Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for allowing me to review this book.
The Lost Queen is one of my favorite books. It has everything I love: history, Scotland, magic, folklore, and a strong heroine. The history of ancient peoples woven in with the tale of Merlin, gives the perfect balance of fact and fiction. I love that Languoreth and her brother start the story as children, and they grow throughout the story both in years and maturity. Signe Pike has a beautiful writing style. The story flows well. I can not wait to read the other books in this series.

The Lost Queen
By Signe Pike

More than a brilliant retelling of the Merlin legend, Ms. Pike’s “Lost Queen” is a meticulously researched story that takes a deep dive into what little is known of early Celtic history circa AD 500. Based on the latest scholarship, Pike weaves facts and hints teased from ancient poetry and obscure monastic annals into a believable - or at least quite likely - story.
The man who would go down in myth and legend as Merlin (known in Celtic as Myrddin or “madman”) she identifies as Lailoken, a keeper of the Old Wisdom and Chief of Song in the region of Strathclyde - today’s Glasgow area. His twin sister, Languoreth, the lost queen of the title, rules as wife of the high lord of Strathclyde.
This first book of a planned trilogy details the tragedies that beset the region, and Languoreth herself, in the early days of Anglo-Saxon migration to the British Isles. Eventually, these stories would be displaced from Scotland as the Celts themselves moved to safety in Wales and southern Britain, taking their legends with them.
Especially appreciated is the brief pronunciation guide provided by the author. The Celtic language, with pronunciation so different from spelling that it frequently reminds me of some sort of code, can make for dense reading without some sort of guidance.
Pike’s previous book is a travel memoir (“Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World”) and she hopes that her current works will spark an interest in exploring the Scottish countryside in her readers. It certainly did with me. I’ll be including visits to Clyde Rock and other landmarks from the book in the Glasgow region, an area that previously held little interest for me, on my next visit to Scotland to pursue my own quest for Merlin.
I much look forward to reading the subsequent volumes of the series. Ms. Pike, at least, will understand my fascination with Merlin: my father’s name was Stobo.

I received The Lost Queen as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

In sixth-century Scotland, twins Langoureth and Lailoken are the only children of a minor king, . Lailoken is destined to be a Wisdom Keeper, a minister to the gods and a counselor to royalty. Langoureth, meanwhile, is fated to marry well and represent her father's territory. These long-held traditions, however, are imperiled by foreign Angles and traitorous Britons raiding their villages, and the increasing power of the Christian church pushing out the old ways. The violence and darkness threaten to overwhelm Lailoken, who has gone to serve under his foster brother Uther Pendragon, while Langoureth, married to the son of a Christian king and in love with one of Pendragon's warriors, must navigate treacherous political waters while protecting the people and traditions she holds most dear.

I loved this. The late Roman/early medieval period is fascinating to me, perhaps for its dearth of information. The mystery in which so much of it is steeped, and the massive transitions, politically, culturally, and religiously, that were taking place make it a rich source of stories. I loved how the early Arthurian legends were woven into what we do know historically, and the world that's drawn is vibrant in both its beauty and brutality. Can't say enough good about it, and am excited to read the sequel.

The book starts out with twin siblings mourning the death of their mother and only blooms from there. A wonderful world is weaved while the scope broadens - pulling away from the saddest of children to an entire world, with them at their center,
This is the first work I've read by Signe Pike and it won't be my last. From lovely depictions of the scenery to the innermost thoughts of the characters, I felt so drawn to this book and didn't want it to end. To put it plainly, Pike may be one of my favorite authors of all time.

I loved the language of this book! It's so lyrical and immersive - you can literally, so-easily imagine yourself walking in the Scottish woods - their magic, their beauty, their calm and peacefulness. I just love books that wrap you in like that!

The story was great too - we meet Langoureth when she is ten years old and follow her through the next 5 or 6 years as she grows into a woman, finds her first love, then marries another for political alliance. The story then skips forward about 10-12 years or so. Normally I would find that unsettling, but it is handled well, with the gaps in the story filled out in a satisfying manner.

