Nightshade and Oak

With this solid historical fantasy, O’Neill (Greenteeth) takes readers on a jaunty quest through the afterlife. As the Romans battle the Celts in ancient Britain, Mallt Y Nos, aka the Nightshade, Goddess of Death, collects souls from the battlefield. Then she’s hit by a spell cast by the warrior Princess Beliscena “Belis” of the Iceni, daughter of Celtic Queen Boudica. Belis’s spell was meant to heal her mortally wounded younger sister, Catrisca, but instead it drained Mallt of her goddess powers, turning her human. Mallt and Belis must travel to Annwn, the Afterworld, to retrieve Catrisca’s soul and return Mallt to goddess strength. As they evade the Roman legionnaires hot on their tails, Mallt learns more about what it means to be human, absorbing unexpected kindness, simple wisdom, and intense emotions. When they reach Annwn, Arawn, Lord of the Afterworld, warns them that the undead shadowbitten are rapidly corrupting the land, and only Mallt and Belis, the sole living beings in the afterworld, can stop them. O’Neill’s swift and straightforward plot sees Mallt and Belis searching for a helpful witch, sparring with the fae, and succumbing to an opposites-attract romance. The blend of Celtic folklore, humor, drama, love, and magic makes for a pleasant diversion. (Feb.)