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anxious_undertaker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War
wordsofclover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It's 900 AD in viking era Ireland, and in this story we follow two gifted, driven women with different agendas. First is Gormflaith, a woman in possession of a special power due to her magical heritage, but one she has to keep secret. Gormflaith is determined to help her son Sitric gain the throne of Dublin and will get rid of anyone who is in her way. We also follow Fódla, part of the remaining descendants of the Tuatha de Danann and has the gift of healing. As Gormflaith helps Sitric, Fódla is charged with travelling to the home of King Brian Boru and spying on him and his troops.
I really enjoyed this brilliant foray into ancient Ireland. It really helped spark a new passion into trying to learn more about these old figures of history and well as ancient folklore and mythology connected to Ireland. I though the juxtaposition of Gormflaith and Fódla as our characters were brilliant as in the ways they are similar, both powerful in their own right but also beholden to the men in their lives, though while Fódla is gentle and kind, Gormflaith is ruthless and happy to kill those in the way even if they are innocent.
The author weaved true history in with fantasy and magic brilliantly - making the story unique and fun, yet still respecting the deep history and beliefs of ancient Ireland. Really looking forward to the next book and seeing how Gormlaith and Fódla's stories intermingle with that of Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf!
I really enjoyed this brilliant foray into ancient Ireland. It really helped spark a new passion into trying to learn more about these old figures of history and well as ancient folklore and mythology connected to Ireland. I though the juxtaposition of Gormflaith and Fódla as our characters were brilliant as in the ways they are similar, both powerful in their own right but also beholden to the men in their lives, though while Fódla is gentle and kind, Gormflaith is ruthless and happy to kill those in the way even if they are innocent.
The author weaved true history in with fantasy and magic brilliantly - making the story unique and fun, yet still respecting the deep history and beliefs of ancient Ireland. Really looking forward to the next book and seeing how Gormlaith and Fódla's stories intermingle with that of Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
ayoung720's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A really fun book which mixes history and fantasy beautifully, I think Lawless does a really good job blending the two genres into a very coherent story. My only slight nit-pick would be that the cast of characters is huge for a ~400 page book, sometimes making it hard to keep track of everyone, but overall it was a very solid read. Can't wait to get book 2 soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: War, Sexual violence, and Slavery
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