Name: The Shadowed Land
ISBN: 9781501191497

Signe Pike

The Shadowed Land

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a series that I like, but I just don't find myself really loving. I do think it has improved so much since the first book. And I will read the fourth book when it comes out, too.

I can't help but feel like Languoreth and her twin brother Lailoken's story should be finished. I found myself caring less and less about their struggles with the formerly exiled Christian monk Mungo, and nothing much exciting or worthwhile happened to either of them in this book. I know she was originally the main character, but Languoreth is now overshadowed by her daughter Angharad's story as well as Artúr. But we'll get to those two in a minute. Languoreth is the only main character I can ever recall really disliking. She is so passive and always has been. I think the author should focus now on where the story is going, not where it has been. Languoreth adds nothing to the plot. Adding her other daughter, Gladys, as a POV narrator for the first time in this book also felt odd. She served no purpose either. And I really enjoyed Lailoken (who is the historical counterpart of the wizard Merlin) in the previous novel. But didn't really feel he was that needed here.

Angharad and Artúr are (or should be) the focus and future of this book series. Angharad is a character I really do enjoy; she's well written with a lot of depth and, quite simply, her story is so much more fascinating than her mother's. 

Artúr is, you may have guessed, the real life figure behind the King Arthur myths. My favorite aspect of this novel is how well researched it is and how beautifully Signe Pike brings to life the real man behind the legends. King Arthur was Scottish!! And her author's note explains everything perfectly. Artúr is my second favorite character, and I'm truly excited for the next installment of the series and how it will continue to shine a light on the historical, Scottish king Artúr. I encourage everyone reading this to learn more about his Scottish roots and, as Pike writes in her author's note, forget everything you think you know about King Arthur. 

This series takes on Arthurian legend like no other books ever have. I love how new and refreshing the King Arthur/Artúr story is told and presented. It feels so much more real. And even though I'm a big fan of Arthurian retellings, this one is bold in its exploration of the truth, not relying on rehashing legends passed down from centuries of old. It's truly in a league of its own, in that regard. And yes, I do understand and appreciate the connections between Languoreth and Lailoken with regard to the historical Arthur. I just think Languoreth's characterization is lacking; her twin's story is more exciting.

I still have so many issues with The Lost Queen because in my opinion it fails to truly capture and retell the story of the titular queen, Languoreth. I wanted (and still want) so much more from her. With so little historical evidence, the author could have taken her story to new and exciting places. 

As always, the descriptions are beautiful and easy to imagine. Each place and setting (and there are many) are distinguished easily from one another, something I imagine is no small feat. The writing of this series remains one of its best features. Though, not all the important locations are included in the otherwise helpful map at the beginning of this novel. The map and character list are very beneficial, especially the map in grounding readers to where, either generally or specifically, events are taking place. But I noticed some places mentioned especially in the author's note weren't there. 

I also do not like the author's penchant for time jumps. There was a small one in this novel -- four years-- but I thought it came at a weird time, right after something truly magical happened to Angharad. I wanted to see the aftermath!! And, again, I hate to keep bringing The Lost Queen down, but I can simply never forgive the 17 year time jump of that book. 

Finally, I noticed the inclusion of the phrase "shooting fish in a barrel," which jarred me considering this takes place around 580 AD. Is that phrase really that old? And if so, I think Pike could have included a brief explanation in her otherwise detailed author's note. There were a few copy editing mistakes, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment. I've seen other reviewers complain about the multiple POVs, and even if I felt some weren't necessary, I can't say they were convoluted. The plot moved fairly quickly and this was a reasonably fast paced read for me. I am impressed that the book can more quickly and seamlessly without its descriptions suffering. Pike can balance both well.

Overall, this book was good. The series is mainly good. I keep reading in the hopes one will be truly great. I just haven't been blown away.

Amanda

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a series that I like, but I just don't find myself really loving. I do think it has improved so much since the first book. And I will read the fourth book when it comes out, too.

