After the events of Daughter of the Forest, Hugh of Harrowfield has left Harrowfield to stay with Sorcha and her family at Sevenwaters. They’ve had three children – Niamh, Sean and Liadan – and Sean has become the heir to his uncle Liam. His twin sister Liadan is heir to her mother’s power – she’s a healer, and has the Sight that her uncle Finbar commanded.
Eamonn, lord of the neighboring lands, has asked for Liadan’s hand in marriage, but she has asked him to wait for her answer until the next Beltaine. While time passes, a band of mercenaries, lead by a Painted Man, has began raiding on Eamonn’s lands. He’s sworn vengeance. Seemingly by chance, Liadan is captured by the mercenaries, and finds that the Painted Man is far more than he seems. There are ancient powers awake in the land, and Liadan and the Painted Man are caught in the middle.
This was a fitting sequel to Daughter of the Forest – the mythology is tightly woven into the story, and I was really impressed to see how far back the author reached – incorporating the Formorians in a really interesting way. I also really enjoyed Liadan’s interactions with the Fair Folk – they’re particularly menacing in their dealings with her. The series definitely has an interesting interpretation of Irish mythology – I can’t wait to read more.