On a quest from the goddess Brigid, Nora O’Reilly and the legendary Fionn mac Cumhaill travel back in time to complete a seemingly impossible assignment: enlist the help of the famous female pirate Grace O’Malley to put an end to Queen Elizabeth I’s oppression of the Irish people – which would in the long run help Northern Ireland and save the life of Nora’s brother. But navigating sixteenth century Ireland’s politics and the intricacies of possibly changing the past are more difficult than either anticipated, and Grace is slipperier than a wet eel, leading the pair into enough adventure to last a lifetime.

This is the second book in a series, but that doesn’t really detract from the reading experience. The idea behind the plot is interesting, the author obviously knows the time period, the attraction between Nora and Fionn is believable, and Grace (or Granuaile) is a really well-drawn character. However, the many sidelines and interruptions Nora and Fionn face detract from their overall quest and the thrust of the story. Because Nora is from the twenty-first century, some of her modern language makes sense, especially when she’s talking to Fionn (who knows her true identity), but when she speaks to people in 1592, she doesn’t attempt to adjust her speech and often tries to convince them to do things that would seem radical in their time. I realize she was only trying to fulfil her mission, but these anachronisms took me out of the story and made me wonder why no one thought to question if she was mad. I also wonder about the quality of editing, as Nora says she or someone else is “grand” no less than 48 times. Overall, it’s an okay book, but not one that needs to go to the top of your TBR list.

"You've picked the wrong enemy, Nora. The only one you'll never defeat. Time."

Summon the Queen is the second installment in The Revolutionary series. I recommend folks interested in this book read the first one (Bury the Living) before picking up this one since it picks up right where the first book in the series left off. Nora time travels to a different pivotal part of Irish history in an attempt to change the past to fix the future. Readers are treated to great historical fiction writing complete with pirates, Queen Elizabeth, and the turmoil of living in 16th century Ireland. The character of Nora undergoes further self-discovery with her role as time traveler and partner in crime with the immortal Fionn. The author's use of time travel in the storytelling aspect of this book was also more creative than the first. Sometimes this got a little strange in terms of setting a pace, especially when the author skipped ahead five years in a matter of pages. Not surprisingly, Fionn and Nora's relationship continues to evolve as they become closer. Same overall theme as the prior book (Can you really change history?) but with more evolution of characters and concepts.

Summon the Queen
By Jodi McIsaac
47North, 2017, ISBN e-book 978-1503942252, $4.99
Print ISBN 978-1503942257, $10.99
Brilliance Audio ISBN 978-1536610840, $9.99

Once a member of the paramilitary Provisional Irish Republican Army, Nora O’Reilly wishes she could go back and change the past. That way her brother might still live, rather than be caught up in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. She gets her wish with the help of Brigid, both an ancient goddess and a Catholic saint, after she dreams of a man calling out for help.

Cursed with eternal life, Fionn mac Cumhaill has wandered through time for centuries. Once a legendary warrior, he is now just a man, who lives with the agony of watching those he loves grow old and die while he remains forever young. The only way to break the curse is to free Ireland from her enemies – a task he’s attempted over and over again without success. Now Nora offers him hope that he might achieve this goal and, in the process, restore her brother to life and reunite with his loved ones who have passed.

But their first attempt during the Irish Civil War failed, and now they find themselves traveling back to 1592 to find the pirate queen Granuaile. But things never go quite according to plan, and they arrive five years too early and a long way from her home in County Mayo. They also “land” amidst the ruins of a church and a band of men, returning from a raid on the English. Nora shoots one rebel in a confrontation, but his partner recognizes Fionn as a friend and they are left alone to continue their arduous journey.

After a brief respite in Fionn’s home – the one in which his 16th century persona, Robert O’Hanlon, lived – they ride to Dublin to find a ship willing to take them to Galway. Gold assuages the sea captain’s qualms about putting to sea with a woman aboard. Just as Fionn and Nora kiss, Spanish pirates attack and he hastily disguises her as a man to protect her. After the pirates leave with their booty, the crew blames Nora for their bad luck. The only way to save herself is to keep the wounded captain from dying as Fionn and the crew try to reach Cork to repair the damaged ship.

