Mere: The Darkly Atmospheric Historical Fiction Debut of 2025

by Danielle Giles, Kate Walsh (Narrator)

Including an audio-exclusive Q&A between the narrator and the author, Danielle Giles.

'Beautifully written . . . A dark and disturbing tale' – Laura Shepherd-Robinson, bestselling author of The Square of Sevens

Mere by Danielle Giles is a hypnotic historical novel about fear and survival, power and position, and a love that takes hold in the darkest of places.

Norfolk, 990 AD. Deep in the Fens, isolated by a vast and treacherous mere, an order of holy sisters make their home. Under the steely guidance of Abbess Sigeburg they follow God’s path, looking to their infirmarian, Hilda, to provide what comfort and cures she can.

But when the mere takes a young servant boy, Sigeburg’s grip falters and Hilda quickly realizes this place holds secrets darker and more unholy than she can fathom.

Then proud Sister Wulfrun, a recent arrival to the convent, has a a curse is upon them and change must be brought. Is she saint or serpent? To Hilda, Wulfrun is a signal bolder and brighter than any fire set – one she cannot help but follow . . .

'Chilling, dark and immersive' – Rosanna Pike, bestselling author of A Little Trickerie

'Haunting and beautiful’ – Lucy Rose, bestselling author of The Lamb

'A gem of a novel' – Costanza Casati, bestselling author of Babylonia

Genres: Historical Fiction, Horror, Historical, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian

Audible Audio

First published April 3, 2025

Reviews

[Nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot lesbian date idea: stage a coup in the cursed medieval convent

[Carl (Hiatus. IBB in Jan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I lift no weapon, but kill more than the bravest warrior.
I live on women’s tongues and in men’s minds. I am a spilt pot, a razed city.
I am light as air, heavy as stone. No leechbook has cures for me, nor heroes swords against me."

Mere is an accomplished atmospheric debut novel by Danielle Giles. With lyrical writing, she imbues a sense of creeping foreboding and entrapment transporting the reader to an isolated convent surrounded by marshlands and ice-cold water and less than 200 souls. The novel explores themes of faith, superstition, manipulation, sexuality and politics, narrated in lyrical prose, revealing a unique new voice in English literature. Giles has innate talent in blending historical fiction and folklore elements, creating a compelling narrative with superb imagery that makes you feel the dampness of the mere and looming presence of an ancient power. “I feel no evil in it. No good either. It is vast and old and slow.”

Giles excels at character development, with each character having their own distinctive voice - a literary accomplishment. Abbess Sigeburg is a stoic, controlling woman who will "strangle you with scripture and punishment and insist that you thank her." Wulfrun, a mysterious woman who arrives at the convent under difficult circumstances, her past shadowed by pain and betrayal. Hilda, the four-decade-old infirmarian, is deeply absorbed in the convent’s life carrying for the ill but still keeps a sharp, observant mind and tongue. I could go on and on with the list of well-written characters, but as previously said, Giles' characterisation is superb. Her prose is rich and immersive, balancing historical detail with an almost fairy-tale quality.

Mere is a story about women navigating the confines of a convent at the borders under the looming presence of the mere. Despite the convent’s strict religious structure, older, darker beliefs simmer beneath the surface. The presence of the mere, its mythology, and the fear it instils create a sense of unease. The whispers of curses, omens, and unnatural forces blur the lines between folklore and reality playing an essential part in the story. Early, on the way of the abbess' return from Gipeswick with a small company of travelers and food rations for the winter, a kid is lost near the mere, and the sisters are quick to assign supernatural blame: "The other sisters say that a devil has woken in the marsh, taken the boy for his own." setting ablaze a series of events contributing to the mass hysteria soon to be unleashed.

Giles’ prose is vivid and immersive, seamlessly weaving folklore into Christian tradition. “I know better than to tell him otherwise, though from what I have seen the water-elf disease pales the nails and dampens the eyes, none of which afflicts Oswy. And so I gather together the needed herbs, mixing them with ale and holy water and singing over them a charm.” The dialogue is sharp, the characterisation layered and the themes deeply resonant. While some readers may find the pacing slow, it serves the purpose of creating tension and danger. The novel explores the power dynamics between the sisters—with a caveat. Giles also questions how faith is weaponised, how suffering is framed as divine will, and how people in power use faith to manipulate. The convent’s hierarchy is a constant source of tension, with alliances and rivalries shaping the fate of the sisters. ”She is a little serpent who thinks I do not mark her poison.”

