Love the prose and the concept, but the story moves rather slowly for my current tastes. But more of these types of stories please!

4.5 rounded up! I absolutely loved this book, but I went in with little to no expectations, which I think was a saving grace. I know someone who picked this up thinking it was a romantasy, and they were extremely disappointed. I think I am one of the few people who preferred this book to Sistersong.

Song of the Huntress is more of a historical fiction book with a side of fantasy than the other way around, which I think is what disappointed many people. One of our three POVs is Herla, who is cursed to lead the Wild Hunt for centuries before she finally come back to full consciousness. I heard this book was advertised as a Wild Hunt fantasy, which, again, it is not. I think the many reason this book has lower star ratings than Sistersong is improper expectations that were likely influenced by a misdirected marketing campaign.

I read this book in June, and was pleasantly surprised to see numerous forms of LGBTQIA+ representation. We have a sapphic relationship, as well as an asexual character. The asexual character is married, and this causes friction due to lack of communication. While I have read critiques that this is a frustrating miscommunication trope, I would argue that this is more realistic in the fact that it's literally the first century of the common era. I really loved the relationship between Ine and Aethelburg, our other two POVs, and felt so deeply for the pain they were both experiencing as they navigated this complication with their deep love for one another.

This book had a lot going on, politically, and it took some time for me to really understand what was going on. But once I was in I was IN, and I read the last 60% of this book in one day! I loved this book, and I think many more will love it, as well. Just make sure you go in without expectations and without listening to the marketers!

Thank you to Redhook Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I started to read this and I made it about 10% in until I realized I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was so lost. I found that a lot of the writing was based on information I should already have but wasn’t given. The writing is beautiful, very descriptive and the fantasy aspect is so up my alley as well as the mythology aspect. My honest review is that I will have to DNF this book. I appreciate the opportunity to read this through Netgalley

My interest in this book stemmed from 3 things: 1) I love love loved Holland's SISTERSONG and was eager for more of her writing; 2) that it is a sapphic, gender-swapped reimagining of the Wild Hunt; and 3) an interview with Holland I read in which she discusses her desire to re-seed queer identity into historical places where it has been purposefully left out in literature. Sold!

A key strength of this book, like with its predecessor, is the depth of historical detail, including the small details, like what kind of armor would be warn in battles, as well as the period's sociopolitical and cultural goingson. Moreover, I love how she balances the the meatiness of her stories with such beautiful, lush, poetic language.

I tend to prefer more character-driven stories, so I was quite pleased with how character-focused this book was. As such, the plot itself takes a while to build momentum, and I suspect that the slow start will be unappealing to some readers. Holland homes in on how each of the three POV characters - Herla, Æthelburg, and Ine - struggle with their respective roles and identities and, consequently, how those struggles impact their relationships with each other. I think she achieves this most successfully with Æthel and Ine, and I loved watching their relationship develop, even as I ached for and with each of them. I know that some readers will be dissatisfied by how much "miscommunication" there is in this story, but I felt that Holland wielded the flaws of human nature nicely. Importantly, I am so, so pleased that Holland did not allow the secrets and hurts between Æthel and Ine, particularly, to direct the overarching plot.

I felt that Herla was the least successful character. Ine is well-developed and compelling, and I enjoyed raging alongside Æthel at the strictures of conventional womanhood, even as she ached for deeper intimacy. But Herla, however, I didn't find as interesting. While I am satisfied with the complicated nature of the love triangle, if you will, relationship dynamics, I think that my investment in Herla and Æthel's romance - the development of which is the central romantic arc - was negatively impacted by my lack of investment in Herla's character.

Lastly, as a note to readers, I think this book would appeal less to fans of CIRCE and more to fans of Nicola Griffith's HILD (where those readerships diverge, at least).

Thank you to Redhook and Netgalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Pretty easy to follow and uncomplicated fantasy story based in ancient Britain. There is a lot of action and romance and will go over well with fans of the Outlander series who are looking for something more LGBTQIA and less violent.

This is a historical fantasy. It's a refreshing take on the myth of the wild hunt. Herla makes a deal with the King of the Otherworld to save her people from invasion. In return, she is cursed to lead the wild hunt. 300 years later, she meets a queen who startles her out of her reverie. What follows is a political battle in our physical world and a legendary battle for the soul of the land.

This is a great read. It was fun and fast paced. The characters were likeable and well developed. The queen and Herla are strong female leads without the author apologizing for it. If you like fantasy, historical fiction and beautiful love stories, go for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

Honestly anything that has to do with Greek/Roman mythology or fantasy stemming from these I’ll pick it up and read. So this was an auto grab for me. This is definitely a fantastic book to pick up. Lucy continues to do a great job with these fantasy novels.

This started a bit slow for me, which could have a lot to do with the fact that I have no clue about this mythology/Welsh mythology in general. I would say having some knowledge of this would be helpful to the reader, at least in the beginning. Additionally, in the beginning, I struggled with Ine and Aethel - but I started to understand the dynamic - I just felt it took too long. However, it gets really, really good. There is love, betrayal, fighting, spirits, I couldn’t get enough. An ode to the power of women, the power of unity and a fantastic retelling of a myth I knew nothing of.

I don't often read books set in early history. However, I really enjoyed this book! It was engaging and well-written. I especially liked the queer/feminist threads throughout.
It also made me cry a bit.

I wanted to like this book - British/faerie mythology, warrior women, sapphic romance. However, I struggled with reading this book and ultimately decided to DNF (~35%).

Personally, I struggled with the style of writing. I think in some ways it is meant to evoke that sort of epic poem/dramatic storytelling of a different era, but the third person story telling made it feel really distant. I also am not familar with the source material, so struggled to keep track of characters and who was interacting with who. I think this book would be enjoyable for folks who are more into prose-forward, historical style writing and with a strong interest and background in mythology or history.

