Fantastic sequel. I just love this series. It's fresh and original. Now the long wait for book 3. This series is seriously worth your time if you enjoy historical fantasy featuring Irish mythology. Highly recommended the series and can't wait for the next chapter.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I love this series!

Where so often the second book in a trilogy falls flat this book continued the excellence of the first, and I cannot wait for the final book.

The MCs in this book are just *chefs kiss. Fodla is interesting and strong in her way, and I am loving seeing her come into her own and out of the abusive relationship she is in. Gormflaith is giving me Lady MacBeth and I am here for it-also finally coming into own in this book and I can’t wait to see what these two women do next.

Highly recommended-one of the best books I have read this year.

I'm so happy I decided to continue with this series. This installment was fantastic and exceeded the first book in all aspects. Since the world, characters, and magic have been established it made it so much easier to follow the story.
I instantly was sucked into the world and found myself enraptured by the characters. The two female MC have me in a CHOKEHOLD! They may be polar opposites in personalities but I can't help but love them just the same. Trust me when I say there is a character and drama for everyone. By the end of the book I found myself with a handful of favorite characters I must know how their stories end.
The author has really taken her time to set up both Irish mythology and Irish history to work seamlessly. I love how she has taken real historical figures and events and thrown them into the mix with all the elements of fantasy. The Irish culture is beautifully represented and has me now looking for other books with Irish representation.
There's no doubt I'll be continuing on with this series and this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read the ARC of this novel.

~ "This was a game I needed to win, and I refused to be undone by those who were lesser than me." ~

The Gael Song series has taken my breath away. It is a perfect mix of historical and fantastical, and it gripped me from the very first page. Perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom, Vikings, and Game of Thrones.

This book is the second in a series that follows two main female protagonists (or possibly antagonist depending on how you look at things) who live in medieval Ireland. They are both descendants of rival mythological beings (the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians) and thus have various superhuman abilities. Fódla is a healer, and Gormflaith controls fire. These women are both strong and powerful and care about their families, but their main philosophies in life differ greatly. Where Fódla is driven by love and compassion for those around her, where Gormflaith has dreams of absolute power and importance.

Since the end of the previous novel, a few things have changed. Fódla is beginning to wonder if her people are as trustworthy as she had previously believed. She has been spying for their leader, Thomas, but she is starting to think that there is more going on within the politics of the Tuatha Dé Danann that may prove dangerous to her nephew and the life she has been living. As for Gormglaith, she is married once again, and feels betrayed by her son. She had lived her life to help him gain power, and he married her off against her will. Now, rather than putting her efforts towards him, she is going to take power for herself.

This story takes readers on an adventure of politics, war, and schemes, but also had a healthy dose of love and community. The highlight for me within this series so far are the characters. There are two main points of view in this novel, and in most multi POV books there is one that is significantly more interesting to me, or if not more interesting than there is a character that I prefer. In this novel, I *should* have a favorite. There is an obvious choice for a character that is more likeable. However, Lawless writes her characters in such a way that even those morally grey leads are, if not more relatable, than still somehow loveable. Both Fódla and Gormglaith have my heart.

This has rapidly become one of my new favorite series and I can not wait for the next installment. If you have not picked up this series... What are you doing?!? Go get it! Now! (And let me know what you think)

"The Words of Kings and Prophets" is a masterpiece, even better than the first instalment of this stunning story. Inspired by Irish mythology, the story continues to follow Fodla, a descendent of the magical Tuatha De Dannan, and Gormflaidh, a cruel and deadly Formarian (fire witch). This book also introduces more POVs such as Colman, a warrior and cousin of Fodla. Both of the main characters are fabulous; Fodla has a heart of gold and is always risking herself in order to protect others, and Gormflaidh, while decidedly malicious, is impossible not to root for as she struggles for power with the controlling men in her life. Anyone who has read this book will have had their heart broken at least once (you know what you did Shauna). I highly recommend to any mythology fans and excitedly await book 3 so that one character finally gets what he deserves (I swear something really bad better happen to him or I'll be raging).

I was given this from NetGalley for an honest review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

Shauna‘s ability to write characters and scenes that pull you in, is an amazing talent!

This Historical Irish folklore has A little more lovey dovey with in these pages even the motherly type!

The Story is still rough in it’s time period, The characters are going through whatever dismal , backstabbing to their lives!!!

