Book #2 of The Lost Queen trilogy is even better than the first! Completely captivating, so atmospheric – I was swept away – an amazing sense of place.

Our Lost Queen, Languoreth, is in a heart-wrenching situation – her loyalties are divided, as her husband and son have chosen to make war against her brother Lailoken aka Myrrdin, the infamous Merlin of the Arthurian tales. To make matters even more tenuous, Languoreth’s 9-year-old daughter Angharad is living with Lailoken, training to become a Wisdom Keeper.

Languoreth is tested beyond what she ever has been before, as her loyalties are divided and pretty much every one she loves is in serious danger. Angharad and Lailoken are also in some hot water and need to find their way out. Can a queen keep her family and her loyalty both?

Recommended for historical fiction lovers and those book club guys and gals out there. Especially of interest to fans of the Arthurian legend(s) and Scottish lore. (Sounds perfect, right?)

Still not sure? Read an excerpt at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Forgotten-Kingdom/Signe-Pike/The-Lost-Queen/9781501191466. And, too, don’t miss the Reading Group Guide from that same link – it includes an introduction to the book (great refresher if you’ve forgotten what you read in book #1!), Discussion Questions, an Author Q&A, and some great ideas for your next book club (when you read The Forgotten Kingdom, of course!)

A big thank you to Signe Pike, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for this honest review.

To grab a copy of The Forgotten Kingdom for yourself, head on over to BookShop.org – the online bookstore that gives 75% of each book’s profit margin back to independent bookshops. Find yours at https://bookshop.org/lists/best-fiction-of-2021.

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Book 2 in the series continue the stories of twins Langoreth and Lailoken and the brutal battles and intrigue that besets them as the strife in medieval Scotland heats up. The first book read quicker where this one draws out the story more.The parallels to history are fascinating. The author has done an enormous amount of research and presents an era very true to actual history. Her afterwords, a section where she reveals the historical information she gathered and her sources, is particularly interesting. I look forward to the next book in the series.

This one was unfortunately a DNF for me. I really think I am just not in the headspace for this one and will try again. I will update my review when I read.

This book is the second in the trilogy series by the author. It follows some historical fiction as well as some period piece fantasy and sorcery. I would recommend reading the first book in the trilogy first and then reading this one. It is a great read that keeps you engaged throughout the book. I loved the clarity of her characters (three main ones comprise this sequel). If you like King Arthur and mid evil times - you will love this book.

I just love this story and these characters. Signed Pike once again has written a beautiful and lush tale that seems to just spring to life from the pages. I could clearly see the settings and characters almost as if I were watching a movie. It's rich, lush, and exciting...everything I want while reading a book from this genre! I will absolutely be recommending this book/series to anyone I can!

The Forgotten Kingdom follows well in the vein of its predecessor. It is for fans of Queen of Inis Lear. Strong historical fiction with great character development. It is definitely a slow burn, and the pacing can sometimes feel a bit stagnant. However, the character development and the way we really get to learn about Languoreth's life. It is faster than book one but be prepared to buckle in for an epic historical.

Fans of the stories of King Arthur will not be able to resist this book that sweeps readers back to the Middle Ages. There's a hint of the mystical in this second book in an incredibly promising series.

The second book in The Lost Queen trilogy, the story begins right where the previous book left off. Imprisoned, Languoreth awaits news of the ongoing battle between her husband, son and her twin brother Lailoken. Her world has been turned upside by conflict of religion, there are those who follow the old ways like Languoreth and others who now proclaim a new faith. The battle is fought bravely by both sides and unfortunately leaves many casualties. Among the missing is her youngest daughter who was entrusted to her brother months before and pledged to be a Keeper, a Druid. As Languoreth is reunited with her husband and attempts to pick up the pieces she must also accept her new role in life as the Queen, while across the seas her daughter struggles with her own inner strife and her brother welcomes a new beginning. In the end an old threat reappears and they all must come together or face the consequences of their hate.
In some cases a second book is never as good as the first but this book was definitely just as good, if not better! I loved how it never seemed to skip a beat and the story itself welcomed the reader right back in to the adventure. As with the first book this is an Arthurian tale of what happened before and Arthur was still very illusive but the story itself was fascinating. I especially loved and appreciated the Author’s Note, her dedication to the research truly shines. My only complaint is that I finished the book too quickly and now have to wait for the third!

