OMG. I will forever be in love with this series, despite the emotional turmoil Clara O'Connor has put me through. I mean seriously... she tears my heart out, starts to put the pieces back together again, then ambushes me and rips my heart out again (I was ready to throw my Kindle across the wall let me tell you) and then puts the pieces back together again. Like what?! CLARA... MY HEART.... CAN'T!! But it did. And now I feel whole again.

So after the end of the second book, I was upset to put it lightly. By upset I mean my world felt empty and devoid of light and happiness. I mean... who in their right mind creates a character like Devyn... and then KILLS HIM?!?!?! WHAT?! I was 100% convinced that this author was not going to be able to redeem herself, despite a tweet telling me that it was going to be ok lol! 😂 I did not believe her AT ALL but I held out hope.

Needless to say, she redeemed herself. I was very grudgingly brought over to Team Gideon, but was soon a very enthusiastic fan. Gideon was an excellent character. Loyal, loving, dark, straightforward... everything I love in a male lead. I didn't think I would ever like Cassandra with someone other than Devyn but alas... I was proven wrong. Gideon is literally perfect. I can't even.

Cassandra herself was excellent in this final book. Far from the naïve, slightly self-absorbed person she was in the first book, Cassandra is now self-assured, eager to help her people, and more in tune with her magic. She has to go through quite a bit in this book, but faces everything with heart and determination.

It speaks to the skill of the author that I was able to fall so thoroughly in love with two different love interests. I cannot wait to read anything and everything that Clara O'Connor comes out with. Perhaps a spinoff featuring Féile? 😉👀 Lol whatever it is, this author has me as a fan for life. Now I have to buy actual physical copies of this trilogy because... how beautiful are these covers right?!

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Clara O’Connor for providing me with an ARC of ‘Legend of the Lakes’ – the third and final instalment in ‘The Once and Future Queen’ series – in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I would just like to say WOW, what a book and what a fantastic series! Following the rollercoaster of emotions that ‘Curse of the Celts’ took the reader on, I was looking forward to reading the next in the series and ‘Legend of the Lakes’ did not disappoint!

What first drew me to the trilogy was the fascinating concept of a world where the Roman Empire never fell and where the past and future collided to create intriguing worlds of Londinium and the ancient Celtic kingdom.

Following from where the second book in the series left off, the reader finds themselves immediately immersed into the world of Cass and the struggles that she is left facing. Feeling lost, confused and overwhelmed with grief, Cass struggles to come to term with her new life outside of Londinium, her place in the family she has created, her responsibility as the Lady of the Lake and the magic within her.

O’Connor certainly did not disappoint with this dramatic and wonderful rollercoaster of a finale. Filled with magic, danger, and fantastically well-developed characters I was hooked since the first book and have enjoyed the entire series.

There is so much about this book, and the series, that I just adore that it is difficult to talk about it without saying any spoilers. All I can say for certain is this was a perfect ending to a magical trilogy.

I would certainly recommend this book to any reader that is interested in young/new adult fiction filled with magic, danger and romance with a twist.

So the first five or so chapters had me crying on and off. This book picks up right where the second one leaves off, with the death of Devyn, a character I really liked from the first two books. That in part kept me from investing time in this book at first. I just wasn't sure where things were headed and how things were going to play out. I wasn't really reading it at first.

Cass is in a really dark place when this book starts, and she struggles with finding herself again and reeling from a terrible loss. She feels alone and abandoned, pregnant with her daughter. She throws all her energy into being healthy for when her daughter comes so she can take her place as the new Lady of the Lake. And with that comes a price she didn't know she was going to have to pay. Tied to a man she doesn't know as she starts to lose herself while tending the ley lines, she loses years of her life and almost loses her daughter's love. She allows that to happen to keep herself from being swallowed by grief, and her resentment for being tired to Gideon when she had just lost a man she loved.

Gideon pulls her out of that, but her time allowing her magic to let her drift has cost her. She doesn't know her daughter or her brother. The people she once knew are wary of her, and Londinium is still a threat, even more so now than before.

There are a lot of tense moments in this book. I didn't get fully invested in this book until around chapter 6 or so. Those first five chapters had me on the fence about things, but once I was invested, I read this book in just a couple of days. I wasn't sure how to feel about Gideon, with everything being told through Cass's eyes, I wasn't sure what to think of him in the previous book. This book gives more of a chance to get to know him, even though he may come across a bit cold at times, you quickly see that once he loves someone, he fiercely loves them.