With The Words of Kings and Prophets, Shauna Lawless has proven herself of writing a dynamic, gripping and clearly well researched sequel that absolutely lives up to the incredible debut that was The Children of Gods and Fighting Men. As someone who loves historical fantasy and with a keen interest in Irish history, this book was like catnip. The story picks up not far after it’s predecessor and continues on with the dual POV of Gormflaith, the Fomorian new wife of legendary king Brian Boru who’s deep in her scheming, and Fódla, a Descendent healer still undercover at Brian’s court. With Shauna’s rich, descriptive prose we follow the two women as their individual goals grow closer and closer to crossing.

I really loved the deepening of characterisation in this instalment of the Gael Song series. With the first one, we were introduced to the two POVs and started to get a feeling for their goals and personalities, but with the sequel the reader got a wider view of how the two women’s stories effect the wider world Ireland at the time. It really felt like the next step in what is proving to a be a masterful fantasy rendition of Irish history. I’m continually impressed by Shauna’s ability to stay true to history in a way that’s both accessible (read: not boring) and creates characters that are multi faceted and easy to relate to. Themes around family, both chosen and biological, individual ambition and making sacrifices for those you love are all explored throughout the narrative.

I really love the contrast between the two POVs. Gormflaith continues to prove herself to be an excellent example of a morally grey character in the truest sense. She primarily works for her own benefit, and doesn’t hesitate to lever her sexuality and notions around her gender to suit her goals. While I found myself wishing for her downfall at points, especially when she sets her ruthless gaze on some of my favourite characters, I couldn’t help but love her as an MC. What can I say— I support women’s wrongs!

And Fódla… Oh, Fódla. I absolutely love her. She’s such an incredible, remarkably realistic portrayal of earnest love for her nephew, stoic commitment to her goals, and softness. She’s a remarkably loyal and kind hearted character and I love her for it. Also, like Fódla, I too am *slightly* obsessed with Murchad. What a man!

Overall, I can’t wait to see where the story goes and am absolutely obsessed with Shauna Lawless’ speculative take on tenth-century Irish history through the eyes of two dynamic, very different women. I’d highly recommend for fans of historical fantasy, especially when it’s through a feminist lens.

I loved the second installment in the Gael Song series. It builds on the strengths from book one and expands the scope of the story.

In The Words of Kings and Prophets, we continue to follow Fódla and Gormflaith only this time readers also see their interactions with each other. This story sees Fódla and Gormflaith really developing and growing as characters as they face various challenges. They continue to be excellent contrasts in how they approach their power and react to the ambitions of those around them. The cast of supporting characters is also excellent.

The Words of Kings and Prophets intricately weaves the multiple layers of conflict throughout the story including the the historical plot intertwined with that of the Tuatha Dé Danaan and their inner politicking and unrest as well as the Formorian plot and that of the Tuatha Dé Danaan vs the Formorians. It was seamless and easy to follow each of the various plots as the story progressed. I loved learning more about the Formorians and the Descendants.

I would also like to take a brief moment of appreciation for the cover of this book. Just like the first book, the small details shine through that tie into important pieces of the story (the spider) - absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for an eARC of this book.

The Words of Kings and Prophets is book 2 in the Gael Song series by Shauna Lawless. Gael Song is a beautiful blend of Irish history and mythology and I recommend it to all readers of historical and political fantasy.

Writing a middle book is a hard task. You need to set up all plot points, introduce the stakes, place your characters in the right places, and not make it too boring or full of infodumps. There is even a term for problematic middle books - middle book syndrome.
So it was such a delight to read The Words of Kings and Prophets because it made everything a middle book should do and also had an amazing pacing, a nice plot and at times it was a real page-turner. I just can't compliment the author's writing enough, especially considering it's a debut series.

It's hard to write reviews of sequels - anything I can say will be a spoiler. So let me tell you how I feel about it instead.
After The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, I was invested in one of the main characters and also found new favorites among the secondary cast. So reading this book I was so engaged and nervous about everything. I didn't want anything bad to happen to my favorites, but it was pretty obvious that they were all in grave danger. The stress was real from the first pages till the last.
Shauna Lawless is so good at creating nuanced characters. If you love the deep character work, this series is for you. Especially I want to mention layered and complex villains. I enjoyed reading from or about them, you can definitely see where they are coming from and in some moments even feel compassion, but seeing them crossing the line and willingly endangering your beloved characters - still hate them.
Oh, there is one I just hate without any compassion though, really gets under my skin. Great writing!

