Thankyou to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author, Signe Pike, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Lost Queen in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Such a beautifully descriptive story. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
The narrative and scenery are compelling and highly detailed. The past has been brought to life. Magical. I can't wait for more.

Well worth a read

The Lost Queen is an incredibly unique book in my opinion. It's novel is set in sixth century Scotland—I initially read this book because it was compared to one of my favorites, The Mists of Avalon. This saga follows Languoreth and her twin, from around age 10 when they lost their mother, through finding love at 15, marriage to cement an alliance shortly after, and a terrible war when she is in her early thirties, pitting family members against each other. I like historical fiction which seems as if the author has done extensive background research, and I definitely got this sense with Lost Queen. The plot was compelling—a real page-turner—and the characters were well-drawn, nuanced, and memorable, especially the strong female protagonist.

Pike's writing brings the Lost Queen's story to life. And as with real life, endings are usually sad but it's the journey that matters. Languoreth's country is beautiful and you feel as connected to it as she is. The beliefs of the time, as they faced the first wave of Christian influence, ran deep and you won't be able to stop yourself from rooting for her brother, Lailoken, even though you know how his tale ends.

A wonderful read for historical fiction fans and anyone who is interested in a well-researched explanation on the Arthurian legend. Just beautiful.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 3
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

I adored this book. I'm such a sucker for Arthurian inspired novels and this one was amazing. The main character was wonderfully developed and the relationships she has with everyone in this book are so rich and a delight to read. I'm so excited to read the next books in the series!

This novel first caught my eye when it was described as OUTLANDER meets GAME OF THRONES. That’s all it took. I became so lost in the story when I started reading!
Recently released in paperback, THE LOST QUEEN is the perfect dose of historical fiction mixed with a touch of Arthurian Legend,
This one will be with me for a long time. The story follows Languoreth, and her twin brother Lailoken. A coming of age story, set in sixth century, Scotland. I couldn’t help but think about Merida from the Disney movie BRAVE. A young princess, getting ready to marry, and become queen.
Unlike Merida, Languoreth had no say in a lot of her life decisions. Her royal duties are much more strict, and this is where her character develops, and is forced to make choices for her family, not for love, not for herself. She marries a man her father, the king has chosen for her.
The novel is slower paced in some parts, but it’s so worth the pace. The description, and detail of scenes, and backgrounds, paints a super clear and beautiful picture of the surroundings.
This beautiful cover, mirrors this beautiful story, and I much appreciate the authors time in doing all the history research to make this book come to life, in such an incredible way.

The Lost Queen is author Signe Pike’s first book in a trilogy. It is part historical fiction and part fantasy. The story is set in the middle ages in Europe when Christianity’s rise is threatened the ancient Celtic religion and lifestyle. There is plenty of political and religious conflict that reflects the author’s research on the period and topic. The story further explores the impact this conflict has on the people of Scotland.

This epic saga features legends, warriors, a forgotten sixth-century Scottish queen and Merlin. I loved the strong female character, but her blunders reminded me of what I didn’t like in the main character of the Outlander series (to which The Lost Queen has been likened). The occasional use of a modern phrase can be easily overlooked by most readers (but fantasy devotees may cringe at a few). While modern readers might take offense to how some characters are treated, the author’s use of the social hierarchies and norms is clearly well researched and felt authentic to the period.

Unlike some fantasy sagas I’ve read, Ms. Pike’s plot is straightforward. There is a lot of forward movement. In the several fantasy sagas I’ve read, there was so much devotion to world-building and creating an incredibly vast cast of characters, that the arc of the plot is easily lost, or it wasn’t until the final book that there was any real forward trajectory in the plot.

Even though the story is well written, at 500 pages, the book was a bit long for me given my interest level in the fantasy genre in general and Arthurian legend specifically. True fantasy lovers will relish diving into Ms. Pike’s debut novel!