Lucy Holland is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical fantasy authors. I loved Sistersong, and Song of the Huntress definitely held up to its predecessor. One of my favorite things about Sistersong was the complex relationships among the siblings and the other side characters. In this one, the focus was the relationship between Herla and Aethelburg, and to a lesser extent, Aethelburg's relationship with her husband Ine. Holland drew on history for this book, and I think the real Aethelburg and Ine must have been so interesting, and I think that Holland's interpretation of the circumstances of their marriage was great. I loved the tragic romance of Herla and Aethelburg, and I also thought that Herla's characterization was so well done.

This book is gorgeously written but the story never rose from like to love for me.

I am still trying to figure why. It may come down to my personal wiring. It has all that I love in a fantasy. Many of the characters are my ancestors. I've read Beowulf in the original language. It features strong women characters who know their way around a fight (physical and political.) Creepy eldritch magic. I can see why this is revered and maybe I will try it again in the future.

Y'all may know that I like going into books blind. All I need is to know which genre, which author, and whether or not AI crap was involved. Otherwise, I will happily go in blind, so I was pleasantly surprised that this had Boudica at the beginning of the novel. Now, granted, I know extremely little about Boudica but the more I'm learning, the more I'm in awe of her power and might. She was before the time of Zena Warrior Princess and made Zena look weak by comparison. Just a bad-ass all around. I therefore get excited when Boudica is featured, though she barely had two chapters, it was still interesting, intense, and I enjoyed it.

That being said, I am not a fan of multiple character povs in fantasy novels. I'm just not. This one alternates between three women, and Herla was my clear favorite. It also has a plot with the far, and trickery and other such things. I wasn't a fan of the fae plotline, but I was invested in Herla's story since she began her character arc in being at Boudica's side and swearing she will one day return.

There's a lot of historical references in here that I just did not get. I'm still new to a lot of history, especially when dealing with other countries than the usa. So most of the references were kinda lost on me.

Overall, this was a story of revenge, power struggles, and who is to rule the land of Britain. It was a good story and well written. The writing was a little flowery at times, but I liked it well enough. A bit slow in the middle, but those who adore action sequences and hefty battles in historical fantasy will definitely enjoy this.

I recieved this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and unfortunately found myself in a slump as a result, unsure of how to review this book.

I wanted to like Herla, Ine and Æthelberg’s story, I was very interested in the shift in scenery from trendy Greek mythological fantasies to an era not often seen. However, I found the author’s very obvious love for the time period shifted this story into academic territory heavy with purple prose, making it hard to connect with the characters the whole way through. It took multiple tries to finish this book because it was too easy to put down, despite the sapphic nature of the novel, I just couldn’t connect as deeply as I wanted to.

Despite Song of the Huntress’s faults, the promise and potential is there, and I would recommend it for someone who wants a winding story with sapphic elements.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to enjoy this book.

It's set in a time period that isn't explored often in YA. Or historical fiction for that matter.

It has the Wild Hunt! It has a Sapphic romance. It has court/political scheming and intrigue.

and it draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagged. There were so many parts of the book that could have been condensed. I think Holland did a good job of trying to not make the characters too one-dimensional. However, there were also a few things that I think could have stood some clarification.

Also, not sure why Aethelburg is supposed to be mourning a pretty devastating loss, but her husband is like "Yeah, we can do a throuple," and she almost immediately starts thinking of the next person she wants to bed. We had already discovered that she was bi, we didn't need that to seal the deal. It was just very...wrong place, wrong time to drive that point home. Think of it in this way - if you had a devoted pet that died, how would you feel if someone was like, "You know what will cheer you up? A trip to the pet store to get a new pet!" I don't really know anyone who would jump up and run to the pet store.

Last comment I will make: I think the queer representation was solid, but I'm not sure about the reality of how much of it would be visible at this point in time, especially considering that it was during the relatively early expansion of Christianity.

The Song of the Huntress masterfully weaves together history, mythology, and fantasy in a gripping tale set against the backdrop of ancient Britain. We follow Herla, a woman cursed to be the Lord of the Hunt after making a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld to save her lover and her people from the Romans. Fuuuuun...

What I loved most, was the depth of the characters and the intricate relationships. Herla's struggle with her curse, her longing for redemption, and her unexpected connection with Queen Æthelburg of Wessex are all portrayed with nuance and emotion. Æthelburg herself is a formidable and complex figure, facing challenges both on the battlefield and within the treacherous politics of her husband's court.

I enjoyed the themes such as love, sacrifice, and the search for redemption.

Captivating. 4/5 only because I think I was expecting more - but am unable to figure out how to put it into words.

LOVE LOVE LOVE FOREVER LOVE god this story was AMAZING. SO well told.
ten out of ten, no notes. Loved it, can't say that enough

A beautiful, innovative retelling of The Wild Hunt unlike any retelling I've read. The worldbuilding was lush, and I enjoyed the inclusion of politics. The characters were also engaging and relatable with fantastic character arcs. It was a fast, easy read that stayed with me long after I read it .

She did it again. This is a wonderfully written glimpse into the european middle ages using just enough historical basis and mythology mixed together to make it absolutely perfect. I love how although this is a standalone novel it ties back to Sistersong so beautifully. As always Lucy does a great job with representation of LQBTQ+ and oppressed minority groups. You will love this book is you are a historical fiction junkie or a fantasy nut equally. I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next, with this title she has cemented herself as an autobuy author for me.

This had so many elements of things I should like, but it just didn’t grab me. I’m having trouble putting my finger on why. It’s a fascinating period of history, and certainly the details show the research and care that went into it. But something in the emotional resonance was just lacking for me.