The biggest problem with the book - and I think I read this in a review, so it is my own damn fault for not listening: SO many anachronisms. Despite the reminders that we were in ancient roman britannia, it never really felt like it. The author's note at the end made me feel a little better about some of the things that felt out of place (or really too modern) for me, but I still couldn't "believe" we were in the ancient roman empire. I've never read anything placed in this era, and I thought it would be great to try something new. I was just too distracted by things that didn't seem fit into that period of history as I understood it. Character development was lacking in some regards. The "mystery" part was okay. I didn't completely see it coming, but I wasn't surprised either. I don't think I thought enough about it to try to figure it out ahead of time. It was just okay. I'd maybe try the second book before giving up on the series all together...