Author(s): Ilka Tampke

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For the people of Caer Cad, 'skin' is their totem, their greeting, their ancestors, their land

Ailia does not have skin. Abandoned at birth, she serves the Tribequeen of her township. Ailia is not permitted to marry, excluded from tribal ceremonies and, most devastatingly, forbidden to learn. But the Mothers, the tribal ancestors, have chosen her for another path

Lured by the beautiful and enigmatic Taliesin, Ailia embarks on an unsanctioned journey to attain the knowledge that will protect her people from the most terrifying invaders they have ever faced.

Set in Iron-Age Britain on the cusp of Roman invasion, Skin is a thrilling, full-blooded, mesmerising novel about the collision of two worlds, and a young woman torn between two men.

~ Fans of Juliet Marillier will enjoy this, the first of two novels by Ilka Tampke set in Iron-Age Britain, in the time of the druids. The novel is beautifully written but does not shy away from the brutality of Pagan rituals that were adhered to at the time. The book is a very compelling story that delves into the life of Ailia, a young woman who was abandoned as a baby and does not know her parentage or, most importantly, her 'skin' - her totem. For her people, 'skin' enables people to marry, be educated and be a part of important ceremonies, even to have a soul when they die. Despite having none of these privileges, Ailia is determined to learn, to venture into sacred and forbidden territories in her search for the truth, and for the man she loves who seems caught between two worlds - the spiritual place of the Mothers and the physical realm. Ailia is compelled on a journey which leads her to question the very meaning of 'skin', identity, belonging, and the path of her people on the cusp of Roman invasion. A wonderful read. Jemma