Well that emotionally destroyed me! I mean, really?! What just happened?!

Suffice to say, Shauna Lawless has done it again, brilliantly combining folklore and fantasy to create a richly detailed and vividly real imagining of medieval Ireland.

In this third novel in the Gael Song series, the various competing interests of the Tuatha de Danaan, the Fomorians, the Vikings and the Irish come to a head. Love, family and friendship, on all sides, is tested by ambition and betrayal, with political machinations ultimately leading to an epic and costly battle.

It's impossible to comment too much on the book without revealing spoilers, but if you read and loved the first two books in this series, you will not be disappointed by this third. Spectacular, spell-binding and just leaves you desperate for more..

eARC Review: The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless 🥀

If I could use emojis to just tell my entire reaction to this conclusion of the first Gael Song series, they would be: 😭😍😈🤬😰🤯😭 Shoutout to @lookmairead for fangirling with me on Storygraphs and making this such a fun buddy read! 🫶🏼

But seriously, I had an incredible time reading this even though it had me stressed to the NINES. I’m devastated in the best way I could be, and honestly if I had to say there was a book written for me, it’d be this. 🥹

If you haven’t read the first two books of the series (first of all, WHY ARE YOU READING THIS AND NOT THOSE BOOKS??), this review may contain spoilers for those two plots. You have been warned! ‼️

The story continues a decade after the events of the second book. Fódla and Gormflaith have evolved in ways that I both loved with all my heart (the former) and loved to hate (the latter). Fódla, my sweet sweet girl, has put her life literally on hold to help raise her nephew, Broccan. I loved the dynamic between the two as they go back out into the world. And her reunion with Murchad? I’m dead with happiness though their ending is a close second after having my heart in my throat. 🥲

Gormflaith, my lord girl. Her scheming stressed me out sometimes and as much as I would love to celebrate a woman making so many despicable decisions, man was it fun celebrating her getting hit in the face with karma, especially with her youngest. 😈

God what else can I talk about without giving out super spoilers? I just loved the conclusion even though I did stress cry for the characters. I’m also starting a petition for a novella about Broccan and Tairdelbach because I need more of them! I have a feeling I know who the last novella coming out this year will be about, but how can I voice it without again giving away more spoilers? 🫣

HUGE thank you goes to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for accepting my request to be lovingly traumatized in exchange for an honest review. And a MASSIVE thank you goes to the author, Lawless, for crafting the Irish historical fantasy of my dreams. I’m so excited to see what your next series and what period of Irish history will be about (the Norman invasion of Ireland??). 💚

Publication date: September 12 (UK)/17 (US)!!

Overall: 5/5 (DUH!)⭐️

✨Book Review-ish✨

I’m not sure how Lawless expects us to coherently write a review after that ending.

My goodness, I can’t even give constructive notes- just, more please. (Thank goodness two more series are in the works.)

I knew I was invested in the series after book 1- but book 3 made me realize how emotionally invested I was. 😮‍💨 This series begs to bring out all your feelings.

👏Do👏not👏sleep👏on 👏this👏series👏.
Please.
Pretty please.
To my #historicalfiction friends, my girlies that love #JulietMarillier, #GenevieveGornichec #AmyHarmon – I’m telling you, #shaunalawless is auto-buy TBR worthy.

She takes the history you might vaguely know, and infuses it with magic, drama and romance (though it’s all tastefully done, I wouldn’t mind the next layer of spice 👀🥰).

Speaking of drama- this is some of the most fascinating villain character work… and I’m about to start book 3 of the Nevernight Chronicle. TBH- I might be in my villain era😅😅😅.

Though I read book 3, I listened to books 1 & 2. No matter how you consume it- it’ll be a win.

It’s Christmas in July this week - and boy, oh, boy- did this feel like a gift. Thank you #Netgalley & #headofzeus for this ARC!

I also want to thank @mythslleniouslibrary for fangirling over this with me in @the.storygraph - the buddy read function in there is awesome.

I am obsessed and I am sobbing, Fodla, Broccan, Ronnat, Murchac Brian, Colmon, and Senna deserve the world and i am devastated! I love this series it has quickly become one of my favorites. The mythology of the Tuathade Danann and the history of Ireland the Viking is interesting and very addicting. I do hope that Gormflaith gets what she deserves, She did get a little bit of her just desserts but she needs to be defeated asap I am pulling for you Isolde. This was a very satisfying ending to the era of Fodla and Murchad and everyone in between. But i am excited to see what happens next. I am going to have to go back and reread the series now because i already miss everyone. I knew how the historical figures stories were going to end and i still was ready or expecting it, cannot believe Shauna has me mourning fictional and real people who don’t exist or died a thousand years ago. The Tuatha de Dananna and Fomorians mythology is super interesting as well I’m going to have to read more about them to because i am now thouroghly obsessed with Irish/celtic mythology and history.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, via NetGalley. Thank you to the author, Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the opportunity.

The Land of the Living and the Dead is the third and final book in Shauna Lawless’ Gael Song trilogy and it continues the gripping, many-layered tale of the remaining fire magic-wielding Fomorians trying to discover the home of the Descendants of the Tuatha De Dannan in order to wipe them out. They have inveigled themselves into the court of the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru and their schemes and machinations to put themselves in a position where they will one day rule Ireland are completely gripping. They have also discovered the magical knife which allows them to steal magical gifts from the Descendants through murdering them – if they can only find some.

