Bog Queen

Bookseller recommendation

“A beautiful read! The perspective of the moss bog is haunting as we follow the journey of two young women in their respective times. The interwoven stories make this one hard to put down. There are lines I will return to many times as I recall this tale.”

— Meg • Main Street Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Anna North has given us a beautiful, thought-provoking, and ingenious entry into the fairly new Eco-fiction genre and a look at a period of history I have never read about. She takes the multiple viewpoint perspective and uses it in a way that amazed me. Her viewpoints are from two women both fighting for self-respect and to fit into their rapidly changing worlds. One is a new Druid in Celtic Europe around 50 BCE at the dawn of the Roman age. A second viewpoint is in 2018 from Agnes an American forensic pathologist, who is tasked with identifying and trying to determine what happened to the ancient body that was unearthed in a bog in northern England. Agnes is probably neuro divergent and though brilliant has trouble fitting in. The third voice is that of the moss bog which tells the story of our planet and our green spaces and what we come to lose if environmentalists lose their fight with big business interests. The prose is so beautiful I kept wanting to write down phrases and I didn't want to stop listening. This is a literary masterpiece that is extremely relevant to the world we currently live in.”

— Nancy • Fiction Addiction

Bookseller recommendation

“4.5/5⭐️s I really really enjoyed this book! You get a healthy blend of environmental activism, creepy corpse stuff, science and dual pov that’s spans thousands of years. I found this book refreshing in that there were female characters and we didn’t feel the need to add an unnecessary romance plot line that I feel like a lot of books are adding just to be able to get some romance readers. This story is great. I like that you follow both the story lines of a forensic anthropologist trying to figure out how the woman whose body they found died and everything about her, and the Druidic woman whose body she has discovered thousands of years after her death. I will say that the ending felt a little abrupt for me and I wish we would have gotten a little more there but all in all a great book, I definitely recommend!”

— Briana • The Novel Refuge

Bookseller recommendation

“Absolutely stunning. Well-crafted, thought-provoking, complex. The dual time lines weave together with a subtlety you rarely see in such stories. Easily on my short list for favorite book of the year. ”

— Chelsea • The Lakewood Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“After listening to this lovely narration, I want to learn more about peat bogs AND Druids. The deep dives into the subject matter never bogged down the essential human stories. ”

— Amy • Snowfort Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This fascinating novel jumps between past and present after a body is found preserved in an English bog. ”

— Lauren • Book Ends

Bookseller recommendation

“This book weaves together two timelines, contemporary and ancient (2000 years ago). I loved the glimpses into the Druid civilization and the dive into medical anthropology. ”

— Andi • Linden Tree Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I was totally immersed in this story - the narration was wonderful and I loved the dual POV that bounced us from present day back to the Iron Age. ”

— Jean • Books on Main

Bookseller recommendation

“This is an anthropological mystery set in Northwest England. It is a slow burner, but I loved it! Agnes, a highly intelligent yet socially awkward American forensic anthropologist, investigates a nearly preserved 2000-year-old body discovered in the bog. The story is told from multiple perspectives and timelines. I greatly enjoyed the Druid's experience and loved the profound poetry expressed by the moss. Thank you libro.fm, Anna North, and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ALC! ”

— Fabre • Anthology for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Agnes, a forensic anthropologist in post-Brexit England, is set on a collision course with local environmentalists when the nearly perfectly preserved body of a woman who lived almost 2000 years ago in Celtic Europe is discovered in an English bog that is slated to return to nature. Agnes finds herself fighting to uncover the forensic clues to the woman’s fate. Bog Queen moves back and forth between the Iron Age and current times, matching science with myth to explore the age-old question of why and to whom history matters. ”

— Casey • Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookseller recommendation

“Extremely well written. I’m a big fan of the book, Stiff, by Mary Roach. I loved learning about the human body and what happens after death—so much happens that most people are unaware of. For me, Bog Queen was Stiff meets fiction. You get the forensic aspect, but on a more connected level. You watch Agnes grow as a person in her field throughout the book while also seeing the events that transpired through the Iron Age woman’s eyes. To be able to see both sides of the coin was quite a story. ”

— Amber • The Press

Bookseller recommendation

“Agnes, a forensic anthropologist, is brought in to help with an investigation of a body found in a northwest England bog. Agnes soon realizes that this body is that of a woman who lived thousands of years ago, at the very beginning of the Roman era. North skillfully alternates between the stories of these two women, one a visionary leader battling those who see the future differently than she and one a scientist battling vying factions and being forced to re-examine her own role and values. And then we also hear the voice of the bog moss itself, mysterious, complex, and enthralling. A fascinating listen. ”

— Nancy • Raven Book Store