Any hope of finding assistance there proves fruitless since the plague has struck the town. It’s a four-day ride to Galway, but Fionn and Nora have little choice. To remain is more dangerous than venturing through a burned-and-slashed countryside populated by desperate, starving people. Once they reach the city, Fionn goes to the docks to learn what he can about where Granuaile might be. But Galway is a dangerous place, and Nora’s innocent questions soon get her arrested. Sir Richard Bingham, the Governor of Connacht, believes her to be in league with Granuaile, his arch enemy, and Nora is imprisoned just as Granuaile is being taken to the gallows. Then Nora is whisked away to an Irish castle whose earl has been raised in the English court, and his methods of finding out the truth are far more subtle and dangerous than Bingham’s. Nora’s only hope is to escape, but how? Once free, how will she ever find Fionn so they can convince the distrusting clans to unite against their common enemy, the English?

Summon the Queen is the second book in Jodi McIsaac’s The Revolution series, and ’tis a grand tale indeed. Nora’s feistiness, determination, and caring heart make her a character readers easily connect with, although she has the annoying habit of often saying “ta” when answering questions. Deftly portrayed as a legendary-hero-turned-ordinary-man, Fionn is equally captivating and his reticence to form attachments that will only cause more heartache is a trait with which most of us can identify. Granuaile steps from the curtains of history to come to life and her exploits are dramatically portrayed, be it when she tells a story about her favorite son or risks everything to meet Queen Elizabeth herself. Whether depicting a starving woman or the banded corpse of a pirate on display as a warning to others, McIsaac vividly recreates sixteenth-century Ireland. Her skill at interweaving history with romance is reminiscent of Irish bards who mesmerized listeners with adventurous stories fraught with danger and intrigue, where each peril is more heart-stopping than the last.

I am usually not a fan of fiction that has historical backgrounds and is rooted in actual events, but this one was the odd novel out. Summon The Queen is more a combo of paranormal, mystical, with the historical and a touch of romance.
While it can be read as a stand-alone book, this novel would be better read in sequence with its other series companions. It took me a while to get into the story, but once I did, I really did not want to leave.
Until the end that was where I had to scratch my head, and wonder if this could not have ended on a much nicer note if the Author would have decided to finish the series there. It seemed a little forced, more based on the want to make another book, than what was best for the reader.

I did, however, find both main characters very charming - as well as the many side character (how cool is a female pirate queen!) their actions and connections believable, with a balance of true tension, and irresistible connection. They were meant to be companions, no matter what time they were from, or what curse they had to burden.

Summon The Queen is a well-written, entertaining ride. Now, I have to read the rest of the series, because it surely left me wanting more.

I had absolutely no idea( when requesting an ARC) that this was the second book in a series. I strongly recommend reading the first book in the series Bury the Living because it took me awhile to grasp hold of what exactly was happening in the series. Luckily, the book does repeat some of the happenings in the first book and the book synopsis clearly outlines the first chapter. But even supplied with that information, it took me awhile to get an understanding of what was happening.

Similar to Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, the plot revolves around a woman from the future traveling back into time. In this case trying to stop Ireland from a devastating future under the thumb of the English. Unlike the aforementioned series, Jodi McIssac's Nora O'Reilly, can actually leap through several different time periods in the same book. In Summon the Queen, Nora and her time traveling sidekick, the immortal Fionn mac Cumhail( aka Finn MacCool), are doing what they can to rid 16th century Ireland from the harsh rule of Elizabeth I.

I actually enjoyed this book much more than Through the Door and believe it shows that McIssac's writing is getting much stronger. However, I did find that there were times the plot moved a little faster than I would have liked. A weird comment to make since often I can find plots drag on, but when the story line saw Nora and Finn separated from each other for 5 years in a handful of chapters, it was a little too much.
All in all, Summon the Queen intrigued me enough that I would certainly read the entire series.