Rebecca Stott's novel Dark Earth is a tale of loss, survival and love set in the brutal and compelling world of sixth-century Britain. After the exiled Great Smith dies, his daughters Isla and Blue must find a way to survive greedy warlords and accusations of witchcraft without the protection of kin. They are also keeping secrets. Their father taught Isla his trade despite the laws forbidding women from working in the forge; the firetongue swords that the lords covet were actually made by her. When that secret is revealed the sisters narrowly escape mutilation and slavery, taking refuge with a group of fellow outcasts amongst the ruins of Roman London.

At the heart of the book is the relationship between the sisters. In the five years since their exile, 20-year-old Isla and 17-year-old Blue have had only each other and their troubled father to rely on; now they are far less isolated ...