The second book in the Gael Song series, The Words of Kings and Prophets follows on from the events of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men. Gormflaith is now married to Brian Boru, and finds herself without the power she once had. She is unhappy at being sent to marry Brian and will do anything to regain her power. Gormflaith still desires to wipe out the Descendants and soon realises there is more to her power than she ever thought possible. Meanwhile, Fódla continues to live in the mortal world to protect her nephew, but can she hide him from the evil in this world, especially when war is brewing? Back home there is trouble brewing amongst the Tuatha Dé Danann, but who is behind it and will Fódla be able to see the truth?

I really enjoyed reading The Children of Gods and Fighting Men so I was incredibly intrigued to see where Lawless would take the story in book two. This time, the stakes are even higher and Lawless does a brilliant job of creating tension. The story is well paced and I loved being back with Gormflaith and Fódla. Lawless has created some truly fascinating characters and I particularly love Gormflaith. She’s ruthless and determined to succeed at all costs. The way she schemes and manoeuvres is fascinating and I found her chapters particularly compelling. I also felt Fódla came into her own more in this installment, determined to do what is right even if it goes against the rules of her people.

The story is full of political scheming and makes for a really engrossing read. The story did go in some directions I didn’t quite expect, and I am so looking forward to seeing what Lawless has in store for book three. I was lucky enough to hear Shauna Lawless talk at Cymera Festival this year and one of the things she mentioned was the research that went into this series. The story does feel incredibly well-researched and the sights and sounds of Ireland in the 10th Century really come to life in Lawless’s writing. The Irish mythology in this story is utterly fascinating and I love the way Lawless weaves this into the story.

The Words of Kings and Prophets is a fascinating, well crafted story and if you’re looking for some historical fantasy that will keep you hooked right till the very last page, this series is a must read.

When I first read Lawless' debut and the first book in her Gael Song series, "The Children of Gods and Fighting Men", last year, I was - to put it mildly - blown away. Lawless' gorgeous prose not only taught me a lot about Ireland's history during the Viking Age (and made me go on a Wiki binge), but made me truly fall in love with her protagonists, two strong women from two originally warring mythological factions (the Fomorians and the Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann) who are, essentially, both on different quests to achieve what neither of them has: at its core, actual freedom. Because I loved the first book so much I had high expectations going into this sequel.
Well. They were all met. I love this series and this series loves me.

Once again, Lawless impresses with her strong writing. She is a master at telling a compelling story while at the same time giving you fascinating history lessons (yes yes, of course some historical facts are altered for the sake of the story, but that's what aforementioned Wiki binges are for). We follow Fódla and Gormflaith again who this time around find themselves in close proximity to each other at the court of Brian Boru, the soon to be High King of Ireland. This closeness added a constant underlying tension to the story because I was just waiting for one of them to find out who the other one is, especially in the very few moments they actually interact. I also loved how distinct their voices were - even without the book telling you whose pov chapter you are reading right now, you'd know. It's incredibly well done.

The stakes are getting higher and higher, and not just because of the Irish politics Gormflaith especially has to navigate as the new queen of Munster and Brian's wife, with a very shaky peace between the Christian Irish kingdoms and her son's vikings setting the stage for more trouble to come. Tomas is planning dark things for the Descendants, even entertaining thoughts of ruling as High King over the humans once again, and Fódla is a big part of these plans. Gormflaith reaches new heights of power that might help her in her goal to finally find and eradicate the Descendants.

The story is evenly-paced and never gets boring, even with a lot of time being spent on the characters and their relationships instead of action and war. I loved every page and felt for every character. Fódla still owns my heart, and Gormflaith is incredibly intriguing and I love to hate to love to hate her. Lawless does a wonderful job at making me root for her and worship at her scheeming feet while at the same time hating her for how she treats other people, especially women. Tomas also evoked a range of emotions in me, which, in no particular order, were hate, disgust, anger and bloodlust. He's a very effective villain in that way. What makes him even more effective is how very real and menacing he is when interacting with Fódla. He's a manipulative abuser and he makes my skin crawl because we know these kind of men in our world, just without the magic. Senna's story was the final nail in his coffin. I loathe him and I cannot wait for the day he gets his due.
The side characters are all interesting, some more some less so. I'm incredibly intrigued by the "next generation" of Descendants and Fomorians.
My only very minor gripe is probably the romance this time around. I love Fódla and I love Murchad and I love their romance, but was a bit confused at how easily Murchad just accepted certain reveals about Fódla, even though he believes in the old stories, even though he was impossibly healed by her, even though there might have been suspicions. He's very "oh my god wow alright...............anyway," about a reveal that should at least leave him a little shooketh. But maybe I was only a little disappointed because I was looking forward so much to that particular story beat and its consequences for the story.

