Alright, fellow readers, brace yourselves because "Curse of the Celts" by Clara O’Connor is one sequel that absolutely delivers the goods and then some! Picking up right where we left off, we're thrust back into the gripping world of Cass, Devyn, and Marcus as they navigate the treacherous sands of Londinium.

From the very first page, the tension is palpable as Cass, Devyn, and Marcus find themselves ensnared in the clutches of the Roman metropolis, facing trial by public vote. But fear not, dear readers, for our intrepid trio is determined to break free and embark on a daring quest to save not only themselves but also the Celts from a sinister blood curse.

What truly sets this sequel apart is the incredible character development and dynamic relationships that unfold throughout the story. Cass, Devyn, and Marcus each undergo profound growth as they confront their own inner demons and grapple with the shifting dynamics of their alliance. The complexities of their relationships are expertly woven into the narrative, from Cass and Devyn's simmering romance to Marcus's struggle to find his place in their group.

But the excitement doesn't stop there! O’Connor introduces a captivating array of new characters, each with their own secrets and motivations, adding layers of intrigue and depth to the story. From the enigmatic Gideon to the steadfast Bronwyn, every character leaves an indelible mark on the reader's imagination.

And let's not forget about the world-building! "Curse of the Celts" delves deeper into the rich tapestry of Roman and Celtic histories, seamlessly blending elements of fantasy and dystopia to create a world that feels both familiar and refreshingly original.

With its breakneck pacing, unexpected twists, and a hint of romance, this sequel is an absolute page-turner from start to finish. And that ending? Let's just say it left me desperate for more!

"Curse of the Celts" is a must-read for fans of Shadow and Bone and The Hunger Games alike. It's a spellbinding adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, and I cannot wait to see how Cassandra's journey unfolds in the final installment of The Once and Future Queen series.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This wonderful series continues with book #2. You need to read book #1 so you know the characters and their dilemnas as they flee judgement. Clara O'Connor has kept this series moving a such a pace that there is no stopping points. Don't start it before bed, you'll be up all night. I'm truly surprised I have not heard more about this series.

The Curse of the Celts by Clara O'Connor is set in a world where Rome never fell, mixing Roman beliefs and traditions with technology. There is a mysterious blood curse on the Celts, and our main characters must flee for their lives.

The book is fast paced and fantastic, capturing your imagination as soon as you turn the first page. And O'Connor is certainly a fan of the cliffhanger - we had one in book one, and we sure had another in book two! The stakes just kept getting higher and higher, and all along our trio, Cass, Devyn and Marcus must navigate a world only familiar to one of them, fraught with danger.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book, and I think in particular Cassandra's character development was incredibly strong and compelling. The dynamic between the three main characters is tense and constantly developing, which I didn't feel fully paid off during this book, but I suspect will pay off in the last book of the series.

Cass, Devyn and Marcus were unable to escape and have been brought back to the arena where they will publicly stand trial. They must escape and warn the Celts of the blood curse that is running rampant through their people. But deception and betrayal will cause everything to go into a tailspin.

This book was even more exciting than the first. I love Cass and her men, and the way they come up with ideas to escape their predicament. The story flowed well and the author had me shocked with the betrayal that happened!

I really am so intrigued and taken with this world that Clara O’Connor has created. After the first book and it’s cliffhanger ending I knew I would be coming back for more.

In this second book we get more world building, new adventures, new threats, and one hell of a twist, ending in another heart attack enduring cliffhanger! I’m so invested in this series at this point I’m all in!!

I will note that if you found the first book too much world building and “boring” but you liked the end, give the second one a go! I personally love the world building but I know it’s not for everyone.

Thank you to netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review!

I loved the first book. I thought that despite it being a debut novel, there was asuch a promising premise which i hoped to explore in the sequel and even went ahead and requested for the third book of the series all at once.

I was.. disappointed to say the least. the story primarily revolves around the love triangle and it became over the top annoying in a lot of instances depriving us from the worldbuilding and the plot that started to be left in the background, which normally would not be a problem for my enjoyment of a book, but the characters did not develop as I would have hoped either. And by that i mean that they simply remained who they were and there was no depth, no development for me to care any longer.

I am willing to give the author another chance with a perhaps new series in the future but I am done with this one. I will remember fondly book 1 in the series and that is all.

After reading book one towards the start of the month I knew I had to pick up this one straight away. I really loved this book. Curse of The Celts is so different to book one. In Secrets of the Starcrossed we are set in a futuristic Sci-fi setting full of lots of advanced technology and we are set in this setting for the first little bit of Curse of the Celts is set in this futuristic world. It then moves into a more medieval, magical forestry world which I loved.

These two settings really contrast the people in this world and how different they are. Throughout this story we are still learning a lot about the world, especially the Celtic side and magic which I have been loving. Seeing this side of the world is so refreshing and made me love this book even more than book one.
The one thing that really bugged me with this story is how hot and cold Devan could be towards Cassandra frustrated me to no end because I just want them to be together and be happy. Although it did annoy me I could understand where he was coming from and why he was being that way towards her.

I also had no idea where this book was going but boy I was not expecting where it went at all. I loved how it picked up exactly where book one ended. Which I loved! This book broke me. Towards the end shit hits the fan and I was standing at work listening to the audio book with my eyes full of tears yelling at myself in my head not to cry.

O’Connor really knows how to end a book and also break the hearts of her readers. sShe honestly pulls no punches and I need to read book three asap!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a fun scifi romance read, the characters were what I wanted from this type of book and I really loved the way the plot was going.

