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Book: The Pictish Princess: ...and Other Stories From Before There Was a Scotland.
Year: 2023
Author: Dolan Cummings
Publisher: Orual Press
ISBN: 1739419200 (ISBN13: 9781739419202)
Review:
This a book that I got the chance to check out as a critic copy when the author, Dolan Cummings, reached out to see if I'd be interested in a press review copy. I agreed since the book caught my attention. My family has Scottish roots and I figured this would be stories that are based in fact with folklore mixed in.
Synopsis: in a land uneasily divided between four nations - Picts, Gaels, Britons and Northumbrians - but united by a thousand stories and a single faith (just about), a girl can dream.
Monks, mercenaries and mothers can also dream. But dreams can be dangerous. They lead to lost babies, twins torn apart, fatefully mistaken identities and unchosen transformations.
Over the course of twenty years, a handful of dreamers from all four nations cross paths, culminating in a series of revelations, confrontations and reconciliations. There are battles, sieges and political intrigue as well as love lost, love found, betrothal, betrayal and - perhaps - a kind of magic.
Now normally I'd go into a breakdown of the story, but since an extended synopsis was given to me and I used it here, I'll just shift into my breakdown. Part of the reason that I won't is for the fact that there's a lot of characters. This starts during one time and then jumps a couple more with different parts, if I remember correctly. It took me a bit to settle in due to that. Even when I couldn't keep the people straight, the stories are interesting. To take that back to the synopsis, we have different characters who are commoners, clergy, soldiers, bards and other thing. It keeps you on your toes. I also like that as we go, the characters interact through different encounters which is fun. I will also say in its favor, when you come back to a character, I did remember when the next story starts. I’ll give credit for that.
This wouldn't work if I didn't think that Cummings has a good style of writing. I got lost in what they were say and I go with the flow of the story. There were tales that made me tear up, like a baby being snatched by a bird, taken from her family. She is thankfully raised by those that found her. Her story as to where it ends up was interesting. There is a story that is like Moses from the bible where a woman finds a baby in a basket, floating down the river. Getting to see this child grow is interesting for where he ends up. There are things that are hard to think about since they take place so long ago, but if you just let the stories wash over you and go where they take you, I think this is a treat.
There isn't much more that I can say here. I found this to be a genre of book I don't normally read. It's funny is that I enjoy fantasy and historical movies from the era these are taking place though. It just isn't a genre of book I've delved too much into. This is well-written and with such a different array of stories as well as characters, most everyone can find ones in here that catch your interest. Whether it is following religious nuns, soldiers, blacksmiths or just chance meetings that lead to more, I'd recommend giving this a reading.
My Rating: 6 out of 10