Lush, dense, and immaculately detailed portrayal of the early years of the future Saint Hilda. Little is actually know about Hild's early life before she joined the hierarchy of the burgeoning Christian church, but Nicola Griffith does an amazing job filling in the gaps. The amount of research that went into this endeavour is so apparent, but in the best possible way.

The best part of Griffith's story was how Hild's mother maneuvered her into becoming an integral part of King Edwin's court, as his seer, and how Hild continued to pull this off as she grew older. Everything about this was based in reality however, and not magic. Griffith simply showed that Hild was taught from a young age to be observant, to listen, and to grow a network of spies and people that she could rely on to maker her 'predictions' and soothe the egos of powerful men.

Since this tale ended way before the actual time of historical record for Hild (before she became a Saint), I'm sure there will be more to come!