While this genre is not my favorite genre I read the first book in this series, Secrets of the Star-crossed, so I wanted to give this one a try to continue the story. I am also drawn to all things Celtic so I hoped this would fill that desire. The truth is the book fell short to me. Like the first book in the series I had a hard time following the characters and the plot. It may have been the subject or plot line that wasn't holding my attention making it hard to stay focused. I did think the writing was eloquent and maybe in a different time in my life I would have enjoyed it more but I wasn't a fan. Strictly my personal opinion.

Curse of the Celts picks up right where we left off in the first book, at the trial for Cassandra, Marcus and Devyn. Not only were they caught trying to escape, but there’s mounting evidence that they’ve been not following the rules of a proper citizen. They spend what few moments they have left together trying to figure out what to do but nothing ever goes as expected. There’s always someone one step ahead and Cassandra is learning that she’s tired of losing and she’s ready to show her true self.

This was so good! A wonderful sequel to Secrets of the Starcrossed! I couldn’t put this down and I was so wrapped up into this! This book was everything! It was suspenseful, fast paced, heartbreaking and romantic. I felt so much for Cassandra that I was practically sobbing in the end. I was shocked by the unexpected ending and I was so very unprepared for the feelings that it caused. Ugh! I’m heartbroken for her. Cassandra’s been on an epic journey and her life has been turned upside down and back again. I can’t wait to see what she does in book three after everything she’s been through. This is another easy book recommendation from me considering I’m loving these books!

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Fans of the first book won't be disappointed by the sequel. As with the first book, I loved the world-building, the potential Celtic magic, and the idea of an alternate history where Rome never fell. The characters are developed further in this instalment and the plot kept me fully engaged.

This is a seriously underrated series. I really enjoyed this sequel, I think Clara has managed to create a really amazing world. I will and have recommended this series to bookish friends and family. If you enjoyed the first book I think you will enjoy this one equally.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-Arc! My rating is in star form and will be included with this review. I may go back to more extensive reviews in the future, but while I am catching up on everything, they will continue to be stars only. Thank you so much!

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

As with the first book, there were a couple times where I wasnt sure I was going to continue but overall I'm glad I did! I felt this was a little better paced than the first, not as much back and forth. I really feel like this has so much potential, and I definitely need to finish the series with this cliffhanger!

I love this book! I thought it was such a brilliant reader and there was seriously no way to predict the ending! I requested this book before realizing that it it was part of a series, so I am now super excited to go back to the beginning of the series and read the first one (I'm waitlisted at the library but keeping my hopes up!!).

I loved the magic, the romance (swooning) and the mystery of it all. The ending of this book was HEARTBREAKING and I'm still not over it. Not sure where this story goes next, which is part of the fun, but can't wait for the last book in the series to be published!

Thank you Harper Collins, UK and NetGalley for sending me this reader copy.

I absolutely adored the first part of this trilogy and was so excited to read the next one! The world O'Connor has created is so unique and full of mystery and old magic and I honestly would love to see this trilogy made into a film.

The end of the first book, Secrets of the Starcrossed, leaves us on quite the cliff hanger and I love that we dive straight back in at the beginning of the second book. Our beloved protagonists find themselves in the dreaded arena, accused before all of those who they once called friends and family. They were once the beloved and prized citizens of Londinium and they are now disgraced and facing the ultimate price.

I won't go into more detail as it would be difficult to do so without spoilers but what I can tell you is we finally find ourselves in the mysterious lands of the Britons and learn more about the ancient magic and power that is at the foundation of their kingdoms. We are introduced to come great new characters and I feel Cass, Devyn and Marcus develop into stronger characters throughout this book. They learn a lot about themselves and each other whilst facing endless challenges on this epic adventure that will likely change the fate of Londinium and the other kingdoms for centuries to come.

So yeah, I think this was a great second book to build up the suspense even more what I am sure will be an epic finale. I really really love this world and the nostalgia it brings for those of us who come from Celtic countries and recognise the age old stories of Arthur, Merlin and Celtic magic.

A big thank you to Net Galley for letting me read it before it was published.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for giving me access.

While I enjoyed Secrets of the Starcrossed, Curse of the Celts fell a little flat for me. I found my self bored and wanting the story over, it didn't even feel like it was part of the same series. I pushed through and the last 25% of the story picked up and I was finally interested enough to finish and continue on to read the next installment.

Curse of the Celts is the second book in The Once and Future Queen series by Clara O'Connor. The story takes places right after the events of Secrets of the Starcrossed where Cassandra, Devyn and Marcus are back in the arena where they must pay for their crimes against the Code. In Curse of Celts we learn more about Cassandra's history and family, we meet more new characters and find Cassandra, Devyn and Marcus behind the walls in the land of the Celts.

After reading Secrets of the Starcrossed I wasn't super enthousiastic about the story but still curious enough to want to read the second installment. But I am so glad that I did read Curse of the Celts because it's really good. The expanding of the world, the higher stakes, the even deeper betrayals and surprising revelations are what makes Curse of the Celts such an captivating and enjoyable read. The ending was equally surprising and ended on a big cliffhanger. I must read the final book like right now!

I profoundly wish I had never read any of this. I want to excise it from my brain. DO NOT READ THESE BOOKS.

Most of book 2 inspired the same feelings as book 1. It was silly, it was fun, it was easy to read. I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened to them. I got frustrated by their idiotic decisions and wanted to shake people a few times (I have a distinct limit to how long I can accept people going along with “trust me; it’s better if you don’t know the truth,” and this book reached that limit).

But the ending was just horrid. Not reading book 3, not touching anything by this author ever again.