I recently discovered the existence of NetGalley, I know, I know! And it seemed like an excellent idea to me. Obviously it would because I adore books and the idea of being in on a secret. So I signed up and waited for something I was interested in to become available and for me to get access too. Two days ago that day finally came.
I saw a link on Twitter to an early release of Joseph Elliot’s The Burning Swift and pounced. If you have missed the first two instalments of this trilogy then where have you been? The first two parts The Good Hawk and The Broken Raven were fabulous. The multiple narrative voices were all engaging and well characterised and the second part had me in tears at the end.
I finally had a moment to start reading earlier today and four hours later I was done (having been interrupted to play Top Trumps). And what a delightful, traumatic and uplifting four hours it was. Elliot never fails to evoke the ruggedness of the Highlands and Islands in his fictionalised Scotia and it calls to me as the real landscape does. The various settings are detailed and evocative. The characters are of the land in a very real way.
We continue with the multiple narrator style of the previous two novels and I remain hugely impressed with the way in which Elliot controls the narratives and leaves us waiting to discover what happens next in a masterclass of narrative structure.
The diverse voices of the text are realistic and delicately handled in their various struggles. These are characters at a difficult age in a difficult time in hugely difficult situations and they sound like genuine teenagers. The various relationships are sensitively happened and add real depth to the plot. This is a book that is genuinely representative of difference. It is embroidered through the text with the overriding message that we have more in common that that which divides us. I cried, I cheered, I laughed, I gasped.
On a personal note, as someone who wishes she knew more Scots Gaelic (the language I should know and that is the source of my son’s name), the integration of some Scots Gaelic was fabulous. I started recommending The Good Hawk to my KS3 students as soon as it came out. Now I will ensure that the trilogy is stocked in our library and on my reading lists.
The final part of The Shadow Skye trilogy is out on the 6th January 2022. Whatever rating you choose to use I give this book full marks!

So I am a big fan of the first 2 books in this series (The Good Hawk & The Broken Raven). the mythical version of Scotland that Elliot has created is just beyond magical. Dark and mysterious, it's a wonderful place to read about.
So I was desperate to read this book, the third and final book in the series.
Boy, I was not disappointed!
I stayed up most of the night reading this, as I could not put it down! It was absolutely brilliant! Obviously, a continuation of the previous book, this is told from the point of view of 3 different characters, Jaime, Agatha and Sigrid. Each has their own unique voice, bringing their vibrant personalities to the story.
Sometimes the characters are interacting, but a lot of the time they are split up around Scotia and sometimes in Ingland. It was fantastic reading each part of the story and seeing it all come together in the end, each tale weaving together, each as important as the other.
there were lots of parts of this book that I had really hoped would happen (especially to do with Jaime and Cray's relationship). It was not a predictable story at all, and the conclusion was incredibly satisfying.
So I highly recommend this book, but obviously, read the first 2 books before you read The Burning Swift, because otherwise it will make zero sense.

my only complaint - and it is minor! - is that, there are a lot of different words used (based on gaelic and norweigan), and honestly, i haven't a clue how to pronounce any of them. one of the main characters in this book is called 'The Badhbh' ... not a clue how to say this one. But honestly, I just made up the pronounciations in my head and read them how i felt like reading them. I just prefer to have a pronounciation guide to help me out with names or words that I'm not clear on.

DRC provided by Walker Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: gay white Scottish protagonist with anxiety, disabled white Scottish protagonist, gay white Scottish tertiary character.

Content Warning: anxiety, violence, death, internalised homophobia, sexism, misogyny, ritualistic self-harm.

The Burning Swift by Joseph Elliott is the marvellous conclusion of the Shadow Skye trilogy, an enthralling fantasy series set in a mythical Scotland, deserving of more notoriety than it gets.

After saving the girl who came to warn the clans of Skye, Agatha, Jaime and their friends will need to recruit allies and plan their defence against the incoming army of Norveg and Inglish soldiers set upon them by the evil and ruthless King Edmund and Konge Grímir.

I received a galley of the previous books in the series last year and I was extremely happy and excited to have been given the chance to read and review the series’ finale as well. As always, I will have a hard time reviewing because I adored the book and, while I do not get why, I often find it difficult to put thoughts to paper.

I loved this book even more than the first two. I thought it was a brilliant end to the series. Seeing Agatha’s, Jaime’s and Sigrid’s internal growth throughout the whole trilogy (even if Sigrid only turns up in the second book) was simply splendid and so were the adventures and the fighting scenes; the discourses about beliefs and how one should not impose one’s own views on others and instead learn to respect them delighted me.

The Burning Swift captivated me from start to finish and made me love even more the whole series. I do not only recommend everyone to read this exceptional trilogy, but I implore you to do so because I am fairly sure you will not be disappointed.