The novel is also unflinching in its portrayal of sexual desire - and some Christians may find it blasphemous even. The relationship between Hilda and Wulfrun is charged, sensual, and depicted with powerful language. "When I slide my face between her thighs and taste her sour-sweet cunt, I feel as if I would not care if they heard us all the way in Gipeswic." Giles does not shy away from rawness, and these moments of intimacy stand in stark contrast to the rigid, punishing atmosphere of the convent. Toward the end, secrets unravel and long-held resentments come to a final climax igniting a fiery rebellion. The final part is brutal, gripping and utterly satisfying, if eerie and subtle. It will require a moment of reflection to grasp the full meaning of this incredible novel.

Mere is a stunning, evocative novel that lingers long after the final page. It is a novel of power, faith, and manipulation told with exquisite prose and an unflinching eye for historical and emotional truth. Highly recommended for readers who appreciate historical fiction blended with folklore and queer representation.

Rating: 4.0/5

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Quotes might differ slightly from the final printed version

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review soon!

[paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that evil has been with us a long time. [...] We are rotting, slowly, and do not know it yet.

the writing here is absolutely stunning; lyrical and spare at once. the deftly woven atmosphere turns this into a beautifully haunting narrative, a slow and creeping tale of horror (though very low on the horror scale overall!). i assume meticulous research went into this and i loved the depiction of Norfolk in the late 10th century -- Anglo-Saxon culture interwoven with remnants of older British culture, impacted by the viking invasions, Christianity still tinged with older pagan customs that retain their hold on people. this cultural and linguistic diversity was reflected in the characters, many of them with vastly differing backgrounds even as they live together in a small, isolated convent and the adjoining village.

She is a spear of a woman, slicing through the days and years here and never wavering. But the storm's wind might take even the best spear off-course and for a heartbeat she is silent.

this was a rather slow read for me, though it remained utterly immersive. i found myself returning back to the world of this novel in thought all the time. in addition to the setting, the character work is immaculate. this was complex, and moving, and i was dragged right into the depth of despair felt by the characters.

most remarkably, the author manages to turn all of this into a love story unlike anything i have ever read before. it's rather hard to describe, and this is certainly no "romance". it just really did something to me.

I understand now that I had thought [...] we had a thousand nights ahead of us and a thousand more mornings.
'Spin a vision for me,' I say. 'Tell me how this might have been, in a better world.'
She smiles, weakly. 'You ask for the stars themselves.'

and i mean ... lesbian nuns!!!

[Katrina Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 990AD, Hilda lives as in a convent deep in the Norfolk fens, where other civilisation is distant, rarely accessible through the fogbound labyrinth of the surrounding wilds. Hilda is an infirmarian, collecting, mixing and giving remedies and care to the holy order of sisters and the priests who live in this tightknit community. The Abbess and way of life are strict, yet these people worship both a Christian god, and powers that are much older. Their secrets and desires linger, despite doctrine.

One day, a woman named Wulfrun appears at the threshold, a new addition to the convent. She is richly dressed, imposing and in distress. A servant boy who travelled with her from her old home has been lost in the fens and she persuades any she can do help her search for the boy.

Finding him is one thing, finding him still sane and untainted by a devilish power is something else.

The backstory of Wulfrun, the priests, the other sisters and their complicated webs of mistrust all begin to unravel in suspicion and fear as rumours of curses and divine punishment poison the convent.

The love. The lust. The power plays. I was gripped.

I'm rambling now, after what was a nest start to this review. This book is bloody great.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️
Once I got into this, I was fully invested. I can't tell you why, I just enjoyed being pulled along by the story, mostly due to Hilda. It was an intriguing but odd reading experience.

