That ending had my jaw on the floor. 🤯

My goodness. Lawless embraces villain character developments in way that are equal parts infuriating and impressive.

I think what I love about this series is it cleverly weaves mythology and historical fiction in a way makes me wish I would have studied it more seriously in college. 😅

I know this is a new generation of characters, but I still recommend reading this series in order to fully appreciate its brilliance. (First book is called The Children of Gods Fighting Men- I highly recommend the audio books!)

Watching Isolde go stumble into her unsure future and go through growing pains made this a solid page-turner. I’m so thankful this was a buddy read because I definitely needed to talk through the Fomorian family sneaky tactics with someone. *shakes fist* May karma be ready to bite them in the next book.

I’m very grateful for this ARC - my thanks to Bloomsbury USA & netgalley.
I’m already yearning for the next book- but will ponder character conspiracy theories until then. 😅

Lawless has done it yet again. From wonderfully crafted villains to a naive girl’s journey through a world she isn’t prepared for, my heart was left fighting for a break and yet more all at the same time. I knew the start to this new era of the Gael Song series would make me stressed, but man was I still in for a torturous treat. 🥰

This review might contain some elements that might be considered spoilers for those who still haven’t read the first Gael Song trilogy, so please proceed with caution if you are looking to use this review as your reason to FINALLY start picking up this incredible series. ‼️

The story follows the events of the previous trilogy, but about 150 years later. Returning characters are Broccan of the Descendants, and Gormflaith, Máelmórda, and Donnchad of the Fomorians. The former is someone who I just wish I could wrap up in a ton of blankets and give him endless hugs. He is still struggling with survivor’s guilt and yet is tasked with raising his cousin in a world that is rapidly changing once again. My heart just felt so bad for Broccan and Lawless about had me stress sobbing on a train ride back home because I was so stressed for my guy. The latter group . . . Man, this group of villains are the kinds of people that I love rooting for shit to hit the fan for them. One in particular I’m counting down the days till he gets what he rightfully deserves and another I’m scared shitless of but at the same time, can’t help but admire her strength of character. 😮‍💨

And all in the midst of this group of already written characters is Isolde. She’s feisty, wonderfully naive, and yet desperately wants to feel a part of something. This girl had me stressing for the entire book and the little nuggets of reveals that Lawless made about this character just added to this stress for this character. I’m so excited to see what she gets up to in the sequel and how else she can make me stress like I’m somehow her mother watching her child stick a fork into a live outlet. 😥

The other character that I would love to learn more about is Cuan. He’s a moody and broody kind of guy that gave me Murchad vibes the entire time he was around Isolde. I do wish we could’ve gotten a bit more of a longer period of time to see their relationship bloom instead of it feeling like it kind of came out of no where, but I’m trusting the process here. 🤞🏼

All in all, I loved this which should surprise no one at this point. I feel like a Swiftie looking for (dangerous and painful) Easter Eggs in the plot and from the previous trilogy. I have my stinking suspicions with a specific figure from Irish mythology and a story that Isolde told during the events of the book, but we’ll see if my ideas prove true or not. And the last 20% of the book?? Yea, Imma need a few days to wallow on that because AAAAAAHHHHH!!! I haven’t felt like this since Mohanty’s Dance of Shadows and that’s saying something! 🤯

Once again bowing down to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. Whoever likes me there, please know that I love you and am so happy that you keep serving me emotionally traumatizing books on a golden platter. And to Lawless: ma’am, I would do ANYTHING just to look at your drafting notes at this point. I’m already trying to figure out what era you’re going to set your third trilogy in and it’s been such a fun rabbit hole dive into Irish history. 🤪

Shoutout to @lookmairead for doing a buddy read with me and being there to stress out about the characters and plot with. I swear Mohanty and Lawless have trauma bonded us. 🫶🏼

Publication date: September 11!!!

Overall: 4.75/5 ⭐️

Perhaps it is my fault for not having read the previous books, people do seem excited for this. I just found it very hard to get into and that I was lacking a lot of knowledge. Again kind of my fault.