So what can I say about this book, this series? It's incredibly well written, full of interesting lore and history, focused on its very different, incredibly complex central female characters and just overall as close to perfection as historical fantasy can get for me. 5 stars easy.

Following the same format as the first book in the series (The Children of Gods and Fighting Men) with multiple POV we mainly follow Gormflaith-formorian queen married to Brian Baru, and Fodla-descendant of the tuatha de danann, magical healer and caretaker of her nephew, Broccan. The book moves through several years tracking the progress of Ireland and the several kings that vie for power and land. There was so much character development in this book-I ended up loving my favourites and despising certain characters (cough Tomas cough) even more than in book one as motives and actions were revealed throughout the book. There’s plenty of action, both fighting and political through the book and it’s definitely a lot of moving pieces into place for the final book, but without a trace of middle book syndrome. I felt myself having to cross my fingers that my favourite characters would survive each chapter, there’s a very real sense of dread to the book and knowing that nobody is safe from all the scheming!

Wonderful improvement from the first entry of the series. I loved the slightly stronger focus on all things magical, and the PoV characters being very close to each other created a lot of tension in the story as they were hiding their true nature. The only thing bringing it a bit down for me was that sometimes I had to pause in the middle of a chapter and since we have multiple PoV characters written in first person it was a little bit difficult to understand which one I was currently following once I came back to the book. It's tough for me to knock off a star for that as it is very much tied to the way I consumed the book, but it did end up affecting my experience.

That being said The Words of Kings and Prophets is still an absolutely great read and I cannot wait for the final entry along with any future projects the author decides to undertake.

I love the Irish history interwoven with magical elements. This was a great continuation of the series

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus, for the e-arc!
An utterly fantastic sequel to an amazing historical series. This series does an amazing job of combining historical elements with fantasy. It is an unbelievably well-woven tale with magic, politics, and memorable heroines. I was also extremely glad to see that the historical elements are a bit more unique focusing on Irish history and mythology. This serious that was really refreshing as it is more focused on immersing the reader in a detailed and beautiful world and setting.

This is a pretty niche series. As the books have continued, they have only cemented my thought that this story is for readers who really enjoy Irish history and mythology. So not quite a far-reaching demographic, but it definitely hits the spot for the right kind of reader.

This second installment is very much more of the same as the first book. The pacing is leisurely and the narrative is heavy on the history of the rulers and viking settlement of the area. However, this sequel does a much better job at incorporating the mythology elements. It definitely wasn't a focus in the first book, so I was pleased it got much more attention in this one.

Overall, while I did enjoy this and found it easy it read, I'm not sure I'm feeling as fully invested in the story anymore. But that doesn't stop me from recommending this to readers interested in an Irish historical fantasy!

I picked up the first Gael Song book completely on a whim. It was something different to break me out of my reading cycle, and I’d never picked up a Viking fantasy before.
The stand out in the series so far has been Gormflaith. The selfish and vindictive Queen Mother of Dublin who pulls all the strings from behind the scenes of her husband, then her son. I love me some female villains who aren’t afraid to make the hard (and murderous) decisions.
The second main character is Fodla, who is the complete opposite. Her empathetic but strong nature makes for a nice contrast, and through the second book she starts to form a real backbone that made her grow on me.
Some may think these books are slow. There is some action, but it’s less plot pushing than expected. The author likes to sit in the world to really enhance the immersion, which I didn’t find to be a drawback.
The only aspect I found I wasn’t impressed with was the new perspective in this book, from the Tuatha De Danann’s head warrior Colmon. His chapters were mostly re iterating what we already knew about their societies politics, and the secondary villian Tomas’ plans. I thought it could have been used better by having Fodla more involved in these revelations, instead of bouncing back to a bland character.
Overall these books have been solid reads, and I’ll definitely finish the series once it completes.

This series is a beautiful blend of historical fantasy and Irish mythology/folklore.

Following on from the first book, we find ourselves in Ireland, 1000 AD, where the thought of war grows amongst the mortals and immortals as the Irish kingdoms strive for supremacy.

Queen Gormflaith, schemes to destroy the Descendants, sworn enemies of her Fomorian kind and seeks to ensure her own survival.

