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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The air we breathe gives me the right, the soil beneath my feet. I am born of this land, just as you are.”
“You kings and princes war and fight like little boys hitting each other with sticks, squabbling over the same land. And it is always the poor people who pay the price.”
Wow, I did not expect to be sooo sucked into this book! I read half of this book on one long uncomfortable flight that made the experience a little more bearable. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes character-driven fantasy focused on politics, especially if they’re a nerd for history like I am.
First, the world building is amazing. I don't think I've ever read a historical fantasy based on Irish mythology before (I had never heard of the Tuatha Dé Danann or Formorians and didn't know they were based on actual mythology until reading the author's note!), so this felt very fresh and new to me. I love how grounded it is in real history and real historical events that make the world feel so immersive. There were a few times where the characters' dialogue felt a little too modern, but I think it would be difficult to get it to feel time-appropriate considering this was over a thousand years ago. I did feel a little overwhelmed in the beginning by the amount of kings referenced that made the politics seem so confusing, but I quickly got used to it as time went on.
Second, Fódla has my whole heart; I love her so much. She's definitely the moral compass of the story, and I loved seeing her journey to learning how to live her life according to her own beliefs (that is very much still in progress by the end!). I loved her dedication to her sister and her nephew, and her growing relationship with Morchad that has me like 👀. Gormflaith is such an interesting foil to her. At first I really liked her and was rooting for her, but then some of her thoughts and actions became so despicable. Still, she's such an interesting character that I still love her chapters just as much as Fódla's as I'm always curious to see what she'll do next and how she'll justify it (like how she only supports feminism when it benefits her). I support women's wrongs, as they say. I saw Lawless say in an interview (https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/interview-shauna-lawless/) that Fódla represents the mothers who want all children to thrive, and Gormflaith represents those who focus only on their own child(ren), and that adds a whole other layer to this story.
I didn't really know where the plot was going, and it was exciting the whole time. I feel like no page was wasted as everything was important to the story. I thought it was so interesting that a lot of the battles were glossed over in the beginning since this is so focused on women's experiences of the time. And the one battle scene still felt very grounded in the female POV and was so engaging despite me typically glossing over them. I'm sooo curious to see what will happen in the next book.Will Fódla be punished for using magic to cure Morchad, and will Rónnat be able to help her / get more involved? Will Gormflaith be able to find the Descendants' fortress, and what will she do if she does? How will she deal with her marriage?
Can't wait to continue the series! I immediately bought the second book (only one of my libraries has it and it's a 12 week wait... I can't wait that long!).
First, the world building is amazing. I don't think I've ever read a historical fantasy based on Irish mythology before (I had never heard of the Tuatha Dé Danann or Formorians and didn't know they were based on actual mythology until reading the author's note!), so this felt very fresh and new to me. I love how grounded it is in real history and real historical events that make the world feel so immersive. There were a few times where the characters' dialogue felt a little too modern, but I think it would be difficult to get it to feel time-appropriate considering this was over a thousand years ago. I did feel a little overwhelmed in the beginning by the amount of kings referenced that made the politics seem so confusing, but I quickly got used to it as time went on.
Second, Fódla has my whole heart; I love her so much. She's definitely the moral compass of the story, and I loved seeing her journey to learning how to live her life according to her own beliefs (that is very much still in progress by the end!). I loved her dedication to her sister and her nephew, and her growing relationship with Morchad that has me like 👀. Gormflaith is such an interesting foil to her. At first I really liked her and was rooting for her, but then some of her thoughts and actions became so despicable. Still, she's such an interesting character that I still love her chapters just as much as Fódla's as I'm always curious to see what she'll do next and how she'll justify it (like how she only supports feminism when it benefits her). I support women's wrongs, as they say. I saw Lawless say in an interview (https://www.grimdarkmagazine.com/interview-shauna-lawless/) that Fódla represents the mothers who want all children to thrive, and Gormflaith represents those who focus only on their own child(ren), and that adds a whole other layer to this story.
I didn't really know where the plot was going, and it was exciting the whole time. I feel like no page was wasted as everything was important to the story. I thought it was so interesting that a lot of the battles were glossed over in the beginning since this is so focused on women's experiences of the time. And the one battle scene still felt very grounded in the female POV and was so engaging despite me typically glossing over them. I'm sooo curious to see what will happen in the next book.
Can't wait to continue the series! I immediately bought the second book (only one of my libraries has it and it's a 12 week wait... I can't wait that long!).
Characters: 5
Plot / Pacing: 4.5
Setting / World Building: 5
Writing Style: 5
Themes: 5
Rating: 5
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3 very generous stars.
Let it be known that before anything else I am a hater to my core. It had nothing to do with the slow pace and mostly political plot because I’ve loved books that follow similar themes.
The ending was decent and enjoyable and I can see how & why it has readers continuing the series. However, the rest of the story was very flat and none of the characters were likable. The whole book felt like sad beige colors; no life to it whatsoever.
Last but not least, have yall seen those “boy moms” on TikTok? That’s how Gormflaith’s character came across.
Let it be known that before anything else I am a hater to my core. It had nothing to do with the slow pace and mostly political plot because I’ve loved books that follow similar themes.
The ending was decent and enjoyable and I can see how & why it has readers continuing the series. However, the rest of the story was very flat and none of the characters were likable. The whole book felt like sad beige colors; no life to it whatsoever.
Last but not least, have yall seen those “boy moms” on TikTok? That’s how Gormflaith’s character came across.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First Irish mythology book I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I listened, as well as read on my kindle. Hearing both sides of the story makes the reader care about perceived antagonists and protagonists. I appreciated the way the author created the two female leads as more than just mothers. They love their children, but they eventually start to love their life for themselves. Knowing that characters are based in reality only makes me want to read for about Medieval Ireland
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a good debut novel and intriguing start to a trilogy! The blend of fantasy and historical fiction was fun to explore, especially with me not being too familiar with Ireland and its history.
This is definitely a slow burn, but I was never bored and always interested in where the story was taking me. I quickly began to deeply despise some characters, evidence of Lawless’s strength in character writing already.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the following books and novellas!
This is definitely a slow burn, but I was never bored and always interested in where the story was taking me. I quickly began to deeply despise some characters, evidence of Lawless’s strength in character writing already.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the following books and novellas!