The ending of this book, for me, felt a little rushed at moments. The ending, I kind of wished there was an epilogue or something to really wrap things up, I feel like there is a little more story to tell. I also really wish this series had a map or something.

Legend of the Lakes is the dramatic conclusion to the Once and Future Queen series. As a word of caution, this series is meant to be read in order as each novel takes place where the other leaves off, so many events from the previous will either be spoiled or not make as much sense if you skip one or two. I am beyond excited to review this novel as it exceeded every expectation and kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I admit that I was not the greatest fan of Secrets of the Starcrossed (#1) as it just did not grab me enough, but Curse of the Celts (#2) drew me in and I never wanted to let go. As a whole, this series is amazing and I have a new appreciation for book one as some events came full circle and now I need to go and read them back to back.

This thrilling conclusion picks up after the extreme cliffhanger that happened at the end of book two. Cass/Cat now has to find out what to do next as she has her mission/duty, but also a lot of emotions to work through. This novel handles this situation extremely well as the reader not only experiences Cat’s own situation but sees how everyone around her also has to move on. I am thrilled that there is a character like Gideon in this novel as I loved every single thing about him since he first showed up on the page. I was rooting for him since book two and loved that his amazing character shined through during this novel. I personally was never a huge fan of Devyn, as I just never thought he was a super amazing person. This is not based on how the author wrote him, as she did a great job, but just something about him I never clicked with. Immediately, I connected with Gideon (Rion, too) where I found myself loving when they were featured in book two and this feeling continued in book three. Gideon, especially, was one of the best things about this novel, among many other great qualities.

In this novel, the reader learns a lot about the ley lines that are the magical source for the world. Without them, the world would fall. It is up to those with magical abilities to maintain the lines, but, unfortunately, some might be beyond repair. The divide between magic and technology comes into play again after addressing a little in book one. A lot of the story comes full circle as there was a ton of foreshadowing from the very beginning and perfectly illustrated how well-thought-out this series was when the author put it together. When I reached into my memories from the first two novels, I could predict a lot of the events that occurred in this novel. I loved that nothing was obvious and instead the reader had to focus on the tiny clues to try and piece it together or go in blind to be surprised. Even if you could piece together some of the stories, there were a few moments that absolutely surprised me. Essentially, this novel is a huge roller coaster of emotion as you laugh, cry, get angry, become content, etc. It is impossible to write more detailed explanations or even a fraction of one, as it would spoil the plot and I am attempting to keep most of this review as spoiler-free as I can.

Overall, this was an excellent conclusion. The side characters were amazing as even the “villains” were well-written and you loved to hate them. Cass was a little hit or miss, which she was the entire time for me, as she is not a great communicator. She has a lot of inner thoughts, but her actions rarely reflect these thoughts, so she becomes a walking contradiction. She does grow a lot throughout the trilogy, but it is hard to say if any of it is lasting growth beyond the last page. She is the Lady of the Lake and she fit the role well. It was captivating to read about her learning about who she is and where she came from without being given the information directly. Even the Griffin was a role that never had a direct answer and had its secrets slowly revealed. I love that the series wrapped itself up well with conclusions for the plot and character that did not feel as if it was forced or rushed. All the secrets were revealed in due time and were fantastically written from start to finish. A series that I will gladly recommend and re-read without hesitation!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for a review copy of this captivating and enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

We jump into this 3rd book from Clara O'Connor with an emotionally bereft Cassandra. We find her married to Gideon, who is also the new Griffin, having taken over the title and role after the passing of Devyn.

The relationship between Cass and Gideon is somewhat strained and only seems to get worse after Cass gives birth to her daughter Félie. In her grief from losing Devyn, Cass throws herself into repairing the damaged ley lines, and also completely neglects her daughter. It is Gideon who steps in, to be the parent Félie needs.

We also see some changes in the relationship between Cass and Gideon, changes that turn out to be for the better. It is difficult today too much without giving.too much away, but this is a trilogy to read. Each book in this series has a different feel to it, but you are still swept up in the storytelling.

