Beyond the Wall

LoveReading4Kids Says

A sumptuous feast of historical fiction fuelled by drama, deception, and a young woman’s determination to find freedom.

To be born a slave in Roman Britain is to lead a life of subjugation, and female infants are often killed at birth. But while Cassia is born into this brutal system, she’s also supremely strong, so her master deems her worth keeping, and marks her as a “concubine. A mistress. A whore.” When brought to his villa to fulfill this role, she’s filled with disgust; first at the opulence, which represents the suffering and violence done to her fellow slaves, and then by his touch. And so she attacks and maims him, and must go on the run. Alone and vulnerable in unfamiliar Londinium, Cassie is aided by Marcus. He finds her work with a renowned pharmacist but she still feels trapped, and so resolves to find a way to the haven that lies beyond Hadrian’s Wall. But she’s not sure whether she can really trust Marcus, her master is hot on her heels, and her reputation as a “witch” and “creature of legend” is mounting…

The writing is crisply vivid, and packs a powerful visual punch, and I loved how Boudica’s spirit of resistance and rebellion permeated the book through Cassia’s indomitable strength. She’s an extraordinarily memorable heroine, and this is an extraordinary novel  - historical YA at its best, no less.

Joanne Owen

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