This is one of those books that ended up being caught in my backlog, as I read it and somehow never reviewed it. These are the moments I'm really thankful for my reading notes, as I definitely could not write up my thoughts about this book without them!

Dark Earth is one of those books that, for me, might work if I focused purely on vibes. It's dark, eery and unsettling, more due to human behaviour than any supernatural elements. Isla and Blue, two sisters in a world where being a woman can be extremely dangerous, learn to uncover their power and wield it to protect themselves from the men who would seek to destroy them, discovering the power of community and female friendships along the way.

In this, the book certainly succeeds, fully conveying all the ruthlessness and the mysticism of the world it seeks to portray through its vivid descriptions and its mythical narrative style. The rest was unfortunately not quite as satisfactory for me. After an intriguing start, the pace almost completely grinds to a halt, inching forward ever so slowly but leaving the sense that no progress was made at all until a very abrupt ending. I could forgive this if it meant giving more space to character development but, alas, this was not the case.

The characters, who should have been the centre around which the whole book revolves, felt utterly flat, bland and interchangeable. It didn't really seem as if there was any proper development, remaining mostly surface-level and passive, with no bond ever flourishing between me and the characters. By the end of the book, I honestly did not care about either of them. I did like the sapphic storyline that was introduced later on, although like everything else it could have been better developed to convey more emotions.

Essentially, this came down to me just not being able to engage emotionally with this book at all. The dark forest vibes were all there, but there was just nothing more than that for me... there not enough tension at any point to make me connect to this story, nor did I find the characters' interactions particularly interesting. Attempts at introducing a (maybe) supernatural element were also highly confused and confusing, and ended up not working for me at all.

It is a real shame because it is clear the author put an enormous amount of effort in the research for this, and it shows in the historical setting and the authentic feel it gives (which was the only redeeming point for me). Sadly this didn't stop me being utterly bored and frustrated with this book.

I've seen with the other reviews that I'm kind of an outlier here, but I enjoyed the book a lot. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated in a soothing voice that wonderfully fit the slightly distant often dreamlike tone of the writing. What others complained about was a plus for me. The mystic tale set in the historically little known era after the Romans left Britain benefitted in my opinion from this distance to the characters.
This slow paced tale was perfect for my taste for sure.

‘Dark Earth’ by Rebecca Stott is rooted in the history of post-Roman Londinium, the Dark Ages of which few facts are known. It traces the fate of two sisters, both confound the expectations of the time. Isla is a smith, Blue a mystic. When their father dies they must adapt to survive.
Set around AD 500, these sisters have been living a self-sufficient free life with their father, a Great Smith, on a small island in the Thames. When he dies, they cannot stay. Isla finishes her father’s commission, a special ‘firetongue’ sword for the local lord and overseer Osric. Women are forbidden to work as smiths so the girls must deliver the sword without admitting their father is dead, their aim is to gain the protection of kinship. But a violent act forces the sisters abandon their plan and they flee Osric’s camp.
They hide in the Ghost City, the abandoned riverbank settlement that belonged to the Sun Kings and is now home to a secret women’s community. As the girls are hunted by Osric and his son Vort, they are torn. Should they stay or run. Stay sheltered amongst this supportive group but unable to venture beyond the walls of the Ghost City, or protect the community by leaving it and leading their attackers away. The sisters have different tasks during the day which means they see each other less and become exposed to new influences. Isla establishes a forge while Blue forages for herbs and learns about healing. Romance adds complications to their big decision, stay or go. Will the sisters remain united or, as they become adults, will they make individual decisions taking them in different directions.
In places I was overwhelmed by description with so many historical and folklore details that the setting seemed to blur and the narrative pace slowed. More a fantasy novel rooted in history than a historical novel with fantasy elements, Stott has creatively imagined the unknown time in which Isla and Blue live. The country during this period was occupied by a variety of settlers, knitted together by essential trade but separated by beliefs and violence. Little fact remains. Perhaps there would be more clarity if each group were given their historical name, ie Romans rather than Sun Kings. Trying to guess who was who distracted me from Isla and Blue’s story.
This is a story about sisters in an ancient time who grow from being inseparable to having their own motivations, desires and conflicts. Told from a modern female perspective with few rounded male characters, it is an atmospheric read, slow in the middle but which raced towards the end. An end that neatly connects the Ghost City to today.
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An excellent book to read! What not to love ? Medieval english setting, elements of fantasy and well sketched characters! The writing was immersive and I was very well glued to book. Amazing!

