I am not rating this book in stars, I will be rating it in sobs. 5 sobs. 5/5 sobs and so many emotions.

As a book, this was incredible and I loved every second of it. As the close in a trilogy I adore, it was everything I hoped it would be despite being distraught and mad about certain character's endings. I don't disagree with anything Shauna did but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I genuinely don't even know where to start with this.

We first start 9 years later, with Gormflaith reminding us why it's perfectly acceptable that she gives you the chills. She is unbelievably ruthless from the get-go. Then we jump ahead another two years, now 11 years on from The Words of Kings and Prophets. Fódla meanwhile is with Colmon and Broccan on Rathlin Island, where they are protected by Colmon's spell over the land, but of course they have to rejoin the world. That means Gormflaith and Tomas too.

We absolutely know there will be a big confrontation between Fódla, Gormflaith and Tomas but I can absolutely say I did not see it going the way it did. I was always not a Tomas fan but after everything in this book alone, he is hands down on my literary hit-list. Nevertheless, nothing he did stood out from what you'd expect from him. It made sense for his character. Just like nothing Gormflaith did deviated from her character. There were definitely some characters that surprised me and I think will very much surprise everyone else who reads the Gael Song trilogy.

I could talk about the Irish politics happening in and around all this but Shauna's note on the historical side of the book really lays out the true events nicely. Consequently, I think this was a fantastic meeting of magic and history and just brought it all together.

Without question, and despite the endless 'no, no, no' I silently cried while reading, The Land of the Living and the Dead closes off Gael Song beautifully. Not everyone got the ending I would have liked for them, but they certainly didn't feel wrong. And with all three books now done and two novellas to add to the world, I can say with absolute certainty, this has cemented Gael Song as one of my favourite series, if not my no. 1 favourite.

Another brilliantly detailed and engaging historical fantasy set in 11th C Ireland. Really enjoyable - I was hooked from beginning to end.

4,5 stars.
5/5 stars for the concept and the themes. There is certainly a gap in this particular topic of Irish folk and myths being retold, and my quest was fulfilling.
4/5 for the prose and the plot (the pacing partly due to the worldbuilding)
4.5 for the characterisation.
Queen Gormflaith makes a curious character.
I am eager to read more by this author, books with these characters and on similar topics, Irish mythology is extremely rich and deserves more exploration.

Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for a review copy of this novel. Packed full of drama and tension Lawless offers us another instalment of the sweeping and moving tale of Irish God descendants and mortals in the time of Brian Boru. Like the others before it, the novel provides engaging, rich characters, immersive plot and a real sense of the time period to create an unputdownable read.

When the novel opens Ireland is experiencing peace, united under one king, Brian. His son, Murchad, though still missing his beloved Fodla, is proud of his father’s accomplishments and wishes only for peace, and proud of his son, who has become a skilled warrior in his own right. Brian’s second wife, Queen Gormflaith, now possessing the witch power of a descendant to add to her own Fomorian fire magic, watches and observes events, plotting to shape them to her advantage, along with her brother, Murchad, the King of Leinster. Fodla herself, a descendant, hides with her now grown nephew in Raithlinn with her cousin Colmán. Away from Tomas, her former husband, and away from the dangers in the mortal world. But peace is short lived. The machinations of those who are greedy for land, power and wealth ultimately bring both the Descendants, the Fomorians and mortals into perilous conflict with deadly consequences.

With high stakes playing out on all sides, Lawless leads us through an incredibly tense and twisting narrative that weaves the history in such a compelling and at once compulsive manner to a dramatic and in some aspects fairly unexpected conclusion. An amazing series and a must read for any lovers of history and myth, especially Irish history and myth. Highly recommended.

Yep, I binged this. Absolutely excellent and Shauna Lawless is extremely talented at what she does. Was completely sucked in.

This story was truly all about the family dramas.

Gormflaith and her plotting about how her family are going to achieve her aims and wishes, a Queen and matriarch of both her family and attempting to be of the whole of Ireland really ramps up in this book. I did have a laugh at how typically things never go to plan with her male relatives not listening to her.

The tone switches between the evil plotting Formorian point of view of to the more innocent and good seeming point point of view from Fodla and the Descendants is done really well and how the scene has been set for the next generation and book really made me excited to see where the drama is going to go in future stories though I had no idea how this one was going to end.

Such a well written and engaging story of a historical fantasy fiction, I have pre-ordered a special edition hardback from The Broken Binding to match my others in the series.
Thank you to the publisher Head of Zeus for an early gifted ebook of this on NetGalley.

I must admit the Gael Song series are probably some of the best historical fantasy books which I have had the pleasure of reading. I was looking forward to this instalment so much.

It did not disappoint, the amazing world that Shauna Lawless has created pulls you straight to where The Words of Kings and Prophets left off.

The two leading ladies Fódla & Gormflaith continue to shine through but the additional points of view from other characters such as Murchad & Colmon are a brilliant addition to the story. These allowed me to really feel the story.

This series has everything a fan of historical fantasy fiction could want, brilliant villains, a great story and a powerful ending.

5 stars and I cannot wait to see what Lawless does next in the amazing world she has created.

I was very excited to receive this arc having read the other books in this series and very much enjoying them
Like the previous works this was very well written and informative. If you are interested in Irish mythology with political intrigue this series may be for you.
This is very slow paced with not much action and focuses more on the history and mythology which I like but may not be for everyone.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and hope to read more from this author

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

THIS BOOK IS SO COOL. LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT. I SUPER RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK ASAP. I RATED IT 4 STARS.