“Outlander meets Camelot” (Kirsty Logan, author of The Gracekeepers) in the first book of an exciting historical trilogy that reveals the untold story of Languoreth–a powerful and, until now, tragically forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland–twin sister of the man who inspired the legendary character of Merlin. Intelligent, passionate, rebellious, and brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable … brave, Languoreth is the unforgettable heroine of The Lost Queen, a tale of conflicted loves and survival set against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, a magical land of myths and superstition inspired by the beauty of the natural world. One of the most powerful early medieval queens in British history, Languoreth ruled at a time of enormous disruption and bloodshed, when the burgeoning forces of Christianity threatened to obliterate the ancient pagan beliefs and change her way of life forever.
Together with her twin brother Lailoken, a warrior and druid known to history as Merlin, Languoreth is catapulted into a world of danger and violence. When a war brings the hero Emrys Pendragon, to their door, Languoreth collides with the handsome warrior Maelgwn. Their passionate connection is forged by enchantment, but Languoreth is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of the High King who is sympathetic to the followers of Christianity. As Rhydderch’s wife, Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way, her kingdom, and all she holds dear.
“Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding” (BookPage), The Lost Queen brings this remarkable woman to life–rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of the most enduring legends of all time. “Moving, thrilling, and ultimately spellbinding, The Lost Queen is perfect for readers of historical fiction like The Clan of the Cave Bear and Wolf Hall, and for lovers of fantasy like Outlander and The Mists of Avalon” (BookPage).
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Quite literally, I fell in love with this book, and with the prose. Destined to be a classic, for sure, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequels. Brava, Signe!
In her extraordinary debut, Signe Pike assuredly transports the reader to an ancient past, bringing it vividly to life through her beautiful writing. Languoreth is a bold and complex heroine readers will be rooting for until the last page. Mystical, epic and captivating, I couldn’t put it down, and look forward to the next installment of this intriguing trilogy.
I had the joy of meeting Signe Pike at SIBA 2018 and found a Scottish sister. This incredible tale of Merlin’s sister is brilliant and an instant classic.
An extraordinary historical page-turner. Pike brings a creative eye, unique voice and immaculate research to the world of historical fiction – the people and lands of this novel will not leave me. The Lost Queen is more than a book; it is a profound experience. Languoreth has emerged from the mists of Scotland to assume her rightful place on the throne where she belongs.
I swear on sword and stone every bone in my body adored this!
Setting: 6th century, Scotland
A geographical map is included at the beginning of the book, I enjoyed referring to this whenever travels were being taken.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Weaved with Royalty, Folklore, Sacrifice/Death, Botany/Herbalism/Healing (this was my favorite), Magic, Romance, and War.
Cover: Best cover of all the books I have right now! The bronzed copper to ombre gold lining the foggy background is breath-taking. The symbols incorporated are perfect! The dreariness of the rolling mountains in the background against the foiled outline is absolutely stunning. In the middle, pulling everything together with her firey red hair and gorgeous contrasting dress, we have the Lost Queen, Lady Languoreth. Sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin.
Font: Way too small!
I understand this would be ridiculously long, (already weighing in at 527 pages) if the font were any bigger, but I’m young, don’t have trouble with my eyes and I struggled with how small the font was. I LOVED this read but admittedly, I had to read in shorter intervals then what I was wanting to, because the pain in my eyes would overwhelm me. (Which was unfortunate because the story is so good!)
Characters: I loved watching the characters grow from such a young age into adulthood! I highly admire when writers bring back heroes that have been buried by history, especially female heroines such as Languoreth. This is her trilogy.
I was extremely grateful for the phonetic pronunciations and character key included alongside the map, so I knew how to say the names correctly and could keep straight which kingdoms the characters belonged to. I referred to this quite a few times until I got used to pronouncing the names appropriately.
THE LOST QUEEN was extremely descriptive but well worth it. This could have been 2,000 pages and I would have continued to read it. I absolutely loved it! This is a new author for me, I have not read her debut yet, but plan on checking it out at some point. I’m definitely in for the next two books in this series.
The action and romance had my heart pounding. I adored this so much. I shed a few tears over the sacrifices and losses women of these times suffered, these were portrayed exceptionally well by the author.
