Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland is a historical fantasy that follows three points of view: Herla, king of the Wild Hunt; Æthelburg, queen of Wessex; and Ine, king of Wessex. Holland’s debut novel, Sistersong, was one of my top reads of last year, so I was elated when I saw Song of the Huntress coming. And Holland more than delivered.

The language is beautiful and the world amazingly woven together. The magic is woven into the world so completely, it feels natural and like it really could have happened that way. The world is the same as Sistersong. They don’t have to be read in order or together, and though I appreciated the references to Dumnonia and the events of Sistersong in Huntress, they aren’t necessary to enjoy and understand the story.

All of the characters in the book are imperfect and flawed in ways that make them feel real. Even Herla, undying king of the Hunt, and Gwyn ap Nudd, undying ruler of the Otherworld. Even though it’s historical fiction and over a century separates that time from now, I could commiserate with the struggles the different characters were going through. I love Herla and Æthelburg, both fiercely loyal, passionate and unafraid to fight for what they love.

I also loved the ending because it felt true to the characters and the story. I love, love, love a good duty story, and this one checked all the boxes. I don’t know if it has quite the same gut-punch for me as Sistersong, but it is powerful and memorable in its own way, and a book I will think about for a long time.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend Song of the Huntress. I truly cannot wait to see what the author writes next.

Favorite quote: “And her heart . . . she had believed it ashes. Broken and irrecoverable. But it beats in her chest as fiercely–more fiercely–than ever. Æthelburg had found it in the darkness, had sifted through the charred remnants for something worth saving.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC so I could give an honest review.

Lucy Holland takes everything that made Sistersong good and dialed it up to 11. I liked Sistersong, I LOVED Song of the Huntress. Holland shows again her ability to weave believable/flawed/lovable characters into a story made of magic and history, all tied with beautiful prose. As a lover of epic fantasy, I love when a standalone novel can bring enough world building and character development to get me invested and then wrap up in a satisfying way. A captivating and moving story with well balanced political intrigue, mysterious magic, and heart wrenching romance.

Themes/Highlights: strong females characters, sapphic love, non traditional relationships, welsh myth

This plot was interesting and I enjoyed the dynamic between Herla and ÆThelburg. That said, I felt like the story itself went on for much longer than was necessary and I struggled to stay invested at times.

Now, this book wasn’t my favorite. It started slow, and I didn’t realize you needed prior knowledge about the history before reading this. That being said, the chart of characters at the beginning helped lots. I honestly was not comprehending anything before page 100. The storyline was solid though and does end up developing pretty well near the end. The end of this book was my favorite scene and I loved the big fight. The cover and map were so beautiful as well! I read some other reviews on this and let me tell you: if you came for romance, this book is VERY slow burn.

Let me start by saying I knew 50% in that this was going to be a 5 star read for me. I was invested from the first page and felt fully immersed in the setting throughout. The writing is gorgeous, too.

All 3 POVs were so beautifully and believably flawed that even when I wanted to shake them I still clung to their perspective and storyline. You could feel their frustration and excitement and anger and the author did a great job of showing, not telling.

You can tell this novel was impeccably researched given the material and the author includes a map and character glossary at the start of the book. If ancient names/places/mythology you aren’t familiar with aren’t your thing, then this might not be for you. But it was very much for me.

4.5 rounded up.

This was such a good historical fantasy. If you like mythology/lore retelling with a feminist twist, this might be for you! It had political intrigue, magic, lore, strong women, and showed the constant battle between Christianity and Paganism that was occurring during the time the book was set in. The chapters are split between three characters, and usually I always find myself not liking at least one character when this happens. It was not the case in this book! I loved reading each character’s POV. There was a lot of internal struggle between duty and what these characters wanted. Some parts in this book were just so beautiful.

It did take a little bit getting used to the way it was written. The author really did her research and included many old words that I had it look up, since I wasn’t sure what it meant. If people aren’t familiar with Welsh lore, it might be a struggle to understand what’s going on in some parts of the book. I’m also glad that I was also kinda familiar with the time setting and places mentioned (thank you Last Kingdom on Netflix 🤣). Overall, I really loved this book, it was just a wonderful read once you get used to the writing style and once the story starts picking up as well. I’m doing a book journal this year and keeping track of my favorites each month and I think this will be my January favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC

Thoughoughly enjoyed this novel. I was lured in by the cover and title having no idea what I was getting into and now I am glad that I gave it a shot!

This book didn't do it for me. I thought that it was very heavy with description and the writing confused me at times. I had hope for the story but I couldn't get into it enough to enjoy it. I did finish it but it just didn't seem to be for me. It has some historical elements in it as well, and I do enjoy historical fantasy, but it was a bit too confusing and involved for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Holland, and RedHook Books for the e-Arc.