The Forgotten Kingdom is the sequel to The Lost Queen with the third and final novel due for publication in September of 2023. First and foremost, it is going to be a very difficult wait as this one does end in a cliffhanger leaving me to want to immediately move on to the next novel that does not exist yet. The novel starts immediately after the last one ended so it is highly recommended to read the first novel before moving on to this one.

Lailoken (later known as Merlin) is a Dragon Warrior and a Wisdom Keeper. He travels with Uther Pendragon and the other Dragon Warriors. Along for the journey is Angharad, the eight-year-old, wise beyond her years, daughter of Languroeth, a Wisdom Keeper in-training and gifted seer. Everything turns upside down on their end when the messenger Languoreth sent at the end of the first book delivers the warning that Rhydderch (Languoreth’s husband), their son, Rhys, and a host of soldiers are coming to wage war on them to wipe them out. There is a huge battle with many casualties and Lailoken and Angharad become separated without knowing the fate of the other. The story follows each of their perspectives about their individual journeys to figure out the next steps.

The third perspective is Languoreth where we now encounter the aftermath after she was locked away when her husband and the rest of the army left to fight the war. Her husband and their son, whose true father is her true love Maelgwn, a Dragon Warrior, are on one side of the battle. On the other side are her twin brother, her foster brother, Uther, her cousin, Brant, and her love, Maelgwn. Her daughter, Angharad, is caught in the middle as she is too young to fight. At home, Languoreth has her two other children, Gladys and Cyan. With her family as her top priority, she is originally at a loss about her next steps. As a woman in an encroaching patriarchal society, she first feels powerless but then decides this will not be her end and she will find a way to move forward.

This novel is a little more complicated than the first as The Lost Queen focused on Languoreth as the protagonist and moved in a linear timeline. The Forgotten Kingdom features three different perspectives, Languoreth, Lailoken, and Angharad, and moved between years. Although they begin the story together, Lailoken and Angharad become separated due to a series of events. The story follows their individual journeys as new dangers and looming wars, including the battle that separated Lailoken and Angharad, are on the horizon. The pacing is slower than the first as it is a lot more complex, so it is not a fast read, but it does keep the reader interested from start to finish.

Overall, I love the amount of research that Pike did for this novel as she continues to take the known history and legends and puts them together into a realistic historical fiction series. I also appreciated her note about historical fiction vs historical fantasy as there really is a fine line between the two. The plot was very dynamic and complex as it was an ever-evolving story. The characters are all incredibly complex as there is a lot of depth to every one of them, even the secondary characters are not one-dimensional, which I greatly appreciated. There are hints of what could possibly happen in the third novel, but it is impossible to tell if they will come true and how it will all turn out. An excellent sequel in the world of Arthurian legend!

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, Atria Books, and the author for a review copy of this excellent sequel novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to review this book. I admit in my joy at joining NetGalley I may have been overzealous in my requesting numbers. As this book has already been published, I am choosing to work on the current upcoming publish date books in my que. As I complete those I will work on my backlogged request and will provide a review at that time. I again send my sincere thanks and apologies.

Pike's masterpiece The Lost Queen was a stunning piece of historical fiction. Rich in imagery, it tells the story of a long forgotten character, Langoureth. All of a sudden, her story is more important than any of the usual suspects in the Arthurian legends and we are here for it. The Forgotten Kingdom picks up where The Lost Queen leaves off, and you learn more about Lailoken, and Angharad, and the aftermath of war. Emotional, powerful, and so extensively researched, this is a wonderful piece of historical fiction.

This was a wonderful follow up as a second book in a trilogy! I absolutely love Pike's writing style. It is a great historical fiction read that I don't think much is written about. The characters grew more real to me and I am invested! Can't wait for story's conclusion with book 3!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The Forgotten Kingdom tells the story in three parts, Langoureth, Lailoken, and Angharad, a family divided by kingdom and by land. The Forgotten Kingdom shows the rich Arthurian mythology and the power behind family.

