One of the joys and frustrations of the history of Britain before the Roman invasion is that we know so little about the tribes, beliefs, social customs and cultural landscape. Often this has provided authors with a virtual blank canvas on which to paint a society of their imagination untethered by the constraints of history. This book is different, it has been properly researched and the author has worked within the few facts we do have, combined it with some clever extrapolation from poems probably originating prior to invasion but recorded much later, and inspiration from the landscape of western Britain. The result is an immersive and very enjoyable read.

The story is set against the war between Rome and a British War Lord called Caradog and the fight for the sovereignty of the land. In this story the druids are referred to as the journey-people, being the entering into trance states to obtain knowledge and visions of the future. The narrator of the story is The Kendra, a journey woman who holds the knowledge of the Mothers (main Goddesses of the land), who is returning from a self imposed exile to support the war effort. Part of her journey involves learning to become a Songwoman, the keeper and creator of the poetry and songs which record the history and soul of the tribe.

Unfortunately, it being history, we do know how the story ends with the defeat of the tribes. Ilka has crafted such a clever story that carries you along through every triumph and set back, willing Caradog to be successful, which makes the ending all the more poignant. I hadn't read the first book in this series, not that this detracts in anyway because this story stands up on its own merits. I will however be going back to read book 1.

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a ridiculously late review but having enjoyed this book as much as I did I feel I must say good things about! I didn't realise it was a sequel before I read it - in fact, it didn't fully dawn on me till after I'd finished it and looked up the author. There are a few plot points in it that, looking back, didn't really make sense but not enough to impact my understanding or enjoyment of this book.

I would describe this work as understated and highly atmospheric. The writing is very accomplished, just a joy to vanish into. The beginning has shades of Clan of the Cave Bear and, despite it becoming apparent it's actually very different, it does have certain similarities especially in regard to Ailia (even her name!) and her spirituality. The time period is wonderfully and vividly evoked and while not featuring magic as such there is a magical quality to both the setting and the narrative. The lore and rituals are also richly evoked, adding to the dream-like atmosphere. Song-lore is particularly enchanting and Ailia's final song is powerful and moving. In fact, the whole concept of Journey lore is very well done. The characters are well fleshed out, nuanced and fascinating with the landscape itself being the most fascinating of all. The tribes' connection with their land and country is poignant and heartfelt. In short, I was spell-bound from start to finish! And the scenes in Rome at the end are fabulous - so moving!

I enjoyed this book because of the fabulous story and characters AND because it was beautifully written. Finding both things in the same book is always a treat!

Adored the first book but didn't engage with this one unfortunately. I don’t post negative reviews, so have declined comment.

The follow up novel to ‘Skin’, ‘Songwoman’ again follows Ailia, who has fled her hometown, destroyed by the Romans who have invaded Britain. Her journey takes her to the Welsh mountains, where she joins Caradog, who is leading the campaign against the Roman Army. Continuing her training, as Kendra of Albion she must help advise Caradog in his position as war king. Will her connection with the power of the land betray her again? Infused with tradition and the fight against modernisation, ‘Songwoman’ continues the story of the bond between the people and their land.

I was drawn to this as it is a historical fiction novel, which is a genre that I enjoy immensely, and the synopsis of the story reeled me in. The writer’s description of the geographical settings are very good and I could imagine myself being there along with the characters. The portrayal of how the people lived in there settlements was also excellent and the impact that the Mothers has on their lives.

Unfortunately I didn’t particularly like Ailia, Caradog and any of the main characters and, though this generally doesn’t bother me, the story wasn’t gripping enough to redeem itself in my opinion. I found it to be quite contradictory especially the characters in that they would say one thing and then do the complete opposite.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder Staughton for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Songwoman is the sequel to Skin, which I read a long while ago. I hadn’t realised there was going to be a sequel, so I was really excited to see this pop up on NetGalley!

First things first, this book does not really stand alone, so will be hard to review without spoilers. Consider this fair warning not to read any further if you haven’t read Skin – though if you like historical fiction and are interested in Celtic Britain, go and pick it up, because it’s fabulous!

Songwoman picks up Ailia’s story and follows her from her secluded exile to her involvement with the warlord Caradog’s attempts to oust the Romans from Britain. I found that this second book focused a lot more on the historical and social realities of Ailia’s world, rather than the mystical aspects that took up much of book one – she is still the Kendra, the woman chosen by the Mothers, and she begins to train as a bard, combining the two different spiritual paths, but there is less doing-of-magic and more stating-I-am-magic-and-therefore-here’s-our-plan. This really worked for me – I loved the magic of the first book, but to add to that would have been repetitive, whereas bringing Ailia into the dangers of the real world allowed the story’s pace to really flow.

I have a particular interest in Britain on the cusp of Roman civilisation, and have actually studied a fair bit about it, so I enjoyed seeing how the historical figures were worked into the story. Of course, that did mean I knew how some events would turn out, but as with a lot of historical fiction, how much you know what’s coming up will depend on your knowledge of the period. I didn’t find this spoiled the story at all; in fact, I was impressed with how the author built the tension when I already knew the outcome! For some reason, these books really remind me of The Clan of the Cave Bear and sequels – I think it’s the spiritual but practical heroine who finds herself in the midst of important historical events.