All in all, a very satisfying read(4.5 stars from me) and my favorite sequel of the year.

The release date is the 14th of September. And the only thing I can think of is book 3.

I'm sooo grateful to head of zeus, netgalley and Shauna Lawless for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

The second book of the “Gael Song” series by Shauna Lawless picks the story right after the events of the first book. We now find that our main narrators (for there are more in this book, but not many more) Fódla and Gormflaith, are now settled in the same settlement. We see the sadness and the anger each of them keep in their hearts and how they conduct themselves as polar opposites in the present situation. The goodbyes to friends and relatives, the necessity of accepting the changes that are already taking place, the new situation between the Irish, and the Vikings, and the Dubliners and the conflicts that are still very subtle at the Tuatha Dé Danann. In a few words, this book is about powerful power-hungry people whose power is never enough, men thinking themselves as puppeteers when in fact they are the puppets.

“The Words of Kings and Prophets” slows down the pace of the story and goes into a darker place. We haven’t reached bottom yet and we need to go there before coming up again. This book is gloomier when Fódla takes the role of the storyteller, but when it’s Gormflaith’s turn to pick up the narration we can see red as her hatred, her arrogance, and the way she refuses to see her pride hurt. Gormflaith is the most selfish woman in this kingdom of Brian Boru and in her selfishness he makes many mistakes that she won’t acknowledge, for she is smart and resourceful but less intelligent than she thinks she is. For her part Fódla is prideful too but in a different way, she sees things like the ‘fae’ she is, and isn’t used to the ways of the humans, but she’s not unwilling to learn, and to bend her pride to the new customs and ways she learns on her journey.

As I said, in this book we have less action so to speak, less battles, and wars and more stories. Although there is an environment of violence that can almost be touched, smelled. The writing becomes more intimate, less self-contained and as beautiful and engaging as in “The Children of Gods and Fighting Men”. The prose is such a dream that it’s even hypnotic. Shauna Lawless has the power to make the reader dance to her tune and that music is so magical that said reader will be hopeless, dancing forever to the tin whistle and the bodhrán of the Irish of old, and the rage and joy of the Viking warriors.

The story is based on historical events, but only slightly, only as the setting… the rest is mythology, fantasy, and human behaviour, and development, growth. That’s undeniable that the difference between the previous book and this one is, in one word, growth. Lastly, I’d like to point out that Lawless manages to include social talk and the different potential sources to a problem every step of the way. Pay attention to Lucrecia and the slave dilemma, then extrapolate it to any and every social issue you can think of. You will realize that it works the same.

*Many thanks to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!!*

After discovering the first novel of the Gael Song series on a bit of a whim, during a bit of a reading slump, and subsequently devouring it, I was ecstatic to be given an arc of the second book! Immediately continuing where the second book left off, we're thrown into a saga that draws upon folklore elements, Irish history and fantasy that blends together into seamlessly beautiful prose. A world full of delightfully Machiavellian characters, political intrigue and scheming, betrayal and deceit.

Told once again from the dual perspectives of Gormflaith and Fódla, two women navigating a tentative peace, motherhood, societal expectations for women and their ambitions. As mentioned in my review of the first novel, I enjoyed how the characters of Gormflaith and Fódla are given equal time to flesh out their motivations and understand their actions despite being complete opposites. Both seem to grow and settle into their power as women in a male-dominated society, and I relished every chapter. The plot twists are well-executed, and the tension build-up left me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, The Words of Kings and Prophets is a brilliant second instalment in the Gael Song series, perfect for fans of Irish history, folklore, and historical fantasy. Thanks again to Head of Zeus and Netgalley. I cannot wait for the next book!

Shauna's works hit my radar almost a year ago now. I read book one of the Gael Song (The Children of Gods and Men) in July of 2022. Fast forward to this year and I was able to get my hands on a copy of book two The Words of Kings and Prophets via NetGalley recently. Book two is scheduled to release in September of 2023 so you can expect a follow-up reminder as we near the release date. Not only as a courtesy to the author and for being given the opportunity to read a copy before launch, but because I love the story that Shauna is weaving. I know she's put in a tremendous amount of work in her research of Irish mythology and history to put these together in her own telling. As much as I enjoyed the first book, I feel book two was even better.

