I think Tabula Rasa was my favorite book in this series so far. It just came together the best in my opinion. The plot didn't get too complex and all the different personalities played off each other really well. The atmosphere and the realism brought everything to life vividly. It was thoroughly satisfying in every way.
Tilla and Ruso are now working up at the fort, Parva, with the army helping Hadrian build his famous wall. Ruso's old clerk, Albanus, has asked Ruso to get a position for his nephew, Candidus. Ruso does make him his own new clerk but after only a couple days, Candidus goes missing. Ruso at first doesn't panic, the guy actually was rather annoying and didn't seem all that competent. He thinks he might have deserted or run off for a while, but as the days pass he begins to get more and more nervous. And then a rumor about a body being buried in the wall starts to make its rounds. At the same time this intrigue is developing, Tilla has been befriended by an old man who knew her mother. She wants him to bless her marriage to Ruso. All these factors intertwine into a really great plot that involves the feast of Samain and the uneasy cease fire between the natives and the Romans.
Ruth Downie writes with such deftness and such a light touch. She's never wordy but she paints evocative pictures of what life must have been like. I really thought this story was brilliantly executed.
Now, on to the last book in the series (so far. Maybe the author is still writing them? But now I've caught up to all the ones published so far.)
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
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