I was hoping for a bit more of the Merlin and Arthur tale in this novel, as it was advertised as "Outlander meets Camelot". We do get to know Lailoken well, the man who is later known as Myrddin or Merlin, and who is Langoureth's twin brother, but there really are not any references to Merlin or Author in this story, save for the Note from the Author at the end. The story is also not like Outlander, unless you count that it takes place in what is later known as Scotland and is in a medieval setting, although The Lost Queen takes place much earlier (6th Century) than Outlander (18th Century).

Also, I was a bit disappointed to learn this was part of a trilogy, as I do prefer stand-alone books. However, this novel definitely stood on its own, with a satisfactory ending, and did not fall prey to the "trilogy cheat" of expanding what should have been one book over three books instead.

All of that said, The Lost Queen is a beautiful book with engaging characters. Langoureth sneaks into your heart and you root for her and feel for her along the way. And you long to enter her beautiful, forested world of magic and beauty. Definitely recommend!

This book is perfect for anyone who loves Outlander. I did find the first few chapters to be a bit slow but this book quickly picks up. Signe Pike sweeps you away with her description of Scotland. Overall an enjoyable historical romance.

I absolutely loved this book. Based on the story itself and the notes from the author at the back I know it was a well researched book that offers a glimpse of life back then, merlin’s past, and his forgotten sister. I felt for the characters and wish I knew more of what happened next.

I actually wish that the history of the books creation was at the beginning of the book rather than the end. It brought more things to life for me in regards to the characters and how things evolved politically. It was a good story. some things seemed to drag a bit, but overall I enjoyed it

This a historical fiction novel about Languoreth, a queen from the 6th century and twin sister to Lailoken (who inspired the legends of Merlin). This story takes place in the mid-late 400s in what is now known as Scotland and England. Wars are breaking out between different peoples trying to settle the land (Romans, Britons, Angles, Picts, Celts, as well as those who follow "the old way of knowing" vs newly converted Christians). Languoreth has come to age and is to be married off to the High King's son but is in love with someone else. Lailoken is trained as a warrior and is also training to be a Wisdom Keeper of the Old Ways.

It is action packed, has some romance, some magical/fantastical elements, some drama, familial obligation, is historical and incredibly fascinating. It is a page turner!

I loved this one and will be thinking of it for a while!

Fans of Outlander, Philippa Gregory, and historical fiction and fantasy in general, will enjoy this book!

Thank you for the ARC!

The premise of this book was so good that I flew thought it! The way the author told this story was so refreshing and interesting to read. I really loved the traits the characters had and how their different personalities made every conflict so much better. I didn't have many expectations for this book, but it was a nice surprise for sure!

I absolutely loved this book! Combining action, romance, and magic against the backdrop of medieval Scotland, The Lost Queen was an amazing read. Languoreth is a great main character: stubborn, intelligent, and diplomatic. I loved the rich, magical world of medieval Scotland, and I liked the combination of historical fiction and fantasy. I would definitely recommend this book to any lovers of those genres, as well as anyone who enjoyed Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to review a copy of The Lost Queen by Signe Pike in advance of the release of her second book in this series. I thought the writing was well researched and imaginative and I appreciated the author’s vision of what could have been to inspire such enduring legends as those to do with Merlin and Arthur and the Camelot of yore. The land and history was vibrant and I cannot wait until the third book is available to complete the story begun of a woman that time has all but forgotten.

