I received this as an eARC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley. This book is a feminist retelling of the Irish Tale of The Children of Lir. 

The writing in this book is so perfect; the pacing, the structure, everything. It’s absolutely captivating and hard to put down. The book discusses feelings of loss, grief, anger, revenge, cruelty. It tells the story in Aífe’s POV, who is an unreliable narrator, taking the reader through the story of her upbringing, her losing her mind and her rage. 

The book shows how trauma can corrupt a persons soul and result in evil doing that only harms the innocent. This story is tragic and heartbreaking and so entertaining to read. The ending caught me so off-guard and I cried. This is easily one of my new favourite books. 

I would recommend this to everyone who loves folklore, retellings, books about feminine rage, stories of tragedy - any of those things. I will be purchasing a physical copy for myself and convincing everyone I can to pick one up too. I will also be checking out the authors other works because this writing was beautiful!

TW/CW - Attempted sexual assault of a child (mentioned, past); War; Child warriors; Mutilation; Gore; Grooming; Death; Death cause by giving birth; Arranged marriage; Abduction (mentioned); Sex (off page); Marital rape (on page); Blood; Depression; Self-hatred; Body horror; Grave desecration; Childhood trauma; PTSD; Demons; Beheading; Coercive religious conversion; Christianity; Mind control; Pregnancy