The disguised Descendant healer Fódla seeks to protect her nephew from those who would do him harm but not everything is as it seems.

These fierce female characters will soon find themselves caught up in intrigue, mystery and danger.

Each character is so well thought out and there’s two characters especially who have stolen my heart and I’m praying they have a happy ending 😭 No spoilers but Fódla is my favourite!

Focusing on these two women on opposite sides of the conflict, this series weaves a tale of action, intrigue, romance and soul and I adored this book even more than the first!

The pacing is flawless throughout and immerses you fully into the story. There’s mystery, magic, religious tension, political intrigue and so much more - you are never bored.

Living in Northern Ireland I love learning more about Irish mythology and folklore and the world building is so cleverly crafted Shauna has just captured my imagination. I just adored the way the mythological elements are mixed with the historical and fantastical.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much more I enjoyed this sequel and I’m so excited to see where the story goes with the third book.

4.25/5 stars! I really enjoyed this Irish historical fantasy story. It is book two in the Gael Song series and continues where that story left off. The characters had so much depth and the story was mystical and moving. My only complaint is that (and this could be because I'm a mood reader) it sometimes felt TOO intricate, to the point where I'd have to go back and fact check to make sure I knew what was going on. But still a very strong story.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hi - it’s me - the author

I got a Netgalley copy of my own book so I could see the formatting on my kindle when I was proofreading.

I don’t review my book on other sites, however, as I review books for other authors I need to keep that all important read % up!

Which means I’m going to have to rate my own book here. I’m going to give myself 5 stars - because - hey if I don’t believe in my book, who will!!

It was sublime to be back in this world of myth and magic. Book two picks up where The Children of Gods and Fighting Men leaves off and intitally I had a sliver of concern I’d struggle to remember who everyone was but this was not the case and it was effortless to jump straight back into the time of High Kings and Viking Ireland.

What you can expect is another great YA historical fantasy. Plenty more of that wonderful world building from book one, stories within stories as Irish myths are retold, battles, drama, even romance, and of course magic seamlessly woven in between. With so many popular fantasy books pulling inspiraton from Irish names and myths, it was marvellous to submerge myself in the retelling of the origin stories, tales of remarkable historical characters and places.

Gormflaith and Fódla are back and I have to admit, I’m kind of team Gormflaith. She’s morphing into a formidable villain, will she turn in the end though, that remains to be seen in the remaining book of this trilogy.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and @headofzeus for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review. I’m honestly having a great time with this reintroduction to some of Irelands best know ancient hero’s.

I loved this sequel to The Children of Gods and Fighting Men!

Gormflaith and her machinations were a great delight to read in a sort of anti hero in a way as already revealed in the first book it is not simply a battle of goods versus evil with the Formorians and Descendants of the Tuatha De Danann..

Fodla's side of the story is really interesting to read in this as well. I like the symmetry between the young Descendant and Formorian revealing their powers at much the same time.

This was a really easy to read historical fiction story that I was honoured to read as an arc copy gifted from the publisher.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it did not disappoint! I can’t remember the last time I was so immersed in a story and I am now anxiously awaiting the next instalment.

This is the second book in the Gael Song series. The story continues to follow Fodla and Gormflaith, and also includes Colmon’s POV. As in the first book, all of the characters, including the side characters, are incredibly nuanced and complex. For a large portion of the book, Fodla and Gormflaith are living in the same community, and the differences in their experiences and interactions with the same characters was a highlight for me.

Not only are the characters compelling and complex, the plot itself involves a staggering of political manoeuvring, most notably within the Tuatha de Danann and following Gormflaith’s manipulations. That said, the story itself never felt overwhelming. Events unfolded in such a way that I was always intrigued but never confused.

It’s hard to review a book I loved so much. Reading it was an experience and I cannot wait to see what Shauna Lawless does next, with this series and beyond.

If you like intricate political intrigue, nuanced characters, and Celtic mythology, then I cannot recommend this series enough. This series is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites.

A massive thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great sequel to Book 1 and I can't wait for Book 3!

Now that I have a better understanding and knowledge of the characters, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story. The novel is wonderfully written with the duel POV and you're really able to understand the motivations behind their decisions, making it all the harder to choose which side to root for. This is a fantastic historical fiction and I love how Lawless blends myths and magic so seamlessly into the novel.

This was such a captivating sequel. More characters, more plot, more action, MORE MORE MORE! I can't get enough of this series. It's so visceral and emotional and just everyhing you want in historical fantasy. I can't wait for the third and final book in this series to see what happens next

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, so of course I had to reread Children of Gods and Fighting Men before this came out.

