Two thousand years ago, as the Romans invade Britannia, the princess who will become the powerful queen of the great tribe of the Brigantes watches the enemies of her people come ever closer. Cartimandua's world is, from the start, a maelstrom of love and conflict, revenge and retribution.

In the present day, Edinburgh-based historian Viv Lloyd Rees has immersed herself in the legends surrounding the Celtic queen. She has written a book and is working on a dramatisation of the young queen's life with the help of actress Pat Hebden.

Cartimandua's life takes one unexpected turn after another as tragedy changes the course of her future.  The young queen has formidable enemies - among them Venutios, her childhood sparring partner, and Medb, a woman whose jealously threatens not only her happiness but her life.

Viv's Head of Department, Hugh Graham, hounds her as she struggles to hide her visions of Cartimandua and her conviction that they are real. Her obsession grows ever more persistent and threatening as she takes possession of an ancient brooch that carries a curse. Both Pat and Hugh are drawn into this dual existence of passion and jealousy, of bitter rivalry and overwhelming love as past envelops present and the trio find themselves facing the greatest danger of their lives.

Book review: 17/01/2008 by Ciao.co.uk Review by 123me

Daughters Of Fire by Barbara Erskine

Daughters of fire is written by Barbara Erskine, bestselling author of Lady of Hay. This book is remarkably written combining both present day Britain with Britain in the Roman times.

This book cleverly shifts from past to present. Cartimandua (one of the two main ladies in the book also known as Carta) is introduced to the reader as a young girl who's destiny is to rule her own tribe, the Brigantes. She has to conquer invaders, deal with death, survive miscarriages and most poignantly fight against a deadly curse set in revenge from a dangerous woman.
In present day Edinburgh, we are introduced to Viv Lloyd Rees (the other main lady in this book); a historian who has written a book about Carta. Following her study of the Celtic queen she begins to have visions of Carta and her life: growing up from an innocent young girl - to a powerful woman. Viv starts getting more and more vivid dreams and visions resulting in her link to the past becoming an obsession involving passion, fear and death both in the past and in present day. Viv's investigations and probing into the past nearly cost her her career as well as her closest friends and colleagues.
This fantastic book relays intense human emotions, from the fear of an ancient queen having power over another's body, to the hatred of a revengeful woman using all her strength to wickedly hurt the queen of the Brigantes.

This book had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation. It's cleverly written combining realistic and well researched details from both past and present. It's amazing how such an author can produce such an atmosphere just by illustrating her imagination so well. I have no qualms about giving this book five stars, for me it not only provided entertainment reading it, but painted such a realistic picture that made me want to sit and read all day until I'd finished and found out the ending of both tradgedy and relief. I highly recommend this book and am glad that I was recommended it and leant it from a friend.