Medieval Ireland is full of magic and danger, with the Anglo-Normans threatening to invade. Ireland is a fragmented nation of numerous kingdoms that can’t even figure out who their High King is, let alone figure out how to fend off the Anglo-Normans. Caught in the middle is Cuan, the man who is friends with Isolde, the Descendant who is trying to stay alive and learn about her powers. Cuan must fight for revenge for his father by surviving in his treacherous uncle’s court. Can Cuan and Isolde survive against the Irish and the Anglo-Normans, or will their worlds be burned to ashes? Shauna Lawless continues the Gael Song Era 2 series in the second book, “Son of the Serpent.”
I would like to thank Head of Zeus and Net Galley for sending me a copy of this novel. I enjoyed the first book in this series, “Daughter of the Otherworld,” when I read it a few months ago, so when I saw that there was a second book, I wanted to read it. The first book ended on such a cliffhanger that I had to know what happened next.
We begin this novel with Cuan’s story before he met Isolde. He was the son of a prince, and before his father became High King after his grandfather’s death, his uncle Ruaidri took the throne. Now, Cuan lives in his uncle’s court as a nobody, but he has secret powers of his own. Meanwhile, Isolde is learning about her gifts in Seir Kieran, including the gift of seeing visions of the future. She tries to use her powers to protect the other Descendants from the Fomorians and the destruction they bring.
On the other side of the conflict, we have the Fomorians, Donnchad, Angelo, and Gormflaith, who have their own schemes. Donnchad works with Strongbow on a planned invasion of Ireland. Gormflaith plays the cards she is dealt to become a powerful woman in the ranks of Strongbow’s court. Meanwhile, Angelo is on the hunt for the Descendants. Each has to use schemes and disguises to infiltrate and make their plans work. The way this novel ended was a shocking twist that I hope will be resolved in book 3.
It took me a minute to get into this book again, as I was trying to remember who these characters were and how they connected, especially Cuan and Isolde, but once I did, this was a fun ride. It was darker than the first book, filled with action and suspense. I cannot wait to see where the series will go next. If you enjoyed the first book in the Gael Song Era 2 series, you might enjoy “Son of the Serpent” by Shauna Lawless.
When we think about powerful queens, we tend to think about medieval and early modern rulers. However, there were queens from ancient times who rose to power and gained reputations that lasted for centuries. In ancient Babylon, there was one woman who began life as an orphan but fought her way to become the Queen of Assyria. She was known as both Semiramis and later Sammuramat, the wife of Ninus, who was known by his royal name Shamshi-Adad V. How did Semiramis become the only female ruler of the Assyrian empire? Her story and the stories of the two men she fell in love with are told in Costanza Casati’s latest novel, “Babylonia.”
When we think about the Norman Conquest, we often think about how it impacted England, Wales, and Scotland, but we tend to forget about Ireland. Early medieval Ireland do not get a whole lot of attention in historical fiction. That is, until Shauna Lawless’s Gael Song trilogy. Now, fifty years after the events of the original trilogy, Lawless has brought in a new cast of characters, as well as old characters, into the fight between the Descendants of the Tuatha De Danann and the Fomorians. When a child of prophecy is introduced into the mix that is said to be able to defeat the Fomorians, the race is on to protect the child or to kill her. Will the Descendants survive, or will the Fomorians torch the land and the Descendants’ hope? Shauna Lawless jumps back into this work with the Gael Song Era 2 book 1, “Daughter of the Otherworld.”