The production of this audiobook was so good! The narrator is also very talented. I loved the Celtic myth elements and Eilean is also a great main character. I felt for her. I also loved Freya. I loved Eilean's bond with her grandmother as well. Cannot wait for part 2!

3 stars.

The premise was intriguing and characters interesting but I felt the book needed to have been longer to properly flesh out the plot, characters and world building. The book also felt a bit rough and a lot of the emotional scenes didn’t feel all that impactful. I’m not super familiar with Celtic mythology and this book wasn’t that great at introducing its readers to it. As for the audiobook itself, narrator did well for the most part. The filters over some of character voices made some hard to understand what is being said. The sound clips at the start of each chapter was first interesting but quickly became annoying and jarring, especially as some were extremely loud compared to the rest of the audiobook volume.

Eilean goes through a lot in this story, working through her past traumas and coping with her grandma’s quickly spiraling dementia, she really needs a break. After a few years removed from her home town and close connection to her Mamó (grandma) due to a violent outburst she made while enraged and defending a classmate, Eilean has been working to cope with her anger through black smithing and dancing with her punching bag. Despite this work, Eilean’s parents are nervous around her, afraid of her strength, leaving her feeling quite alone.

Returning to her village to check on Mamó is hard too, she runs into the gang of the schoolmate she hit years ago, and her Mamó is distant and speaking to no one. And then she gets drowned by a KELPIE! And taken into another world and is bestowed a quest that she doesn’t really want, but is basically forced to go on to save the world. When did being 17 get so complicated? At least she’s struck a tentative friendship with the most gorgeous girl and Druid she’s ever met and has her, and the grumpy Kelpie, to help her along the way.

This was a fun and emotional journey for all of our characters! I will definitely be looking forward to book two! And the narrator brought so much life to the characters and her accent has had me trying (and failing) a Scottish accent for days! At least I can think in it!

This book was super fun and made me excited for the next one. I really enjoy books with mythological elements and this delivered. Unfortunately this lost points for me because of some repetition problems, some odd word choices, and some elements of the audiobook. I enjoyed the sound effects that began each chapter and some elements of graphic audios that were included, however some characters' voices were done using filters which were slightly off putting and difficult to understand for me. There was also a character voice near the end that was very difficult for me to listen to. The main two girls' voices however, were very nice and the overall performance was great.

-thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced listener copy

This sapphic fantasy book was funny, emotional and gave lots of insights into celtic mythology, which I really liked. I enjoyed the audio-effects at the beginning of each chapter and was greatful that they were limited to the beginning of the chapter only. The narrator was generally very good and I was impressed by their range of accents. However, a big minus for me was the audio-effects put over the voices of the kelpie and some other mythological creatures. It was jarring to listen to greatly impeded my enjoyment of the audiobook.

This book is trying to be so woke and so progressive and do unproblematic! Thanks, I hate it! It felt like it was forcing diversity (aka making up random diverse characters just for the sake of being diverse, not because they were part of the plot to being with). I hated the narrators 'raspier' voices, they were hard to understand.

An excellent story based on Celtic mythology with Kelpies, Druids and old gods that of course need a mortal's help to get things done. Eilean is rough around the edges but deeply cares for her family and the friends she makes along this journey. She made a mistake and hurt a lot of people years before this story begins and the backlash pushed her family out of their ancestral home. Now she is back to visit her grandmother but is pulled into a world of magic she never thought existed.

Great story and cast of characters. Listening to this audiobook is an absolute treat with sound effects, singing old Scottish hymns and voices that sound like they are from another world. I can't wait to see what's next for Eilean and her new found friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC!

This was fun! I don't really know much about Scottish mythology, so I liked learning more about it. Otherwise it's kind of a typical YA fantasy, with a Chosen One MC and two sidekicks, even if one of them happens to be a monster horse (otherwise known as a kelpie). I would have liked a little more depth to the story, but it was still definitely an enjoyable read. Oh and it's sapphic!!

Unlike most other audiobooks, this one had some sound effects, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. At the start of every chapter there would be some kind of sound (which differed from chapter to chapter), like birds chirping, and while it made me jump every time it did also add to the atmosphere. The mythological beings also had special effects on their voices, and while I can appreciate how not-human it made them sound, it did sometimes make it hard to make out what they were actually saying.

