Warriors of Alavna

This is the story of two 15-year-olds who find themselves summoned to the first century AD, where they become blood brothers to a Celtic tribe after witnessing the massacre of the women and children of a whole village. Dan and Ursula, both with various problems in 'real' life, find they have special powers, and help their adopted tribe to defeat the Romans occupying the area. I found if uneven and far from gripping despite a good basic storyline, with poor punctuation and inappropriate use of contemporary language sometimes obscuring the sense. This is particularly apparent at the end, which appears rushed and weak. In addition, many serious themes, such as gender roles, the relationship between self-image and achievement, and the importance of a supportive peer group, are raised but not dealt with adequately, leaving the reader dissatisfied and faintly disturbed. Having said this, my young testers were enthusiastic about the story and enjoyed the historical context.