I enjoyed Nicola Griffith's novel "Spear"

The first half is fabulous, with some exquisite language. But I didn't realize what the story was about when I started, and once I did, the second half felt both too familiar and too rushed. 

Winner of the ADCI Literary Prize

Winner of the L.A. Times Ray Bradbury Prize

Finalist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction

Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novel

Finalist for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel

Finalist for the HWA Gold Crown Award for Historical Fiction

Available at Amazon.