Recently finished: Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless

Thank you @bloomsburybooksus @headofzeus @shauna_lawless_author and @netgalley for the early peek! 😊 Out on Sep. 11, 2025 


Through Daughter of the Otherworld, we enter an 11th-century Ireland fraught with conflict and change. Local kings are divided, Viking influence is fading, and Anglo-Norman expansion is on the rise. Amid the turmoil, the last of the supernatural Fomorians will stop at nothing to overcome their ancient enemies, the Descendants, and reclaim their place as rulers of Ireland. The book unfolds through multiple points of view, and I appreciate how Lawless gives us access to the perspectives of both Fomorians and Descendants. The constant back-and-forth made the plot much more unpredictable and exciting.

I did struggle a bit with the book’s slow pacing, and it felt more like a setup for future installments than a fully satisfying standalone. Also, given the large cast and frequent shifts in setting I thought it would be helpful to include a map or a character index. Even so, I thought Lawless’s blending of myth and history was a beautiful way to pay homage to an Ireland that is (and has always been) brimming with spirit.

If you’re drawn to blood feuds, mythological fantasy, political intrigue, and a touch of romance, this is well worth checking out.

Daughter of the Otherworld is a beautifully written blend of Irish mythology, historical fiction, and dark fantasy. Shauna Lawless brings ancient Ireland to life with lyrical prose and vivid worldbuilding. The story weaves gods, druids, and mortals into a tapestry of betrayal, destiny, and power struggles.

The protagonist is layered and compelling—caught between two worlds, she’s torn by duty, desire, and a growing awareness of her own strength. I loved the sense of quiet magic that runs through the book—it’s not flashy, but it’s haunting and potent. Lawless’s take on the Otherworld feels fresh yet rooted in authentic myth.

The pacing dipped slightly in the middle, and I found myself wanting a deeper emotional connection with some of the side characters. Still, this was a rich, satisfying read that stayed with me.

This is a low epic fantasy set in Ireland; it is set in the same universe as her previous trilogy, Gael Song. The first trilogy does give some backstory to this book, but it reads fine without picking up the first three.

We have a multi POV and world building novel on our hands. There are a few characters we follow, some heroes and some villains, and each have their own motivations. This begins slowly, mostly because there is A LOT of background information to learn. Once I understood what was going on, I really enjoyed this! The plot follows Descendants and Fomorians, who absolutely don’t get along and seem to be dead set on riding the world of the other. There’s plenty of messy politics and family drama as well.

The characters are unique and all have very Irish names, so be prepared to look up pronunciations. Each has their own motivations and desires, but Isolde resonates with me the most.

The writing is not necessarily contemporary, but neither is it classical. It was easy to read and follow for me (minus trying to parse out how to say the names of things).

The series is not super well known, and I picked this up because of the cover more than anything, but I regret nothing. It was a good read once I understood what was happening, and I’ll likely continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the eARC

I will start this review by saying I am a Shauna Lawless/Gael Song superfan. I ate up the originally trilogy and all the novellas like they were life giving sustenance.

Daughter of the Otherworld begins 100 years post Land of the Living and the Dead. We pick up with Broccan, Gormflaith, Donnchad, and Maelmorda, along with a new cast of characters. The Fomorian line is growing while the Descendants are shrinking and the baby that Fodla sent to the Hawthorn tree has still not emerged. Where is Isolde?

120 years later she emerges and Broccan raises her on Rathlin Island, teaching her the history of her people, as well as the skill of fighting. Broccan is not the only one to remember the prophecy and Isolde is being hunted by the Formorians.

What I loved about this book? The beginning and the end are exactly what I know of Shauna. Pacing and story are elite. The middle of the book gets a bit slow, but I can see that this was an intentional choice and overall, I see where the author is headed. This book 1 was not as strong for me as Children of Gods and Fighting Men, but I love it all the same.

4.5/5

I'm so glad I was able to read this, it uses the historical fantasy element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this book and how it uses medieval Ireland in this. I thought it had that charm that I enjoyed from Shauna Lawless's previous trilogy. I was engaged from start to finish and was glad they worked in this fantasy concept. I enjoyed the plot and how the characters were used in this universe. It left me wanting to read more in this world and from Shauna Lawless.

Review for Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless
⭐ 4 stars

This was my first dive into the Gael Song world, and while I hadn’t read the original trilogy, I was still able to follow along and enjoy the story once it got going. The beginning felt a little slow and slightly overwhelming with the lore and politics, but the characters pulled me in.