The pacing was smooth. The only thing I struggle with are the names of characters and locations a bit. To Shauna's credit she does begin book two with a vast list of these people and places at the beginning of the book. This helps with reminding us of book one but also to help with pronunciations. Well that only helped my feeble brain so much. I tried my best to work with these over the first couple of chapters but then I decided to just let me own brain process them all as it will. Beyond that, I was devouring The Words of Kings and Prophets. I found myself picking this up almost whenever I could over the three days it took me to finish. I rarely found myself feeling like any part of the story was getting boring. If we aren't experiencing action, then it's more along the lines of drama and plot twists.

I can't say enough about the world building in this book and series in general. As a fan of history myself, and knowing the amount of work that Shauna is putting into this story, I have all the respect in the world for this! I love the fact that she also includes many of her reference materials so that we can look into this world even more. To get back on topic though it's such an interesting mix of locations both within Ireland as well as the factions and cultures outside as well. We have plenty of Vikings mentioned both directly and still indirectly. But we also get a good sampling of Roman influence as well as it relates to the religious side of things. I mean honestly the picture that Shauna paints for us is certainly beautiful if at times also brutal. Then you mix in the mythology and magic into this tale and it's almost impossible for me not to fall in love with this world.

Lastly, is the character development. I began my attachment with many of these characters in the previous book. But there is still so much growth as well as a few more characters we get to know more about. Sure the Fomorians are easy to dislike in this tale, I don't think anyone is going to argue that. But we see some of our heroes show their flaws and weakness in book two as well. Taking a step back and looking at the overall cast of Kings, does make you realize just how untrustworthy and power hungry humans can be. It takes some special people to either offset those individuals or attempt to steer them in a better direction. I'm sure most of us have heard of people that make us want to be better persons ourselves. Those are the true heroes. And this story has a good handful of them!

In closing, I will say just a couple of things. The first is that I'm going to say right now that The Words of Kings and Prophets is going to be a contender for favorite read of 2023. We will have to see how things shake out. It's easily in my top 2 or 3 right this moment. The other item I want to get off my chest is that, I can't wait to see what comes of our young gifted warrior! What a key part of Ireland's future he and his found brother/friend may yet be!

I feel that any reader that is a fan of epic fantasy would enjoy this book and series. I know Shauna has put the question out there on what to truly call this sub-genre she is writing in with this series. But I do think fans of Historical or Mythological Fantasy Fiction reads will love this as well. I can't wait to see what the third book has in store for us!

Gormflaith, the immortal Fomorian, newly married to King Brian Boru, Gormflaith loathes her new home but soon she devises new ways of securing power.

Fódla, a Descendant of the Tuatha Dé Danann, continues to use her gift of healing to aid King Brian Boru and his men. Though she had originally been sent to spy on Brian, Fódla and her nephew Broccan have found a home with Brian and his people.

War brews on the horizon and the two women will do anything to protect the ones they love, even if it means going against the laws of their people.

Sequel to The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets is stunning blend of historical fiction and mythology full of magic, intrigue and romance. I absolutely loved it!

The sequel to The Children of Gods and Fighting Men mixes ancient Irish history with mythology.

Gormflaith is unhappily married to High King Brian Boru, while hiding her powers as a member of the immortal race of the Fomorians, sworn enemies of the the Descendants.

Meanwhile descendant healer, Fódla is desperate to keep her nephew, Broccan safe from those that wish to do them harm.

I enjoyed this even more than the 1st book as we got to know the characters, especially Gormflaith and Fódla even better. Really looking forward to the next and final book in this trilogy.

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men lit the fire, The Words of Kings and Prophets fans the flames!

A powerful novel that continues Shauna’s unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction. The Words of Kings and Prophets is utterly divine.

Honestly, I cannot think of the best superlatives for this book and Shauna’s writing. I haven’t felt this strongly about a fantasy/historical fiction series since the big one…LOTR. Now I know some of you may think, “who does he think he is, comparing these two series…”. I get that, I do, but Shauna is building something epic here. Like, move over game of thrones, you’ve been outclassed. Yes, it is Ireland, not a fantasy realm, but when you take the mystical elements of Shauna’s story, the already seemingly magical Ireland is transformed in the imagination of the reader.

The Words of Gods and Prophets continues the story started in the first of the Gael Song series but this time we spend more time within the characters' minds. This adds an extra layer of depth to the story, binding the characters to each other but also, more importantly, to the reader's mind. These characters are fantastically written, each with strong individualism, deepening the world that Shauna has created.