I started reading this book a very long time ago and it didn't hold my attention. I loved the premise and the cover is absolutely stunning. I have nothing "bad" to say about it. Unlike some reviewers, I think that Stott has an engaging writing style and whenever I think about the premise (the English setting, the fantasy meets historical fiction, etc) I feel fine about it. Unfortunately for me, I just procrastinated reading it and when I tried to describe it to someone I struggled because I hadn't held onto the details.

I loved this book! It was so immersive and clever. The setting was superb and has made me want to find out more about Londinium after the Romans (and fortunately the author's note at the end has advice on how to do so).

Blue and Isla were exciting and interesting protagonists and I was never sure where their story was going to head next.

Excellent read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Didn't get into this straight away but so glad I kept going. Became engrossed in the story of Isla & Blue and ended up reading right through and having a very late night! Loved the characters and back story, this is so well crafted and engaging. Looking forward to reading more by this talented author

This was a disappointing read for me and yet, the premise had been so appealing: a historical novel with a touch of fantasy is precisely my reading preference. But 'Dark Earth' proved remote and ultimately failed to engage me.

I was put off by this curt style of writing. Although there are touches of the poetic in the odd phrase or description, the writing is mostly what I would call linguistically simplistic. Sentences are immediate, in that they are active voice, subject-verb-object, sentences comprising for the most part less than 10 words.

Neither did I connect with characters or plot. I procrastinated over reading this novel, which is a bad sign. Dose the folklore/mythology prove too jarring when it comes to fostering empathy for the characters? Are the character dynamics somehow lacklustre? I can't pinpoint exactly why I felt so detached from Rebecca Stott's latest novel. It should have been such an interesting read, but unfortunately, felt uninspiring.

This was an interesting historical fantasy novel. It is clearly well researched and there’s a good amount of historical detail. I found it a bit slow in parts and felt the story could have been a bit deeper but I am interested to explore the authors other novels in the future.

Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott is set in post-Roman Britain. Isla and Blue are the daughters of the Great Smith, exiled for purported use of magic in smithing his swords. They have been living free lives, learning trades forbidden to women, and when their father suddenly dies, they need to run into an abandoned Londinium to escape enslavement. They find community and kinship, but also danger in this story full of myth and folklore. It is beautifully written and compelling, a feminist story grounded in an image of the past that isn’t quite what we expect, using the period as a vehicle to create strong characters. It is thoroughly enjoyable, though I found that there wasn’t much that truly stood out to me, especially when comparing it to some of my other favourites set in the period. Certainly not a mistake to pick this one up, in any case.

Isla and Blue live on an island in the River Thames. Their father is a master blacksmith and has taught Isla his skills, even though as a women it is forbidden. When their father dies the two sisters must rejoin their kinfolk who had rejected them before but it is not so easy. The Chief discovers Isla's skills and his son determines that she must stay in their camp, the only refuge seems to be the abandoned Roman city. however even here the sisters are not safe.
This was a surprise to me and I did not expect to like the book as much as I did as reviews seem to indicate that it might be a little fey. However this was not the case, there is a lot of suspicion and mysticism throughout the book but it is linked with the beliefs of the people so feels right. This imagining of the fifth century is vibrant and yet profound

I tend to agree with other reviewers on this one. It's a really interesting novel which perhaps does not explore its subject matter and indeed its characters as well as it could. I love the sideways take on Sutcliffian hero-romance (Arthur, here, is a disruptor of ways of life rather than a boy hero gathering his forces) and the Macbeth echoes too. Where I felt it fell down a little was in the idealised women's community of ruined London (slightly too many echoes of 1970s post-apocalyptic feminist fiction for me there). And yet I'll read it again, and it did grab me.

This book showed depth of research and actually sent me down a rabbit hole of the fall of Ancient Rome - middle ages non-fiction books as it was an era of history I hadn't previously discovered. I found the first half of the book to be quite heavy in historical and societal worldbuilding which was great for setting the scene but I also felt lasted a bit too long in proportion to the rest of the story.

Isla and Blue's venture to shore is where I became fully invested in the book, and I enjoyed the developing relationship of Blue and Caius. As an antagonist, Vort could have been better developed if he was introduced earlier in the story, and I found the reveal of him as the 'Pict' raiders that took their mother was a little out of the blue because of this.

