Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Review: The Forgotten Kingdom (The Lost Queen Book 2) by Signe Pike

Release Date: September 15, 2020 

The sequel to this series loosely based on Merlin from the Arthurian Legend continues with a broader view told from more than one character's point of view. If I recall correctly, the first book (The Lost Queen) is only told from Languoreth's view point, but now we get to see her brother Lailoken's and her daughter Angharad's thoughts too.  It was a wise improvement, as we got to see more of what was going on beyond Languoreth's world. Interestingly, Languoreth and Lailoken's chapters are told in first person while Angharad's are in third person, perhaps because she is a child.

The series takes an unusual path because my understanding of the Arthurian Legend has always been the Celts battling the Saxons/Angles, but the primary antagonists for most of the book are Christian Britons. The Angles only pose a threat towards the end. It did make me wonder a little bit "where is this going?" But when I say it's loosely based on the Arthurian Legend, I mean loosely - I mean you should throw out everything you know about King Arthur and Merlin before reading it. That's not a criticism, because this is an excellent and arguably more historical reboot, and if you're looking for a totally different take on the Arthurian Legend, this is it.

Advanced review copy from publisher via Edelweiss. My opinions are my own.


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