Bury the Living is the latest work by Jodi McIsaac, and the first book in her new Revolutionary series. It’s a bit of a hodge-podge genre-wise, but it all fits together, and creates a cohesive tale.

Nora O’Reilly is a rebel, born and bred. From her family fighting in the Irish Civil war, to Nora’s working with the IRA, rebellion is in her blood. After losing her father and older brother during the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland in the 1990’s, Nora joined with the IRA to help in the fight. That desire to fight carried her through to the present day, with Nora working in refugee camps in war torn countries.

Then Nora begins having strange dreams. Of a young man with grey hair, calling for her to help him. Telling her that she’s the only one who can. Nora goes back to Northern Ireland, not for the express purpose of helping the man, Thomas Heany, but to help him nonetheless.

Transported back in time to 1923, by the mysterious Sisters who follow St. Brigid, Nora finds herself in the middle of the Irish civil war. She also finds Thomas, and a whole mess of trouble as well.

Nora may have the key to saving her precious Northern Ireland, but she’s got to convince Thomas to go along with her plan. And he has one of his own, that he’s not revealing to Nora just yet.

Will Nora and Thomas prevail in their mutual want to save Ireland, and alter the course of history? Will Nora be able to return to her life in the modern day? Will Thomas be able to find his path? These are some of the questions left unanswered by McIsaac at the end of Bury the Living, and it makes a good cliffhanger in anticipation of the next book in the series.

Bury the Living was a good read. There was brilliant research done for it, from the IRA gangs in the mid 1990’s, all the way back to the Civil War in the 1920’s. Places were described, and people fleshed out so that the past seemed to be the present. Nora had to use the history she remembered from her lessons in order to not stick out like a sore thumb, and she succeed fairly well. It’s quite obvious that McIsaac has some great love of Northern Ireland, and attention to detail. It’s very well portrayed, and convincingly presented. And all the different themes, from Nora’s teen struggles, Thomas’s revelations, the war, Brigid, time travel, all were woven together in a believable manner, which I was a bit surprised by. Very pleasantly surprised. It’s a book that I’ve mentioned to several other history fans, and those who enjoyed the Outlander series, and it’s got some similar themes.

Bury the Living
Jodi McIsaac
Series: The Revolutionary Series (Book 1)
Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: 47North (September 6, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1503935515
ISBN-13: 978-1503935518