When the last of members of a secretive Druid cult are forced to abandon their hidden sanctuary, they send the youngest of their remaining priests in search of Annwr, their chief priestess’s sister, who was abducted by a Saxon war band fifteen years ago. With only a rudimentary grasp of English and the ambiguous guidance of an oracle’s prophecy, Caelym manages to find Annwr living in a hut on the grounds of a Christian convent.
Annwr has spent her years of captivity caring for the timid Aleswina, an orphaned Saxon princess who was consigned to the cloistered convent by her cousin, King Gilberth, after he assumed her father’s throne. Just as Caelym and Annwr are about leave together, Aleswina learns that Gilberth, a tyrant known for his cruelty and vicious temper, means to take her out of the convent and marry her. Terrified, she flees with the two Druids—beginning a heart-pounding adventure that unfolds in ways none of them could have anticipated.
Praise:
“Linden's well-researched tale eloquently brings to life a lesser-known period of transition in Britain. . . . The author has created a strong foundation for her series with well-developed characters whom readers can embrace. . . . [a] layered, gripping historical fiction.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“The story rolls along at a lively pace, rich with details of the times and a wide cast of characters. [The] plotting, shifting points of view of the three engaging protagonists, and evocative writing style make The Oath a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.”
—Historical Novel Review
“Linden uses a fairy tale-like style almost as though this story has been passed down orally over the centuries.”
—Booklist Review
Many years ago, Annwr, the sister of a Druid cult’s chief priestess was kidnapped by Saxons. And yet, the prophecy of an oracle says that Annwr still lives, and Caelym, a young druid priest, is sent to find her, and bring her home.
What Caelym doesn’t expect is that Annwr might be reluctant to return to a life she hasn’t lived for years. Annwr was given the role of caring for the orphaned Saxon princess, Aleswina, and Aleswina has become like a daughter to Annwr. Aleswina is in a convent, with Annwr living nearby, and Annwr does not know if she can simply leave Aleswina and go home.
However, there is no need for Annwr to do any decision-making, for Aleswina makes the choice for her. Aleswina finds out that her cousin, a simply dreadful man, plans to marry her, and she will not stand by and let that happen. The Saxon princess joins the two Druids, and they flee together.
This book does start out a little slow, and I found my attention starting to wane a little in the first few chapters. When the story really got started, though, once the three characters start on their journey, I found I couldn’t put the book down. It did take a little while, but once I got into it, I was hooked. I read the entire book in a day.
My absolute favourite character had to be Caelym. He is on a mission, not only to find Annwr, but also to find his two young sons. He is certainly determined, and nothing will stop him. Caelym’s inner monologue is hilarious to read, for he is incredibly sarcastic. Annwr is equally sarcastic, and their conversations were enough to make me laugh out loud as I read. Caelym is always doing what he can to help, and gain some praise, and Annwr is incredibly reluctant to give it to him, always managing to see the things he does as attention-seeking, rather than helpful. Together, they make a very humorous pair.
Aleswina is set a little behind Caelym and Annwr. She is not in the spotlight so much, but she is also completely out of her comfort zone. She is a Saxon princess, and yet, she is living on the run with two Druids, who have different customs, and know how to survive in the wild. She is completely dependent on them to keep her safe. And yet, Aleswina is an incredibly loving and kind person, who would do almost anything to keep Annwr safe, although she would be, perhaps, a little more hesitant over what she would do to keep Caelym safe – they do not exactly have the most conventional way of getting to know each other!
The historical detailing of this novel is fabulous. The author has done an excellent job in making you feel like you are traipsing through the woods with the characters, and listening to Caelym and Annwr bicker. I don’t think that I’ve read many books starring druid priests before, and I certainly do not know much about their culture. I know decidedly more about Aleswina’s religion, and I almost felt like I was by her side, slowly learning as she learnt.
The characters’ backstories are revealed slowly, with information coming to light as and when it is required. This was an excellent way to do this, for not knowing everything definitely keeps you invested in the story, and there is no information dump to bore you. Instead, you are kept desperate for more snippets of, in particular, Caelym’s past, and what happened between Annwr being abducted, and Caelym coming to find her.
This is the kind of book you are not sure you need in your life until you read it. Caelym quickly became a favourite character, and I simply adored the humorous thoughts and conversations. If you are interested in this era, or want a book you can really get invested in, this is the one you need.
Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the east coast of the United States before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. The Druid Chronicles began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband and their cat and dog in the northwest corner of Washington State.
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