Song of the Huntress was was poetic story that ran too slowly for too long . At first, the writing style and world captivated me. I loved the idea of visiting a time that is not often visited, and as someone who loved Netflix's The Last Kingdom this seemed right up my alley.

However, I quickly found myself skimming through paragraphs or only reading a few pages a day. The pace was almost painfully slow and the action scenes weren't quite as detailed as to hold my attention. While I enjoyed looking up pronunciations to different words and names, I can see it being a turn off for some as it can take some out of the moment. There was no pronunciation guide provided.

I did like the three main characters. I felt the LGBT+ themes are strong, and the lack of labels felt genuine to the times. I could tell the genuine love and care they all had for each other. I did get annoyed when characters just wouldn't TALK TO EACH OTHER, as it did lead to a lot of the conflicts the characters endured. The secondary villain's motives did feel predictable and could have been fleshed out more. The plot of the story, while simplistic, was enjoyable overall.

Overall, I thought the book was just okay. There were things I did enjoy about this book, but it failed to capture my attention and I feel this is a book I will quickly forget about in the coming months.

"Run fast and don't look back."

➳ 3.5✶

TW: acephobia, animal death, blood, child death, death, death of a loved one, fire/fire injury, grief, infidelity, injury/injury detail, murder, sexual assault, sexual content, violence, war.

Poetically written and thoroughly researched, 'Song of the Huntress' felt more like an experience than a book.

Even for someone with admittedly little knowledge on the historical events this novel retells, I found myself completely immersed in the politics and setting, due to the author's lyrical and yet concise prose. The Wild Hunt has always been a part of mythology that has fascinated me and it was easily my favorite aspect of this book, though I wish that it had been given more time.

As it was, this is a slow-paced, dense book that focuses more heavily on character development than anything else. Which was fine, but also quite tedious at times. I found myself struggling to connect with the story, whenever the chapters started to feel like a repetition of conversations we had already had and emotions we had already felt, just slightly reworded for the new context.

Though I found the character development monotonous at times, I can't deny that it produced vivid, three-dimensional, and compelling characters. Æthel particularly was such a fascinating character to follow, as her intensity and courage weren't excuses to keep her from tenderness and vulnerability. Ine and Herla were also extremely interesting (as were their dynamics with each other), but Æthel was easily my favorite of the three protagonists.

Without giving any spoilers, in the beginning, I struggled with the developing romance between Herla and Æthel. I understand that one of the characters was supposed to be regaining a sense of self, but having them secretly watch the other character bathe (only to never bring it up again) was both bothersome and unnecessary. I had to pretend that it hadn't happened by the time their romance was a prevalent part of the book.

On a more positive note, I was particularly fond of how this story blended historical fiction with fantasy, blurring the line between mythology and reality in such a dreamlike way. I see the comparison to "The Bear and the Nightingale" though I feel like this book was much less whimsical and more... academic leaning when it came to the power-struggle between paganism and Christianity.

Overall, I enjoyed this! Though I wouldn't recommend it to someone trying to fight a reading slump, I do think this was an incredibly well-crafted, interesting story that many people will enjoy. I'm grateful for the chance to have read it.

I am super disappointed that I wasn't able to finish this one. I tried super hard but I wasn't able to get myself invested in the plot or the characters. That isn't to say that it's a bad book at all. My main problem was the density of the writing and the pacing.
In the writing I see a valiant attempt at descriptive, captivating prose. However, it made me feel like I was slogging through the words and jumping from descriptions back to the actual plot. I could tell there was SO much effort put into the research and writing of this book, and you can tell the author is extremely passionate not only about writing the book but the time period it is set in. However, I found myself often lost due to the time period and character names. It was extremely hard to keep track of who was who, and there were many people who were mentioned that I wasn't sure if it was important if I remember their name and who they are or if they were just a passing name, never to be seen again, There was a character guide at the beginning, but having to flip back and forth to remember who is who is disruptive to my reading experience. Of course this is no fault of the author, as the names are appropriate for the time period as they should be, but it definitely added an element of not being able to be fully immersed. As for the pacing, I often have no problem with slower stories, but usually there is a build up to something, and the pace would inevitably pick up. In this case, I felt no anticipation towards anything, and that being paired with my apathy towards the characters made this a super hard read for me.
Regardless of my inability to finish it, I don't think it deserves any less than 3 stars. I appreciate the author's efforts and it was due to my preferences that I wasn't able to finish it. Definitely give this one a try if you're interested, and I hope you enjoy it!

The Song of the Huntress is a captivating tale that intertwines the lives of two fierce warriors from vastly different centuries, connecting them amidst a physical and mystical battlefield. There is something rotten in the State of Medieval England (haha), and it is up to Lord Herla, Queen Aethelburg, and the pacifist King Ine to wield their power and save their people from evil.

