Today’s book review is about NIGHTSHADE AND OAK by Molly O’Neill. This standalone historical fantasy occurs during the early Roman occupation of Briton right after Boudica’s revolt.
Author: Molly O’Neill
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Orbit
Publish Date: February 3, 2026
Print Length: 288
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Nightshade and Oak Synopsis
Synopsis
An Iron Age goddess must grapple with becoming human in this delightful historical fantasy of myth and magic from the author of the instant hit Greenteeth.
When Malt, the goddess of death, is accidentally turned human by a wayward spell, she finds she’s ill-equipped to deal with the trials of a mortal life. After all, why would a goddess need to know how to gather food or light a fire?
Unable to fend for herself, she teams up with warrior Bellis on a perilous journey to the afterlife to try to restore her powers. Frustrated by her frail human body and beset with blisters, Malt might not make the best travelling companion.
But as animosity slowly turns to attraction, these two very different women must learn to work together if they are to have any hope of surviving their quest.
Nightshade and Oak Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
Standalone novel NIGHTSHADE AND OAK is set in the earlier days of Roman occupation of England, circa 60 CE given it starts right after Boudica’s revolt. Mallt, the goddess of death, is accidentally turned human while shepherding souls of the fallen. She begrudgingly journeys with Beliscena, Boudica’s daughter, to the afterworld to try to restore her powers. But, as with any quest, what starts as a not-so-simple mission becomes a bit more involved than they bargained for.
I loved that this book occurs during ancient Briton simply because it seems like such an underutilized time in historical fantasies. Thankfully, though, one doesn’t need extensive knowledge about early Roman occupation of Briton nor of Celtic tribes. O’Neill weaves in pieces of history to provide the reader with enough context to understand but not overwhelm.
As with GREENTEETH, the author’s debut, the writing style kept me engaged. However, because this is very much a quest book, I felt it dragged a little, particularly in the middle. While it doesn’t even break 300 pages, it felt like it took me longer than usual to finish this book. Even though the writing is good, I didn’t find myself as invested in Mallt and Beliscena as I hoped.
I think this is because I didn’t sense much chemistry between them even though they learn to trust each other and more. The building blocks are there for the chemistry. They endure a quest together, they open up to each other, but the emotions weren’t evident until the very end. I suppose if one prefers a quiet type of love, this might be perfect. But a part of me wishes O’Neill hadn’t included the romance because the chemistry wasn’t there nor did I feel it added much to the story.
However, I enjoyed it enough to see Mallt and Beliscena through to the end. I appreciated the happy but bittersweet ending. Life and love are complicated, and I think this ending succeeds in highlighting that. Overall, NIGHTSHADE AND OAK is a novel that expounds that you don’t have to have superpowers to make a big difference. And that not all mighty feats make it into the history books or ballads, but they are mighty nonetheless.
Rating: 3.5
Content warnings: rape (implied), violence, gore, blood, death of a parent, torture
Reading format: Kindle e-ARC
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy DARK EARTH by Rebecca Stott.
I liked this a lot, although Greenteeth is still my favorite of the two books. I thought the ending was just right. I’m pretty picky about endings so I’m glad the author took the more emotional path.
I’m glad she picked the more emotional path for the ending, too!
Im sorry this one wasnt as strong a hit for you as the authors debut. The setting definitely sounds like an intriguing one but a romance without chemistry is very hard to invest in. Although I do appreciate a good bittersweet ending. I’ll probably try Greenteeth first but I do want to read this one sometime too. It’ll also be interesting to see what the author writes next.
Nice review! I”m looking forward to reading this, since I really loved Greenteeth!
Great review! I still haven’t read this author’s debut but even despite this not being as strong for you, I’m curious enough to still want to give it a go. It’s always a bummer when you don’t find yourself as invested in the characters and their relationship though! I love the sound of this historical setting though. I’m also glad to hear that at least the ending was satisfying 🙂
I enjoyed reading your review, thanks for sharing