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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
3.5/5 for enjoyment, 4/5 writing
There's a lot of interesting things here! It is historical fantasy with real events from Ireland in the 900s (read the authors note to get more details on the accuracy!) but some of the characters (that were real people!) are made into types of magical beings from Irish mythology, Fomorians and the Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The book also takes place in a time of expanding Christianity, and it shows a lot of religious tensions between Irish Christians, the Norse Vikings, etc. High-ranking people feel forced to convert for better trade deals and diplomacy.
There are also a lot of moments of women struggling to be taken seriously in a time where everything is ruled by men. There's a lot of deep themes explored in this, and the plot was fairly interesting but it barely goes anywhere! Nothing happens at the end, you have to read the next book! It could have been one book istg. I prob wont be finishing the series.
There's some palace intrigue stuff. Also one of the main characters is pro-enslavement but the other one isnt and lives in a kingdom where the King has forbidden enslavement but you occasionally hear both of their feelings on it so that may not be for everyone.
Good/funny quotes:
"It seeemed the more devout you appeared and the more confident you sounded in knowing the will of God, the more you could get away with"
"It's all very incestuous here, Olaf. You'll do well to remember that."
"Why does a man have the right to die with honor, but a woman not."
"He didn't care if I screamed or cried, just that I did as he asked."
"Ornaments have no desires or voice, and that was what he expected of me"
There's a lot of interesting things here! It is historical fantasy with real events from Ireland in the 900s (read the authors note to get more details on the accuracy!) but some of the characters (that were real people!) are made into types of magical beings from Irish mythology, Fomorians and the Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The book also takes place in a time of expanding Christianity, and it shows a lot of religious tensions between Irish Christians, the Norse Vikings, etc. High-ranking people feel forced to convert for better trade deals and diplomacy.
There are also a lot of moments of women struggling to be taken seriously in a time where everything is ruled by men. There's a lot of deep themes explored in this, and the plot was fairly interesting but it barely goes anywhere! Nothing happens at the end, you have to read the next book! It could have been one book istg. I prob wont be finishing the series.
There's some palace intrigue stuff. Also one of the main characters is pro-enslavement but the other one isnt and lives in a kingdom where the King has forbidden enslavement but you occasionally hear both of their feelings on it so that may not be for everyone.
Good/funny quotes:
"It seeemed the more devout you appeared and the more confident you sounded in knowing the will of God, the more you could get away with"
"It's all very incestuous here, Olaf. You'll do well to remember that."
"Why does a man have the right to die with honor, but a woman not."
"He didn't care if I screamed or cried, just that I did as he asked."
"Ornaments have no desires or voice, and that was what he expected of me"
4.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC! (And thank you to Cymera Festival for the opportunity to meet the wonderful Shauna Lawless)
I've got only good things to say about the book, only small things that I wish could've done differently but overall, amazing read! Hooked me from start to finish (though it did take me a while to pick it up and finish, oops).
Can't wait to start the next one right now, thanks again Netgalley for the opportunity to read these incredible novels!
Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC! (And thank you to Cymera Festival for the opportunity to meet the wonderful Shauna Lawless)
I've got only good things to say about the book, only small things that I wish could've done differently but overall, amazing read! Hooked me from start to finish (though it did take me a while to pick it up and finish, oops).
Can't wait to start the next one right now, thanks again Netgalley for the opportunity to read these incredible novels!
For the longest time, I thought historical fiction/fantasy wasn’t the genre for me, but The Children of Gods and Fighting Men threw that notion straight out of the window. This story was everything I was hoping it would be, and then so much more.
Just give me two incredibly complex, cunning and bad-ass female leads, throw in some compelling Irish history and mythology, add some cutthroat political intrigue and top it off with a flair of magic. Now, I don’t know about you, but I was sold!
I think what made this story work so well for me is the fact that it’s so character-driven and relatively low in action. Many historical fiction stories focus heavily on the battle scenes, which I just don’t tend to care about. But here, the story is carried by two amazing female leads whose journeys I just couldn’t stop reading about. Both Gormflaith and Fodla are extremely compelling characters who are so different and yet so similar to each other. They are both very strong, cunning, ambitious and morally complex characters and they both have magical abilities that they have to hide from the world for their own reasons. Also, they will stop at nothing to protect their family, even if that means resorting to less than savoury business. I know I am not the first one to say this, but Gormflaith absolutely gives Cersei Lannister a run for her money; she was so cunning and vile, but all for the benefit of her own son. I just loved that there truly are no clear good and bad guys here, it made the story all the more compelling!
