A full-blooded, mesmerizing debut novel from a highly original new voice in fiction.

Celtic Britain, AD 43. For the Caer Cad, ''skin'' is their belief, their greeting, their ancestors, their land. Skin name determines lineage and identity.

A young girl, Ailia, grows up an outsider in her village because she has no skin name; despite this, she is a remarkable young woman, intelligent, curious and brave. As a dark threat grows on the horizon - the aggressive expansion of the Roman Empire - Ailia must embark on an unsanctioned journey to attain the knowledge that will protect her people, and their pagan way of life, from the most terrifying invaders they have ever faced.

SKIN is a standout debut which invokes the mesmerizing, genre-transcending magic of novels such as Jean M. Auel''s Clan of the Cavebear; it combines epic storytelling with a strikingly unique plot set during a fascinating period of Britain''s history.