“Daughter of the Otherworld” is the second era of the “Gael Song” saga by Shauna Lawless It opens between 100 and 150 years after the first era was over, but since our main characters belong to the old peoples of Ireland, meaning that they live considerably longer than mortals and therefore don’t see the passing of the time the same way as mortals do, we could say that the story picks up where it left. That’s why there’s only so much about the plot that can be shared, for fear of spoiling the ending and many events of the first trilogy. Some characters are new, younger, some others are known to us. Some are seeking revenge, some are on the run until the tides turn. And the tides of the Irish Sea turn pretty often.

Depending on the perspective, this book is a coming of age story as well as a historical fantasy. We have a new heroine amongst the old friends and foes. Isolde is a descendant of the Tuatha Dé Dannan, one of the old peoples, who has been raised by her much older cousin Broccan. She knows nothing of the world for she has been living in an island very close to Ulaid, but isolated enough not to be concerned with the affairs of the mortals. Broccan hasn’t felt any kind of gift in Isolde and he hopes she can marry and live like an ordinary woman when she grows up. But then they receive the visit of none others than the Fomorians, and their world will never be the same again.

In “Daughter of the Otherworld” Shauna Lawless gets a new set of pieces for her chess game. She sets two queens and many pawns around them. The game is one of wars, scheming, plot, treason, revenge and cruelty. However she knows very well that chess is first and foremost a game of strategy. And no one knows strategy better than one of the queens of this game whose name I cannot give away. Once one of the queens falls, the game will be over.

Ireland is always at war. That’s the one thing that never changes about her. The tensions amongst the different kings, the violence within the families, the hunger for power, gold and land… the generations of bad blood and the anger only rising with each son. And if it wasn’t enough, there are also people hungering for the green Island, this time is not the vikings, it’s the god fearing Normans that wait for their opportunity in the shores of France. And in that chaos, Isolde looks for her people, for an answer. A woman alone wandering the valleys in a world about to burn down.

Once again Shauna Lawless leaves her readers without words. She reconstructs actual history and tames it to her will. Her unforgettable characters are so complex that even the one in the background will stay with the reader forever. But the best part is that she crafts her legends in a way that when the book is over, research commences. Looking up maps, history books, wikipedia, photographs… are the side effects of reading the Gael Song saga, it’s so exciting and enriching that I cannot but recommend it totally convinced that it will change your perspective in many things. Learning is a powerful tool and one learns best when we turn to legends, myths, and humanity. Especially humanity.

Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless is such a good story. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

If you imagine someone dramatically cleaning off their desk in a fit of rage, that was me with excitement to my TBR when the approval for Daughter of the Otherworld came through.

I was so excited to return to the Gael Song world and follow the story we left off from in The Land of the Living and the Dead.

As this is Gael Song's second era, there are of course new characters, new politics, and new dynamics. What there is not is any change for the positive among the Fomorians. They continue to be chilling, cutting, and calculating. There is no question Donnchad is Gormflaith's son, and there is no question that Angelo is her grandson.

Largely we follow Donnchad, Gormflaith, and Isolde, Fódla's daughter from The Land of the Living and the Dead. You can see so much of Fódla in her character and those moments really brought a smile to my face. We also see through her the grow that Broccan has had for the last 150 years and it's clear he is still raging and heartbroken.

Through Isolde's story, we get the bulk of politics. New kings have fallen and risen, and as always the humans are about to be at war. Also as always, the Fomorians are using this as an opportunity to rise their social rankings again. But the landscape has changed and Christianity is more prevalent than before. This means that the Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fomorians are more than ever thought of as legends of the past. But that said, this era feels more magical than Gael Song's first did. It feels like a different of balance of historical fiction and fantasy that falls somewhere between the first trilogy and the novellas. I am extremely keen to see how this continues for the series.

There are also some BIG reveals in this book to get us excited for this trilogy. There is no doubt in my mind that Isolde's story is going to rival Fódla's for top spot in my bookish heart and that Shauna is not going to pull any punches in telling it.

I had the immense pleasure and honour of reading Daughter of the Otherworld by Shauna Lawless in advance. After finishing the Gael Song trilogy, this series became my second favourite of all time, second only toThe City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty. Both authors have this rare ability to create incredibly vivid worlds, life-like characters, and complex, layered relationships, something I love in a book. But after reading Daughter of the Otherworld, I honestly can’t choose between them anymore. These two series now share first place in my heart.

So yes, it is safe to say I loved this book. The quality is just as good as the previous installments. The events at the end of The Land of the Living and the Dead, the deaths, the losses, hit me even harder once I started the novel and realised the plot had to continue without them. I truly loved where the story is heading now and how it lets us witness history changing. The world is entering medieval times, it feels more Christian, more cosmopolitan, and I especially appreciated the mention of a famous Roman family, the Orsini, who also built the castle in the town where I live, near Rome.

I love the new characters, Isolde, Cuan, who feels like a knight stepped out of Arthurian legends, and Donnchad. But honestly, I would have been content to just follow Broccan and Isolde, to see their bond grow, and to follow her discovering the world I already love through curious eyes. And yet, around the twenty-six percent mark, I felt this sudden surge of emotion when Gormflaith appeared again. To witness both sides of the same conflict. To root for both sides, for someone you know is a villain.

These characters feel so real to me. They are fully fleshed out, not just existing within the story, but beyond it too. I can picture their pasts, imagine their futures.

One of the things I liked the most is how delicately this book handles complex themes like grief and loss. These emotions are always treated with the utmost care. Also, Shauna's writing style, as always, is incredible. It does not distract you from the story. On the contrary, it's poetic, immersive, transporting.

