Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I read the first book in the series, The Lost Queen, because of a book club pick. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect but it definitely delivered..a great mix of fantasy and historical fiction, with a surprising twist of a beloved character who is both myth and legend. I was excited to get the second book, The Forgotten Kingdom, and continue the adventure. Adventure is definitely what you get with this one..epic wars, magic, kingdoms, death, life, struggle, strength, and the rise of Christianity in a world ruled by belief/worship in “gods”.
These books do feel like YA in a lot of aspects, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I do think the first book is the strongest of the two, but I loved the addition of Angharad, a nine year old who must fight every second for her life, for her future, for her family (who is turn into two by the war against each other), for her powers, and her beliefs. She is a beautifully wonderful character that will instantly endure herself to the reader.
“We may not always have the choice we would like, but we always have a choice.”

The highly anticipated second book in the trilogy is worth the wait! And my only question is how long do we have to wait for the third book? Beautifully written, masterly plotted, this book is every bit as good as the first and leaves readers wanting more. As I read, I savor the description and feel as though I am transported with the characters on their adventures. I can envision this as a wonderful mini-series!

The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike
5 stars

496 Pages
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: September 15, 2020

Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

The story of Languoreth, and her twin brother, Lailoken continues. When the first book ends, Languoreth is barricaded in her chamber while her husband and son ride off to war again her brother, the counselor to Uther Pendragon, and the Dragon Warriors. Languoreth is not only concerned for her brother, husband, and son but her daughter, Angharad, is missing. She was being trained as a Wisdom Keeper and was living with Lailoken and the Dragon Warriors. Everyone feels the loss of the war yet they must continue to go on with their lives.

This is the second book in the series. The story continues at a fast-pace and the additional characters are well developed. It is written from several points of view. I hope there is another book to come because I really want to know what happens to everyone after the war with the Angles.

The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike is the second book in The Lost Queen trilogy. The first book was a magnificent world building first person story about Queen Languoreth and her trials and tribulations with a heart stopping cliff hanger. This second book picks up where the first left off.

This time around the world building continues as we are given a 3 person POV in alternating chapters. We start off with the Queen's twin brother dealing with battles, we hear from the Queen herself and most poignantly we get a third person version about her young daughter Angharad.

We are in 6th century Scotland, Christianity is rising as are the religious wars and as Angharad is lost to her family she discovers secrets about herself that will empower her even more than her mother the Queen.

There are artists who create a picture with paint, some who sculpt an image and then there are those, like this author, who uses words to create not just an image but a living piece of art where you can breath in the cold air, smell the green hills, and fall in love with a young heroine as she is destined to change herself and her kingdom.

If you are a fan of Aria from Game of Thrones and the many lands she travelled or a fan of the historical fiction of The Outlander series or infatuated, as I am, with the Arthurian Legend this book and this series is a must read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM! Thank you to my {Partner} @AtriaBooks and the Author, @SignePike for the gifted copies of this book
This is the second book in The Lost Queen trilogy and is releasing September 15th!
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The Forgotten Kingdom
by Signe Pike @signepike
@atriabooks
An imprint of @simonandschuster.

This is the astonishing second installment in Sign Pike Epic Historical Fantasy Trilogy.
Set in sixth-century Scotland, Pike

“I do not know whether I fear him or am calling him as I stand upon the boulder, high above the iron salt waters, looking out over the winter hills. 
I stand upon the boulder and wait for Rhydderch and his men.
I wait.
I watch.
And I remember.” 

This is the astonishing second installment in Sign Pike Epic Historical Fantasy Trilogy.
Set in sixth-century Scotland, Pike

Pike’s story centers around a queen name Languoreth, who is imprisoned in her own home awaiting the news of a battle. Her husband and son have ridden off to war against her twin brother and her forbidden true love Maelgwn. Pike continues to elucidate the feminist struggles of the matriarchal Old Way against encroaching patriarchal Christianity. This is incredible epic historical fantasy fiction, that I have to say is outstanding. A riveting tale that is all consuming, it never lags and is perfectly placed. Gorgeous atmospheric imagery makes this book and author my all time favorites.

