Daughter of the Otherworld
More than one hundred years after her mysterious disappearance just after birth, baby Isolde inexplicably reappears, forcing Broccan to give up his hunt for the remaining Fomorians in order to raise her on his own. And so, on little Rathlin island, Isolde grows up poor and content, but ignorant of her ancestry and knowing next to nothing about the world beyond Rathlin’s shores. The world will not stay at arm’s length forever, however, and as Isolde approaches adulthood Isolde is forced to leave her beloved home and find her way to the monastery where her remaining family lives. Along the way, she discovers a wider world that holds both more danger and more beauty than she could have imagined. Daughter of the Otherworld, the fourth book overall and first in the second era of Shauna Lawless’ Gael Song series, introduces us to a new generation of heroes and villains from the legends and history of Ireland. World events have moved along, and while much of Ireland seems the same as ever it was, its politics have changed, though outside forces from across the seas seek to change things even further. The long battle between the Descendants and the Fomorians is unchanged, however, and even the dwindling numbers on both sides cannot cool their desire for revenge and dominance. As in the previous three books in the series, Lawless combines history and myth with original characters to weave a fascinating and sometimes heart-wrenching story of people caught up in grand events. It often doesn’t matter if these characters have incredible magical abilities or not– you love them, or at least love to hate them. Isolde is a relatable young woman, a fish out of water who must learn the ways of the world on her own to discover who she is and what she wants out of life. Her story is interesting and moves in unexpected but believable directions. Though her ancestry makes her special, Isolde can’t simply snark her way out of trouble or wave her hands and use magic to get her way. She has to think things through and be patient, not just strike out in anger. Lawless doesn’t give her plot armor that allows her to get out of every situation with nary a hair out of place. Isolde must work for what she has. The Fomorians get their turn to tell their story, too, in their relentless effort to take back what they believe is theirs by right: the rule of all Ireland. Though Gormflaith and her scheming have been a constant thread through all four books, her facade is beginning to show some cracks. She is not as young and agile as she used to be; the world no longer works the way she is accustomed to, and her younger relatives aren’t bound up by her charms or by familial ties. Seeing them at work is fascinating, if infuriating. It’s easy to hate them, but still interesting to see how they respond to the tides of history. Lawless’ prose is clean and elegant, and while she has a sure hand on the story, Daughter of the Otherworld does have its flaws. There are points where Isolde’s story seems to be marking time while other elements are moving into place. Sure, it’s important to see how the various parts of the story are coming together, but where it hardly seems to move at some points, in other parts the story races ahead: entire armies cross the sea or the Fomorians will travel across kingdoms from one page to the next. Another round of editing could have tightened the story overall without sacrificing detail or character development. Still, Isolde’s story is engaging and those 450 pages fly by. There are a lot of questions that will need answers in the next book, but the primary question is, ‘when will we get the next one?’ Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the free advance copy for review. Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Book Review: Daughter of the Otherworld
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