[Lewis Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

goat sacrifice, accurate old english place names, lesbian nuns.

good and easy.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was probably my biggest disappointment of the year thus far, alas. I loved everything about the premise of Danielle Giles's debut novel, Mere. A group of tenth-century nuns living in the Norfolk fens come to believe that they are cursed, and that something in the nearby mere has brought this upon them... the same thing that means they must never go into the mere alone. This ticked all my boxes - sapphic convent, isolated fenland, supernatural horror - and it has a fantastic cover to boot. But I spent half of this book trying to figure out why this wasn't working for me and, when I realised nothing was going to change, gave up. I think the problem might have been Giles's writing. It's serviceable enough, with occasional powerful moments - the prologue is very nicely done - but needed so much more atmosphere. (Being stuck in the always-limiting first-person present tense did not help). The setting is barely sketched and our characters are placeholders. The narrator and protagonist, Hilda, is, like 99% of fictional nuns, the convent's infirmarian and healer, so naturally a bit at odds with the rest, and that's about it for her. There's also very little engagement with a time that is very far from our own; five hundred years after Mere, Henry VIII would not yet have ascended to the throne. The characters' thinking about sexuality and faith, in particular, feels very modern, and although I can get on board with a playfully modern historical novel - Lauren Groff's Matrix is the obvious counterpart - I didn't think Giles was going for that vibe. Oh, and yes, the inevitable romance comes out of nowhere. I'm sad, because I really wanted to love this. DNF @ 42%.

I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eerie and moving gothic that often highlights the hypocrisy of organised religion. I enjoyed the perspective of the protagonist, Hilda, who after being raised in a convent is both naive and jaded in turn. Her often witty commentary on the struggles of her sisters with sin and propriety was a joy to read, and the ending was very satisfying. There were some unexpectedly heartbreaking moments, I wasn’t expecting such a rollercoaster of emotions. Wonderful book!

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the ARC

[Emiline · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book put me in a slump whilst also simultaneously being the book that got me out of my slump. slay hilda.

[Chanel Chapters]

DNF

[Ceinwen Langley]

Bittersweet and lovely. I love mystical gay bog nuns.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘It is not wrong to wish not to suffer.’

This is a novel narrating a landscape (a bit like the recent Historical Fantasy Gorse by Sam K. Horton). I spent time living in the area where ‘Mere’ is situated, and completed some research into the history of the environment there, so I’m familiar with its specific kind of dour and dismal character, and appreciate the possibilities it opens up atmospherically for fiction with its brooding mercurial gloom (which is also demonstrated marvellously by Stella Tillyard in The Great Level):

‘the marsh has fingers and it reaches out above water below water and all those places that are both at once and it shelters those fat clotted leeches dreaming of springblood and beneath them trembling beetle eggs one day to be snapped up by pike sharptooth and there are eels knotted with blacksmith muscle and they could take a man’s hand if they wished’.

The principal delight in Danielle Giles’s writing is its precision. At first, it appears weightless and wispy, effortlessly pitter-pattering like light on fenland water. Perhaps it feels that way because she is writing both about an enigmatic landscape, rendered mysterious both literally and figuratively by mist, but also because she is writing about the Christian god and the faith practised by the women of a medieval convent, which are – by their very nature – ungraspable, ephemeral things. Giles’s tender touch is what I wanted from Lauren Groff’s Matrix, and what it failed to deliver as I DNF’ed it.

Upon closer study of ‘Mere’, the translucency of Giles’s style cedes to an uncommon intensity, bound to her representation of female queerness, which offers the reader divers episodes, sometimes delightful, sometimes pitiful:

‘I wish we could stay here,’ I say. ‘With no hunger, no thirst. It would be our Eden.’
‘Two Eves,’ muses Wulfrun. ‘One too many.’

The backbone of ‘Mere’ – in my view – is a deep, deep immersion in the character of Hilda, the kind of incarnation-in-prose that not every author can achieve with characterisation. Every personality is distinctive, bold as they take their parts in the playing-out of the convent’s dark decline. I expected Abbess Sigeburg to dominate (‘For all her faults, our Mother Superior has always been able to gather hope to her. It let her raise the convent out of this sodden earth four decades ago, let her bully and trick gold and tithes and relics from whoever would pay’), but it is to Hilda and Wulfrun that the narrative pays its devotion:

‘I can hear Wulfrun’s heartbeat, the soft workings of her muscles and the rushing of her belly. A whole kingdom, inside of her. When she begins to speak, it is a tremble through her and a tremble through me’.