I haven’t been this excited for new book in a long time. I am purchasing a hardback copy when it’s released.

This is a must read, If you are like so many readers who fell in love with
Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Mists of Avalon series.

While this is the second book in a trilogy, it was understandable without having read the first book, and still a quite compelling story on its own.

Wow. The beginning of this book was a little confusing. The names were unfamiliar, and there was a whole book before it—was there some fundamental knowledge that was needed to understand what was happening here? But the magic that is a well-written book soon took over. The pages kept turning in a desire to find out what happens next!

The basics of the story are covered in the summary, but the Author’s Note at the end was very interesting. What is the difference between historical fiction and historical fantasy? This book could be quite enjoyable for fans of historical fiction, or for fans of fantasy as well. The difference is hard to discern when based on a time period of which the reader has limited previous knowledge.

While following along with characters whose names are difficult to pronounce sometimes presents a challenge, the fates of Languoreth, Lailoken, and Angharad kept me engaged. I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and will definitely consider putting the other two books of the trilogy on my to-be-read list.

What an incredible read! As much as I enjoyed book one in the trilogy, The Lost Queen, I enjoyed this one even more! This time around, we are drawn into several characters stories, as they give us their point of view along the way. This is such a fantastic book and series for fans of Arthurian Legends. Signe Pike writes a fantastic story with a wonderfully burning build up. I am so excited for the third book to come out! I have really come to love many of these characters and feel invested in their stories. I find myself losing time as I'm reading these books. They're very difficult to put down. Excellent read.

I would like to thank Signe Pike, Atria Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review..

"Grief is a weakness and emotion is danger. Such is the burden of a woman with power..."

I was very lucky to have received an advanced copy of The Forgotten Kingdom, the second book in The Lost Queen trilogy by Signe Pike. I absolutely loved the first book, and somehow the second book was even better. Starting right where book one finishes off, the reader is immediately on the edge of their seat. There is a war about to occur, and just like Languoreth, my heart is torn for characters on both sides of the fight. Unlike the first book, The Forgotten Kingdom alternates viewpoints between three different characters, Languoreth again, her twin brother Lailoken who we have all grown to love, and her youngest daughter, Angharad. I couldn't help rooting and crying for this family from Cadzow and Strathclyde multiple times in my reading. I really look forward to the final book in the trilogy.

Disclaimer: The quoted text is from an uncorrected proof of this book that I received from Atria Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Atria books, Signe Pike, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

As soon as I finished The Lost Queen, I jumped right into The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike. The first book did leave off on a little cliffhanger. Languoreth is imprisoned in her own home as her husband and son go off the wage war on her brother and lover, and her daughter, Angharad, is among them. As time goes by, Angharad separated from her Uncle during the battle and finds herself in the hands of the Picts and trained as a Priestess. In the meantime, Lailoken goes into exile. He is forever scarred from the battle and losing family members. And so a legend is born…

The first book left me in tears and the second book has left me on the edge of my seat. This book is more battle focused. The battle scenes are wonderfully descriptive and make you feel the fear and urgency of survival. Watching Lailoken suffer from PTSD is utterly heartbreaking. His emotions and struggles are something that many today could relate to.

Languoreth is such a wonderful main character. Her strength and dedication to her family are inspiring. She also knows her heart. She knows what must be done. Now, I can’t wait to find out what happens with Angharad. She is definitely her mother’s daughter. I loved watching her power grow.

Now, I must wait for book three, which completely breaks my heart! I love how the author weaves a beautiful tale filled with magic, destiny, legend, and history. It is really like watching legend come to life. Netflix, you have a series that you need to check out. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This book releases tomorrow! So grab your copy!

I tried so hard to get into this book it was so slow for me.. for a 2nd book I wanted some stuff to happen differently.
I liked the pervious book more then this one.

