An absolute must-read for fans of Shadow and Bone… at the heart of the city to stand trial by public vote. Cass knows they must escape at any cost: to warn the Celts of the mysterious blood curse ravaging their kin, to foil the schemes of the imperial council…
To find the fabled Lady of the Lake, the one who could save them all.
But even as the jaws of death close in around her, another threat looms in the shadows, a danger she never could have foreseen, a betrayal that could burn down her entire world.
Fans of The Hunger Games will revel in this sweeping dystopian adventure set in an alternate fantasy universe where the Roman Empire never fell.
Praise for The Once and Future Queen Series:
‘OH MY HEART AND SOUL … I am still reeling … seriously I would put this series up with the big ones, like Throne of Glass and The Cruel Prince’ Richelle, 5* NetGalley review
‘OMG. I will forever be in love with this series … this author has me as a fan for life’ Penelope, 5* NetGalley review
‘Beautifully written and one of the best dystopian novels I’ve read … an epic journey you won’t forget. I would love to see this made into a film’ Zoe, 5* NetGalley review
‘I couldn’t put it down. There were times when I gasped, when I cried and when I felt my jaw drop. The world Clara O’Connor has woven together is so intricate and real and the storytelling is flawless. Absolutely my favourite series I have read this year’ Jessica, 5* NetGalley review
Reviews
Praise for The Once and Future Queen Series:
‘OH MY HEART AND SOUL … I am still reeling … seriously I would put this series up with the big ones, like Throne of Glass and The Cruel Prince’ Richelle, 5* NetGalley review
‘OMG. I will forever be in love with this series … this author has me as a fan for life’ Penelope, 5* NetGalley review
‘Beautifully written and one of the best dystopian novels I’ve read … an epic journey you won’t forget. I would love to see this made into a film’ Zoe, 5* NetGalley review
‘I couldn’t put it down. There were times when I gasped, when I cried and when I felt my jaw drop. The world Clara O’Connor has woven together is so intricate and real and the storytelling is flawless. Absolutely my favourite series I have read this year’ Jessica, 5* NetGalley review
About the author
Clara O’Connor grew up in the west of Ireland where inspiration was on her doorstep; her village was full of legend, a place of druids and banshees and black dogs at crossroads. Clara worked in publishing for many years before her travels set her in the footsteps of Arthurian myth. The world she never expected to explore was the one found in the pages of her debut novel, Secrets of the Starcrossed, the first book in the The Once and Future Queen trilogy.
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Wow. Woooooooooooooooow.
Love the story. Love the continuation. What a freaking curveball.
I’m speechless…
Hate hate Cass’ change. I don’t understand why a lot of female characters are written to act stupid after big secrets are revealed. In book 1, Cass found out about magic but I felt like she reacted ok. She kept her calm. Even with handfast cuff and bridal tea. In book 2, she has no further knowledge about magic and is out there making all kinds of stupid mistakes and assumptions. Sometimes making things worse for them all. Hello, hounds! What gets me is that she’s AWARE of how stupid she’s being and yet does it anyway.
The other thing that bothers me about Cass 2.0 is how bipolar she is about her feelings towards Devyn. Devyn has made it very clear since book 1 that things are very complicated and she SOMETIMES gets it but others she says “f it all I do what I want” and then ends up emotionally distraught. Cass is so much better than this! The events in the end, make me hopeful for Cass 3.0 to be stronger than ever.
Weirdly enough, it’s a newcomer who “gets” Cass more than the two men in her life. Gideon, although very VERY prickly, is so observant and figures out what the trio is hiding and somehow is able to get through to Cass when no one else can.
Filled with angst, secrets, danger, and heart wrenching event(s). Days after finishing the book and I’m still having a hard time digesting all that went down! I definitely have conflicting feelings about Gideon and what his role will be in the next book…
Cassandra flees into the outer world filled with strangers and those who seek her true identity. Still hand-fasted to Marcus, Devyn and Cass must face new obstacles to ensure their future together…but can they truly overcome them?
Book two was a fascinating turn of events. The ending…just prepare yourself that’s all I’m going to say!! About halfway through I was getting a little bored and felt like Cass was just whining and being selfish. There wasn’t a lot of development with her or Marcus or anyone really. Finding her true identity was exciting and I had wished to better understand her heritage but it was all so confusing to me. Too many lines of people to follow and no way of keeping track.
Overall, I look forward to the next installment as I must discover what happens after that note-worthy ending!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC. The thoughts are my own.
I requested this book before realizing it was the 2nd in the series. So, in the last month, I’ve furiously worked to read both Secrets of the Starcrossed and Curse of the Celts. I also requested it based on the cover alone. I was initially taken aback by the technologically advanced setting, but it did grow on me.
I’ll say that the second book is much more gripping than the first. In the first, I struggled with piddly details like the attraction happening too fast and the world either not feeling complete or feeling like a melting pot of other dystopian works that have gone before. By the end, of book 1, I felt a little more grounded, and book 2 begins on a super dramatic note and ends in a shocking cliffhanger.
In both books, I’m not a huge fan of the romance aspect. It feels a bit forced. However, I am one of those people who like more subtle romance or where it seems like the characters are not trying to be together. The constant reminder of how much Cass desired Devyn niggled at me a bit. Some love this though, so…
What I truly adore about this series the blending of the backstory steeped in (1) an alternate history where Rome never fell and the impact on the well-known rulers (Yorks, Plantagenets) from before and (2) transitioning into the more earthy lore around the Celts and druids.
Obviously, what drew me in was the triskele on the front of the book.
For this one 4* from me.
See also: The Once and Future Queen: Secrets of the Starcrossed
Rarely do I find a sequel as strong as the original but that is not the case with Curse of the Celts. I thought this book far exceeded the first in the series both in plot and pacing.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers for those who haven’t read the first book, but this is the story I was wanting when I picked up the first book in the series. The first book spent a lot of time laying down the world: how it functioned, who was in charge, how various empires played together. This book was about the action.
Curse of the Celts picks up right where Secrets of the Starcrossed left off – and throws us right into the action. In this book we not only get to know more about Londinium but we also get introduced to the world of the Celts, their individual factions, and more of the history between the Romans and the Celts. We meet all new characters and get reintroduced to some that we met briefly in the first book. The twist at the end was great and perfectly sets the stage for the next book in the series.
My biggest problem with the first book as the instalove between Cassandra and Devyn. It seemed unnatural and I couldn’t feel the pull between the two, especially since they kept pushing the other away. While I still felt some of that in this book, I was able to quickly move past it as the relationship between the three leads (Marcus, Cassandra, and Marcus) was more clearly written in this book.
If you left the first book thinking it didn’t quite live up to it’s tagline or that it was slow – pick up this book. It had exactly what I was expecting from the first: Celtic lore, Arthurian legends, new world history with the Roman Empire still ruling. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.