The Lost Saint by Rachael Craw

Recently dumped, heartbroken Ana struggles to put the past behind her on a high school field trip exploring landmarks where a 14th-century mystic is said to have performed wonders.

When the students sneak out to party in a sacred cave, a catastrophic earthquake hits. The survivors emerge in a world they don’t recognise, stumbling into a battle between medieval knights and Northmen. The students flee, and Ana is chased off a cliff by dutiful lieutenant Leon, who is badly injured in the fall. Sparks fly between Ana and Leon: to survive, they need to rely on each other and as their trust grows, so does romance. They must endure a perilous journey through the forest, escape a superstitious mob, and evade the Northmen who hunt her with dark and mysterious purpose. Together they must find the legendary mystic everyone calls ‘The Saint’ who is said to have the power to send Ana home… until an unexpected twist changes everything.

Author Rachael Craw drops readers straight into the action in this young adult fantasy story. It did take a while to gel with the story, primarily because readers aren't given much chance to connect with the main character, Ana. She felt a little two-dimensional, with her development sacrificed for the action.

It is aimed at teens, and Craw pitches the story at that age range well. There's romance, but it's generally age-appropriate, and not over-the-top. Having said that, I didn't feel the spark between Ana and Leon, again possibly because I didn't feel any real connection to either of them as characters.

Craw treats her readers with respect, not talking down to readers, and the story is a good step for younger fans of Outlander.

Craw's writing is poetic, and she absolutely nails the setting, building a multi-layered and interesting world. This definitely feels like a first book, with Craw building up readers to enjoy a whole series on Ana's adventures. Despite not being overly invested in what happens to Ana, Craw's writing is enough to pull me in and follow along in this time-travelling adventure.

Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell

Allen & Unwin