Historical fiction at its best…
The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike, is the second book in the The Lost Queen saga. Set in first century Scotland this captivating novel pieces together the historical references of Languareth of Cadzow, one of the most powerful Scottish queens, and her twin brother Lailoken, who became known as Merlin and inspired the Legend into an epic tale of love, loss, and conviction.

In addition to continuing Languareth and Lailoken’s story, The Forgotten Kingdom, follows Angharad, Languareth’s daughter, after she leaves her mother to go and study the Old Way under the guidance of her uncle, counselor to the most feared protectors of the realm. When attempts to preserve the Old Way in the face of the new Christian religion force rulers to choose political sides, battle ensues, sweeping young Angharad away to a faraway land where she grows into a beautiful young women while maturing her powers in the Old Way.

Signe Pike is as much a historian as she is a fiction writer. She spent over a decade researching the threads of Languareth and Lailoken in the histories and literature of the Scots of Dalriada, the Picts, and the Anglo-Saxons. The bones of the novel are a retelling of actual people and events and then fleshed out with her fictional development of characters and conflicts. The end result is a truly fascinating and authentic piece of historical fiction that will thoroughly captivate and entertain you. I literally cannot wait for the next book to be published.

Pike is also a my favorite style of author. Not only does she deftly weave history and fiction into a seamless and intriguing tale but she is a wordsmith whose individual sentences bring life to the story. One of many favorite quotes illustrates her talent for painting pictures through words: “I walked, enthralled and nearly seduced within intimate stones, places where the rocks had been weathered so round that their curves resembled the finest bits of a woman’s body.” Her characters are vibrant and captivating and exude all the flaws and failings of a real person which makes them that much more authentic and memorable. Whether or not you are a fan of historical fiction I guarantee you will will love The Lost Queen saga.

The second book of The Lost Queen trilogy continues the story of siblings Languoreth and Lailoken (Merlin) and the rise and fall of their fortunes in 6th century Scotland. This is a wonderfully researched story, that does take some license with history in a period where so little is known. Epic battles, lost loves, and found families make for an emotional landscape. Signe Pike clearly paints these historical figures as flesh and blood as the story is written through each characters eyes. It seems this book had more chapters from the point of view of Lailoken and Languoreths daughter Angharad which made for an interesting perspective. Most importantly we are introduced to Artur and his relationship with Lailoken. I love how history, legend and myth are bound up in this telling of Merlin and his origins. I have been fortunate that NetGalley and Atria publishing have allowed me to read and review this book. Once again this is a fantastic series, looking forward to the next book!

This is kinda of a long drawn out book.
I haven’t read the previous one so I’m not sure if that would have helped any.
I wanted to like this book, it sounded good and it’s different from what I normally read.
I think historical fiction fans and readers of the previous book will enjoy it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

4.5/5*

When I first read The Forgotten Queen by Signe Pike, I completely fell in love with the world she had created (full review here). While keeping track of character names could be a bit difficult, Pike weaved an epic of a story centred around a forgotten character in the Arthurian myths: Merlin's sister (I've Anglicized names here to make it a bit easier to follow). There were so many storylines to follow by the end of The Lost Queen and I was desperate to know what happened next in Languoreth's story. Thankfully, The Forgotten Kingdom comes out this September and we can finally continue the adventure!

Strong Multiple POVs
I was happily surprised to find that we get three POVs this book: Languoreth, Lailoken, and Angharad. This was really important to the story because there are so many different plotlines to follow to fully understand what is happening in Languoreth's world. While The Lost Queen was a strong single POV novel because the story itself moved around Languoreth, The Forgotten Kingdom needed the additional POVs of Lailoken and Angharad to allow the reader to really understand what is happening since Languoreth is stuck in the capital for most of the novel. I particularly liked that we got Lailoken's POV this time because I loved getting to see what is happening with Uther (aka Arthur) Pendragon and the Dragon Warriors. Each of these characters have a strong story to follow.

