Review: Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland

 It's been a while since I posted, so I thought it was time a new post was made, and this time it's for Song of the Huntress!

I was on the blog tour for the first of Lucy Holland's books, Sistersong, previously (see that review HERE).... And when I went to the Goldsboro Fantasy in the Court event last year and had a chat with her about her new book I knew I HAD to read it, and I was definitely not disappointed!

Here's the book:

Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, land and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, reaping wanderers’ souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield – a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes.

Queen Æthelburg of Wessex is a proven fighter. But when she leads her forces to disaster in battle, her husband’s court turns against her. Yet King Ine needs Æthel more than the dead kings of Wessex are waking, and his own brother seeks to usurp him. Ine’s only hope is to master the magic that’s lain dormant in his bloodline since ancient days.

When their paths cross, Herla knows it’s no coincidence. Something dark and dangerous is at work in the Wessex court. The Otherworld seeks to rise, to bring the people of Britain under its dominion. As she and Æthel grow closer, Herla must find her humanity – and a way to break the curse – before it’s too late.

Yet again I will talk about how I love when my books mix historical fiction with fantasy - I do not read nearly enough of it, so is it a surprise when I rave about a good one when I find it? I adored Sistersong from Lucy, and this book I adored just as much... Especially as we get to hear about some of the characters from Sistersong again, even if just from stories shared by the characters in this book! However, if you have read Sistersong before you do get to see one particular character again that you may not have thought you would - Emrys! But I won't spoil how you see them, I'll let you red it yourself and find out! That isn't to say you would be confused if you haven't read Lucy Holland's previous book, you can easily read it as a standalone, but it's definitely fun to read the little easter eggs dropped throughout that links this book to Sistersong!

I haven't read too much into this part of History, so it is always interesting to read a book like this and then research into what actually happened to these characters in real life, and I really do like the way Æthelburg is written, she's definitely my favourite character in this, I have a fondness for books with warrior Queens in though, so that may be why!

I must admit, this one didn't get as big as place in my heart as Sistersong, but it was still an amazing read, that really pulls you into the story between Herla and Æthelburg, and I also loved the POV of King Ine as he turned out to have a lot more to him than you would have thought.

So, overall, if you're a lover of both mythology and the history of Britain, I would definitely recommend this, and I give this book: 5 cats!

Song of the Huntress is out now and you should definitely go grab a copy, you get a warrior Queen, the Wild Hunt and more of the magic of the land from the first book, what more could you want from a historical fiction book?