I especially liked the contrast between Isolde’s quiet strength, Broccan’s emotional struggle, and Gormflaith’s ruthless ambition. Lawless writes with a lyrical but accessible style, and the blend of Irish mythology and medieval history gave the book a unique, grounded feel.

It’s not a fast paced fantasy, but it builds into something rich and emotional. I’d recommend it for fans of myth based historical fantasy who enjoy slow burn worldbuilding and layered characters.

4 stars. I’d definitely pick up the next book.

With no Kindle or Kobo option this book is not accessible to me.
From what I could glimpse this is a great book, and I'll purchase when it's published and then come back for a proper review.

This was a book that took a bit for me to get into. Around page 150 is where it really started to pick up for me.

I did not read the books from the Gael Song series, but I did still feel like I had enough to understand what was going on, for the most part. There are a lot of characters in this book and so some of it I did have to let go over my head and not try to think about it too much.

I did love the main characters and how complicated and flawed they were. Isolde was a refreshing protagonist who could be described as selfish by some people. There are a lot of things going on around her and a lot of people she meets and despite this she remains focused on her goal. The fact that she is naive about the world and requires a great deal of explanation is a great narrative tool to help introduce new readers to some of the background from the prior books.

Gormflaith is a fascinating and pessimistic woman who uses every single person around her to get what she wants. It doesn't feel like she truly cares about anybody, and I did like that. Her and Dunnchad are both awful people and kinda feel like a trainwreck waiting to happen.

There were a few twists towards the end. One of them I did deeply enjoy because I felt that it was foreshadowed in a nice way and subverted expectations. The other two were a bit out of left field for me. I enjoy when twists are set up, even in a single small moment, and these twists just were not set up sufficiently to me.

Despite that, I did enjoy this book and will possibly be checking out the rest of the series later.

Finally back in this world and I loved every second of it. I miss Fodla dearly but seeing Broccan and Isolde's relationship, Fodla and Murchad would be so proud.

I'm so curious what Isolde's gift really is and that ending??? Shauna really knows how to stress out her readers.

I just love this world and the writing so much, as well as all the characters, even the ones I want to throttle (looking at you Donnchad).

And Cuan...I love him already but I am scared for book 2...

This book isn't even out yet but I need the next one literally asap.

Thank you SO much to Netgalley for the eARC as always !!

This book immediately drew me in by the description - I'm a sucker for historical romance, especially in UK settings. I had to stop mid book to read the first trilogy to fully understand this book to its fullest potential. The vivid world building was captivating while maintaining interest in an ongoing family line a century later.

The Gael Song trilogy goes down as one of the greats, so I was incredibly excited to know that we would continue to be present for the journey of our cast of characters.

We return to our ancient Irish world with the next generation (and many holdovers) of Formorians and Tuatha Dé Danann. As prophesied, Fodla’s daughter has returned from the otherworld after decades hidden, with Broccan setting aside his quest for revenge to raise her.

Isolde is such a lovely character, and unsurprisingly I was most attached to her journey and relationships as she set off on her own path of self discovery.

We also get the perspectives of our favorite villains, Donnchad and Gormflaith. Gormflaith is not done scheming and thank god for it. It’s rare that novels in this genre give substantial point of views from the antagonists and I find that to be a real strength of Lawless’ story telling.

Daughter of the Otherworld submersed me back into a fast paced story of political intrigue, war, love, horror, family, hate, and magic. DOTO read to me a bit faster paced with quick reveals that I thought would come later in the series when compared to the first trilogy, so I think we’ll be covering a lot of ground.

I am also alarmingly charmed by Angelo and interested to see how much of a villainous role he plays moving forward.

FIVE STARS!!!!! Thank you net galley for the arc!!

This is a very interesting retelling of Queen Isolde. I did not know it was part of a series, so I was confused a bit. I also did not charge for the multiple perspectives. However, Isolde was portrayed to be a very strong and determined woman! I recommend this for fans of Arthurian legends! Review to come!

Netgalley was so kind to give me an ARC for this. I will instantly read anything Shauna Lawless puts to paper and devour it as quick as possible. This book was no exception.

There are some new faces, as well as some old, and the connections between the previous series and this one didn't feel cliched like some series.

I also found myself pausing to look up historical figures and events (did the same during the previous books) and wanting to see out non-fiction texts on the era.

Can't wait for November as I've already pre-ordered my copy.