Dark Earth: historical fantasy about two sisters

Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott is a story that takes the discovery of an artifact found while building in London. An artifact that asks the question who left it? On an island in the Thames River in AD 500, two sisters, Isla and Blue, find themselves fighting for survival in the harshness of the Dark Ages Britain. Not far from them is the Ghost City, the abandoned ruins of Londinium, the glorious Roman settlement. The ruins are said to be haunted by vengeful spirits. Isla, Blue and their father, the Great Smith, were exiled to the island when he was accused of using dark magic to forge his swords. Osric, the local warlord, places the family under close guard and decrees that the magnificent swords are to be made only for him. When their father suddenly dies, Isla and Blue face enslavement by Osric and his cruel son, Vort. Their only option is to escape into the Ghost City, hoping the fear of the ruins would keep them safe. They discover that in order to survive, they must use their skills and ingenuity to fight back.

I was intrigued by the premise and the author’s note in the beginning of the story that explains the discovery of a brooch in the ruins of Londinium. I usually enjoy stories that are inspired by a piece of history. Unfortunately, the story did not satisfy my curiosity. Dark Earth was a very hard book to get into. I did enjoy the relationship between the two sisters. Isla was the level headed sister who secretly learned her father’s trade. Blue was the fanciful/weird one. Touted as a “heart-in-mouth adventure” that brings a female perspective to a historical period dominated by men, however, beyond the sister’s relationship, the story was dry and bland. The author certainly knows her history and the descriptions of the time are vivid; however, the story is a lot of “telling” instead of “showing” for example “Mother said …” or “Father said…” when I would have preferred to be shown the action as the sisters retell their stories. It was supposed to have a mystical feel, but it wasn’t coming across for me. If you enjoy fantasy with a historical time period, you may enjoy Dark Earth. 

Dark Earth is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook