after a battle that would leave few standing, the survivors will bring their enemies to their knees. what a remarkable end to a remarkable trilogy.

This is the last novel in The Once and Future Queen. I struggled with this novel because I did not like the previous novels in this series! However, I do recommend this for fans of Arthurian retellings!

I was sadly disappointed by the ending of this series, I loved the first two but this felt like just your standard tie up the loose ends, there didn’t seem to be a lot of pivotal or important moment. I didn't like Cat becoming so dependent. It's just was a slow and flat read, I knew what was going to happen and I just found myself willing myself to the end sooner. I wish it had ended a lot differently

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I wish Cass were more independent and not so attached and play the damsel in distress part so much. She could have grown throughout the series something that failed to happen to the extent I would have anticipated and wanted to. I flew through this one and the author is definitely talented in keeping you at the edge of your seat but the ending was slightly underwhelming in comparison.

I really enjoyed getting to read the finale of the Once and Future Queen trilogy, the book was what I wanted from this read and thought the plot was so well done.

Legend of the lakes-

3/5

This story is about Cassandra, a hurt future ruler in an untrustworthy war-torn world. She must struggle through her own emotions, but also the betrayal and destruction of her family and her kingdom.

This is part of a series, and as someone who hasn't read the other novels- I was fairly confused. The previous events in this series are constantly linked back to, and without knowing the characters relations to each other, I couldn't always understand what seemed to be unnecessary tension between characters.

The book is fairly long and occasionally a bit boring , but the writing was good and it was suspenseful and surprising at times. It was a definite Young Adults book and overall, it was a good read but I didn't massively enjoy it.

This ending was just a typical wrap up of a series. I didn't feel like there was a lot of important moments in this one. I really didn't like how Cat was so dependent on a needing a man to bring her back every time she fell too far... I wish we had more view of the Griffin and that transformation because it seemed really interesting but we only glimpsed it a few times.

It's fell really flat and I found myself skimming towards the end because I could tell exactly what was going to happen. Not a lot of surprises or twists in this one.

This was a cute conclusion to THE ONCE AND FUTURE QUEEN trilogy that left a smile on my face. Highly recommended for readers looking for inventive world-building.

DNF'd at 23%. I really enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy but this one felt like a completely different series. The main character took her rightful place as a princess and just acted so spoiled all the time I couldn't keep reading. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this.

Legend of the Lakes is the final book in O’Connors The Once and Future Queen series. After that cliffhanger of an ending in the previous book, Curse of the Celts, I couldn’t wait to read Legend of the Lakes.

Legend of the Lakes picks up immediately after the events of Curse of the Celts. We find Cassandra in this book on a journey of dealing with her grief and the responsibility of being the Lady of the Lake. We also find ourselves in the final battle against Londinium.

The first half of the book was very slow but also understandable since we follow Cassandra dealing with her grief and it’s not easy for her. After the first half the pace picks up and there’s more action, suspense and interesting banter between various characters. I loved the interactions between Cassandra and Gideon, even though I could basically yell at them every single thing they had an interaction. Their development and growth as characters and their journey together was written amazingly by Clare O’Connor.

The world-building in this series is so interesting and captivating. In this book we learn more about life at court, the history and myths of the Lady of the Lake and the various noble families. I can’t applaud O’Connor enough for having woven such an complex world and history.

The last few chapters left me on the edge of my seat and the ending was very satisfying. A great conclusion to an amazing series.

With Thanks to HarperCollins and Clara O'Connor for an advanced readers copy of this book.

4*

I've been lucky enough to have ARCs of every book in this trilogy and I needed them! The need to binge read this serious is very real, especially following the massive cliff hanger at the end of book two.
This final instalment does not disappoint and brings a fantastic conclusion.
From the first book we've seen O'Connor's ability to write great characters, building on that in this book we get great VILLAINS, the ones you just love to hate, a band of amazing side characters and a respectful and real display of depression and betrayal.

This has become a trilogy that I'll pick up again and add to the shelf with the other YA "classics" that I keep wanting to revisit.

3,5* rounded to 4
I think this is a good end to the series and it answers to a lot of questions but it was not as entertaining as the second.
It's a bit slow and drags for a great part, the last 20% was really exciting and i was happy I persevered.
There's more world building but the characters seemed a bit flat.
It's recommended if you read the rest of the series.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book! My opinions are my own.

The Legend of the Lakes is the last installment in this trilogy. What a ride it has been! After the big plot twist at the end of book 2, I couldn't wait to find out how the story would continue and how the main character Cassandra would deal with what had happened to her!

This book starts off rather slow and it took me some time to connect to the main characters again. We learn more about the ley lines, why they matter so much and how they can be healed. This is necessary information to the story, but it drags on a bit. In the second half of the book the pace picks up and the action starts. It was nice to find out the ending, with a few more betrayals, hidden truths and plot twists to keep us readers entertained.

I enjoyed this trilogy as a whole, but can't help feeling like this isn't the book in the series. The pacing was a bit off and the relationships between the characters developed in ways that didn't always feel natural to me. Which was a pity, because I thought the story in itself was original and worth reading. But I did find myself skipping pages at times.

I can definitely imagine others loving this book more than I did! So if you love a mix of Roman and Celtic culture, you could definitely pick up this trilogy!

Fantastic conclusion to the series. We start with Cass reeling from the grief of losing Devyn and taking up her role as Lady of the lakes. Cass has grown from petulant spoilt pampered princess to a woman with a strong sense of duty - even at the expense of her family and loved ones. The dynamic with her and Gideon is … (smacks lips) - I love a good enemies to lovers trope. We also see the culmination of the war between Londinium and The Wilders with some very unforeseeable twists and turns.

This was a very enjoyable read - I did it in one sitting as I couldn’t put the book down. The series kept getting better and better. I didn’t enjoy the first book and I think that’s because I didn’t like the narrator of the audiobook ( maybe also because Cass came across as really whiny and entitled - which to be fair was in keeping with her character at the time). However, by the second book I was enthralled and was on tenterhooks for the finale and it didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended YA series with a great alternative (I guess dystopian) historical slant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Concluding the Once and Future Queen trilogy, comes Legend of the Lakes, a book I was eagerly awaiting after the great cliff-hanger that ended book two.

However, I was sadly disappointed to see pretty much all of my expectations let down, in a book that was, for the most part, just plain boring: events and days repeated themselves unchanging over and over with the occasional time jump to add at least a semblance of movement and a bit of spice in the main romantic relationship. One that, once again, sorely disappointed my expectation of a nice slow-burn hate-to-love, turning out to be one of those they-hate-each-other’s-guts-until-they-sleep-together, followed by the equally annoying they-wake-up-in-love-without-any-emotional-development-whatsoever.

In terms of worldbuilding, at least the question of the incompatibility between technology and magic was answered, but still it did sometimes feel a tad too convenient, while other elements of the history and lore were sometimes included in such a way, they almost looked like they were thrown in with the sole purpose of name dropping.

The last part was definitely the most exciting one, both in terms of story and characters, as betrayals followed secret plots and more truths were revealed… even though the final showdown was still not the best it could have been and was entirely predictable in my opinion.

Overall, I thought the series had a lot of potential and if I was happy to look over a few issues with the first book for the sake of its originality, I was sadly increasingly disappointed with the sequels, and I think maybe this could have worked better as a duology instead, and with a little more work on the intricacies of the world and relationships.

<b>3.5/5 STARS
I was gifted an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</b>


The final installment of <i>The Once and Future Queen</i> was a great wrap up to the series. The previous book ended on a cliffhanger, so I was very excited to get my hands on this book. Cass is dealing with the loss of someone she loved deeply, while also trying to come to terms with her role in Mercia.

Cass is stricken with so much grief and often finds herself unable to do anything in the first part of the book. Those around her constantly have to remind her to take care of herself— if not for her, for the baby she’s carrying. Upon the birth of her daughter, Féile, Cass has a brief period of intense joy and love. Not long after her daughters birth, Cass thrusts herself into healing the ley lines. Throughout the book, she struggles with her emotions—often getting too caught up in healing the lines that she forgets about her loved ones. Those around her eventually realize there is something further than grief affecting Cass.

About half way through the book, things start to speed up. There is an impending war with Londinium that is further flamed by something totally unexpected. Through multiple betrayals, challenges, and ultimatums, Cass must make a difficult decision— save one person she loves or everyone?

The beginning felt so slow to me and the first 30% of the book definitely could’ve been shorter in my opinion. I did enjoy the tension between her and Gideon throughout the book, though. The constant back and forth that kept us wondering what would happen with them definitely kept me intrigued. I was incredibly irked by their inability to properly communicate though. There were also a few instances that made me want to throttle each of them… lol

Another thing that made it difficult to enjoy fully was what felt like a lot of info dumping about the history of the Lady of the Lake. I found myself skimming the book in these parts, pushing myself to keep reading. While it was definitely interesting to hear more about the history and the bond between the Lady and the Griffin, it felt like too much at times. There were definitely better ways to engage the reader with this information.

The last 20% of the book was definitely worth the read. All questions are answered and the ending was very satisfying for me. The huge twists kept me on edge, which is what I’m looking for in a fantasy series.

Also I still don’t like you Marcus. You suck.

overall series rating— 3.25/5

After the ending of the last book, I needed to know how the series would end. So much betrayal and sadness that it was difficult to see how anything would work out. The story picks up right where the other left off, with Cass mourning her loss. I can't imagine how that would feel and understood her falling into a depression, but it lasted half the book. There were other elements at play, but since I didn't like Cass that much to begin with, it just cemented my disdain of her.

Cass spends much of the story in an emotionless fog, she doesn't care for her daughter and is constantly awful to Gideon. Even at the end, Cass says hurtful things and didn't show the growth I was hoping for. Gideon is the real hero of the story, raising Feile and being there for Cass always. I adore him and he deserves all the happiness.

The pacing is uneven, with the first half being incredibly slow and picking up in the last quarter. I wish we'd had more action to keep the plot moving forward and hold on to my interest. At least the series wrapped up and left no loose ends to worry about.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the copy.

Legend of the Lakes is the final book in this unforgettable and intense trilogy. It begins straight after the explosive cliffhanger in the previous book. My heart absolutely broke for Cass after everything that happened. For a huge part of the book she was the shell of her former self which was hard to watch at times. One of the things that really made me angry was the way that she treated Gideon especially all of the awful things she said to him. I absolutely love Gideon and I really admire him for the way that he stepped up.

There was a part near the end that broke me and I have to admit that I cried because it hurt so much. So kudos to the author for that trickery that absolutely devastated me if only for a little while. There were so many twists, turns and an abundance of secrets were finally revealed. I absolutely loved the ending of this book so much because it was the perfect way to say goodbye.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

What a wonderful conclusion to the Once and Future Queen series. There were lots of tears on my end! I wasn’t sure how things were going to conclude but I found the ending satisfactory. I do think the second book in the series was the strongest but this one had some great moments. I highly recommend this whole series to those who love alternate histories mixed with fantasy!

Reviewing without spoiling is quite hard but I will try by telling you what I felt, and realized about this unusual finale.

War is brewing while Cassandra mourns, and in the face of adversity and motherhood, slowly starts to become stronger than she ever believed. The author has gifted us with a far from perfect hero, one still searching for herself, but a hero trying her best. Trying to be a proper Lady of the Lake.

Words are placed together in fascinating ways, for O'Connor's signature descriptions, that evoke the appropriate emotion at the appropriate time. The narrative is laced with foreboding and melancholy, but also hope. The protagonist's musings are heart-wrenching but also inspirational.

The 1st part of the book was completely different from what I was expecting. The protagonist's emotional journey is well written, especially the situation with Gideon, pained and comical at the same time. The truth is I expected the war or revenge on the Empire to begin much sooner. Her emotional journey is warranted and explained, but I still wish it hadn't taken up so many pages. Also sometimes her thoughts get repetitive and she ponders on things that have just been mentioned.

Part 2 and 3 are much better with parts of them being brilliant. Presenting a quicker pace, color by action and revelations, with a crazy plan the characters are bringing to fruition. Things really get crazy then. Also Calchas is such a wonderfully despicable villain.

The corruption of the ley lines is an allegory for humanity's corruption of Earth. A prominent theme here is being true to yourself and what you want. Also duty plays a major role and doing what is right.

An emotionally charged finale, with deep character development, to such an imaginative series.