As the plot extricates itself from the mythology of the mere, from omens, from ‘the curse’, from the shattering episodes of violence (‘I am sparrow-weak lamb-meek a kicked cur called to heel and I do not want them to hurt me’), the prose is vivid, the pacing is slow, yet the most exquisite element is revealed to be the tension Giles indites as the descent into unholiness is tallied against the ultimate ascent towards secular redemptive love.

‘I think of foxes and mice. How there is no deadlier time for both than the silence before the leap. The mouse might escape and condemn the fox to starve. Or, the fox might be the victor and crunch sharp bones in sharper teeth. But for the span of a held breath, none know their fate.’

My thanks go to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the ARC of this fine debut.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an impressive debut. Beautifully written, in a way that just pulls you in, extremely atmospheric and engaging.

A young boy goes missing in the mere which sets off a series of terrible events. Is there a real curse set on the land? Is there something more powerful and dark living within the mere? Or is it just a series of unfortunate events that are being used for multiple power plays within the convent? I loved how the book continuously played with my expectations about where this story would go. I think until the end it never really forced an answer on the reader but rather let the story flow and let me get pulled along into these increasingly unsettling developments.

Our main character is Hilda, an infirmarian who has seemingly equal connection to spells and healing related more to old gods, as well as her Christian faith. I loved how this book showed the mix between the old traditions and how hard it was for people to give them up in favour of Christianity. Aside from Hilda this books is filled with unique characters, all who have their own unique personalities and go through their own journeys. I found it especially impressive since I'm usually bad at remembering a large cast of characters, but this story made everyone feel so distinctive that they were never difficult to follow.

In the end, no matter how cheesy it might sound, it is a story about the power of love. How the shared burden is a burden halved. I'll admit I never expected this story to have a happy ending, not after it made me cry so many times throughout it. But I thought it was a beautiful and a poetic ending. I thought the relationship between Hilda and Wulfrun was magical and sweet and I could have happily spent another 200 pages with them.

I look forward to more books from Danielle Giles.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLE!!!

This is an atmospheric, haunting and immersive story. I was absolutely absorbed from the first chapter! This is a character-driven, eerie novel unlike anything I've read before. I can see people saying this is all vibes and no plot but to me the plot is the interpersonal drama of the community around this convent and how they deal with this folklore-esque horror unfolding in a way that challenges their religion. It's really claustrophobic at times and full of suspense, and the way some of the events unfold alongside each other just enrich the themes of the story over and over again. It's masterful! The prose is also super beautiful, the characters are deep and complex... I was just IN AWE! I barely wanted this book to be over.

Thank you Book Break for gifting me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: Death, violence, injury detail, miscarriage, homophobia, misogyny, slavery, abuse

[ClaireJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mere isn’t published until April 2025 but I just couldn’t resist picking it up after reading the blurb about it!

It is a piece of historical fiction set in 990’s Norfolk, in a crumbling convent where the main character Hilda lives and is the infirmarian there. The convent is located by a mere where there is talk of something evil lurking in its waters.

The nuns are isolated in the dilapidated convent due to flooding and fear, causing panic and later suspicion between each other when more disasters occur.

I absolutely adored Hilda, she was such a strong and admirable character. There was one heartbreaking scene in particular between her and another character I loved that made me want to weep. It was so tender and moving.

Mere is a captivating story about survival, love, power and fear. It shows the influence of religion and myth and how people react and panic, looking for someone to blame when in peril. The supernatural elements and a curse created an incredible atmosphere.

It reminded me a bit of Lauren Groff’s Matrix so if that is a book you enjoyed, I recommend this one. This just has more of a creepy, gothic vibe to it.

Mere deserves to be a hit when it is published. The writing is breathtakingly exquisite and powerful. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

[Holly Cruise]

Norfolk, a closed off, claustrophobic prison, a fenland difficult to cross and deadly for those who don't know its ways, an oppressive religious fervour where the religions involved are a mix of authoritarian Christianity and the creepy and transactional old ways.

But enough about my holiday in 2020, let's talk about Mere!

Mere is set in 990AD Norfolk, in a nunnery beset with failing crops, failing leadership and failing faith. We follow infirmarian Hilda, as she struggled to keep her sisters and the villagers alive especially once a curse from the strange fenland sets in. Can Hilda, her infirmary bffs Tove and Mildred, her mum Sweet, and the interesting new sister/prophet(?) Wulfrun survive the winter?

