Is it possible that Merlin was real? Were there people called Pendragon? Who was Lailoken and his twin sister Languoreth? The Lost Queen provides well researched answers for these questions. Languoreth is a young girl that grows up to marry for duty, even though her heart is not in it. She continually struggles between duty and her hearts desire. In truth, she wanted to be a Druid like her twin brother, but that is not what the gods ask of her. She shows her strength as a girl, then as a wife, a mother, as battles and chaos rage around her. Will this new religion of one god destroy her religion of the old gods? What becomes of her brothers, her children?

This book pulled me in from page one and carried me along until the end. I can't wait for the sequel. The Lost Queen is an experience, the descriptions of the daily life from the smell of the warm bread to festivals lends to the feeling of complete immersion in the story,

This was an interesting take on some of the Arthurian tales in the vein of Mists of Avalon. I adored the dark age setting of Scotland, which was an interesting setting to place the Arthurian myth. I think it was a great choice to set this in Strathclyde instead of the more typical Welsh/English. Languoreth took some time to grow on me but once she did, I really liked her. I loved this take on Arthurian legend and I'm excited to see what the rest of the trilogy holds.

Holy shit! Can I say shit on a Netgalley review? This is the Arthurian novel I needed to replace The Mists of Avalon in my heart, since I can't have that one as my favorite anymore since Marion Zimmer Bradley is revolting. The Lost Queen is my new favorite Arthurian novel! This was a marvelous bit of historical fantasy. I love the idea that the man who became Merlin has a sister, and of course she would be a powerful woman. I am very eagerly awaiting more in this trilogy!

A wonderful story. I devoured it. It reminded me of "The Mists of Avalon". I couldn't put this book down. I would recommend it to fans of fantasy, myth,and legend. I loved it. I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

To say that I devoured this book would be a gross understatement. I read this book in record time and am left sitting here, wishing that I had more...so much more...from this author! The story itself was utterly incredible. The plot moved at a quick pace, with the story building upon itself seamlessly. The characters however...oh my goodness, the characters. The characters were created so beautifully. They were complex, human, raw, emotional and unique, and made their way into my heart permanently.

Dear Signe Pike: You have a new forever fan!

Now that I can no longer re-read The Mists of Avalon, and because I really liked the Sarmatian take on the Arthurian legends embedded in Gillian Bradshaw's Island of Ghosts, this is a very promising new series centered on an interpretation of the Arthurian stories originating in Strathclyde above the wall rather than Wales. Pike uses the freedom of a novel to reconstruct from a handful of mentions in historical documents, the life of a 6th century high queen at the center of transition between Christianity and suprisingly unromanticized Druidic practice, and the piecemeal invasions of Angles and Saxons.

The man who inspired merlin, or maybe who was merlin, has a sister. This is her story. In the vein of mist of avalon but not as bogged down and dry, comes a story about a women who shapes a myth we know.