I will be looking forward to continuing to follow Elaine's journey, but in the meantime there is a prequel out! It's called The Green Man Falls, and it's (at least currently) free, so I recommend checking it out. It gives the backstory to what happened for the gods to need Elaine's help, from the POV of one of the gods. However, I'd recommend reading The Spiral of Life first, as there are a lot of spoilers in the prequel.

rep: lesbian MC with depression and anxiety, Scottish-Nigerian bisexual SC

This was a really well produced audio book. The sound effects and the narrator were really good and helped bring the book to life when listening to it. McMahon has a really strong voice in their writing and I really loved their characters and way of telling stories. This was a fun listen and I highly reccomend it.

This was unexpectedly good! I didn’t really go into this book with any expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up liking it quite a lot. The story is well structured and I really enjoyed following along with Eilean and Freya on their journey. The audiobook narration was stellar! The writing already made the characters feel distinct, but the narration helped as well, because their voices were acted differently. Some of the acting choices were a bit off-putting, especially the God that appears towards the end, I understand why he was acted this way, but I found it somewhat annoying.

I enjoyed this tale of Eilean, a hot-tempered teen with a troubling past tasked to save an ancient god in the Celtic Otherworld. Skeptical that she's up for the job, Eilean is joined on her quest by Freya, a local girl from Eilean's hometown who shows Eilean compassion and empathy, as well as a snarky mythical horse of death. Together they are confronted with challenging tasks as they navigate the Otherworld to complete their pursuit.

McMahon does a beautiful job of world-building while infusing characters with humor and heart. This story is geared toward a YA and/or middle-grade audience but was just as fun to read as an adult.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was granted access to the audiobook version and the narration by Rebecca Daltry was exceptional. The beginning of each chapter contains a brief sound clip relating to the story section, and Daltry navigates different voices like a pro.

I loved the narrator for this audiobook! I found this book enjoyable because of the world building and unique characters. The world was immersive, and the environment was a major factor in the plot of the story. The characters were also well written, and the mythical creatures were unique and fun. Gods and giants and kelpies!
The dialogue was well written, but rather predictable. There were many parts of the book where I wish the characters would just stop talking and get to the point or get to the action. And while I loved seeing the growth of the main character, there were moments where we were in their heads for far too long going over their insecurities and quirks again. It felt like the author didn't quite trust us to remember certain things about them.
I was not a fan of the ending. I still had many questions at the end, and the epilogue didn't really offer anything to the story. The main conflict that shows in the beginning of the book and persists through the entire story is never addressed or resolved. This book is part of a series so I'm not sure if the epilogue will be meaningful to the next book, or if more questions will be answered in the next book.

A quick listen. This was a lot of fun - great sound effects and the Narration of all the different voices was outstanding.

I was provided with a free advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Eilean once let her anger get so out of control that she hurt someone badly, and now as a teenager she struggles to let anyone close at all. Her life is centered around keeping her temper in check, from her blacksmithing classes, to her therapy, to her exercise routine. Despite her best efforts, she senses that even her parents flinch away from her strong emotions. When she returns home for the first time since the incident, she finds her beloved grandmother ill. While trying to care for her, Eilean is drawn into a fae world of gods where the stakes are higher than her own life. How do you protect what’s most important to you when your greatest fear is yourself?

I felt that the ending was too abrupt of a cliffhanger, but that may be down to personal preference. I received an audiobook arc and in Chapter 28 I find it difficult to understand the new character introduced in this chapter.

The Spiral of Life is a fast paced coming of age story in the vein of Tamora Pierce’s Alanna the Lioness that drew me in from the first page. The audiobook has distinct voices between characters, and twice there's singing and it's gorgeous. The story explores guilt, recovery, identity, and facing fears in a way that challenged me to explore preconceived notions about morality and myself. We can be corrigible, and still forgive ourselves for past mistakes. The friendship, adventure, rich mythology, and a sassy animal sidekick will have me coming back for more.

