Brethren: Foundation of the Dragon Series: Book 1
It’s AD 77, and Cadwal’s tribe has been betrayed. During a celebration, his people are drugged by a neighboring tribe, who take the women and children and sell the men to the Romans. Worse, these same neighbors have aligned with the Roman army. An attack on the rest of the Ordo-wiki tribes, to whom Cadwal belongs, is imminent. Narrowly escaping, Cadwal must make a choice: go to the enemy tribe to rescue his captured sons or warn the king about Rome’s plan. Unbeknownst to him, the Ordo-wiki king has been ignoring the Roman threat. Healer and counsellor to the king, Brei won’t lie in wait for the Romans again, not after the horrors of the Black Year when the Twentieth Legion destroyed the sacred isle. She knows that to stand a chance of survival, someone has to raise an army. But who has the authority to defy a king?
Brethren is a rich tale of enmity and action set in ancient North Wales. The setting and social structures are richly researched and realized. The author includes women in multiple aspects of tribal life and in ways that make sense for the period. The story focuses on the individuals facing the loss of their homes and their culture versus the war itself and thus broadens the scope of how characters are explored. Brei, as a woman, is defined more by her role as counsellor than by her husband. Cadwal, a Celtic warrior, finds strength in his role as a father over the power of his sword arm. Each character’s portrayal and development are captivating. There are hard choices to be made, and the way things culminate are, well, to avoid spoilers I will just say, *chef’s kiss.* It is an ending that will stay with you.