I gave The Forgotten Kingdom three stars, enjoying the history and the Arthurian mythology that filled the books and filled my imagination as I read The Forgotten Kingdom. I loved reading about the different myths and legends in this realm. Reading about Langoureth and Lailoken again was fantastic and I found myself remembering book one: The Lost Queen and the story of Langoureth and the connection between our twins. To read about all the different hardships that the whole family had to endure was heartfelt and emotional.

While I enjoyed the history, the mythology, and legends of The Forgotten Kingdom, I just found that I wanted the pace to slow down a bit. Each point of view was a different year during the story and I just found that to be a little too confusing. I felt the plot was disconnected from the plot and character and felt that the plot was a mess.

I did enjoy this second installment to the series but I just found that I wasn't as gravitated towards The Forgotten Kingdom. I enjoyed the setting of the kingdom and how much emphasis there was on the power behind the throne and the decisions that were made. The mythology and legends that were included were enjoyable and I loved reading about the history.

Thank you again to NetGalley and Atria Books for inviting me to read The Forgotten Kingdom and providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I’m sure I’m in the minority in this opinion, however I did not click with the writing. The pacing was too slow and it did not hold my attention.

The Forgotten kingdom is the second book in the series. I really enjoyed this book so much. It was such a complete page turner for me, I couldn’t put it down. . Both books so far have swept me away. The research that went into writing these books definitely shows in this amazing Historical Fiction Fantasy novel. I loved it. I highly recommend it.

The Forgotten Kingdom continues the saga of Langoureth, her family, and her kingdom, focusing mostly on the battle between Langoureth’s husband and The Dragon Warriors, of which her brothers and lover are members.

I’d say about 2/3 of the book focuses on the battle and the fallout from the perspective of Langoureth and her brother Lailoken, covering just a few months in time. The remaining 1/3 focuses on the life and religious training of Langoureth’s daughter Angharad and covers the span of about 7 years. Because of the timeframes covered, the book feels a bit bogged down in the middle and the pacing suffers a bit for it.

I definitely cared about what happened to the characters, especially the main three. The author is excellent at exploring the character’s thoughts and motives without it feeling repetitive. We also get introduced to a few new characters in this book and I immediately cared about them too. We also see a few characters from the beginning of the first book and I was so glad to see them again!

I switched back and forth between print and audio. The audiobook is narrated by the same Langoureth as the first book, with two additional narrators for Lailoken and Angharad.

You can tell that the author has done considerable historical research for these books and a lot of thought has gone into making them as accurate as possible. I’m definitely looking forward to the third book in the trilogy as Langoureth comes into her power.

A wonderful sequel to The Lost Queen. I'm very much looking forward to the third installment in the series!

This is the sequel to "The Lost Queen" by SIgne Pike and I cannot wait for book 3 to come out!

This is action packed, takes place right after the first book, and continues to follow the story of Languoreth, her twin brother Lailoken (inspiration for the legend of Merlin), and her daughter Anghorad. In this novel, we hear from more perspectives and jump between several characters and timelines (not in a confusing way though).

As with the first in the series, there is history, romance, battles and war, religion, a host of amazing characters, and such picturesque and detailed descriptions of the British Isles in the 6th century.

The author's notes in both books add a whole other dimension to the books too.

Loved it! Thank you so much for the ARC!

Book two of The Lost Queen series is over and I’ve got that “how will I go on” feeling thinking about waiting for the third one. I’m devastated. I hate waiting.
I love this book/series because Signe Pike does an amazing job world building and story telling in a way that is easy to follow (if you don’t let yourself get hung up on the many strange names/places).I have enjoyed reading about each character we’ve gotten to know so far, chapters written in their voices. Its a story telling element that I really enjoy in books like this when there are many characters and places to get to know over the course of a series. I think my favorite storyline in this book was Angharad, who really stood out as an important character. I cannot wait to continue following her and the rest of the characters through time and history in book three.