by Cheyenne van Langevelde
publisher’s synopsis
Enid hates the Romans who enslaved her. Broken-hearted over the life she lost in Britain, she vows to bury her name and her past where the Redcrests can never reach it. As years of servitude pass, bitter resignation replaces her longing to return home.
Then an unlikely friendship with a fellow outcast raises Enid out of her isolation, bringing both hope for the future and questions about the confusing God of the Christiani.
Yet memories of her childhood haunt her, urging her to cling to her old identity, while the barriers of Roman society remain in the way of her deepest dreams. The peace she thought she made with the past is crumbling.
But time is running out for Enid and those she loves. Danger threatens the household she serves as persecution stalks her few friends. She must decide if risking it all for the one she loves is worth giving up the world she knows.
Even if it is a choice between life and death.
Between Two Worlds was a nice read. I do just want to say that this isn’t my typical genre. If you’re a historical fiction fan, you’ll probably enjoy it more than I did.
The story follows Enid, or Marcella (her Roman name), and her struggles and journey as she works through the hurt and bitterness of being stolen away from her homeland in Britain to be a slave in Rome.
The glimpses into life in ancient Britain and Rome were neat. I feel like the relationship between the Celtics and Romans is often overlooked in history books.
The plot felt a little slow to me personally, but I’m used to fantasy books with fast-paced, external plots. Between Two Worlds has an internal plot, which is a little slower since personal growth and change naturally takes time. But don’t worry–there are still external plot elements that keep the story moving.
If I had to pick on something that disrupted the story for me, it would be when Enid and Aurelia visited people. It honestly felt like they went to someone’s house, were there for 5-10 minutes max, and then left. I don’t know if short social visits were the norm back then, but it felt a little strange to me.
Overall, it was a nice historical fiction novel.
Cautions: non-descriptive nudity in reference to slave markets and the Roman baths; light romance; several kisses; brief, non-descriptive moderate/heavy violence (in reference to how Christians were killed at the Coliseum); one swear word, used with its original meaning
Hailey Huntington 