Love The Different Relationships
With multiple point of views comes multiple romantic and platonic relationships for readers to enjoy. Personally, I loved getting to see Lailoken and Angharad's romantic relationships develop, although we're definitely in the early stages of Angharad's (I'm so excited for the final book of the trilogy to come out so we can hopefully see this develop further!). On the flip side, we continuing getting to see Languoreth try to manage her love for Maelgwn while trying to remain a faithful wife. It's such a hard position to be in because she has so little choice in her life until much later in it. The way each of these characters develop over the course of the novel (which covers roughly 7 years, although there are some time jumps) and the different relationships each of them develops with other characters is wonderful!

​Some Missing Moments?
There were some moments where the story changed character POV and it felt like there was some moments missing in between. A specific moment that confused me is at the very end when Languoreth's POV has us waiting for everyone to return home and the next chapter is Angharad's POV when everyone is together in the great hall. Did I miss a chapter? Should we just assume that the characters all casually came home? This didn't happen often, but every so often this jump would happen that left me flipping back pages to see if I'd actually missed something...

Overall, this is a great second novel in the Lost Queen trilogy and a strong standalone novel. It doesn't fall into the dreaded "middle book" category, but instead continues Languoreth's journey to becoming a queen, as well as introducing the strong storylines of Lailoken and Angharad. Pike has done a wonderful job writing this book and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loved The Lost Queen, to those interested in a strong historical fiction series, or those looking for novels with excellent female heroes in the midst of Arthurian history.

I received a digital Advance Reader’s Copy of The Forgotten Kingdom by Signe Pike from the publisher (Atria Books). The Forgotten Kingdom is scheduled for release on September 15, 2020.

The Forgotten Kingdom is the second book in The Lost Queen Trilogy. This trilogy focuses on the women around the man (Lailoken) believed to be the Merlin of legend. The first novel focused on his twin sister Languoreth, telling the story of her move away from her spiritual practice to a marriage of convenience leading to her becoming a future queen.

The Forgotten Kingdom continues Languoreth’s story, but the throughline is more about her daughter Angharad. At the end of the first book, Angharad had been sent off with Lailoken to begin training to be a wisdom keeper. In this second novel, Angharad continues her training, which is interrupted and plagued by two major Scottish battles.

The strength of this series lies in the research and world-building. This series is based on real people (and some of the myths surrounding them), real battles, and real places. Pike has clearly done extensive research, diving deep into this piece of Scottish history. The result is a world that you fall into as a reader. I was completely immersed in this world that a bit familiar from other stories (written and visual), while Pike added details and elements that were less familiar, such as including the Picts, which history knows little about.

In this second novel we got to learn more about some characters, particularly Lailoken and Angharad. While Languoreth is still a main character (one of the three points of view), I found her a bit more distant in this story. In particular, there were a couple of choices that she made that seemed a bit out of place based on what we knew of her already, without the change in behavior being fully explored. I also wanted more time with Angharad. She was my favorite character in this novel, but her point of view was third person (the other two were first person). I would have loved more time up close with her— perhaps this will happen in book three!

I will be honest that I struggled a bit with the focus of the plot for this novel. The first installment stayed close to the people, with the plot revolving mostly around personal interactions and choices. This second book shifted, with more of the plot driven by the two large battles. For me, this made it a bit less enjoyable than the first book in the trilogy.

Overall, The Forgotten Kingdom was a very solid book two in a trilogy. I did not find that it felt at all like a bridge book between two other stories. This books has a story that stands on its own. I will definitely be looking for the final book!

Second, in the series, it is now AD 573 and Languoreth is in lockdown while her husband and his brother go off to raid and murder her brother, lover, and even her child.

But what of the child she let her brother take with him to teach her the ways of a Wisdom Keeper. Angharad is just a child when she loses everything but her own life. Lost and unsure what to do, she follows the whispers in her head.

Not knowing whether her brother Lailoken is dead or alive and if her daughter is also dead, Languoreth waits and plans.

There was so much going on in this book. I had not read the first one but picked up what had gone on quickly. I was in love with this little girl with a huge heart and deadly powers.