Really enjoyed this. Descriptively it hems you into its foetid environs, the mould practically growing on each page, the cold only broken by multiple extremely bad appearances from fire. Giles's writing is gripping and efficient, the story moves in ways I wasn't necessarily always expecting, but it still manages to foreshadow its movements well. I am certainly not venturing into any meres without a guide from now on (I live in a dry part of the country, I don't think I've ever ventured into a mere).

[Eleanor]

I hereby crown Mere Gay Nun Book of the Year. [some spoilers, I guess?] That sounds sarcastic and mean, but hey—we had Lauren Groff's Matrix (2021), now we've got this, this is starting to look like a subgenre. What's interesting about Mere, which otherwise has a fairly standard tussle for convent leadership at the centre of its plot, is that it takes the supernatural, and the tension between pagan worship and an imperfectly Christianised populace, seriously. It's obvious from early on that there's something inexplicable about the behaviour of people who get lost in the marsh that surrounds this East Anglian convent, something that isn't attributable to simple disorientation or the aftereffects of exposure. Those who don't die return changed, apparently able to perceive far more of the natural world around them, and able to pass that perception on to anyone who physically touches them. If Mary Stewart's Merlin novels count as fantasy—and she won the Mythopoeic Award for two of them—this certainly does too. For the most part the medieval setting is evoked effectively. There's a sensory and sensual groundedness that the best fiction of this kind has (I'm thinking of Nicola Griffith's Hild, or Sylvia Townsend Warner's The Corner That Held Them, or Stewart's Merlin novels again, or Mantel's Wolf Hall) that Mere doesn't quite have, although there are definitely extraordinarily evocative moments: the scene of the whippings administered to errant sisters on Christmas Eve, for example. The lesbian nuns feel more right than Groff's, though; it's not just about sex but also about emotional connection and intensity. Well worth picking up. Source: NetGalley; publishing 3 April

[Trina Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having lived near the fens and knowing how remote and bleak they can be, it was easy to take myself back to 990AD.
An isolated convent ruled by the Abbess with the aid of her most senior nuns. Sister Hilda, the infirmarian, does her best to keep everyone as healthy as possible with her limited means. The Mere takes a young child and confuses his mind, a curse appears to be brought on the convent and the sisters discover a darkness that has surrounded them.
I found this book a slow read but very atmospheric and supernatural. I think it's a book you'll need to read again to understand it fully. I certainly will.

[Jamie Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really gorgeous, the network of relationships is astounding and serves as the driving force of the novel as tensions rise and loyalties shift, grow and shatter. Though the folk horror aspect isn't as prevalent as I anticipated, I was not disappointed by the drama. Also love sapphics.

[Pien · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was nothing like i'd expected it would be but i still loved it. for starter, it was less about the ancient curse from the depth of the creepy marsh and more about the nuns themselves and the dynamics within the convent and without. the conspiracies gripping, the scandals juicy, the characters so so alive, the writing gorgeous and atmospheric, although there's this little stylistic choice during moments of tension that i didn't love and forced me to knock down half a star from my final rating. the romance so sweet and tender, even more so in such a harsh and seemingly hopeless situation, and sucking me in like a swamp (see what i did there). 4.5 stars.

[samah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was definitely a trek but once things started spiralling they SPIRALLED. Absolutely devoured the last half and definitely will again

[Rebecca Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous debut; thank you to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for the opportunity to read this book.
Set in 990AD Norfolk, we follow the lives of sisters in a convent, almost completely surround by the perilous mere, from the perspective of their infirmarian sister Hilda.
The first half of the book is very slow but it just suits the atmosphere and mood perfectly, it’s a vibe! I could feel the cold and isolation, smell the sweat! I was gripped in the second half even before having any idea where the plot was going. I wouldn’t exactly call this a sapphic romance but there are elements, the book is a complete vibe! Highly recommended!

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danielle Giles' »Mere« is a spellbinding journey through 990 AD Norfolk, where the remote Fens set the stage for a haunting tale laced with fear, survival, and forbidden love. The story unfolds in a convent led by the no-nonsense Abbess Sigeburg, whose control is tested when tragedy strikes—a young servant boy falls victim to the dangerous waters of the mere. This incident triggers a chain reaction that unearths unsettling secrets hidden within the convent's walls.

