Review: Boudicca by P.C. Cast

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Before I give my opinions on Boudicca, I have two conflicting confessions to make. First, I know the story of Boudicca exceedingly well. One of my majors in college was in ancient history, with most of my interest (and therefore most of my research and papers, probably to the annoyance of my professors) focusing on the Briton, Gallic, and Germanic tribes who fought Rome. Queen Boudicca has been a heroine of mine since I was nineteen, which means P. C. Cast had a high bar.

Second. P. C. Cast has been a favorite author of mine for quite some time. I was stoked when I heard she was doing a proper Boudicca novel. I was absolutely right to be stoked.

It’s hard to write a review without spoilers when the bones of story is real history from nearly two thousand years ago, so I’m going to give the bare minimum of the inciting event (easily found on Wiki as well) and nothing else. Boudicca begins about a year after the Chief of the Iceni tribe of Britons, Prasutagus, has died. His beloved wife, Boudicca, was elected by the tribe and Druids (spiritual leaders, legal counsel, and counselors to the native British people pre-Rome) to lead the Iceni as Queen after his death. However, Rome had a treaty in place with Prasutagus giving them essentially partnership with his Queen, and Rome, rather notoriously, doesn’t share power with anyone, especially women. Women are property, not partners. A tax collector called Decianus, a petty little man who won’t be told what to do by any backwater barbarian woman, descends on the Iceni camp with a group of Roman soldiers. Many are killed, and to set an example Decianus has soldiers rape Boudicca’s two young daughters while she herself is stripped to the waist, tied to a pole, and whipped to unconsciousness.

Yes, the first couple chapters are hard as hell to read, and here are the first marks of Cast’s brilliance as a writer because they must have been hard as hell to write, too. She mitigates the sheer brutality of the violence by giving us glimpses and feelings instead of immersing us in the horror. The story is from Boudicca’s limited point of view, so we don’t see her children’s assaults, though we know they’re happening. What we experience as readers is Boudicca’s rage, terror, and protective desperation as a mother fighting to save her daughters and her people. We experience her own pain and anger as she’s flogged. We feel the shock and sorrow at the glimpses of seeing her people cut down, including her own mother, but in the middle of the battle it’s written so well that it feels like it’s happening too fast to process, just as it is for her. When Boudicca curses Decianus and the Roman soldiers who have unjustly and evilly wronged her, her daughters, and her entire people, the Iceni’s patron Goddess, Andraste, hears her curse and puts the powers of a Goddess of War behind it. This begins the rest of the story: where a wronged Queen builds an army of vengeance and rebels against the Roman Empire. Boudicca’s final battle occurred in 61A.D., during the reign of Nero.

P.C. Cast writes paranormal stories, and Boudicca is no exception. She weaves the small and large magics of the Druids, religious beliefs and worship of the Gods and Goddesses of the tribes, and the magics of Otherworld, Annwn, throughout the story of human trials and challenges. Not only is some of her supposition backed up by historical research (Roman accounts of Druidic magic and tribal customs included some commentary about the regular soldiers’ real fear of what Druids could do), but religious and magical structure is a heartbeat of a society’s worldview. It makes the Iceni and, by extension, the other tribes, more real and accessible. Her worldbuilding isn’t limited to magic: Cast’s carefully considered social structure around the leadership, succession, village layout, seasonal concerns, war and battle preparation, and both physical and mental healing all give the reader a well rounded world. My favorite is the seventh-day custom of the women tribe gathering to wash their hair together in a group, taking the afternoon to relax, share news, wash and beautify, share food, and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a lovely take on a spa day, only multi-generational in a way that shares customs and wisdom through generations as well as fostering kindness and bonding across the tribe.

Boudicca is one of my top five books of 2024. It’s everything nineteen-year-old me wanted to write about my hero when I first read about her in dusty old Roman comments huffing about uppity women daring to rebel against Rome, only better. I can’t wait for it to come out so I can get a copy for my library, and I’m grateful to P.C. Cast for loving her and giving her the tribute she deserves.

Boudicca is available now for pre-order and hits shelves on January 21, 2025.