I can't help but feel like Languoreth and her twin brother Lailoken's story should be finished. I found myself caring less and less about their struggles with the formerly exiled Christian monk Mungo, and nothing much exciting or worthwhile happened to either of them in this book. I know she was originally the main character, but Languoreth is now overshadowed by her daughter Angharad's story as well as Artúr. But we'll get to those two in a minute. Languoreth is the only main character I can ever recall really disliking. She is so passive and always has been. I think the author should focus now on where the story is going, not where it has been. Languoreth adds nothing to the plot. Adding her other daughter, Gladys, as a POV narrator for the first time in this book also felt odd. She served no purpose either. And I really enjoyed Lailoken (who is the historical counterpart of the wizard Merlin) in the previous novel. But didn't really feel he was that needed here.

Angharad and Artúr are (or should be) the focus and future of this book series. Angharad is a character I really do enjoy; she's well written with a lot of depth and, quite simply, her story is so much more fascinating than her mother's. 

Artúr is, you may have guessed, the real life figure behind the King Arthur myths. My favorite aspect of this novel is how well researched it is and how beautifully Signe Pike brings to life the real man behind the legends. King Arthur was Scottish!! And her author's note explains everything perfectly. Artúr is my second favorite character, and I'm truly excited for the next installment of the series and how it will continue to shine a light on the historical, Scottish king Artúr. I encourage everyone reading this to learn more about his Scottish roots and, as Pike writes in her author's note, forget everything you think you know about King Arthur. 

This series takes on Arthurian legend like no other books ever have. I love how new and refreshing the King Arthur/Artúr story is told and presented. It feels so much more real. And even though I'm a big fan of Arthurian retellings, this one is bold in its exploration of the truth, not relying on rehashing legends passed down from centuries of old. It's truly in a league of its own, in that regard. And yes, I do understand and appreciate the connections between Languoreth and Lailoken with regard to the historical Arthur. I just think Languoreth's characterization is lacking; her twin's story is more exciting.

I still have so many issues with The Lost Queen because in my opinion it fails to truly capture and retell the story of the titular queen, Languoreth. I wanted (and still want) so much more from her. With so little historical evidence, the author could have taken her story to new and exciting places. 

As always, the descriptions are beautiful and easy to imagine. Each place and setting (and there are many) are distinguished easily from one another, something I imagine is no small feat. The writing of this series remains one of its best features. Though, not all the important locations are included in the otherwise helpful map at the beginning of this novel. The map and character list are very beneficial, especially the map in grounding readers to where, either generally or specifically, events are taking place. But I noticed some places mentioned especially in the author's note weren't there. 

I also do not like the author's penchant for time jumps. There was a small one in this novel -- four years-- but I thought it came at a weird time, right after something truly magical happened to Angharad. I wanted to see the aftermath!! And, again, I hate to keep bringing The Lost Queen down, but I can simply never forgive the 17 year time jump of that book. 

Finally, I noticed the inclusion of the phrase "shooting fish in a barrel," which jarred me considering this takes place around 580 AD. Is that phrase really that old? And if so, I think Pike could have included a brief explanation in her otherwise detailed author's note. There were a few copy editing mistakes, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment. I've seen other reviewers complain about the multiple POVs, and even if I felt some weren't necessary, I can't say they were convoluted. The plot moved fairly quickly and this was a reasonably fast paced read for me. I am impressed that the book can more quickly and seamlessly without its descriptions suffering. Pike can balance both well.

Overall, this book was good. The series is mainly good. I keep reading in the hopes one will be truly great. I just haven't been blown away.

I waited a long time for this book to arrive. I did feel book three was very rushed, the pace was faster and it felt like large chunks were missing, the ending was not satisfying, it felt a bit abrupt. To be honest if I was given 300 more pages that would have been completely fine! That being said, it was very enjoyable, it's still up there amongst my favourite historical fiction series. 

The Shadowed Land

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