Now, the real gem of this book? The characters, hands down. Herla, Aethel, and Ine are not your typical fantasy heroes – they're unique, well-developed, and represent communities that usually get overlooked in 'romantasy' or regular fantasy. I won't spill all the details to avoid spoilers, but Ine is the representation I've been missing since middle school. One of the coolest things about reading is finding bits of yourself in characters you look up to and getting a glimpse into other people's experiences. I hope anyone diving into Song of the Huntress either feels seen or is able to better 'see' others.

On the note of exceptional characters, I want to give a special shoutout to Herla and the Wild Hunt, an exciting and refreshing take on mythology. For my fellow Percy Jackson fans, the Hunters of Artemis have never been better. Lucy Holland does a great job of respecting the original myths while also adding her own queer flavor.

My one critque? A slow start. Stick with it, though, and you're in for a treat. I think I practically breezed through the last 50% in a few hours after the first half took me a couple of days. Looking back, that slow start was like a warm-up – getting me used to this new world and its politics.

Final take? I've got a good feeling about this one. Keep an eye out and add it to your list ASAP.

This book rates 4.5/5 stars for me. I absolutely loved this feminist Wild Hunt folklore retelling. Ine, a diplomatic King, and Aethl, a warrior Queen could've made such an amazing duo if they had more open communication. I loved reading about their story and how vastly different each of their minds were. Herla was easily my favorite character throughout the book and the one I related to most. Her character is complex and her story one of tragedy. I was left in tears following her. There was so much depth and internal struggle for each character that made me hurt for each one of them in different ways. I loved seeing the multiple gender and sexuality representations within this book as well. The story pulled me in and both made me angry and fall in love with Ine, Herla, and Aethl all at once. I would recommend to another looking for historical fiction or interested in queer/feminist retellings of European mythology. I wish the miscommunication hadn't lasted so long within the book though. It's not my favorite trope and was hard to continue seeing by the end of the book.

3.75 stars

As someone who has shouted about SISTERSONG from the rooftops, I am admittedly a bit disappointed in this. I read it over the course of 2 weeks, when typically I would read something like this in a few days. I just couldn’t read more than a few % at a time.

I love Lucy’s writing style and the setting of her books, as the “historical fantasy/mythology/folklore” market has historically been overwhelmingly Greek, so I love when books focus elsewhere. Ancient Britain is a time period I am particularly interested in, so I appreciate that Lucy writes in the era.

You can tell that as an author, Lucy takes great care in doing in-depth research to provide a solid historical basis before taking creative liberties for her stories, which is great. The three main characters- Ine, Æthelburg, and Herla were enjoyable and it was nice to have a multi-pov once again.

I love that Lucy explores the struggle of women in history, and her prose during Æthel and Herla’s POV capture it beautifully. As a woman, it is very powerful to see these powerful women but to also recognize how the patriarchal societies diminish everything about them.

I also appreciated the complex and diverse identities Lucy gave the characters: asexual, bi-sexual, non-binary, and lesbian. It is refreshing to see the representation and existence in a historical setting.

My main gripe was the pacing, and that is why it took me so long to get through this book. It was so. slow. By the point things did start to pick up, I was feeling apathetic towards the characters and their struggles; I just wanted to get to the end of the book. This really disappointed me because I was so excited for another Lucy Holland book in ancient Britain and Welsh folklore and magic.

Speaking of Welsh, I would have really appreciated a pronunciation guide for all of the characters and places, because it took me out of the story to be searching the correct phonetic pronunciations. I understand it’s difficult to phonetically translate Welsh to English, but something would have been better than nothing. I say that I still greatly appreciate that she used Welsh and Old English to add to the historical truthfulness, but it did add complexity without a complete pronunciation guide.

I also disliked the third person present tense, at times it read like a movie script or screenplay, which was not immersive at all. Third person past tense or first person would have been much better, in my opinion.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the relationship subplot between Herla and Æthel, and Æthel and Ine. While I always wish everyone to have a happily ever after, the resolutions to the relationships were well executed.

I think at some point I would like to give this a re-read, after having read it once and having better understood how ambitious of a project this book was, especially after SISTERSONG.

Overall, while there were many things I enjoyed, I do wish the story overall could have been executed and explored a little better, especially with a team of editors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook/Orbit US for the e-arc!

I’m looking forward to what Lucy does next.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5. This is a beautifully written, well researched, and jam packed book that I highly recommend to any ancient history fan.

I love the way the action is written, it feels so cinematic and I can see it so clearly in my head. It has the perfect amount of description without going over the top and drowning the reader in every nitty gritty detail.