Since it's a sequel, I'm not going into any details, but this was fantastic! I love Fódla, so her perspective is my favorite, but I love to hate Gormflaith so her perspective is almost as good.

Tensions are high among the Descendants. Most of them are ready to live among the mortals. Their biggest problem is Tomas. He will do unspeakable things to get what he wants.

Because of his acts, Gormflaith is more powerful than ever.
Will the Fomorians finally find the Descendants or will they destroy each other first?

I love this series so much! I just finished it and want to read it again!

You might have read my recent five star review of Book One of the Gael Song Series, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless where I talked about how much I loved the story and Lawless’ way of bringing the characters to life on the pages. Second books in a series sometimes fall short of the first but that is not the case with The Words of Kings and Prophets! I enjoyed the development of the story in book two even more than the first which rarely happens for me in series.

I won’t be going into the details of the plot of book two so I don’t spoil it for anyone. Book 2 continues the stories of Gormflaith and Fódhla. The reader is thrown straight into the centre of the action in TWOKAP which really ramps up the tension in the story. This book is gripping; Lawless’ ability to weave together the stories and lives of the characters is a masterclass in how it should be done. I loved watching the arcs of both of the female protagonists’ stories and their evolution in this story- Gormflaith’s takes a decidedly darker path which I loved to watch unfurl throughout this book. She really stands out to me as one of the fiercest and most deadly characters and I can’t wait to see what lies in store for her in book three.

All of the characters operate in a morally grey area; each with their own hidden agenda and Lawless’ writing of this aspect is sublime. Hooked from the very first page, be prepared to move through this story at a faster pace than book one with savage battle scenes and plenty of secrets and revelations along the way… oh and some of the most heartbreaking betrayals too.

Lawless’ ability to successfully combine fact and fantasy and the level of detail in her writing makes The Words of Kings and Prophets a stand out book for me this year.

5 ⭐️ all the way- I’m so looking forward to seeing what happens in book three. Lawless is a writer to watch- no doubt about it!

Thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the arc. The Words of Kings and Prophets is out now!

Lawless is now an auto-buy author for me and if you haven’t already started reading The Gael Song series, go get your hands on the first two books asap!

One of the rare five-star reads for me this year, The Words of Kings and Prophets was an un-put-downable second installment in the Gael Song trilogy. The author’s ability to set the atmosphere and bring characters to life really shined, and the story itself had an inescapable gravitational pull as Gormflaith’s and Fódla’s paths drew closer and closer.

I especially enjoyed the character development of the FMCs and a couple of the more prominent secondary cast members because I was split on how I felt about them after the first book. This sequel gave me a lot of clarity on the characters’ true natures, and my reading buddy gets all the points for being 10000% right about Gormflaith during our read of Children of Gods and Fighting Men. Fódla has my heart now, and I am so worried about how events will unfold for her in the 3rd book (especially with Tomas’ scheming).

As far as historical fantasy books go, this series is now at the top of my recommendations list. Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Gael Song series has proven to be a marvelous and engrossing journey into the world of ancient Ireland and the second book is just as marvelous as the first book was. The breadth of Irish history, the culture and the addition of magic make this a must-read series for fans of historical fantasy. The first book set the table with rich, fully realized characters, along with the competing magics of the Fomorians and the Tuatha De Danann. This story lets you really sink your teeth into the politics of the era with our two protagonists Fodla and Gormflaith, along with the historical figures of the era, including Brian Boru, Sitric Silkbeard and Sechnall. It really is a fascinating time period to explore with the political machinations, marriages of opportunity and changing culture with the increased presence of Christianity. Layering the magic throughout the story as these two complex women strive to take control of their fates really ramps up the stakes and the tension. Having Fodla and Gormflaith in such close proximity through this story is a marvelous dance of who finds out about who first and its brilliantly written by Shauna as she keeps you guessing as to what will befall each of these characters next.
Shauna has taken what little is known and speculated about in regard to Brian Boru and crafted a thoroughly realistic character who struggles to walk the line between keeping his people safe while expanding his reach. He's written as such a complex figure, and it really makes history come alive. Fodla's story here has so many layers that make her someone to root for and I loved her growing relationship with Murchad. Gormflaith is completely delicious in all of her plotting's and manipulations of others and it's so easy to see how close to the edge of disaster she is. Where each of the characters ended up sets up what is sure to be a fantastic finish to one of the best series I have had the pleasure to read.