Despite an atmospheric air evident in the beautiful descriptions of ancient Ireland, this book lacked the strong core of interest needed to make it a good story.
The book revolves around Keelin, a young woman in possession of mystical healing powers. The dual storylines of the invasion of Éire and Keelin’s education as a Dagda priestess are the primary drivers throughout the book, though particular focus is also given to her uncle Deaglan, a spy for Éire in the coming conflict with Roma. It is both a love story and a coming of age tale, with particular focus on Keelin’s relationship with her childhood friend Brian.
Ultimately, the story moved far too slow to sustain any sort of momentum. The reader is aware of the coming battle with Roma almost from the beginning, and while the story should have felt like a build up to the conflict, it seemed to just drag out the inevitable. I felt myself becoming bored with the repetition, and even the allure of spies and young love couldn’t keep my interest. I had high hopes for this novel, since I have an interest in both historical fiction and fantasy, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. I do appreciate the research that went into this novel, since the historical conflict did take place in Éire (Ireland) in the early 1st century, but the blending of real history and fantastical elements (such as mind reading) didn’t work.
The book revolves around Keelin, a young woman in possession of mystical healing powers. The dual storylines of the invasion of Éire and Keelin’s education as a Dagda priestess are the primary drivers throughout the book, though particular focus is also given to her uncle Deaglan, a spy for Éire in the coming conflict with Roma. It is both a love story and a coming of age tale, with particular focus on Keelin’s relationship with her childhood friend Brian.
Ultimately, the story moved far too slow to sustain any sort of momentum. The reader is aware of the coming battle with Roma almost from the beginning, and while the story should have felt like a build up to the conflict, it seemed to just drag out the inevitable. I felt myself becoming bored with the repetition, and even the allure of spies and young love couldn’t keep my interest. I had high hopes for this novel, since I have an interest in both historical fiction and fantasy, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. I do appreciate the research that went into this novel, since the historical conflict did take place in Éire (Ireland) in the early 1st century, but the blending of real history and fantastical elements (such as mind reading) didn’t work.