And this is why, in my eyes, Shauna Lawless has once again proven herself a master of storytelling. I’m incredibly grateful to have read this book early. Thank you to the author, Head of Zeus and Netgalley. Now I’ll wait for July to arrive so I can cry my eyes out while reading Murchad’s story.

Big thanks to Head of Zeus for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of the Otherworld is a continuation of the world and story built in the original Gael Song trilogy. It's a unique blend of fantasy and historical fiction. We pick the story up over a hundred years after the events of The Land of the Living and the Dead. I want to stress that you need to read the original trilogy before diving into this one otherwise you are going to be completely lost!

I really don't want to dive into any details regarding the plot here because doing so would really spoil events from the original trilogy if you haven't yet read that. But what I will say is that this was very much like returning to a pair of my most comfortable slippers. The writing flows incredibly well, the pacing is great and revisiting this world was just a pure joy.

I felt that the time jump of around 100 years was a great choice. It progressed events along enough to allow some new and fresh characters and story elements, while still allowing some old favourites to return.

If you loved the original Gael Song trilogy then I can say with confidence that you're going to love this one too.

My rating: 4.5 stars

More than a century after era one, we re-enter the world of the Descendants and Fomorians. Isolde emerged from the Hawthorne tree nearly 18 years ago, while the Fomorians have spent more than a lifetime away from Ireland. Prophecies, schemes, wars, and magic simmer below the surface as this new story begins to unfold.

This book is yet another masterful blend of history and magic. It feels both fresh and familiar, threading new and old characters and stories together.

Lawless combines Irish mythology, political intrigue, history, and a coming-of-age story together into an addictive and powerful read. It contains complex and well-rounded characters that have distinct voices and motivations. The stakes, the struggles, and the emotional depth of this novel is rich, and told through thoughtful, beautiful, prose. Which makes every revelation and heartbreak land devastatingly. While the pace is suspenseful and exciting (or gut wrenchingly tense).

In this new era, I'm still engaged and surprised by the magic and mythology. It's expanded but retains its essence; I was enthralled and theorising as I read. The world's brutality strikes contrastingly with the tenderness of the love in this book and creates a juxtaposition that is consuming.

This is a beautiful historical fantasy that is powerful and full of heart (and breaks). Shauna Lawless is a must-buy must-read author for me, and this book has yet again proved that right.

First, I would like to thank Head of Zeus Publishing House, Shauna Lawless, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read the ebook version of Daughter of the Otherworld, and one of the first things I noticed was the formatting. It appeared as though a tab key was pressed at the beginning of each new paragraph, causing inconsistent alignment. I'm not sure if this is a stylistic choice or a formatting error, but since this is an ARC, I assume—and hope—it will be corrected in the final release. I won’t be docking points for this issue.

Initially, I wasn’t aware that this was the fourth book in a series, as the summary read like a standalone. After checking the previous books’ summaries, I felt confident jumping into this one without prior knowledge, and for the most part, I was able to follow the story on its own merits. However, it's clear by the end that this book is part of a larger arc, and future instalments are on the horizon.

Within the first two pages, I was intrigued enough to pause and research the Dál gCais. From what I found, it’s clear that Shauna Lawless did her research. I love when an author takes the time to research and bring real historical context into their worldbuilding.

This is a story of dwindling magical lineages—both Descendants and Fomorians—seeking to wipe each other out before their enemies can do the same. There are only a handful of these magical beings left on either side, and that high-stakes premise helped frame the tension from the start.

As for the characters of this story, I'll lend them each their own section to describe my feelings about them before continuing on. Though this list is not exhaustive of all the characters in the story that you meet.

Broccan was a standout. His emotional complexity, the losses he’s endured, and the quiet strength he carries made him the most compelling character in the book for me. His love for Isolde, his inner struggles, and his depth were written beautifully. I could read an entire book just about him.

Isolde, though the central figure, took longer to connect with. Her impulsiveness and refusal to listen to reason—particularly in the first quarter—were frustrating at times, though understandable from a place of emotional motivation. By the halfway mark, I began to truly engage with her story.

Cuan surprised me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him initially, but his arc, especially his internal conflict due to his mixed heritage, became increasingly interesting. Like Broccan, he became a favourite.

Donnchad, on the other hand, felt underwhelming. His perspective seemed singularly focused and repetitive. While his chapters did contain the most battle scenes and tactical decisions, I found myself eager to return to the others' narratives.

Gormflaith was an effective antagonist—compelling without being someone you'd root for. She didn’t always do much in terms of action, but her presence lingered ominously. Her rare moments of sympathy added a layer of complexity I appreciated.

The story takes its time getting started. The setup is long, and I struggled a bit in the early chapters. But once the story found its rhythm, I was hooked—largely due to the strength of its characters. While I noticed a few typos in the ARC, I expect these will be resolved before publication. The story is rich with Irish history, mythology, magic, and the shifting political and religious tides of the era. Readers interested in historical fantasy, especially rooted in Irish legend, will find much to enjoy here. Despite being book four, it’s surprisingly accessible for new readers—though by the end, it's clear this isn't a standalone and more is coming.

I'll definitely be reading the next instalment to follow Isolde’s journey.

After finishing The Land of the Living and the Dead, I was curious how the author would continue the story. Daughter of the Otherworld did not disappoint. As much as I love (to hate!) Gormflaith and was excited to see her story continue, I really enjoyed the introduction of Isolde and her unfolding destiny. Her characterisation, along with Cuan, Broccan & Donnchan really bought the story to life and I'm so excited to see how the war between the Descendants and the Fomorians will play out. Highly recommend!