This book was the perfect ending to the trilogy! The way that Clara dealt with the grief that Cass/Cat was going through and with the added pressure of her new responsibilities, was so well done. It didn't seem rushed at all and it really enriched the story. The plot was great so much detail and developments that had me on the edge of my seat wondering how it would all work out! A truly great final book!

I really enjoyed this conclusion to this unique series. At times it was sad and frustrating but also fierce and hopeful! Cass/ Cat went through a lot in this book, but I think she came out stronger in the end. I really loved Gideon in this book, he was more mature and caring! It was so sweet how he instantly loved Cassandra’s/Catriona’s daughter as his own and took care of her when she was unable to. I think it had a satisfying conclusion, but I will miss these characters!

Legend of the Lakes is the finishing series by Clara o' Connor. What an epic on also! Non stop action, pull on heart strings, knuckle bitting, much of NOOOOOOO.

It left of With Catriona aka Cassandra as lady of the lake. ( Taking their mothers place) her brother Rion Deverell is the King of Mercia. Has his hands full trying to prevent from being attacked by Londinum and making sure his sister doesn't overwork herself up keeping the ley lines.

Gideon the Lady of the lakes Griffth job is to protect and serve. Which includes Making sure she doesn't overwork herself. The leylines are in deep disrepair. ( Magical Ley Lines )

You have alot of beautiful scenery for the imagination, places such as Avalon. I kind of picture Mercia as England with Ireland together.

I'm grateful to get a chance to read this!! Very strong writing and descriptive. Badass characters too.

Book was given to me by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the HarperCollins UK One More Chapter team for providing this digital ARC through NetGalley for me to review honestly!

Real rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

After the major cliffhanger that the previous book, "Curse of the Celts", left off at, I had been looking forward to reading "Legend of the Lakes" as soon as I could. It starts off a bit slow with the after-effects of the aforementioned cliffhanger, and Cass, in particular, finds herself so downtrodden by grief that she feels so disconnected from everyone and everything else. This, along with the toll that tending the ley lines has on her, yields a copious amount of angst between her and Gideon--angst that I found vigorously carried me through the book. I found myself nearly close to tears at points during Cass and Gideon’s interactions with each other where Feile was concerned. As a reader, we are on this journey with Cass as she navigates her newly found duty of tending the ley lines and as she eventually finds out how this affects her, and therefore we start to understand it, too. Eventually, the action in the book picks up and we are given plots involving an impending war with an abundance of plot twists, reveals, and betrayals that had me unable to put the book down until I finished. This world that Clara O’Connor has built up through these three novels is truly amazing and provides all it promises as the key characters deal with magic, technology, their relationships with each other, and their politically powerful enemies.

Thankyou to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and the author, Clara O'Connor for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Legends of the Lake in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a great book, and series. Loved it.
The storyline was well written, with plenty of twists and turns. The characters were well defined and realistic.
A great conclusion to a magical series.
Well worth a read.

I was so excited to have this ARC in my inbox. Curse of the Celts left off on a major cliffhanger that had me on the edge of my seat ready to see what would happen next. Legend of the Lakes picks up where Curse of the Celts left off. Devyn has been killed and Cassandra is married to Gideon, who has become the Griffin in order to protect her. She is grieving and in the midst of her grief, she is being asked to take up the mantle of the Lady of the Lake and develop her power.

This was not my favorite book in the series, but I did like the way it wrapped up the story. We learn more about the magic system and what it will take to make things right. Legend of the Lakes moves at a quicker pace than the other books in the series and contains quite a few revelations that kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed learning more about Gideon’s backstory and seeing Cassandra bond more with her brother Rion.

Cass goes through a lot in this book. She starts the book completely at odds with Gideon and continually pushes him away as she is still grieving the death of Devyn.
After she gives birth to her daughter, she is pulled away to utilize her magic in order to clean the ley lines. This drains her and keeps her from her daughter for extended amounts of time as she is traveling and is constantly exhausted after using her magic. By the end of the second book, I was liking Cassandra more and more, but this book made it a little harder for me. I understand that she was going through a lot, but I just felt like her actions did not connect with the thoughts she has.