The Words of Kings and Prophets stands atop a literary hill fort of Shauna’s making. Gods help those who try to topple the battlements of this series. This is a masterful execution of fantasy and historical fiction and cements Shauna as one of the masters of the genre.

Wow! I loved this book so much.

At first I was worried I would not remember all the necessary details from book one. However, it all came back to me so quickly. The author subtly reminded us of things that had passed previously without ever being too heavy on exposition.

I found myself even more attached to the characters this time around. Fódla’s story, Murchad, Broccan… I loved them all. Even Gormflaith at times was someone I found myself feeling ever so slightly sorry for. She is one I love to hate.

The story is wonderfully paced with an excellent slow burn that had me on the edge of my seat. The tension build slowly and by the end I was unable to put the book down for fear for our heroes. The story goes more for the political intrigue and secrets rather than action. There are a few but for a story and it warriors and battles there aren’t too many. However I found I didn’t miss the action scenes at all as the other plot lines moved so well and always kept me hooked.

The villains are built up well in this one. The two main ones were both despicable but had clear motives that stopped them being archetypes or simple foils for the story at all. They had lots of depth to them. I hope they get what’s coming to them in book three as Lawless doesn’t hold back in this one. They both deserve to burn.

The wait for book three will be hard!

Amazing writer who has done it again. Fantastic book with compelling characters. I cannot wait to review this one on my channel.

I liked the first book and was quite happy to revisit the world of Ancient Ireland in this sequel. There are more characters introduced and the glossary of names was helpful in keeping track. The year is 1000 AD and occurs right after the events of Book One. The mortal politics and immortal concerns were perfectly intertwined. Fódla’s continued development into her own person as she cares for her nephew and the people in her life was enjoyable to read. Gormflaith’s ability to process all that has happened since her and continues to happen shows her resilience. The author did a good job making the overall plot consistent and evenly paced between all the multiple perspectives. Would highly recommend if you’re looking for a good historical fantasy read.

Fantastic and riveting book! Lawless skillfully intertwines fantasy and realism in a way that makes the magic a supporting force rather than a driving force in the story. The characters have magic, obviously, but it doesn't determine them as characters, because even without their magic they would be incredibly well-rounded and complex characters. It's interesting to see how they handle their powers. There is also a lot of interesting and very nuanced commentary on women's relationship with men and the strength of that aspect of the book/trilogy is that the male characters aren't caricatures of men who are automatically meant to be the "bad guys" in women's history. They, too, are complex and well-rounded characters.

The only drawback I have compared to the first book is that parts of this book felt like a build-up for the grand finale. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this immensely. I've suffered from reader's block for a while and for the first time in months I felt the need to rush home and read. Compliments to the author!

I’ve eagerly been watching social media for the second book in this series and jumped at the chance for an early copy when I saw they were available for review. Lawless has a way of weaving history and magic and lore that pulls the reader in and leaves the reader wanting more. Obviously, I’ve been sitting here waiting since I finished the first book.

I actually will likely get the book both in print and audio when it’s released. I love that Lawless uses the Gaeilge names and didn’t anglicize them. I had the opportunity to study some Gaeilge while I lived in Ireland, but would love to hear the words spoken as part of the story. We continue Gormflaith and Fódla’s journey in The Words of Kings and Prophets and I love how such a major player in Irish history such as Brian Boru is almost relegated to the sidelines while we watch the story of these two women play out. I could analyze Gormflaith, her history and motivations for days. Would she follow the path she does had she not been forced to downplay who she was for so long and been forced to be a pawn for others her whole life? The same for Fódla on a different path. They both appear to be finding their independence and who they are, while also realizing that they were limited and constrained in the past by who they were told and expected to be.

If you’ve never been to Ireland, even today, folklore, mythology, and magic still lives on in Irish culture in so many ways. It’s fluid and changing. There’s still signs of the ancient cultures if you know where to look, a small Druid well before you approach Tlachtga, so small you might miss it along the path if a keen eyed archaeologist didn’t point it out to you, fairy trees all along the countryside, cairns in farmer’s fields you don’t disturb. Lawless imagines a world set 1000 years ago when the magic and lore was stronger. It’s easy to get lost in the world she builds. I loved the weaving of the story between history and mythology. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward already to the next release! Completely unrelated to anything that might happen, I just discovered there is a town named Clontarf in my state #IrishDiaspora.

Please be advised I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.