If You Loved Greenteeth, Here’s What to Expect from “Nightshade and Oak” by Molly O’Neill

A fallen goddess, a warrior daughter, and a quest through British myth.

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.

Review

First, a big thank you to Orbit Books UK for my copy!

I practically begged for this book because I am a HUGE fan of Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill. That one completely stole my heart, so my expectations were sky-high going into Nightshade and Oak.

This story is a solid tale deeply rooted in British folklore and myth. The central trope is a quest — and then, as any good fantasy does, a quest within a quest — with tasks our characters must complete to set things right.

Let’s meet them.

Mallt Y Nos — Mallt of the Night, Shepherd of the Dead and Dying. A goddess who has roamed the earth for thousands of years with her dogs, riding with the Wild Hunt and guiding souls to Annan.

And Belis — daughter of Boudica, raised as a warrior among the Iceni.

A spell gone wrong strips Mallt of her powers, makes her human, and leaves Belis’s sister on the brink of death. Now these two very different women are forced into an uneasy alliance and a long journey to Annan to ask the god Arawn for help.

Of course, their quest is anything but straightforward. Otherwise, where would the fun be?

What I loved most was watching Mallt experience humanity for the first time. Hunger, exhaustion, blisters, muscle pain… she’s like a newborn in an adult body, and it’s both funny and humbling to witness. She starts off looking down on Belis, but quickly learns that being human is no small feat — especially when Belis is out there fending off Romans and monsters alike. Belis is the perfect foil to Mallt.

I also loved the glimpses into Belis’s childhood and the subtle threads of Roman occupation woven into the story. The folklore elements were fascinating, and I was very happy to find witches along the way.

What I missed, though, was the whimsy, tenderness, and gentle humor I adored in Greenteeth. Maybe because this time we follow a duo instead of a trio. It’s simply a different tone than I expected — not worse, just different.

But one thing is certain: Molly O’Neill really knows how to write, and how to bring folklore to life on the page.

Thanks for reading.

Sophie