The Lost Queen, by Signe Pike, held my interest from the start to the end of the book. In fact, I’m ready to find and purchase the 2nd book of the trilogy. This book is unique in the fact that a female during the 6th century is the main character, and viewed as a strong, poignant woman who defines and has to help shape the bridge of transition from the Old Ways to Christianity.
The storyline follows a female, named Languoreth, from her childhood through early-mid age. Several difficult decisions have to be made by Languoreth, and consequences to her decisions have to be lived with. As a noble female during this period in history, her life is never truly her own. She knows at a young age her lot in life is not to grow up to become a Wisdom Keeper, as her heart truly wants, but to become a pawn and be used to help solidify alliances between her family and the family she will be wedded to. Her twin brother Lailoken, on the other hand, is chosen to be trained as a Wisdom Keeper.
Knowing her fate, she is disappointed and feels her family role is less than what she truly wants in her heart. However, as the story progresses, and, with help of her new mother-in-law, I believe Languoreth slowly matures and learns what influence she really can be in her role as future Queen.
Near the end of this novel, we as readers learn Lailoken is actually Merlin of Arthurian legend, and he truly did have a twin sister named Languoreth who was an influential Queen during her time. Signe Pike spent countless hours researching, trying to find information on our “lost Queen” so her story could finally be told.

I am an avid genealogist, and, when researching noble and royal families, I tend to feel sorry for the females, as they as oftentimes used as trading tokens, to help solidify political alliances. Women were not given positions of power, nor were many women’s stories and lives captured onto paper and quill. The author of this novel portrays Languoreth’s father as very doting and wanting to find her a match that would not only strengthen an alliance with a more powerful king, but I believe he truly did want the best for his daughter. I also find it interesting how the author chose for Languoreth’s husband to be progressive, so to speak, in the fact that he valued her thoughts, and showed mercy to her when she “disobeyed.” However, his brother readily beats his wife, is unfaithful, and shows no mercy. It makes me wonder how life really was for women of noble birth, and how the majority of them were in fact treated.

I can’t wait to begin reading the 2nd book of the trilogy, “The Forgotten Kingdom.”

“I do not think we can choose who we love with any more freedom than we can choose who we marry.”

This is a coming of age story, a story of first love, of what it means to be a woman, to be a daughter, leader, sister, mother, queen. It’s powerful and enrapturing.

I switched between print and audio, but mostly listened. The audio narration and stunning writing are almost hypnotic in their beauty and demand that you slow down and soak it in.

I loved this book, these characters and their loyalty to each other, the richly written setting, and never knowing where the story would take me. This is the first book in a trilogy (the second is already out as well) and I’m so glad there’s more of Langueroth’s story ahead.

A captivating story of Arthurian legend in 6th century Scotland. The story of the Lost Queen follows Languoreth, twin sister to Lailoken, the man we famously know as Merlin. Languoreth is bound to duty, to family, and faith and she will do what she can to protect all. From a child of ten, we watch Languoreth as she first learns the role of politics in her world. At the age of 15, she experiences endearing love and dutiful marriage and lastly, at 32, her world is thrust into chaos as war is on the horizon. She fights to save and protect her love, her family, and everything that she holds dear.

In all honesty, I had a difficult time getting into the flow of this book. After maybe 5-10 chapters in is when I was really hooked. I've always enjoyed historical fiction and this is probably the first book that's really taken me back to my love for them. This book was mystical at times, thrilling, truly heartbreaking, and totally worthwhile. I've not heard of this side of King Arthur and Merlin and I was so captivated by Languoreth. Her character was rebellious and clever, she was dutiful and I loved her regard for the "Old Ways" but made room for the new. She was a loving mother and a caring wife, a sister who went to great lengths to protect her twin and when she loved, truly loved, she didn't hold back. Pike wrote Languoreth with such strength, she's definitely a character to admire. Pike also did a wonderful job allowing us to explore 6th century Scotland. The details in all aspects of this book paint the most vivid scenes. All aspects of this book was amazing, even though I had a rough start, that was on me. The pace of historical fictions are sometime a slow burn for the sake of backstory and details and it was totally worth it. I really did love everything about this book. Historical fictions are not for everyone, but this would be a great book for everyone to read at least once. I'd highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

To be honest, I wanted to read this book for two reasons: the stunning cover and its seeing in medieval Scotland, which I rarely get to read about (or any time period in Scotland for that matter). I was thrilled to find out it's about Languoreth, whose twin brother is the inspiration behind Merlin. I thought there would be some fantasy, maybe some romance. But what I got was so much more.