The women living in the ruins of Londinium were the most fascinating characters to me and again, I wish they could have been introduced earlier to explore their trauma more deeply as women in a period of deep inequality. I loved the sapphic romance elements, and it was nice that they were a part of the main character Isla, rather than a side character, but I still was craving more from them as a pair.

Overall, this book was a fascinating dive into historical fiction and I thank you for allowing me a copy to review. (Will be posted onto socials tomorrow - 1/8/22)

Such a lovely story! The prose was so beautiful and lyrical and I really enjoyed the main characters. It's so interesting to read a story featuring this time period because I don't think that it is one that is so popular. It definitely made me interested with the way it weaved in the mythology. This book has definitely made me more interested in the author's upcoming work and I will definitely check them out.

AD 500. An island in the Thames.
Isla has a secret: she has learned her father’s sophisticated sword-making skills at a time when even entering a forge is forbidden to women. Her sister, Blue, has a secret, too: at low tide on the night of each new moon, she visits the bones of the mud woman, drowned by the elders of her tribe who wanted to make a lesson of someone who wouldn’t hold her tongue. When the local Seax overlord discovers Isla's secret there is nowhere for the sisters to hide, except across the water to the walled ghost city, Londinium. Here Blue and Isla find sanctuary in an underworld community of squatters, emigrants, travellers and looters, led by the mysterious Crowther, living in an abandoned brothel and bathhouse. But trouble pursues them even into the haunted city. Wonderful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With elements of myth and folklore, Rebecca Stott’s Dark Earth is a fascinating piece of historical fiction.
Attracted by the blurb, I found Stott’s story following Isla and Blue to be a captivating read, which I finished within two days. Set in an age and setting of Britain’s history I know little of, the dark years after the Romans had gone, I particularly appreciated the vivid descriptions of the ghost city (Londinium), distinctly imagining the artefacts, the crumbling walls, the overgrown, barren streets. The attention to detail was great.
The opening pages set up the story well, drawing in the reader’s curiosity standing along with the sisters on the edge of their island, looking toward the mainland, wondering where the story will run. We follow Isla’s perspective throughout which I enjoyed but would say that left the character of her sister, Blue, a little less developed.
A highlight for me was Stott’s writing style; I enjoyed the often dreamlike, flowing prose of Isla’s thoughts, as well as the flashes of action. Stott’s vivid language conveyed me into the tale, drawing around the atmosphere of the time and the fear and worries of Isla and Blue. However, there were one or two typos that stilted my flow of reading but maybe this was an error on my Kindle copy. The dynamics at the end had me engrossed, an unanticipated culmination. Stott has skilfully portrayed the quiet female defiance within many of the characters, working together for survival, in a dangerous world. I also particularly liked the last few pages which takes the reader through the centuries of times following, of the connection of people and history in a place. Dark Earth is an apt title, one that is subtly referenced within the story and is reinforced in Stott’s final paragraphs.
Overall, a 4/5. An enjoyable read, taking us into a time of history not so widely known, from the perspective of women, a perfectly balanced mix of history and fantasy. Thank you to 4th Estate and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an enjoyable piece of historical fiction.

Thank you to Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beautifully written, and a period of history often forgotten by historical fiction, I really enjoyed meandering through the Middle Ages with Isla and Blue. Meandering feels appropriate here as though it was evocatively written (that landscape!), I definitely found it slow going in parts. Definitely an author I'll keep my eye out for in future though - 3.5 / 5 stars

3.5 stars

It has new timeline setting which during Anglo-Saxon period in England, love it, fresh idea.

It was a good debut but still need some improvement.

To me, it has a really slow pace and when fictions meets history, the fact shouldn't be change a lot. for example, sun king should just remains as the Romans. if it was a historical fiction, the facts remains but the story is fiction. i was confused actually for people who did not studied English history.

A well written fantasy novel focused on a time period hundreds of years after the Romans left the British Isles. A time of feudal lords and factional power struggles when two daughters of the Great Smith, Isla and Blue, must make their way in the world on their own. They find themselves hunted and seeking refuge in the ancient remains of Londinium with a ragtag group of people living on the fringes of 'civilization'.

I enjoyed most the artifacts they dug up, the work done to hold back the decay of their existence in the ruins and generally how they managed the thrive whilst protected from the eyes of battle-hungry men. A good bit of escapism, Dark Earth successfully transported the reader to a far different time and place.