Cleland Smith’s immersive second novel (after 2013’s Sequela) is an unapologetically gruesome fusion of historical fantasy and Scottish folklore following two courageous women who embark on very different journeys of self-discovery.

The story is set in 2nd century Scotland as Rome’s long reach continues creeping northward. Bridei is an assassin—a legendary Black Doe —whose task is seemingly impossible: kill a rebel warlord named Drust, who is rumored to be protected by magic, by the time of the Bealltainn festival.

Bridei is given the only knife that can allegedly penetrate the magic shield, but the assassination attempt is thwarted. She’s stabbed by her own knife, crucified, and left to die. She survives, barely, but the knife is lost. With time running out, she must find a way to kill an unkillable man whose power grows every day.

Tisiphone, like her mother, is a daughter of Cruithne, the Pictish kingdom’s legendary founder. She also has Roman blood, as her grandmother “coupled” with the great Roman General Agricola. But that tenuous connection with Rome becomes an unjust stigma, and Tisiphone’s eldest son Timaeus, a charismatic leader, is rejected as a potential chieftain because of his ancestry. Bent on retribution, Tim goes rogue and leaves a bloody trail of devastation in his wake.

It’s obvious the author did her research well. The blending of historical events and Celtic mythology (kelpies, selkies, fairies, etc.) is seamless, creating an irresistibly readable fantasy. Smith’s lyrical writing style complements the subject matter perfectly: “The mountains in the west were blue, layer on layer, like spilled dye staining the horizon, scraps of wet fabric laid one on another… I could see gaps in the forest where the… rolling fields of crops were glossy with dew like a spill of gems, catching the light.”

But the real genius here is how Smith braids together the two seemingly disparate storylines. Readers will be blown away by the bombshell conclusion of this blood-soaked, folkloric fantasy masterwork.