The audiobook for this is so great! I loved the sound effects, and the narrator. The plot was easy to follow, and the world building was well done. Bhradain is 100% the best character in this book and I really hope we get to see more of him as the series continues. With that said all the characters in here were good. This would make a really good Fantasy series for middle grade and up.

I'm really excited to see where the story will go from here!

A lesbian Celtic Percy Jackson - The two main characters had a great grumpy sunshine dynamic. The dialogue was realistic and sometimes quite funny. The Celtic Myths were very well researched and interestingly transformed into a Fantasy novel, even though I would have liked to see a bit more of an explanation of the worldbuilding.

The representation of mental health issues was great. The Story deals with guilt and trauma. The main character must confront her trauma through her epic quest, but saving the day does not let her heal magically – which is very good. The was amazing with themes and narration: One minor example: Brigid lets the main character, who is already a smith but struggling with forging weapons, forge a sword. So the goddess gave the protagonist something quest-related and personal to overcome: Limiting her potential because of a violence-related trauma. This quest being personal made it so exciting to read.

Sadly, I felt the characters were completely unmotivated to go on the main quest. As a reader, I could not see a connection between the characters and the plot, besides the order of the gods and it being “the right thing to do”. In the big reveal at the end, the reader understands that there was a personal connection to the plot after all, but I think hiding the connection in a big reveal, and not making it the starting personal motivation to go on this quest in the first place, was a huge loss of potential.

To the audiobook: I loved the narrator very much. She did a great job with the accents and the emotion and gave the characters a fitting and unique voice - except the Kelpi. The speaking parts for the Kelpi were audio-modified. I think it is supposed to represent the otherworldliness of the creature, but I think it sounded awful. If this was somehow the actual voice of the actor: My greatest compliment for this achievement, but I did not enjoy it.
And even though I am normally not a big fan of sound effects in Audiobooks, I quite liked the openings in the chapter beginnings.

Listened to this book through Netgalley.
Its a cute easy to listen to story. I loved the Gaelic influences and lore interwoven throughout. Fun characters that make you care about them! Our main girl deserves the world and all the help she requires to become the best version of herself that she wants to be 💙
The sound effect used for the grumpy selkie did put me off a little but the sound bits at the start of every chapter was a nice touch!
Looking forward to a potential sequel already 💙💙💙
Also, any cover bearing art by LLSTARCASTERLL is an instant read for me!

Enchanting and captivating

I really enjoyed The Spiral of Life by Francesca McMahon. It has easily become one of my favourite reads of this month.

We follow Eilean (Eye-lean), a young blacksmith trainee with a troubled past who is suddenly transported to another world where she is the only one who can save it.

The narrator did a fantastic and charming job bringing the story and characters to life.

I can't wait for more fun stories in this new series.

Perfect for those who enjoy:
*YA fantasy series
*Sapphic lead
*LGBTQIA representation
*Celtic mythology
*Sarcastic animal companions
*Reluctant heroine
*Quests

A Scottish set fantasy story. I listened to the audiobook version. 5 stars listen for its intended audience. A Celtic mythology base. Perfect for young adults, and older listeners. The editing and presentation in audio form is excellent, showing what this medium can add to enhance the reading experience. In the story you will find a quest, issues of family member frailty, finding friends (well one, one is more mythologically challenged/reluctant - read grumpy and not so helpful), a possible more than friends (very gently presented), trying to control emotions, some Gods, some magic, a sword (that gets a nickname - neat). This can be read as a standalone but Eilean has more to discover about her place in both the worlds she now inhabits. Which means more fun for you and me. Thank you to Bandele Books and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA fantasy! I loved the Scottish setting and appreciated Eilean and Freya as characters.

Occasionally the YA-ness bothered me as an adult reader—it’s a bit heavy on Eilean’s angst over badly hurting a peer 5 years ago (get over it already! He was bullying a queer teen and you stopped him!) and the plot is a little slow. It also takes 20% + of the book for her to accept the call to adventure. Get moving already!

All that being said, the Otherworld was cool, I loved the grandma character, and I’m curious where the series will go. I felt some Frodo/Sam vibes from Eilean and Freya and I loved that aspect too. A queer YA fantasy in Scotland that was fun and much needed!

*Note: I may make a TikTok about this as well—look for it at @evolution_of_emily.