Book Review: Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Details
Media Type: Print Book
Title: Daughter of Black Lake
Author: Cathy Marie Buchanan
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Pages/Length: Hardcover; 320 pages
Release Date: October 6th 2020
Source: Publisher
In a world of pagan traditions and deeply rooted love, a girl in jeopardy must save her family and community, in a transporting historical novel by nationally bestselling author Cathy Marie Buchanan.
It’s the season of Fallow, in the era of iron. In a northern misty bog surrounded by woodlands and wheat fields, a settlement lies far beyond the reach of the Romans invading hundreds of miles to the southeast. Here, life is simple–or so it seems to the tightly knit community. Sow. Reap. Honor Mother Earth, who will provide at harvest time. A girl named Devout comes of age, sweetly flirting with the young man she’s tilled alongside all her life, and envisions a future of love and abundance. Seventeen years later, though, the settlement is a changed place. Famine has brought struggle, and outsiders, with their foreign ways and military might, have arrived at the doorstep. For Devout’s young daughter, life is more troubled than her mother ever anticipated. But this girl has an extraordinary gift. As worlds collide and peril threatens, it will be up to her to save her family and community.
Set in a time long forgotten, Daughter of Black Lake brings the ancient world to life and introduces us to an unforgettable family facing an unimaginable trial.
The Review
I went into Daughter of Black Lake without much investigation beforehand. I knew that this was a story that touched on an area of history that doesn’t get much attention, and was intrigued by the pagan aspect of it. Other than that, I was wide open! My hope was to be transported to another time and place, which I can tell you that Buchanan does expertly. From the first page I was transported into the lives of those who lived in Brittania before the Romans took over. It was fascinating.
In terms of the story, it was simple enough to follow. We are introduced to Hobble and her village. I thought Buchanan did a good job of setting up their society. It’s true that there are some rather brutal parts of their belief system, but keep in mind that these fit with the time. I thought they were handled as gently as can be expected. I’m also not generally a fan of dual POVs, but in this case it was done exceptionally well. Watching Devout and her daughter Hobble, 17 years apart, navigate their changing world was so intriguing.
So what were my issues? First off, the pacing of this book is really slow. There is a lot of repetition, especially when it comes to the sort of love triangle that develops. Combined with the fact that there is a large cast of secondary characters, it made it a little tough to keep focused on the overall plot line. As the story progressed, it definitely picked up. However by the time I was invested fully, it was already the ending and the story was complete. I’ll happily still give this book a solid 3-star rating and recommend it!
The Excerpt
She would like to have lingered, gazing toward those highlands, imagining the sea that lay beyond. Today, though, her mind churned. The silver in her pocket. Arc’s promised gift. She galloped a few steps, fell again in line with him. Eventually they came to a stand of beech and, in their shadow, a bed of bluish‑purple sweet violets, more than she had ever seen. Her breath caught at the sight, the idea that he had planted them for her.
On their knees, as the sun fell lower in the sky, Devout and Arc gathered blooms and leaves, careful not to take too much, careful not to pinch off stems holding unopened flowers. Before that evening’s festivities, she would scrub herself with dried moss on the timber causeway that extended out over the bog’s pool, lather her hair, and rinse it with the brew of chamomile so that it would glint in the firelight. Most of all, though, she needed to think about how beholden she had made herself to Arc by gathering his sweet violets, to decide whether she should return Young Smith’s amulet or wear it for all to see. It seemed as momentous a decision as she would ever make.
“I’ve still got to prepare for tonight,” she said. As the words left her mouth, her eyes fell to her laden sack. Arc would always bring her sweet violets. He would always bring her joy. At that moment, he laid his hand on her cheek, and she leaned her head slightly, putting weight on his palm. She took three breaths, strange breaths, and felt jittery, light‑headed.
“I’ll go, then,” he said, smiling.
