Nightshade and Oak

After I really liked Greenteeth by this author last year, this book somehow fell a little flat, literally. Even though the setting and time period was unique and I loved the historical and mythological characters appearing in the story and the Welsh mythology woven through it, the plot was just a bit jumbled and almost every tension arc was flat and underwhelming. Everything always worked out perfectly, plot points and progression seemed random at times and the characters were a bit too one-dimensional as well. Even though I liked both Mallt and Belis and their character development in general, it felt a bit predictable and listlessly carried out.. the writing however was good again and the book was easy enough to get through. Maybe my expectations were a little high, maybe I would have profited from listening to this as an audiobook, but as it is, it was just middling, imo. The historical background and the mythology should provide ample material for a rich, layered story about resistance, death, female rage and women who fight - I feel like it could have been a real banger, instead it feels like it was toned down to make it more palatable for current reading preferences. As it stands, I would have much preferred to read something about Boudicca and her rebellion, that seemed like a much more intriguing story to me than this wild goose chase Still, thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for the e-arc!