The characters are also wonderfully crafted. Æthel, Herla, and Ine all make excellent narrators with unique voices and their own depths to their character. I really loved the relationship dynamics, they’re absolutely a highlight of the story.

It took me a while to get used to the Celtic words and heaps of history and political conflict being woven into the story, but I don’t think that’s a massive negative towards the book. It slows the pacing down a decent amount, but it is clearly so well thought out and researched, it creates a very solid atmosphere for the story.

This is a stand out historical fantasy. I’ll be a Lucy Holland fan from now on.

Song of the Huntress is a lyrically written reimagination of the legend of the Wild Hunt. The story is told from three perspectives: Herla, Lord of the Hunt; Æthel, fierce warrior and queen of Wessex; and Ine, king of Wessex with an increasingly tenuous grip on his kingdom. I enjoyed all of these perspectives, and the relationship between these characters is definitely one of the strong points of the story. Herla, Æthel, and Ine all felt real and flawed, and the contrast in their approaches to their problems, and to one another, were well done. The supporting cast was just as compelling as our main characters, too, with Emrys in particular being a welcome face wherever they appeared.

This book took me significantly longer to read than I was expecting, for a couple of reasons. The first of these is the pacing. Until Æthel and Herla met, I was having a difficult time getting invested in the story. There's also the writing style of the book. While beautiful, I was glad that the dictionary feature was on my Kindle; Holland uses a lot of archaic words that fit the time period, but it would sometimes interrupt the flow of the story.

Song of the Huntress was also full to the brim with Anglo-Saxon history and British folklore, and it was clear that Holland meticulously researched this novel. The political intrigue of Wessex, the Church, and the Britons was interesting and tied in well with the more fantastical elements of the story. Speaking of those, Holland's interpretation of the Otherworld and iconic figures from myth was fascinating. The magic and characters here were ethereal and menacing.

While I struggled with the flow and pacing sometimes, Song of the Huntress overall was beautiful, magical, and filled with complex, interesting characters.

The author, Lucy Holland, weaves a spellbinding narrative in her upcoming release 'Song of the Huntress.' Set to captivate readers on March 19th, this feminist fantasy takes a bold step into the realm of ancient Britain, exploring the depths of love, sacrifice, and the awakening of an age-old magic.

The story unfolds in 60 AD Britain, a war-torn land struggling against the Roman invaders. Herla, a courageous warrior, makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld to save her lover, her people, and her land. However, time passes differently in the Otherworld, and when she returns, she finds everyone she loved gone. Cursed to lead the Wild Hunt, she encounters Queen Æthelburg of Wessex, a proven fighter with her own struggles.

Holland masterfully crafts characters that resonate with strength and vulnerability, especially the two great warriors, Herla and Æthel. The complexity of their intertwined fates and the burgeoning connection between them adds layers of depth to the narrative. I did find it a little hard to get into the book initially as it has some complicated sentence structures with old British verbiage, but after getting accustomed to it, I found it to be an enjoyable read! Would highly recommend for readers who enjoy historical fiction.

Finally some mythology rep that isn't limited to the Greeks! Pulls you in from the prologue and keeps a steady pace. Can feel long at some points, but Holland writes poetically and it evens out. Poetic but not without substance. I really cared about the characters and the story and it was a fulfilling conclusion.

The names and places in their non-English can be hard to keep straight, but I am glad they're not sanitized, and I am not someone who has issue with going back to a previous page or writing myself a note to reference back to.

Perhaps not for people who aren't into histfic or have specific expectations re: romance/romantasy. But I ate it upppp. Smart, thoughtful, very much for the girls who are tired of reading the same stories from the same mythologies.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'll start out by saying that I really enjoyed the explicit Celtic mythology use, especially since readers are frequently marketed other fantasy subsets (Greek mythology, especially). It's a rich universe and folkloric tradition that is not mined very often in depth. This book introduced me to some new names in Welsh folklore I'd never heard of (Gwyn ap Nudd, Olwen, etc). I found the prose to be often very lovely, as is Lucy Holland's writing in general (I really loved Sistersong). I enjoyed the feminist angle and I feel it really worked in this setting and time period even though the 2 FMCs have a lot stacked against them.

That being said, I'm not sure I felt that the writing was consistent quality throughout. Sometimes I found it to be downright corny, especially in the more romantic scenes, and then so poetic. And I'm also not sure that the characters were fleshed out, other than "this woman knows how to use a sword and wear pants and so people hate her" (among other reasons, of course). The overall fantasy atmosphere just didn't feel particularly refreshing to me despite the rich source material. But, I enjoy Lucy Holland's talent in general and this is a solid addition to a bright future in the literary world.

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful and the writing flowed very well. I loved the historical aspects of this book. Would highly recommend!