This was a 4.5 for me. Certainly a stunning debut novel with compelling characters and an even more compelling setting. It made me wish I already had more knowledge about late 10th century Irish history and Irish mythology as I am sure there are a lot of hidden gems within the writing for people in the know (like the title alluding to the 1902 Irish mythology book “Gods & fighting men” by Lady Gregory (shoutout to my little brother for pointing that one out to me). While I’m not always a big fan of dual-perspective books, this one really worked for me. The chapters are relatively short so I never felt like it took too long to get back to the other character. And the two main characters give a very compelling contrast to one another. I also love seeing a story set during the medieval period told through the perspective of two (magical) women. I feel like the time period is usually more male main character dominated. Overall I can’t wait to read the second novel in the trilogy.