The tension between her and Gideon is palpable throughout the whole book. While Cassandra is working on repairing the ley lines, Gideon has been taking care of her daughter. This has kept them separated and further drives a wedge between them. Over the course of the book, they had so many moments of miscommunication and it was incredibly frustrating since I felt like if they were honest with each other, they would have been able to avoid a lot of hurt.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book. There were quite a few twists and turns that I was not expecting and others that I was. Regardless, they kept me on the edge of my seat and I thought the book wrapped up the series really well! I would definitely recommend this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and OneMoreChapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the third book in the series and its just as good as the other two. The story continues and is another rollercoaster of emotions. Beautifully written and one of the best dystopian novels I've read.

You need to read from the start but it's an epic journey you won't forget. I would love to see this made into a film.

After the events of The Curse of the Celts, it didn't seem possible to up the stakes, but the author managed to exceed expectations.
This was a story about grief and loss and what comes after. Cassandra's journey has been hard and she struggles with the consequences of the previous books. As the living embodiment of a legend her emotional struggles ground and humanize her.
Legend of the Lakes provides a satisfying conclusion to The Once and Future Queen series. It is by far the most highstakes and compelling installment of the series.

I received a copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the last in the trilogy and definitely lived up to my expectations. It takes Cassandra's story into a whole new realm with the birth of her daughter, the development of her own magic as Lady of the Lake and the grand finale back in Londinium when she returns to face her greatest enemies . I love the meshing of old Roman Britain with Arthurian myth in an alternate modern day world. This was an exciting end to the story.

So, I really don’t know how I feel about this book - the ending certainly puts us in a different place than we were right at the beginning - in a rich fantasy world of Londonium, a city walled off from the Briton natives in a world were the Roman Empire never fell and the citizens have walked themselves off from magic choosing to rely on technology instead. (Instead of a synopsis to avoid spoilers, I suggest you go back and read my review of the first book first so you know what I’m talking about!)

I mentioned that I was a bit ‘meh’ reading Curse of the Celts last week when I got really excited about this third book because of the massive, oh my god twist at the end and the potential I saw in some new characters. But now I’ve read this ending, I’m not sure. It was very clever, very complex, unexpected and quite satisfying overall, but I don’t think we were allowed to see enough for it to be a truly wonderful read as bits of it felt a bit rushed. I know full well I’m saying this when I’ve just finished editing a manuscript where my agent has told me to cut down on the exposition to keep things moving, but I think Legend of the Lakes moved too fast. I wanted to see more, explore new relationships more, be allowed to sink into the rich and unexpected magic that is uncovered, I wanted to be shown more, rather than told.

So, would I recommend this series? 100%, I really enjoyed it. But for those of you with ARC’s, or once we get to June, I’d like to hear other people’s thoughts. Did Legend of the Lakes leave you satisfied, but still feeling like it could have been more?

What an emotional roller coaster this trilogy was!!!!

I couldn’t put words together when I finished it and now days later, I still have a hard time coming up with what to say!

The continuity of the books has been pretty goos, picks up right where the other ended and I like that. With that said, we (yes, I’m including myself with the characters ) are still trying to cope. Cassandra has a harder time than most and gets pretty ugly to those around her. As I said from the previous book, I don’t like how Cass 2.0 is and was hoping for an upgrade. Her actions and words don’t match her thoughts tans that’s so frustrating.

Gideon!!!!!! 💜💜I need a man like that in my life! Just wow! I have to say he’s my favorite character. Just like Cass, Gideon is also having a hard time coping and adjusting BUT the changes he makes are for the better. He’s too damn good for his partner...

The last book didn’t disappoint. It covered a lot. We got answers, secrets were revealed, the main characters go through quite a journey individually and together which in the end, made it all worth it. Marcus is still on my s*** list. For someone so damn smart he sure let’s his dad handle him. And while at the end some of his actions are good, they’re not good enough to forgive everything else. The bad guys have their power taken away and Cass and co step in and try to forge a better leadership.

I think I’m going to reread the series now that all 3 books are out. The story is just that good!

When I saw this ARC land in my inbox, I had to read it straight away after the ending of Curse of Celts! I enjoyed the first book but the second book really hooked me and this book was no different. Legend of the Lakes picks up right where the sequel ended. This review will contain spoilers for the first two books so if you’re planning on reading them, do not read ahead!

‘You think I haven’t thought of this every day, every night for the last three years.’