The plot thickens with the arrival of Sister Wulfrun, whose ominous prediction warns of a looming curse. Hilda, the convent's healer, finds herself caught between her loyalty to Sigeburg and her growing admiration for Wulfrun's bravery. The book expertly examines power dynamics and social standings within the secluded community, as Hilda struggles to reconcile her feelings and the moral implications of her choices.

Giles skillfully creates an atmosphere that's both eerie and intimate. The Fens, with their sprawling marshes and treacherous waters, mirror the characters' inner turmoil and secrets. The air is heavy with tension and apprehension, yet there are glimmers of tenderness as Hilda grapples with her feelings for Wulfrun. The emotional depth of the characters is powerful; readers can empathize with Hilda's inner battle between duty and desire, making her journey relatable and heart-wrenching.

The writing style is poetic yet easy to follow, drawing readers into a world where every word feels significant. Giles' knack for evoking vivid imagery allows us to picture the stark beauty of the landscape while empathizing with the characters' burdens. While the pacing may occasionally slow during exposition, it ultimately helps deepen our understanding of Hilda's emotional conflicts.

Danielle Giles brings a wealth of knowledge to this story, with her background in history and literature adding authenticity and depth to »Mere«. Her exploration of historical themes through personal narratives prompts readers to reflect on larger societal issues while staying invested in the individual characters' stories.

»Mere« isn't just a historical novel; it's an emotional odyssey set against a backdrop of societal constraints. It challenges us to contemplate how love can blossom in darkness and how individuals can forge their paths amidst fear and uncertainty.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this novel. I loved it! A crumbling convent in Norfolk in the middle of a brooding marsh in 990 AD. The convent and small local population are plagued with increasingly disturbing incidents. Is there something in the Mere that is causing this? Great characters centred around Hilda the convent infirmarian and a gripping page turning plot. The author immerses you in the atmosphere of early medieval England, so much so that you can taste and smell it! Historical fiction at its finest with layers of superstition, old ways, religion and ancient remedies.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book about 10th-century lesbian nuns and medieval English folklore featuring a bog demon, you'd think I would have enjoyed this more. As soon as I heard about this book, I added it to my TBR because I anticipated a 5-star read. I try not to make books suffer under the weight of my expectations, but I wish I loved this more. While Mere by Danielle Giles is a solid showing of debut talent, well-researched, and full of so many great ideas, this was not as fun to read as I initially hoped.

It's clear that Giles knows what she was talking about here. I love it when I can tell that a writer enjoys what they're writing about, but I wanted more excitement. So many of the big and intense moments in this novel went over my head because of how lethargic the writing got at times. This is partially marketed as a horror, and I wish that this were a little more out there like The Green Knight (2021) and The Northman (2022). I'm not asking this author to be like David Lowery or Robert Eggers, but I wanted it to be a little punchier at times. I would have liked to see it lean deeper into the absolute craziness of Old English folklore and play more with the setting. Weirdness pairs well with medieval horror. It's in the bogs and swamps of Norfolk, far from civilization. I would have liked to read something a bit more primitive and naturalistic. Other reviewers have pointed out how they wanted to see this book play more with the time period, and I agree.

The novel is quite modern in its tone and the way Hilda questions her religion, which makes this narrative choice stand out so much. I can't decide on if I enjoy that or if I would have liked for that aspect to be a bit more realistic and cause for conflict.

With all of that said, I liked this novel. It's interesting and steadily-paced, which a lot of historical horror can lack. I was intrigued by Hilda and Wulfrun's relationship. The initial sense of dread, as the convent believes they are cursed, was a lot of fun, as well as the early mystery about the disappearance of a character. This is one of those strange little books that I can see growing on me, and I'll think about it randomly a while from now. I'll snap my fingers trying to remember the name of it, and I'll probably read it and love it later.

[Chloe Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set against a backdrop of 990 AD Norfolk, England, debut author Danielle Giles weaves a tale of folklore, threading faith, womanhood, power and sapphic longing into a tapestry that unfurls itself slowly, like the creeping of the mere.

“This is not you, Sister Hilda. What evil drives you to speak so?”

“Not evil,” I say. Wulfrun stands so close to me. I might almost reach out and touch her. Grasp her fingers in mine, twine ourselves so we would never be untangled again. It is potent, this courage, addles me as nothing else has done before.