The Celtic world has always fascinated me. It's dark, magical, mysterious, a bit dangerous. Pike takes us to a time of Druids, ancient kingdoms, and it completely sucked me in. Times are changing with the rise of Christianity, which I felt drive a lot of the plot. So beautifully written. I loved the portrayal of Languoreth's relationship with her brother and his she herself was written. A strong female lead, relatable in her struggles the deep love she had. So often when I read of medieval female figures, they're cold and hard to relate to. Granted they're mainly non fiction so far liberties can be taken, so this was different. Family drama, love, loss, and political intrigue combined with stunning and vivid descriptions made this hard to put down. I started the sequel immediately after finishing this one.

I very very very much appreciated the phonetic pronunciations included by the author, though I think I'm still going to listen to the audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile, as I fell in love with the gorgeous original cover. Initially, I have to admit that I found it a bit slow to start.
And then, like a slow and steady enchantment, this book immersed me chapter by chapter until I became completely caught up in the story and the lush setting, unaware of time slipping past. I devoured the story in one day, despite it being a heavy 560 pages.

There are so many elements of <i>The Lost Queen</i> to fall in love with.

The writing and the characters and the historic backdrop all melded together to weave a magical tale.
6th Century Scotland comes vividly to life in lush descriptions of everything that you would hope to get out of such a setting - cloaked druids, deep forests, sacred groves and emerald glens, misty castles, and stormy seas.

I loved the main character, Languoreth - a real queen who wielded substantial influence in the 6th Century, but has since been lost to history and is now almost entirely unknown.
Languoreth is a very interesting and feisty heroine, and I felt all of her emotions - her triumphs, fears, heartbreak, and struggles, keenly. I found myself shaking my head or frustrated at some of her decisions, but they never felt badly written or unbelievable.
The cast of supporting characters is equally strong, and there are plenty of figures to get attached to, from wise kings to Languoreth's devoted elderly maid.
The villain, a zealous monk, was also quite chilling, though I feel that his characterization could have been fleshed out a bit further, and more present in the story.

The romance element of the book was one that I was not impressed with in the beginning, as it was a typical "love at first sight" and "lust = love" tripe. The characters were not given enough time together to have me believing that they'd actually fallen in love, so at first I was unconvinced.
However, the descriptions of Languoreth's dreamy romantic interest were admittedly, well, dreamy, and as their story progressed, I began to yearn for them to be together, as wish that the handsome warrior would get more screen-time.
As stereotypically eyebrow-raising as the beginning of their love story was, the couple soon won me over.

This book will no doubt be classified as 'Arthurian,' but I feel that this is more of a side detail to the story. Languoreth is the twin sister of the man who would later become known as Merlin, and the early Arthurian knights of Pendragon do feature strongly in the plot. However, there is no Arthur or Lancelot here, as the events of the book take place basically an entire generation before them.
I appreciated this - while the story does give an earlier background to the Arthurian story, it's also without a doubt strong enough to stand on its own.

I love Pike's writing, beautiful and refined. She is certainly able to write a great story that evokes a powerful atmosphere. I was also impressed by how this book really crept up on me and took me by surprise. Nothing ever seemed forced, and I was almost surprised to find myself feverishly turning to page 300, after being nonchalantly uninvested around page 20.

Upon closing this book, I felt that I had just finished a long journey with the characters through medieval Scotland. I will definitely be reading Book 2 in the trilogy!

<i>Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

It sounded like an very interesting historical fiction book, but i couldn`t connect with the book at all. The dialog sometimes seemed off and it was many people coming and going and i ended up just confused.

It could be a bit better. I mean the writing style was beautiful but the story could be better. Fantasy is my go to genre and I always find solace in fantasy books so I want them to be impactful.

This sounded amazing and I usually really enjoy historical fiction so had high hopes but I didn't finish this one. I found it to be moving so slow and struggled the dialog. I just could not connect with this book at all.