This book really had me in my feels, after that shock ending and Devyn being killed, Gideon marrying Cassandra and becoming the Griffin to save her life. Wow! What an emotional rollercoaster! There was a lot of time passing in this novel, which definitely made sense for the story the author is telling. In the beginning, Cassandra, understandably, is grieving and she seems to be handling it okay, but when her child is born, she starts drifting away into her magic. It was really interesting to explore the magic system in more detail in this book as Cassandra starts training properly on how to “clean” the ley lines. I really liked that aspect of the story and how they use of her magic had a physical and mental toll on her and how this was worked into the overall plot.

‘I was yours the moment you stepped into that glade fit to kill me.’

Throughout these books, I was never certain about how I felt for Devyn, he always put his duty before Cassandra and I felt like she was never appreciated enough. In the sequel, we were introduced to Gideon and he grew on me throughout. It was no different in this book, I loved his character. He was very caring and looked after Cassandra’s daughter, Féile when she became affected by her magic. The relationship he had with Féile was lovely. I also really enjoyed watching Gideon and Cassandra’s relationship blossom over the course of this book. And yes, I do like him more than Devyn. Their relationship involved a lot more than lust and love and was about Cassandra accepting herself and understanding how she felt and what she wanted. This couple weren’t quite enemies to lovers but there was a definite dislike or resentment, some form of tension between the characters. I loved reading this book for this development! Cassandra did annoy me at times, but I think it was all part of her journey. The passage of time allowed for this relationship to develop as it wouldn’t have felt right if Cassandra moved on from Devyn quickly. Although, Devyn did play a role in this book, with Cassandra turning her grief into anger towards Gideon, accusing him of not being Devyn. This broke my heart for both of them. As much as this book was about Cassandra and Gideon’s relationship and the overall plot, it was also in a way about overcoming and dealing with grief.

‘Know that if I had a choice, you would be my first choice. Always.’

It’s really difficult to say much about this plot without spoiling the story! But the author has continued to craft a beautiful story in this dystopian world. I felt many emotions in this book, including throwing my kindle to the other side of the sofa after reading something I didn’t want to believe was true, crying, realising I was wrong, and then crying some more. This book felt like a great ending to this story and I’m kind of sad to not read more about these characters and life after the events in this book.

This was the most epic conclusion to the series! And I loved it so much! This book has shown so much...how to always move forward even after the death of someone you love, and not to succumb to the waves of depression and grief. I generally don't like books/series where any of the main characters dies, like what happened in the second book! But this one gave so much hope to move forward with life. I was already too hooked with the plot that I needed to continue the series, even after the events of the previous book of the series.

I hadn't known that I would come so far as to ship Gideon and Cat and to basically live for their interactions throughout the book. This was one of the things in this book that surprised me as all my reactions while reading it went against all that I believed in. The chemistry between the two was unbelievably good. I never expect such chemistry after the MC's love of her life has died. But Clara has pulled that effortlessly and I salute her for it. It wasn't that the chemistry between Devyn and Cass was lacking- oh their interactions were hot- but that Cass also had a lot of chemistry and angst with Gideon too (form book 2 as I had noticed-shame on me).

This book was more fast-paced than the first two in the series, there was less info-dumping but a bit nonetheless,(I still can't understand the story of all the Lady of Lake throughout the ages-there were just so many names and it confused me a lot). There were so many revelations throughout the book and the author just makes you gripping the edge of your seat in anticipation of what happens next.

There was this one thought going around in my mind while reading it that I would like to point out, was that the situation of Cass/ Cat resonates a lot with Meredith Grey. So, every time something happened I was like-just like Meredith and I would cry.

After the second book in this series, Curse of the Celts, ripped my heart from my chest, I wasn't sure how I felt about continuing with the series. I couldn't imagine how Clara O'Connor could make me care again after the events of the previous book had so thoroughly destroyed the characters and the world that I had grown to love.

However, I rallied and decided to give Legend of the Lakes a chance, in the hopes I could get some closure. And now I sit here having finished a book which has completely blown me away. Within the first chapter, I had forgiven the awful events of Celts, and understood why they were necessary. And I fell in love with this world and these characters all over again.

It isn't all good news though - there were certain parts of the book where I found myself once again devastated and feeling betrayed by the author. But then, I suppose that is a reflection of what a talent O'Connor is, making me react so strongly to completely fictional events! I can't wait to see what she does next - although in the meantime I think I need to practice steeling myself ...

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.