Now, even though this isn’t an action-packed or battle heavy book, that doesn’t mean that it’s a boring story. In fact, it’s one of the most engaging and captivating stories I have read in a while. The tension is high from the start and you will just be filled with anticipatory dread the entire way through. This book contains some of the most intense and cutthroat political scheming and there are some brutal back stabbings and betrayals, which I was all here for.
My only quibble with the story would be that I sometimes struggled a bit to distinguish between Gormflaith and Fodla’s POV (even though they are named at the start of each chapter), because their voices occasionally felt a bit similar to me. But luckily that didn't end up hindering my enjoyment all that much, because I was so engrossed in the story overall.
Lawless’ prose was just utterly captivating, not because it’s overly poetic or lush, but because it was so effective and understated in just the right way. And I also simply adored how Irish mythology was seamlessly woven into the story. That magical flair just made the whole thing even more entrancing.
This book really does deserve all the high praise it’s been getting, it was absolutely fantastic and I will forever love it for making me realise that historical fiction is indeed a genre that I can enjoy.
What a way to kickstart your writing career, Lawless is an author to watch for sure. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next! HIGHLY recommend!
Just give me two incredibly complex, cunning and bad-ass female leads, throw in some compelling Irish history and mythology, add some cutthroat political intrigue and top it off with a flair of magic. Now, I don’t know about you, but I was sold!
I think what made this story work so well for me is the fact that it’s so character-driven and relatively low in action. Many historical fiction stories focus heavily on the battle scenes, which I just don’t tend to care about. But here, the story is carried by two amazing female leads whose journeys I just couldn’t stop reading about. Both Gormflaith and Fodla are extremely compelling characters who are so different and yet so similar to each other. They are both very strong, cunning, ambitious and morally complex characters and they both have magical abilities that they have to hide from the world for their own reasons. Also, they will stop at nothing to protect their family, even if that means resorting to less than savoury business. I know I am not the first one to say this, but Gormflaith absolutely gives Cersei Lannister a run for her money; she was so cunning and vile, but all for the benefit of her own son. I just loved that there truly are no clear good and bad guys here, it made the story all the more compelling!
Now, even though this isn’t an action-packed or battle heavy book, that doesn’t mean that it’s a boring story. In fact, it’s one of the most engaging and captivating stories I have read in a while. The tension is high from the start and you will just be filled with anticipatory dread the entire way through. This book contains some of the most intense and cutthroat political scheming and there are some brutal back stabbings and betrayals, which I was all here for.
My only quibble with the story would be that I sometimes struggled a bit to distinguish between Gormflaith and Fodla’s POV (even though they are named at the start of each chapter), because their voices occasionally felt a bit similar to me. But luckily that didn't end up hindering my enjoyment all that much, because I was so engrossed in the story overall.
Lawless’ prose was just utterly captivating, not because it’s overly poetic or lush, but because it was so effective and understated in just the right way. And I also simply adored how Irish mythology was seamlessly woven into the story. That magical flair just made the whole thing even more entrancing.
This book really does deserve all the high praise it’s been getting, it was absolutely fantastic and I will forever love it for making me realise that historical fiction is indeed a genre that I can enjoy.
What a way to kickstart your writing career, Lawless is an author to watch for sure. I can’t wait to see where this series goes next! HIGHLY recommend!
"I could’ve had fun ruining a man like him."
Gormflaith is basically what you'd get if Cersei Lannister and Princess Azula had a baby, and that alone should make you want to give this one a try.
Gormflaith is basically what you'd get if Cersei Lannister and Princess Azula had a baby, and that alone should make you want to give this one a try.
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great way to wrap up the year, with a five-star read! This was a highly entertaining book, and I think might be my first historical fantasy novel. It's basically a story of two different women with magical abilities, trying to get their way in the extremely male-dominated world of 10th century Ireland without being sussed out as non-human. Themes of motherhood dominate the story, with one character still dealing with the loss of a child while caring for her sister's son, and the other a widowed queen trying to ensure the success of her own royal son (while giving off a very Cersei from Game of Thrones vibe). The world building is superb, characters are deep, and it was definitely a page-turner. Great action scenes, too. Highly recommended for anyone who played through the Ireland part of Assasin's Creed: Valhalla, since that game took place about a hundred years before this book. I was definitely visualizing the Dublin from that game while reading! I'll definitely be reading the next one to see how the story continues....
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Murder
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes