Bog Queen

A Novel

By: Anna North

Narrated by: Lily Newmark

Bloomsbury presents Bog Queen by Anna North, read by Lily Newmark

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AND ESQUIRE

In the gorgeous new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Outlawed, “a strangely well-preserved Iron Age body turns up in an English bog, and the American forensic anthropologist on the case is thrust into an absorbing, complex mystery” (People magazine).

When a body is found in a bog in northwest England, Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate. But this body is not like any she’s ever seen. Though its bones prove it was buried more than two thousand years ago, it is almost completely preserved.

Soon Agnes is drawn into a mystery from the distant past, called to understand and avenge the death of an Iron Age woman more like her than she knows. Along the way, she must contend with peat-cutters who want to profit from the bog and activists who demand that the land be left undisturbed. Then there’s the moss itself: a complex repository of artifacts and remains, with its own dark stories to tell.

As Agnes faces the deep history of what she has unearthed, she’s also forced to question what she thought she knew about her talent, her self-reliance, and her place in the world. Flashing between the uncertainty of post-Brexit England and the druidic order of Celtic Europe at the dawn of the Roman era, Bog Queen brims with contemporary urgency and ancient wisdom as it connects across time two gifted, farsighted young women learning to harness their strange strengths in a landscape more mysterious and complex than either can imagine.©2025 Anna North (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Mixed Bag

There are 3 narrative voices in this book: the timeless “moss” or bog, the woman whose body is found there, and the forensic anthropologist involved in the investigation. The first and third of these are compelling. But the dead woman, who tells her story in the first person from 2000 years ago, is often not credible. Modern language creeps into her telling, as when a girl refers to her former boyfriend as a “loser,” and a king asks a visitor if they think he should have “kicked out” the Romans. The woman, a Druid, was not properly chosen for that role and fakes her way through many challenges, suffering from what we would call “imposter syndrome.” Sad.

Excellent story, not the best recording

I thoroughly enjoyed this story with its three different perspectives of the importance of the bog. However, the recording was not the best. Several conversations were clipped which made listening less enjoyable. I am wondering if those parts might be improved upon before future sales of the audiobook??

Disappointing

This book didn’t resonate with me the way I’d hoped. The science behind bog bodies was fascinating, and I really enjoyed the ancient storyline—especially the Druid’s perspective from centuries ago. But overall, I found the character development lacking, which is important for me in novels. The ending also felt anticlimactic after so much buildup.

The narration didn’t help. Most of the voices sounded similar, and combined with the thin character development, it was often hard to tell who was who. Agnes was the only one I could reliably identify because she had an American accent. I also really wished the modern-day storyline had been written in first person, the way the ancient sections were. First person would have given the protagonist more depth and helped me connect with her. The third person perspective made Agnes feel aloof and unknowable.

One thing I did appreciate was the environmental themes. The reminder of how harmful modern peat extraction is to our fragile ecosystems is important. I already don’t buy peat, and this story deepened my resolve.

Overall, it was okay, but I wouldn’t listen to it again.

Thought Provoking

This story shows the transcendence of human nature. It's a well-written, thought provoking story. Unfortunately, I found the narration wasn't up to the level of the literature and took away from the experience.

Characters, plots, and underlying thoughts

A delightful read. Fascinating. I wish it had been twice as long. Deep ,complex and I believe I will read it again soon.