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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
3.75 stars.
Definitely recommend for fans of grey characters and bloody scheming—Game of Thrones peeps take note.
The narrators Gormflaith (gorm-la) and Fódla (foe-la) were both interesting, though I understandably liked and was rooting for Fódla more. The differences between them were fascinating. Gormflaith was a manipulator, Fódla was being manipulated. Both were protective mothers, though Gormflaith's love was selfish and conditional on being loved, while Fódla had more actual care and concern for others.
I found it a little slow at first, but then the story got going and it drew me in. I liked how the mythological elements were incorporated into historical Ireland and found the long-lived/immortal Tuatha Dé Danann's dilemma regarding their interactions with mortals particularly interesting and well-handled. It's not something I see explored frequently, despite the prevalence of faeries/elves/other long-lived species in fantasy. In particular, the conundrum of inevitably being drawn into mortals' lives and wars and then ending up on opposing sides and killing each other, and the resulting imperfect solution of imposing strict no-interaction policies that were impossible to follow and created ethical dilemmas, was so perfectly placed against the backdrop of the plethora of warring Irish clans.
I'm not sure I would've been so interested if there hadn't been characters I liked and rooted for embroiled in the mess, though. The tentative friendship that formed between Fódla and Murchad was so enjoyable to watch and I'm excited to see how their relationship progresses in the sequels.
Sidenote, Tomas -- a snake of the highest order. Absolutely hated him.
Definitely recommend for fans of grey characters and bloody scheming—Game of Thrones peeps take note.
The narrators Gormflaith (gorm-la) and Fódla (foe-la) were both interesting, though I understandably liked and was rooting for Fódla more. The differences between them were fascinating. Gormflaith was a manipulator, Fódla was being manipulated. Both were protective mothers, though Gormflaith's love was selfish and conditional on being loved, while Fódla had more actual care and concern for others.
I found it a little slow at first, but then the story got going and it drew me in. I liked how the mythological elements were incorporated into historical Ireland and found the long-lived/immortal Tuatha Dé Danann's dilemma regarding their interactions with mortals particularly interesting and well-handled. It's not something I see explored frequently, despite the prevalence of faeries/elves/other long-lived species in fantasy. In particular, the conundrum of inevitably being drawn into mortals' lives and wars and then ending up on opposing sides and killing each other, and the resulting imperfect solution of imposing strict no-interaction policies that were impossible to follow and created ethical dilemmas, was so perfectly placed against the backdrop of the plethora of warring Irish clans.
I'm not sure I would've been so interested if there hadn't been characters I liked and rooted for embroiled in the mess, though. The tentative friendship that formed between Fódla and Murchad was so enjoyable to watch and I'm excited to see how their relationship progresses in the sequels.
Sidenote, Tomas -- a snake of the highest order. Absolutely hated him.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, War
this was so good, the audiobook is truly excellent like i don't know if i could have read this without it, especially with the pronunciations. everyone in this book deserves better honestly.
historical fiction/fantasy usually isn't my thing but somehow this really clicked with me and i'll definitely be continuing the series
historical fiction/fantasy usually isn't my thing but somehow this really clicked with me and i'll definitely be continuing the series
I really wanted to like this book, but while it seemed well-researched and built the world well, there was so little plot and the characters were flat. Additionally, I didn’t like Gormflaith at all. I thought she was an awful person with a one-track mind who kept tearing other women down. She tells her stepdaughter that she’s stupid and that she doesn’t care about her because she’s not her “real daughter”, and then similarly berates her son’s wife. Her being a Fomorian hardly ever comes up in a way that influences the story at all, and our other PoV character Fodla’s story never seems to have anything to do with Gormflaith.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
gormflaith is sooooo #boymom
Had to return it to the library :( but on top of that, the characters were just not developing as the story progressed. Maybe I’ll give it another try later, but I couldn’t justify continuing to renew the loan.
adventurous
medium-paced