I was incredibly excited to start this book, as it very much fulfils a number of tropes I love. Primarily, the sapphic romance, which is tender and sweet, and laced with its own faith. Awe and devotion, worshipping at the altar of her hipbone, Hilda’s love and admiration for Wulfrun is wonderful to read.

The romance is not the sole focus of the novel, which I also liked. Being set in a convent, the cast of characters is predominantly female, and the dynamics between them all were incredibly compelling. I loved reading how Hilda interacted with each of them, from Sigeburg to Sweet, from Ava to Mildred. There is love and resentment in equal measure, as is often the case with family, and it felt very real, especially in the face of strife.

The second trope I love to see well written is faith itself, and how differently it manifests in each individual. Giles did a wonderful job at presenting the complexity of mortals in the face of both the holy and the unholy. What gives one woman the hope to continue in this life may also instil such inexplicable fear in another, from which her only escape is confession and punishment. Faith and survival, hand in hand, bind these women together, and it is both beautiful and horrifying to see what they are driven to because of it.

I knocked one star off due to it being a very difficult read for me at first, not because Giles is a bad writer — in fact, faaaar from it! — but because, like many folk tales, the buildup is slow and drawn out. I found myself trudging through it, much like the mudbanks of the mere itself, but the second half made the ache worthwhile. In fact, the second half of this book is so turbulent and mysterious that I could not put it down. It took me three weeks to read the first half, and two days to read the second.

The prose is downright beautiful, the characters were all compelling to me, and truly I am so grateful to have been able to read this book early. I cannot wait to see what else Danielle Giles comes out with in the future, because this was an amazing debut!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC. I absolutely recommend this book, especially to any fellow sapphics!

[Amanda Taft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for a digital copy of Mere by Danielle Giles in return for an honest review.

Mere is set in the Fens of Norfolk in 990AD. Abbess Sigeburg is head of a convent of Christian nuns who live, work and pray together. The old ways - legends of giants, devils in the marshes, sacrifices and suchlike still exist, alongside their Christian beliefs and I expect it was exactly like this in these times. Hilda, one of the main characters, is the infirmarium; the healer of both the sisters and the local people. Having an interest in Medieval times I found this part really interesting. I went to the British Library’s exhibition on ‘Medieval Women - In Their Own Words’ recently and it was fascinating and so interesting. In Medieval times, women were not free and most had little say in their lives.

This book is so atmospheric, it is almost possible to feel the claustrophobia and the isolation created by the mere as it encroaches due to the floods. Hope, survival and love are the feelings it evoked in me. It is eerie, dark and compelling and I enjoyed this book immensely.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with the ARC.
I didn’t expect to love this book so immensely. We follow the live of a convent in 990 AD where our MC is the infirmarian Hilda. And what a character she is, absolute devoted to humans and healing, but after the arrival of another woman the story takes a sinister turn. This is a historical fiction set in times of young Christianity and old paganism still existing together in a small community. The hidden legend of a mere-devil waking to take a sacrifice is surfacing after years and our brave sisters have to try and save their community against the pestilence, hunger and floods of biblical proportions. Astonishingly written, this book has so much heart and soul, deep love and suffering, faith and sacrifice. The love between infirmarian Hilda and sister Wulfrun was so very touching. I cried my eyes out and I am so happy I had the chance to read this masterful piece of literature. A debut to be remembered. I will be first in line for every new book that Giles writes.

[Gus Moystad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strong 3.5. This book was full of cool ideas, images and storylines. Love the lesbian convent power struggle meets cursed swamp demon. The setting was dope, the atmosphere the author was going for was dope, the meeting of old religion and Christianity, the diversity of the cast, the realness of the multicultural society of 990 AD England. It was just that I didn’t feel the technical skill of the writer quite matched the brilliance of the ideas. I understood the atmosphere she was going for, but her paired down writing left it a little underdeveloped. Same with the characters - it feels like they were fully fleshed out to the author, but the way she communicated it to us was clumsy and limited. I didn’t really -get- the setting until the last quarter of the book, because she hadn’t really spent any time getting it across. I feel like she could’ve either edited out some of the plot -or- expanded the book as is with some good, juicy descriptions of the vibe, the setting. Any description was done in passing, which left me kind of unsatisfied. All in all though, it started coming together in the end and I did enjoy it.