For fans of Hannah Whitten and Rebecca Ross, Unbound is a gender-bent reimagining of the classic tale of a monstrous beast and the beauty determined to tame it, set against the lush backdrop of Irish mythology and folklore.
Rozlyn Ó Conchúir is used to waiting—waiting for the king, her father, to relent and allow her to leave the solitude of her tower; waiting for the dreaded and mysterious Beast of Connacht to at last be defeated; waiting for the arrival of the man destined to win her heart and break the terrible curse placed on her and her land. So when she meets Jamie—a charming and compelling suitor—she allows herself to hope that her days of solitude and patience are over at long last.
But as she finds her trust betrayed—and newer, more sinister threats arising—Rozlyn learns that some curses are better left unbroken …
Fairytale retellings and mythology are definitely two of my buzzwords/phrases, so I was eager to get the chance to review the Queens of Éire series, starting with Unbound – which is very Beauty and the Beast-esque. I really enjoyed the dual POV and different perspectives. It’s very fairytale coded, but I really enjoyed the inclusion of Celtic mythology and the underlying messages. There were some parts of the book where pacing felt a little off, perhaps a little slow, but not to the point where I didn’t want to continue. Overall Healy’s writing was nice to read, definitely good atmosphere here and there. The story is primarily focused on Rozlyn and Jamie, so there isn’t a lot of sidetracking with other characters – but there’s still plenty of twisty turns.
Riona Ó Conchúir has known death her whole life. The mysterious lord of death has tormented her for years, stealing away the souls of all those she has loved since childhood, demanding that she come and serve him in his shadowy realm, but she has always resisted – until now.
When her daughter falls ill with an incurable disease, Riona at last answers the lord of death’s call and ventures into the hidden realm of the sídhe to offer herself as a servant to him in exchange for her daughter’s life. But when he demands that she use the divine magic of her blood to find three legendary objects of power that were once wielded by the gone gods themselves, Riona soon realizes that she will be forced to make an impossible choice:
Her daughter’s life, or the realm of Éire itself.
In this sequel (it can be read as a standalone but benefits from having read the first installment first) we follow Riona, who is Rozlyn’s granddaughter. She was definitely more of an unlikeable character while her counterpart – Conor – was easy to adore. The mythology/folklore in this story were really well done and I found myself really getting sucked into all of those elements. Even though Riona is a little harsh, there are certainly reasons for it that are explained and it’s nice to see how she and Conor interact throughout the story. Loved that there was some medical/chronic illness rep in this one especially – it’s always nice to see in any genre. I definitely feel like any of the pacing issues that I may have felt with the first book were more ironed out in this one, definitely more flowing prose that just kept me glued to the book.
Rory Ó Conchúir has always known that she was destined for war. Her deadly gifts, the unwanted inheritance of her ancestor, the Mórrígan, can only be wielded as a weapon of destruction and doom. For years, she would not allow herself to be used as such, instead choosing to live far across the sea, refusing to regret what she has left behind in order to do so…until the fateful day that she learns of the price she has paid for her peace.
Niall Ó Flannagáin, the young king of Connacht, was never meant for war — that has always been his half-sister, Rory’s, role. But now he finds himself threatened with a foreign invasion and the ruination of the realm, without her aid. In desperation, he turns to a powerful enemy as an ally, his only hope to unite the provinces against the foreign armies gathering even now to destroy the land he has sworn to protect.
Locke MacMurchada, the son of the most hated traitor in all of Éire, owes a debt that he knows he can never pay. But when the opportunity to propose a political marriage with the murderous Rory Ó Conchúir arises, he seizes the chance to protect what is left of both his people, as well as the legacy which his father ripped to shreds…so long as she doesn’t kill him first.
When the day of doom at last arrives, the fates of all three royals – the cursed princess, the young king, and the traitor prince – become inextricably woven together, forcing them to face new threats and old enemies, hoping to forge a stronger Éire from the ashes of the old.
Oof this one was an emotional roller coaster and such as fantastic third installment! I feel like the first two (even they can all be read as standalones) really set up a good foundation, but this book still had a ton of great world building and set up built in. There was so much morally grey behavior and characters in this one, so if that’s your thing you will probably eat this one up. Also, this is very much a slow burn and it does burn. Really this one was beautifully built up to and a great third book in the series.
Happy reading!
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The Wandering Wordsmith 