The Warrior Poet

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Warrior Poet by Sharon Lynn Fisher is a magical fantasy romance that will appeal to fans of Outlander or Bridgerton. The story is told from two first-person perspectives: Neve, a book artist in modern-day Portland, and Will Yeats, a poet in an alternate dimension 19th-century Ireland where fairies exist and magic is real. One day, Neve is visited by Will, who is time-traveling into the future, and they travel back together to 1888 Ireland. Will they fall in love with each other? Who is trying to stop their love story? And why?

Here is an enchanting excerpt from the Prologue, which is a flashback to Niamh's perspective in AD 882:

"If it means feeling his arms around me again-his heat, his flesh, his bones -it is worth the price.
I sigh and release his image from my mind, severing the connection that binds us in death.
Yet I wonder... Will he recognize my new earthly form, or I his? Will it be as it once was between us, the Tuatha De Danaan warrior and his Faery lady?
There is no knowing, only waiting. And only the goddess knows how long."

Overall, The Warrior Poet is the third book in a series with an exciting new concept, but each book involves new characters, so you don't need to have read the first two books before starting this one. I was very intrigued by the concept of time travel and alternative worlds where myths are real. I was especially interested in this aspect of the book. Another highlight of this book is the inclusion of poetry, which really elevated the writing and the plot. I did take off 1 star, because I found the world-building, particularly in 19th century Ireland to be a bit lackluster, and I really wanted to know more about that time and place. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fantasy romances in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in October!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Great writing style that sucked me in from the very beginning of the book. It has an easy flow to it which allows for you to transition the story from each of the main characters (Neve and Wills) point of view.

A love story with a time travel twist. The story follows Neve who prefers to keep her life nice and orderly. However, she is drawn into a life that she never expected. One of adventure and danger. She must determine what is worth her time and energy to save those that she has come to love. The climax of the story was surprising in how everyone played their roles and were able to work together to ensure an outcome which would not adversely affect the world they live in.

I was pleasantly surprised in Fisher's ability to keep me interested. There was one point in the story where I thought there would not be a climax and everything would resolve itself without any action. However, I was thrown for a surprise when what I thought was going to happen did not.

Recommend for Romance lovers who enjoy a book with a Fantasy/Time Travel angle.

The nitty-gritty: Time travel, danger and romance blend together seamlessly in Fisher's lively finale to her Faery Rehistory series.

I’ve enjoyed the Faery Rehistory series so much! With The Warrior Poet, Sharon Lynn Fisher brings her carefully researched historical fantasy to a close, and she did a bang up job. I would personally recommend reading this series in order, although each book also works pretty well as a standalone. But the author references characters and events from previous books, so it’s nice to have that information under your belt as you’re reading.

The Warrior Poet revolves around Portland native Neve Kelly, an artist who has been having some very weird and very realistic dreams lately. Neve sometimes wakes up from these dreams and realizes that she’s written in her journal or drawn pictures of places and people she’s seen. Things get even stranger when one night, a man in old fashioned attire appears briefly in her apartment. Neve has no idea what’s going on, until one day a portal opens in her ceiling and she’s sucked up into it against her will.

Neve is shocked to find herself in the home of the stranger who visited her, and even more shocked when he tells her she’s in 1888 Connacht, Ireland. The man is Will Yeats—yes, you got it, the famous poet!—and he tells Neve that he’s also been having odd dreams. Neve and Will are connected through time and space, and it appears they’ve been thrown together in order to help defeat an old foe: the Morrigan, who is hatching a plan to take over Ireland.

In a world where magic is real and fairies exist, in a parallel world where history is completely different from the history she knows, Neve must work together with Will in order to save Ireland.

I happen to be a big fan of time travel stories, and I thought those elements were really well done. Neve’s journal is the catalyst for her jumps into another dimension and time, and I loved the way that journal plays a pivotal role in the story, always popping up whenever it’s needed. As with most time travel stories, there is a conundrum about visiting the past and changing the future, and this idea plays out in some interesting ways. I also enjoyed the “alternate history/parallel dimension” element, where in Will’s time, magic is real and a queen rules Ireland. It takes some time for Neve to wrap her head around these ideas, but in the end she embraces this new life she’s stumbled into.

Neve is the most modern of the series’ heroines, and I loved her character. Sharon really nails the juxtaposition between modern and historical, as Neve is forced to adjust her expectations when she time travels to 1888. Her dialog never strays from the style of her own time period, so it was fun to watch Neve and Will communicate, with the expected misunderstandings and embarrassing moments when you realize you may have just said something inappropriate. 

I especially loved the blooming romance between the two, which is subtly done and includes a few sex scenes, but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the story. In a nice twist, the author has made Will a virgin, so it’s up to Neve to school him in the nuances of sex. I loved the way Sharon handled this interesting element, and she even throws in some awkward moments as Will realizes he may be in over his head! The romance itself has shades of Outlander, and I imagine Sharon took some inspiration from that story, but put her own twist on it.

