem's review
5.0
So intense and so good. Wonderful as an audiobook--thrilling and tense and satisfying. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much had I not listened to it. I very much appreciate the low-key queer (f/f) and even lower-key m/f romances and the possibly non-binary soothsayer, as well as the Black representation and many mentions of African heritage in Roman/post-Roman Britain.
I found the ending too abrupt--what happened to all of Vort's other men??--and also I wasn't keen on the didactic zoom-out relating the book to all of women's history in Britain. I didn't like this book because I think that British women are unmemorialized or neglected by scholarship, an authorial point of view that will annoy many of us whose ancestors did not colonize the whole world, steal its tombs and papers, and teach it British history. As a book about a very particular historical mystery--how did that Saxon brooch get into the Roman ruins of Londinium? How did misfits, migrants, and queer people survive in post-Roman Britain?--it is magnificent. It is also a fantastic story about trauma, ghosts, and love and survival in ruins.
I found the ending too abrupt--what happened to all of Vort's other men??--and also I wasn't keen on the didactic zoom-out relating the book to all of women's history in Britain. I didn't like this book because I think that British women are unmemorialized or neglected by scholarship, an authorial point of view that will annoy many of us whose ancestors did not colonize the whole world, steal its tombs and papers, and teach it British history. As a book about a very particular historical mystery--how did that Saxon brooch get into the Roman ruins of Londinium? How did misfits, migrants, and queer people survive in post-Roman Britain?--it is magnificent. It is also a fantastic story about trauma, ghosts, and love and survival in ruins.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual violence
ameliaferg's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wanted to really love this book and I did at first. I find post-Roman Britain to be an extremely interesting time period. I loved the idea of the book and immediately bought it. The book started well and I had high hopes for the adventures that the sisters would face. However, the book really slowed in the middle third with not much really happening. I appreciated the focus on ‘kin’ and community but it didn’t feel like there was much drive to the plot. The final part of the story was then completely rushed and I was left slightly confused as to what happened. Great premise but failed execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Murder, and Torture
victoriafrombookclub's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The blend of history and folklore is really intriguing, and I very much enjoyed the centrality ofIsisterhood. I did find the writing to be more telling than showing. The characters didn't feel developed enough to me. For example, Isla is so determined that she is the curse and that she needs to leave everyone. While she does have a mysterious dream of her mother, it seems very sudden that she gives up her convictions. I wanted more of the emotional processing that went in to her realizing that she didn't have to sacrifice herself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Slavery and War