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Brianag
The Blood Queen Book 2
by David H. Millar
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Three childhood friends meet in the Scottish Highlands. Two hold secrets. One may be a monster.
As Gràinne reached for the still warm heart, tendrils of the red mist preceded her. When they touched the heart, she felt power drawn from the blood. She steeled herself and bit into the organ. Such was the curse of the Blood Queen.
Brianag is the sequel to The Blood Queen. It is 384 B.C. Ten years have passed since Sidheag’s execution. Gràinne Ni Fearghal, the Blood Queen, has ruthlessly consolidated her grip on the eastern tribes and reigns as High Queen. Meanwhile, her daughter imprisoned in a gilded cage grows in beauty and power and terrifies her guardians—the demigods of the Aes Sídhe. She must escape. Her grandma, the powerful Sídhe, Mongfhionn, agrees.
Brianag trembles at two questions: how will her mother receive her, and can she be redeemed?
Sidheag, was not the only Blood Drinker. Two others, Áine and her daughter, Leannán want vengeance for Sidheag’s death. Both claim to be Sidheag’s mother. Yet is Sidheag dead?
Can Cassán, Dùn Brion’s king, control his temper and work with the demigods to defeat the Blood Drinkers? Will the beast known as the Hound destroy every living being with three barks or will the ancient Cait People awaken and intercede?
A ‘Bhanrigh Fuil
The Blood Queen Book 1
“It is a king’s decision,” said Brion.
“It will not be you who deceives and delivers the lamb to the butcher’s block,” retorted Eimhir.
True evil is a persistent and tenacious beast. Its desire for existence is eternal and insatiable. It needs to infect only one mind for its insidious philosophy to take root and spread.
It is 394 B.C. At a remote loch in the highlands of Northern Albu, a priest sacrifices nine innocents. Below the water’s surface, a shape feeds on their blood and begins to take form. Soon, it becomes sentient and begins to hunt. Sidheag has risen.
Humans cannot defeat the abomination. Neither can Mongfhionn, the powerful demi-goddess of the Aes Sídhe.
The only remedy is the Blood Queen, and Gràinne is the reluctant heir to that throne. Will the Blood Queen stand alongside Mongfhionn to confront Sidheag? The cost for Gràinne may be too much—unless her daughter, Brianag, is in jeopardy.
Passions, always near the surface of the Gaels, burst into flames in The Blood Queen, where father is pitted against son, mother against daughter, sister against sister, brother against sister, and father against daughter.
The Blood Queen contains scenes of sex and violence and uses language appropriate to the period it is set in, i.e., 400 B.C. It is not recommended for those under 16 without parental consent.
5/5 ★★★★★
Genre: Fantasy, Historical fiction
Review by Jan Foster/History Quill: Last updated Jun 12, 2023
A must-read Celtic ‘Game of Thrones meets Bernard Cornwell’, blending history with dark fantasy and a truly terrifying villain. The Blood Queen will keep you turning the pages deep into the night.
The Blood Queen is a dark fantasy nominally set in 400 B.C. Scotland, wherein a misguided priest sacrifices innocents in the hope of bringing forth an entity that will do his bidding. This starts a tale of ‘be careful what you wish for’, as the entity – Sidheag – forms a corporeal being and a consciousness complete with dark desires for domination. No one can resist Sidheag’s allure and subsequent enslavement, and few will survive her rampage across the land as she builds an army to fulfil her calling.
Aside from the descriptive prose and the brilliant battle scenes, the equality of the sexes feels genuine rather than a nod to political correctness. Women rule, fight, murder and fornicate as violently and passionately as the men and the female characters are badass!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Blood Queen, even at its most uncomfortable. The historical accuracy of weapons and battle strategies blended perfectly with the epic and fantastical storyline. I loved the tiny moments of humanity within the bleakest moments. Reading the novel felt like watching a horror movie unfold, compelling you to turn the pages in the hope that somehow, against the odds, humanity will win.
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