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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you will recall, when I read The Lost Queen a little over a year ago, I fell in love with it. From the setting to the characters to the vibe, and of course the story (as we all know Arthurian Legend has always been a favorite "retelling" topic of mine), it was just wonderful. And I am so very pleased to inform you all, without any ado, that this second installation in the trilogy is just as good.
The Forgotten Kingdom basically picks up exactly where The Lost Queen leaves us. Langoureth waits, imprisoned in her room, to hear news of the battle between her husband and her brother (Lailoken). In the aftermath of the battle, learning who she has lost, Langoureth must carry on in the capital as she mourns and waits for further word of her lost daughter (Angharad) and exiled brother/Dragon warriors. With the increased threat from the expanding Angle kingdom, Langoureth and Lailoken and Angharad, along with the rest of the Britons, face impending war to defend their land. Despite the increasing conflict between the Old Ways and Christianity, and long-standing old internal rivalries, the Britons will have to band together to face that external threat. And they'll turn for aid to a new ally, a young warrior named Artur.
As with the last book, although the major aspects of this story (the action, if you will) is primarily based on the unfolding effects of the actions of the men, as history is usually is communicated, the women in this trilogy take a more central stage, as far as story-tellers and the "behind the scenes" manipulations that fuel and decide the outcomes of these major events. The primary perspectives this story is told through are, as before, Langoureth (holding it together on the "home front" for family and country and tradition, ascending, at last, to Queen) and Lailoken (struggling with his battle losses/illness and sliding into a certain kind of madness). But there is an additional POV, that of Angharad, that becomes a major voice and force shaping events. And I loved it. As we watched Langoureth grow into herself in the first book, this book allows us to take a similar journey alongside Angharad. Separated from Lailoken and during the battle that opens the novel, we follow her growth over miles and years as she learns more about her power and trains into her role as a priestess. It's a wonderful chance for Pike to give us more of her amazing descriptions of England/Scotland - the land, the people/cultures, the beliefs - the way she writes it just really makes me feel like I am there. Plus, there is a definite romance hinted at that I cannot wait to see more of in the final book because honestly, the entire love situation so far has been deeply bittersweet (a product of the politics of the period and the way relationships were used for maneuvering, not for feelings). And it's been so well written. But it's still heartbreaking (like really, Langoureth and Maelgwn leave such a longing ache in my heart).
From battles to politics to "magic" to the characters' growth and interactions, this fictional history is superbly atmospheric. I fell right back into the story and the land and I never wanted to leave (in fact, I definitely strung out reading it in order to be able to stay with it longer). Pike creates such full female characters, diving deep into their strength and resilience in the face of grief, lost love and lives, violence, separation, compromise and more. Yet, despite it all, they continue to take what choices and power they can, in whatever way(s) they can, to manipulate their reality to protect those they love, the beliefs that are important to them, and their land/homes. It's intense and inspiring and so completely rendered. Again I say, you can truly tell how much Pike respects and cares about these characters and their stories. I am so ready for the culmination of this new look at an old legend (and I am dying without an expected pub date for the final book to look forward to.)
“Yes, women and warriors were more alike than one might expect. After all, the entirety of a woman;s life was made of blood. Our wombs seized and shed each month. Our babies were born of such agony and gore men could not comprehend. Both women and warriors were students of pain.”
“But when you wish away your memory, you cannot choose what you keep.”
“We may not always have the choice we would like, but we always have a choice.”
“The yoke of destiny is heavy - but it does not ask more than we are able to give. Follow it or shrink from it. The choice is yours. But if you refuse it out of fear, you will never become the woman you are truly meant to be.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
catherineclark'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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Drug use, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault
tonstantweader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2020/09/26/9781501191459/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
The Forgotten Kingdom is the second in a trilogy that takes us back to right before Arthur, telling us the story of Merlin’s sister whose existence is suggested by a 13th-century poem of him in dialogue with his sister. Signe Pike did a lot of research on the literature and history of the era and of the different tribal groups sharing the British Isles and used that knowledge to take a wild leap into her imagination, crafting an incredible story of a woman the world only barely knows existed. This story weaves together three narrative threads, Lailoken (Merlin,) his sister Languoreth, and her daughter Angharad, or as they are named. Lailoken had taken Angharad with him to Uther Pendragon’s kingdom to teach her the ways of the Wisdom Keepers as those with magic were called. Lailoken’s husband joins with Uther’s enemies to attack them even though his daughter is there and she is lost after the battle and Lailoken barely survives, retreating to an ancient hermitage for an ancient and dangerous ritual. Angharad tries to get home but instead ends up far away among the Picts, an ancient tribe of people whose history is lost to memory, giving Pike a lot of freedom to invent. There she grows up among her grandmother’s people. How they are brought back together again is the stuff of legends. I have mixed feelings about The Forgotten Kingdom. On one hand, it was thrilling to read, bold, imaginative, and breathless in pacing. On the other hand, I read it a week ago and my sleep schedule is still out of whack from staying up to read it from beginning to end. I loved it. I want to read “The Lost Queen” which is the first and frankly, September 2023 when the third book will be published cannot come soon enough. So, I nearly gave up on the book during the first few chapters, though I think this was a product of reading a second book without reading the first. Overall, the first book was not necessary to enjoy the second or understand the story. Pike did an excellent job of carving out space for this book to stand on its own. However, since people were introduced in the first, she didn’t spend a lot of time introducing them in the second, so at first, I was overwhelmed by the names of people and places. I think it likely that would not have happened if I had read “The Lost Queen” before The Forgotten Kingdom. And let’s just admit those ancient names are hard. So many consonants! People who avoid books written by African, Asian, or Arabic writers because of difficult names obviously have not read books about ancient Celts and Britons. Anyway, once I just stopped resisting the names and let myself sink into the story, I didn’t come up for air until the end. It is that good. I received an e-galley of The Forgotten Kingdom from the publisher through NetGalley
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