Ancient History by Liriel McMahon

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Cover for Liriel McMahon's Ancient History: A Novella - Shows a young blonde woman facing away, but looking back over her shoulder holding a book. Some flowers in background.
This one made me nostalgic for my university days! Studying in the library, chatting with my friends about ancient history, hoping to uncover something shocking and cool! I admit the nostalgia may have coloured my enjoyment of the book, but even without that, it's a good story.

Ayef dreams of being a Curator, historians who edit the past and present their version to society, but after a bit of a shake-up, her dream shifts to becoming a Historian. Curators obscure the past, while Historians reveal it. But first, Ayef must study under a Curator to learn what exactly it is that they are obscuring. This is the source of the main conflict of the plot and the mystery/reveal about the ancient secrets is interesting and complicated.

The quote "history is written by the victors" is often tossed around (and it is mostly true). McMahon's story touches on this idea, and others, while exploring the complicated ideas around who should have access to what information. Considering the length, they do a good job with this, and I would be curious to see if McMahon ever revisits this world and shows what happens after the events of this story.

Along with the ancient mystery, there is a romantic subplot between Ayef and another main character. While, I, personally, felt that they fell in love a bit too fast, it was a still a very sweet, tender romance, and I was rooting for them in the end.

The world building was intriguing, and not just the ancient mystery. Characters in this world have Talents. For example, Ayef is a Copyist. She can copy texts/images as accurate as any photocopier in a matter of minutes. We get a couple of examples of other types of Talents, and again, I hope McMahon revisits this world, because I am curious what other Talents are out there and how they work.

I recommend this book for fans of ancient mysteries, sapphic romance, strong heroines, and those who miss their university days.

Check out Liriel McMahon's website.

Buy the book here.

 

 

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