Using Will Yeats as a main character was so clever, and there are some fun moments in the story, like when Neve realizes one of his most famous poems is about the faery realm. At one point in the story, Will and Neve travel back to modern day Portland on a mission for the queen, and Will is surprised to find out that in Neve’s time, he’s actually famous. I thought these humorous moments added a nice layer to the story.

The pace really picks up in the second half, as Will and Neve try to stop the Morrigan and her army of the dead from taking over Ireland. This isn’t a battle heavy story by any means, but there is a lot of tension, and I was constantly worried for the characters. 

I’ll bet you’re wondering if Will and Neve get their happily ever after, but that would be spoiling things if I told you! Let’s just say that I loved the way Sharon wrapped things up, and not at all the way I expected. I’ve had such a great time reading this series, and I recommend it to readers who love a nice mix of fantasy, history and romance. Now that the series is complete, I can’t wait to see what Sharon Lynn Fisher does next!

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy.

The Warrior Poet is the conclusion to Sharon Lynn Fisher’s Faery Rehistory. While each book highlights the love story of one couple, it’s an adventure fantasy series you’ll want to read in order. The books build upon each other in the final battle for the fate of Ireland. In the previous books, we were led to believe this was a new history, a “rehistory” if you will, of Ireland. In The Warrior Poet, we break through to the present day and learn that it’s a parallel world with its own history. Instead of being set entirely in the late 1800’s, poet William Butler Yeats—yes, THAT Yeats, utilizes the time-traveling skills he picked up in the last book, The Raven Lady, to move between our present and his version of 1800’s Ireland. I laughed out loud when Fisher threw in an Outlander reference because every reader was going to go there even though the books are very different. To me it was more Brigadoon, more colorful, more whimsical despite battles for life and freedom.

Yeat’s love interest is Neve Kelly, probably the most relatable character in the entire series since she is from our present day with present day speech, dress, and expectations. It’s even a little comical as she tries to fit into 19th century Ireland, commenting on clothing and manners. As before, Fisher has done her homework and while continuing a story that’s already in motion, her background research is solid. You have to know the history before you can rewrite it so that it’s plausible and the reader can suspend their disbelief.

I especially appreciated her making William Yeats into a warrior. If you’ve ever looked at a photo of Yeats, he’s not the dashing, Captain America type. Rather he falls into the hot geek that doesn’t know it category. More like James McAvoy or Timothée Chalamet. Yeats’ actual poetry is bound to the story and woven throughout the book. Fisher even works Maud Gonne and their tumultuous relationship into the narrative. I appreciated that Fisher gives Yeats a healthier, cleaner ending there than he had in our universe.

Apparently, Neve and Will are linked by a past relationship. Unlike the characters in book one, Absinthe Earl, who are inhabited by the spirits of their ancestors, Neve and Will are actually reincarnated. It’s a pairing that holds across time and different universes. Their strong connection makes us root for them through every twist, turn, and set-back. They make for a great conclusion to the series. I’m looking forward to whatever Fisher writes next. I love her style and her commitment to producing books I actually want to read. Well done.

My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot

Another fast-paced, romantic adventure that will appeal to the PNR crowd. I was sad to see it will be the last in this series.

Neve Kelly’s weird daytime nightmares have provided excellent fodder for the notebooks she creates, but otherwise, the visions of lovers dying together on a battlefield are scaring her. Weirded still, a man dressed in a period costume, two weeks too early for Halloween, randomly appears in her living room, then disappears almost as quickly, leaving only a piece of note paper behind.

Will Yeats only wants to live a quiet life in the countryside working on his poetry. So, of course, he finds himself involuntarily time traveling, briefly visiting the home of a beautiful woman who sounds American. Will is drawn there again just in time to find her being sucked into a terrifying hole that has opened up in her ceiling.

The only way Will can think of to save Neve is to bring her back to his home in 1888 Ireland, where they learn that she’s from the future, a world where fairies no longer exist. Will has been having the same weird dreams as Neve and with the Morrigan’s meddling turning into a more sinister power grab than she’s ever tried before, Neve and Will must work together to save Ireland once more and avoid the tragic end portended by their mutual dreams.

There was so much going on in this book that I think it definitely requires a reread to catch everything, but it was the ultimate escape. There’s a bit of historical fantasy, romance, action, time travel and contemporary all rolled up into one here that I think will make this story appeal to a broad range of readers. A reimagination of the life of Irish poet W.B. Yeats in addition to the rest of the history of Ireland was also a pretty cool and unique touch. Will was a great hero, so sweet and gentlemanly, while also being noble and very much a man. Plus, he was a virgin hero and I’m a total sucker for that when it’s done well, as it was here. Neve did have to grow on me a bit, but I loved that fact that it didn’t take her very long to listen to what Will was saying, despite how far-fetched it seemed, and join with him to make things right. I also really loved that Neve did own up to her feelings for Will so readily and I actually surprised myself by loving the fact that although these two wind up in a committed relationship by the end, they’re not married yet. I usually hate it when my romances don’t end in marriage, but for these two, getting to know each other better with plans for a wedding later on was the proper fit for Will and Neve. I’m normally not crazy about time travel books, but I really did enjoy this one, that action made it quite the page-turner, and I love the crazy world of Fisher’s reimagined version of Ireland.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.