The book TO THE WATERS AND THE WILD deals with a threatened invasion by Roman legions in First Century A.D. Ireland and the response of the Irish clans. It combines ancient Celtic culture reimagined in a world where the Irish priests and priestesses wield real, though limited, powers. The main character is Keelin, a clan chieftain’s daughter who is reluctantly being groomed to be a priestess. She is torn between fearing the constraints of being a priestess and her growing feelings of responsibility to her people.
The book moves rather slowly, revealing additional aspects of the character’s history as it goes on. Until very near the end, I was under the assumption that this was going to be the first of several books, and that this one was laying background for subsequent books. Eventually, the pace of the story does pick up before reaching the conclusion. Overall, I enjoyed the book in spite of a little difficulty getting into it.
The book moves rather slowly, revealing additional aspects of the character’s history as it goes on. Until very near the end, I was under the assumption that this was going to be the first of several books, and that this one was laying background for subsequent books. Eventually, the pace of the story does pick up before reaching the conclusion. Overall, I enjoyed the book in spite of a little difficulty getting into it.