The characters of this trilogy are unbelievably nuanced and their relationships are complicated yet extremely believable. The morally grey Fomorians are easy to hate, but there are also morally grey characters on the side of the Descendants as we discovered in previous books. Fódla must navigate the legacy of slavery and manipulation left by Tomas’s leadership and explain her discoveries to the other Descendants in the hope that they will believe her. She has hidden away with her warrior cousin, Colmon, while her nephew Broccan grew and trained as a warrior, but now, a decade later, they are all ready to reenter the world in order to save the other Descendants.

Medieval Ireland is heading into war and the author’s extensive knowledge of these actual historical battles lends authenticity and dramatic tension to the build-up to the war between Gormflaith’s son Sitric, with Vikings (and magical immortal Fomorians) on his side and Brian Boru.

The ending of this story is tragic for characters who the reader has come to care for, but history continues without regard for who survives and there are hints that more will be seen from the world of the Gael Song trilogy – I for one can’t wait for more, each of the books in this trilogy have been utterly gripping and the trilogy is up amongst my favourites of all time. Lawless’ prose is atmospheric and tightly-written. Her words are well-chosen and draw the reader into medieval Ireland with ease. I will happily read anything she writes!

This blending of historical and fantastical is fantastic. The amount of research by Lawless is astounding, and I can't wait for further novels from this era.

Strong end to the trilogy (if not, I hope, the saga), continuing the well-established mix of myth and history. Arguably the first half of the book is a little dialogue heavy before the increasing action of the second half, but my tendency to be distracted was exacerbated by the election news in the U.K….

One element that really struck me this time was that the range of first person voices can mean a significant character can be killed in a way that is reported completely low-key as the narrator is not emotionally engaged - it’s really effective and rather shocking.

I’m looking forward to what comes next from Lawless - in this saga or elsewhere.

4/5

Shauna Lawless draws her Gael Song trilogy to a close in a heartwrenching conclusion that tests affirmed loyalties and the boundaries of death. Set one decade after the events of The Words of Kings and Prophets, the immortal queen Gormflaith’s plans are closer to fruition and Fódla brings herself back into the fold of the Descendants to oust the traitorous leader Tomas who is desperate to see the Descendants as a source of power in Ireland. War is on the horizon, and as these two women are brought closer into one another's orbit, Lawless brings about a return to the war between the Descendants and the Formorians layered underneath the mortal war in Ireland. History intertwines with myth once again, but those lines blur in this conclusion as Lawless plans her next generation. This came as a surprise to me so close to the end of the book, but I’m excited that I don't have to say goodbye to this world so soon. With the end nearing Lawless proves that the Gael Song Saga will soldier on and how the next iteration of the struggle between the Descendants and the Fomorians will come about. I love how much history has been interwoven in this trilogy alongside the fantasy and relationship elements. The Land of the Living and the Dead does hit hard on the emotions towards the end and though I’m feeling a little sad over leaving some of these characters behind this has been an incredible reading journey to be on. Will absolutely be reading more from Shauna Lawless.

Satisfying book, but also unsatisfyingly ambiguous finale.

Eleven years later, and still the game of Kings is in motion in Ireland. A war on two fronts.

Gormflaith, Máelmórda, and Sitric plan to wrest the High King title from King Brian. They plan to earn his trust, win his wars, and then turn on him when the time is right.
Gormflaith can now command the witch gift she stole and knows the location of the Descendants fortress. While the battle for Ireland causes chaos amongst the mortals, the Fomorians plan to kill the Descendants.

Fódla, Broccan, and Colmon decide to rejoin the world after Broccan is sufficiently trained and they each must decide where the future leads them. Back to the fortress to warn against Tomas’s lies and deception? Back to the mortals where they made their lives?

Lawless delivers Irish history, battle scenes, and intimate character moments with such finesse that it blends genres and makes her saga extremely impactful.

”Love isn't dependent on it being returned."

The stakes are a lot higher in this book, and my distaste for certain characters boiled and raged. Whilst I had previously admired Gormflaith, even whilst I condoned her actions, this book made me hate her with a passion that rivals my disgust with Tomas.

Lawless brings in issues of gender, slavery, marriage, and motherhood and what that means. Seeing what these relationships mean, who can claim them, how this changes dynamics is fascinating in a land where family hostages, marriage alliances, and fostering is common.

Why couldn't men give their word and keep it, without needing flesh in their beds to hold them true?

The adventure isn’t over yet! The first era of history is covered; but the fight between the Fomorians and Descendants is far from over!

For this reason, I was surprised thinking this was the final instalment and did feel cheated by a rushed and sudden ending which seemed to cheat us of the slow building crescendo throughout the books so far.

However, history isn’t stagnant, and of course this isn’t the end of Irish history.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for providing me an arc in exchange for a review!

I honestly do not know how Lawless does it, this series gets better and better with each book and this was the perfect ending to the trilogy.

If you have read the previous two books in the series, The Land of the Living and the Dead picks up almost a decade after the end of the second book and throws you right back into the characters that you know and love (as well as the characters you love to hate, I am looking at you Gormflaith) and the twists and turns begin.

As with the entire Gael Song series, this is a slow burn and is more character driven than action driven (although there is a fair amount of action in this installment) but it is perfectly paced for the story that you are pulled in from the first few pages and it is impossible to put down.

I never want to give anything away for this series and will say no more given it is a third / final book in a series but I cannot recommend this highly enough. Do yourself a favour and pick up this series!

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.