Hild actually lived in seventh century, a child born to a woman who said she would become the light of the world. She was bright, observant and seemed to sense the path of things to come. Always she searched for patterns to help with predictions. So much so that she became the king's seer. But it was a dangerous role for one so young because if she misinterpreted events and people around her, life could become forfeit. Today she might be labeled a prodigy. To the Anglo-Saxons she was a saint.

The author brought this time period to life with methodical and careful research.. We learn how simple and time consuming just living from day to day was during this period. People planted crops, harvested them, and feasted when the result provided food for the months ahead. But there were times of war, too, among the populace as Britain was filled with small kingdoms and many warring factions.

So descriptive and so flowing, the author's narration projected through Hild takes readers to another time and another place to view a life that is labor intensive and risky. There is little romance in young Hild's life. She seemed to be bi-sexual, finding comfort among both sexes. It was a treacherous, cold and constantly shifting era. One lived from day to day. This book immerses the reader into the historical life of the seventh century. It is so very well done.

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