Series: Gael Song #3
Release date: September 12 2024
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 576
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 4.25/5 stars

Synopsis

The old world will die in flames…

Ireland, 1011 AD. Brian Boru is now High King of Ireland. His queen, Gormflaith, instructs their young son in his heritage – but only on his mother’s side. For Gormflaith, an immortal Fomorian skilled in fire-magic, intends to finally defeat the Fomorians’ hated foes, the Descendants, and establish control over Ireland. And if King Brian stands in her way, so much the worse for him…

Fódla, the Descendants’ spy in King Brian’s camp, treads a wary path. She must protect her magically powerful young nephew from their leader, Tomas, who will do anything to achieve his aim of the Descendants returning to the mortal world and ruling Ireland. And Fódla is on dangerous ground, for she has broken one of the sacred rules of the she has fallen in love with a mortal.

As the schemes of Gormflaith and Tomas come to fruition, the only possible outcome is war. Ireland has bled red and often… but the coming clash will be a battle for the ages. Strange alliances will form, old defences will fail, and the land will never be the same again.

Review

The Land of the Living and the Dead is the third and final installment in Shauna Lawless’s Gael Song trilogy. Following on from the events of The Words of Kings and Prophets, we find Ireland on the brink of war. Gormflaith is determined to beat the Descendants and see her son crowned High King of Ireland. Meanwhile, Fódla does everything she can to protect her nephew from the Fomorian leader Tomas. Tomas wants nothing to see the Descendants ruling the world and will stop at nothing to achieve his aims, but as war continues to brew, who will be victorious?

I have thoroughly enjoyed each installment in this series and The Land of the Living and the Dead was no exception. Lawless has crafted such a compelling tale and I was completely swept along in this story. This final book felt quite quick paced, and there is tons of action. There is lots of scheming and political intrigue and Lawless definitely gave us a few twists that I wasn’t expecting. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion, though I must say the ending was not what I expected (in a good way). The ending has definitely made me excited to see what Lawless is going to write next.

Where this story really shines is the brilliantly vivid characters. I’ve grown really attached to the characters in this series and I really like them all. Fódla is a great protagonist, standing up for what is right, protecting those she loves, and doing her best to support the Descendants. As much as I enjoyed Fódla’s POV my favourite had to be Gormflaith. She is so clever and cunning, she is completely ruthless and she will do anything to get what she wants. I loved watching her plot and scheme to achieve her aims, she has a really strong narrative voice and I thought she was an exceptional character, and I think I could read another ten books with her as the main character.

Overall this is an incredibly well plotted historical fantasy series, full of beautiful writing, captivating characters, and a gripping premise. If you’re looking for a series that is rich in detail and will keep you engrossed right to the very last page, this is definitely a series you need to add to your TBR.