Synopsis

There is more than one way for a woman to fight. From the author of the bestselling Wolf Den Trilogy. A dazzling new standalone novel set in the Roman world about the daughter of one of Britain’s most powerful heroines… Meet Boudicca’s Daughter.

Boudicca. Infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe and mastermind of one of history’s greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts.

But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow?

The woman who has her mother’s looks and cunning but a spirit all of her own?

The woman whose desperate bid for survival will take her from Britain’s sacred marshlands to the glittering façades of Nero’s Roman Empire…

Born to a legend. Forced to fight. Determined to succeed.

Meet Solina.

Boudicca’s Daughter.

Quick Review

Boudicca’s Daughter is a gripping, deeply character-driven historical fiction novel. Boudicca’s daughters’ names have been lost to history, but here in this story Elodie Harper has breathed new life into them.

Full Review

Boudicca’s Daughter was not the heroic story of rebellion that I expected, and it’s all the better for it.

For those who don’t know, Boudicca was a real person who, around 60 CE, led a rebellion against Rome, who at that time was colonizing Britain. However, not much is known about Boudicca. Author Elodie Harper mentions that may not have even been her name, and all of the historical records are from Romans who were biased in how they depicted her and the tribes of Britain.

The names of Boudicca’s daughters’ have been lost to history. Here in Harper’s historical fiction novel, they are called Solena and Bellenia. According to the Roman texts, both are little more than props in Boudicca’s rebellion; after the sexual violence they endured during a Roman attack became part of the rallying cry that finally convinced so many to go to war. That sexual violence, I should note, is depicted in Boudicca’s Daughter, though it occurs mostly off-page.

Solena is our primary point-of-view character, which allows Harper to craft the story around her. Harper’s retained what of the history that she could, made it easier for readers to connect with, and allowed it to be uncomfortably messy.

The story of Boudicca’s Daughter is broken up into several parts. The first is largely about the rebellion, after which it becomes a story about Solena’s survival and the many ways she has to defend herself when she cannot simply fight her enemy. I won’t spoil much more than that, except to say that anyone who knows their history will know that Boudicca’s rebellion ultimately failed.

The aforementioned messiness is, I think, the hallmark of Boudicca’s Daughter. This book takes place over a long period of time: it begins before the rebellion, and ends many years after. This could have easily been a story of a noble tribe and their allies fighting the Roman army colonizing and oppressing them. History could have been massaged to a point that the tribes were noble and just, and all Romans were evil. Harper deliberately does this, but then muddies the waters, making those lines in the sand a bit less clear, all the while weaving in a sorrowful story about loss, love, and forgiveness. 

One small issue I took with this book was that it seemed at times a bit too ambitious. Because it takes place over such a large period of time, there are many time jumps, such that in the final part there are sometimes several months (possibly years) between chapters. The final conflict happens a bit too suddenly. I was invested in Solena and her family, but I never really had the time to care about the people or motives behind that conflict. That is a bit unfortunate, but also as I sit here and consider the story Harper sought to tell, I’m not sure Boudicca’s Daughter could have been told any other way.

I highly recommend Boudicca’s Daughter. Whether you know the story of Boudicca’s rebellion or not, it doesn’t matter. Boudicca, Solena, and all of the other main characters are deeply captivating, as are their relationships. It’s absolutely one to check out if you’re interested in historical fantasy, or just looking for a great character-driven story.

I will add, the audiobook is narrated by Nathalie Emmanuel, who delivers a stunning performance that made some scenes absolutely gut-wrenching (as they should have been). They narrate the story, while Harper herself narrated some of the additional materials, like an author’s note about the history behind this story.