The research and the history of this place and these people were very impressive and I enjoyed this book a lot!

NetGalley/ September 15th 2020 by Atria Books

TRIGGER WARNING: captivity, gore, war, rape, slavery

After reading The Lost Queen, I couldn't wait to dive into this book. It picks up right where the last book left off - with Languoreth kept captive in her bed chamber as her husband and oldest son go off to attack her brother and his men. Her youngest daughter is in the custody of her brother, training to become a Wisdom Keeper.

The story is told from three points of view, that of Languoreth, Lailoken, and Angharad, which allows the reader to see the story unfold from different perspectives. It does jump back and forth in time a bit, with certain chapters being told out of sequence. At first it threw me for a loop, but each chapter is clearly marked with the point of view and time period. Each character is struggling with their own issues - Languoreth is facing her feelings of powerlessness, frustration, and fear for her loved ones who are on differing sides of the conflict, Lailoken has his own frustration, anger, and guilt, and Angharad deals with the aftermath of exposure to trauma and abandonment.

It was a riveting story that I couldn't put down. I read the entire book in a single day, even as I promised myself that I would try to read it slower and make it last. The amount of historical research is incredible and comes together to make a realistic and detailed story. I could empathize with the characters and the horrifically difficult situations that each were forced to confront. The characters are realistic, well-rounded, and perfectly imperfect, making it easy to empathize with them.

There is a lot of action in the story, and it centers around war and battles. There is a lot of gore and scenes of war, but there's also a focus on healing, family, forgiveness, and nature. I love the series, the character, the setting, and feeling like I've been immersed into 6th century Scotland. I've only just finished the book and I am already looking forward to the final book in the trilogy!

I have to confess I struggled a little to finish this book. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't care less about many of the characters. I was looking forward to reading the chapters told from the perspective of Angharad. But everything else was kind of dragging. Anyway, if you like historical fiction you might like this. I liked Mists of Avalon, but I was not a huge fan of this particular book.

I fell in love with the Lost Queen trilogy from the start. The Forgotten Kingdom, was the second in this series about Merlin. But this is unlike any version of Merlin you have ever heard of. This is the story of Languoreth and her brother Lailoken. Lailoken is now known as the character of Merlin! This part of the story picked up after the characters return from war and the repercussions of that battle. It’s the reunion of all of our characters after being apart for so many years. I felt that the first book kind of covered a large bulk of years. While this book packed a big punch, action-wise, but over a shorter period of time. My favorite part of these books has really been learning that these people ever existed, and legends are really out there. According to the author, Languoreth was one of the most powerful women of her day. However, we never hear of her, because she lived in a man’s world and in her brother’s shadow. Eventually, we lost sight of Queen Languoreth. That’s why this story is so important! I’m so grateful for Signe Pike for creating this beautifully strong and flawed female character!

ARC provided by the author and Netgalley for an honest review!

The sequel to this series loosely based on Merlin from the Arthurian Legend continues with a broader view told from more than one character's point of view. If I recall correctly, the first book (The Lost Queen) is only told from Languoreth's view point, but now we get to see her brother Lailoken's and her daughter Angharad's thoughts too. It was a wise improvement, as we got to see more of what was going on beyond Languoreth's world. Interestingly, Languoreth and Lailoken's chapters are told in first person while Angharad's are in third person, perhaps because she is a child.

The series takes an unusual path because my understanding of the Arthurian Legend has always been the Celts battling the Saxons/Angles, but the primary antagonists for most of the book are Christian Britons. The Angles only pose a threat towards the end. It did make me wonder a little bit "where is this going?" But when I say it's loosely based on the Arthurian Legend, I mean loosely - I mean you should throw out everything you know about King Arthur and Merlin before reading it. That's not a criticism, because this is an excellent and arguably more historical reboot, and if you're looking for a totally different take on the Arthurian Legend, this is it.

Advanced review copy from publisher via Edelweiss. My opinions are my own.