The Legions have left the province of Britain and the Western Roman Empire has dissolved into chaos. With the world plunged into darkness, paganism and superstition are as rampant as ever. In the Down country of southern Britain, young Indi has grown up knowing nothing more than his gods of horses and thunder; so when a man from across the sea comes preaching a single God slain on a cross, Indi must choose between his gods or the one God and face the consequences of his decision.
My rating
My review
Jennifer Freitag has a beautiful writing style. I have enjoyed following her blog for some time now, and was excited to discover The Shadow Things in my local library. And the writing did not disappoint--it was full of rich description and well-woven language.
In fact, it was a beautiful novel all the way through. I found the plot riveting, and Indi's journey moving. All of the characters, good and "bad," were very well written and fleshed out. And the introduction of a loving God provides a beautifully stark contrast to the fear-motivated paganism, which, while I can say nothing to the historical accuracy, was explained well.
Why only 3/5, then? I'm not sure. Perhaps it just wasn't my cup of tea. The only complaint I have is that the ending didn't sit well with me. To avoid any possible spoilers, I'll just vaguely say that there was a bit of violence that occurred with hardly the bat of an eye, though it was the only such situation in the novel. Lives are treasured, people loved, except for that one brief moment.
However, I can say that if (when?) Jennifer Freitag publishes another book, I will most certainly read it!
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