First published 2013
Hild grows up as the youngest niece of Edwin of Northumbria in seventh-century Britain. Small kingdoms merge through violence while Christianity arrives to challenge the old gods. Edwin schemes to become overking of the Angles through blood, bribes, and belief. Hild possesses fierce curiosity and an iron will. She studies nature, connects causes to effects, and reads human behavior with startling accuracy. Her observations seem supernatural to others. She becomes Edwin's seer, making herself indispensable through her ability to predict what comes next. But her position carries deadly risks. One wrong prediction could doom her, her family, and all who depend on the strange girl who reads the world's patterns. Hild stands at the center of early medieval politics, surrounded by violence, intrigue, and mysticism as she navigates the dangerous currents of power.
Genres: historical, historical-fiction, fantasy, political-thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chosen-one, political-intrigue, prophecy
Setting: Northumbria, Britain
Period: 7th-century
560 pages · ebook · Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Content warnings: violence