Caradog looms large in this story, and I found him fascinating, if slightly unknowable. I did think that his decisions over how to fight back against the Romans took up slightly too much page space, and made the story sag a little in the middle, but on the whole, he was a really interesting character for Ailia to have to learn to deal with. I missed Taliesin, and wish we’d seen more of Rhain, the songman who trains Ailia, but that’s a personal preference as I just really love bards.

Although the plot can be summed up fairly neatly, there’s something larger than life about Ilka Tampke’s writing. You get the sense of a world deeper than you can know – the hills and forests of Ancient Britain are vivid and mystical. Reading Songwoman is an experience, as well as a story. There’s this richness to the language and the atmosphere it creates that makes it very hard for me to write about it – it really is one that you need to read for yourself. Four out of five stars from me, and it’s cemented for me that I’ll be reading anything the author writes.

https://lynns-books.com/2018/11/22/songwoman-skin-2-by-ilka-tampke/
Songwoman is the sequel to Skin and based on historical events of the time is a story that is absolutely fascinating to read and rich with description. I really enjoyed this although I would point out that this isn’t a fantasy novel which is more often than not the type of book I review on here. There is of course an element of mysticism, talk of Journeymen/women and the Mothers and the Isle of Albion seemed to be almost bewitched, at least outsiders seemed to view it in that way – but, at the end of the day, mist rising from a stream in a valley isn’t dragon’s breath and swords and sorcery are not contained within these pages.

Songwoman starts out more or less a year after the conclusion of Skin. I don’t think it’s essential to read the first book as I think this reads as a self contained and gripping historical novel however reading Skin will definitely give you a greater understanding of Ailia and the events from her past that haunt her still. If you haven’t read the first but intend to do so then perhaps stop reading this review as it may contain spoilers.

The story here follows a War King known as Caradog. Caradog continues the rebel movement against the Roman invasion and Ailia, after having spent a year of self imposed exile in the wilds makes her way to his Welsh camp to aid his efforts by bringing the support of the Mothers. The Romans are determined to eliminate any remaining hopes of thwarting their rule and send in a new and ruthless Roman General, Scapula. The events depicted in Songwoman are a fictional account of what took place and the author mentions that the timeline has been altered in order to accommodate the story but otherwise many of the characters depicted played a real role in the history of Albion.

Ailia doesn’t find quite the welcome at the King’s camp that she anticipated. Caradog’s own Journeyman, Prydd, is a funny onion – by which I mean he seems to have his own agenda and part of that includes reducing Ailia’s role to little more than that of a figurehead. Ailia has her work cut out to do anything useful but eventually her persistence pays off and she finds Caradog relying more and more on her help and advice. Another character from the camp who plays a vital role in Ailia’s story is Rhain, Songman of Caradog. He helps Ailia to focus and to find her true goal. By teaching her the nature and role of ‘song’ Ailia finds a way to keep the Mothers and the spirit of Albion alive and strong.

In terms of the characters. I guess you could say there is an element of sadness almost to many of them but then living with war and brutality for so many years, seeing the things you value stamped into the mud, well, it has a toll. Caradog is an enigmatic leader but at the same time suffers from what can only be described as depression and self doubt. Why does he persist in battle, are his own ambitions what he really cares about, why keep fighting with the amount of lives lost when a truce can be formed? Ailia herself condemns herself for the events in book 1 although realistically she can’t truly be blamed. Her guilt and fear of detection come across strongly. She feels like a lonely character but at the same time she has determination and grit, particularly when she realises the bitter irony of the role she must eventually play.

If you know anything about Roman history and particularly in relation to Albion then you’ll no doubt be aware of the conclusion but regardless of whether or not you guess the outcome for the characters involved I would still recommend reading this and I would also suggest not trying to second guess the outcome as I failed quite miserably in my attempt to do so. The detail about the way of life, the battles, the countryside, the struggles, they’re so well written. For me, the most fascinating aspect of the book was reading of the clashes, the treachery and the eventual outcome. Ailia and Caradog’s roles almost played second fiddle to that because the events here are so well portrayed and clearly well researched.

I’m not going to go into too much more detail. I think if you enjoy reading historical novels, if you have a love of Roman history, if you enjoy reading of events that are depicted vividly and imaginatively, if you would enjoy reading a fictionalised story of real characters who fought with strength and passion for a world that they felt a great connection to then this could be just what you’re looking for. It’s an impressive piece of work to say the least.

I don’t really have any criticisms to be honest. As mentioned above this isn’t really a fantasy novel although there are spiritual type moments. I think the writing is evocative, the descriptions made the world and characters pop off the page and maybe some readers might find this slows down the plot a little but I loved it.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I have not read Skin – the first book in the series – but Songwoman functions just fine as a standalone. (Although I will now track down book one.) I really enjoyed this blend of history and fantasy. The characters were compelling and the setting was good. I am very familiar with this period of history and the real life events and people who inspired this book. If there is a niggle its that I personally do not agree with how the author has interpreted the events or the motives of the characters. Cartimandua gets especially short shift and Caradog wasn’t any sort of noble hero of the people! However, putting my personal grievance aside – because for history this distant we are forced to rely on the most biased of sources eg the Annals of Tacitus, and no one really knows for certain what happened and why; it’s all up for grabs interpretation wise; this was a very good book. I look forward to more from the author. (Irrelevant sidebar but Claudius is my favourite Roman emperor and I always like seeing him get a mention, even if the conquest of Briton was largely to keep his troops occupied.)