“For there are bound to be days in every lifetime dark enough to drown what little light we might gather.”
There were powerful scenes rooted in the landscape of the pages so intensely that I woke up in the middle of the night, wanting to see what would happen next, that I forced myself awake and ended up reading all night long! Every spare moment I found myself delving selfishly into this other world, incompetent to anything else going on around me. This is highly unusual for me.
I now highly anticipate book 2 coming out in September, this one ended in the middle of an intense action scene. I must know what happens!
Much gratitude to the publisher Atria Paperback for the ARC I won from the Goodreads Giveaway Program. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is freely given.
Oh man! What a wonderful book!
First off, I want to comment on how the book looks. I bought the hardcover and it has uneven frayed edges to the pages and great font for a medieval historical novel and a wonderful cover. Both versions of the cover are really great for the story, actually.
I have to admit that the first 100 pages I was not into the story. The main character, Langoureth, was only ten and it seemed rushed and a bit confusing and there wasn’t enough scenery description for me to really get into it. But I kept reading and I’m SO glad I did.
The story jumps from when she was ten all the way to when she was fourteen and goes through another year or so of her life at that age. I don’t want to include spoilers, but that’s when the romance buds and complications arise, making the story really interesting and dramatic. The main character, Langoureth, is supposedly the twin sister to the man who inspired Merlin from Arthurian literature. This intrigued me and I did some extra research while I was reading, which immersed me even more in the story. The author gives great suggestions in the back of the book for extra reading on the subject that I just might have to take her up on. The third part of the book jumps again to when Langoureth is in her 30s, children of her own, and on the brink of a heartbreaking war. I am so glad this novel is only the first in a trilogy because I cannot wait to read the next one and see what happens to this Lost Queen and her strange and endangered family. Not only has this revived my love of historical Scotland, but it has also piqued my interest in Arthurian literature again. I read Mists of Avalon about ten years ago but have not read any literature of that genre since. Now I want to read it all! I am anxiously awaiting the second book in this series, which isn’t meant to come out until September. Highly recommend it!
I absolutely loved this book! We rarely see historical fiction from a pagan perspective, and this look at native Scots tribes’ clash with early Christian groups is so beautifully and poignantly written. Unlike most fiction, it doesn’t represent the pagan characters as backwards, “savages,” or welcoming of “salvation.” An honest and frank look at a clash of cultures–if you liked my book Tidewater, you’ll love this one, too. It’s a must-read if you love ancient history, pagan themes, and strong female leads who nevertheless don’t defy the expectations of their cultures.
Rich in detail and elegantly written, The Lost Queen is a boldly feminine heroic journey to a place and time of unbearable change. Hypnotic and sensual, Pike’s story reawakens us to something long ago lost between landscape and memory, where the Old Way still exists, and the bond between brother and sister cannot be broken. Mystical, beautiful, and destined to become a classic.
The Mists of Avalon for a new generation. Pike vividly recreates both the magic and brutality of early medieval Britain, replete with betrayals and love affairs, battles and escapes, and an unforgettable heroine at the center of it all. A gripping historical novel.
Set a generation before the time of King Arthur, “The Lost Queen” tells the story of Languoreth, the twin sister of the man history would know as Merlin and the foster sister of the man who would become Uther Pendragon. In a twist of sorts, the novel takes place in sixth-century Scotland instead of the lands around Glastonbury and Stonehenge (all explained in an interesting historical note at the end). Languoreth is a brave and sympathetic protagonist facing challenges posed by invading Angles, warring British kings, and the spread of Christianity, which threatens the Old Ways of Languoreth and her family. There is also a strong romance plotline that made me wonder at times if I had picked up a historical romance by mistake. But in the end, this is historical fiction with very few fantasy elements. If you like a beautifully written historical tale with strong female protagonists and a decent helping of romance, I suspect you’ll enjoy “The Lost Queen.”
Hands down one of the best stories I have ever read. It was captivating. I am still reeling. This is the story of Languoreth and Lailoken. Twin children of King Morken. It begins when they are children in Cadzow. They are growing up in uncertain times. They are pagans and believers in the old God’s and Wisdom Keepers. There are serious politics at play.
But there is war on the horizon. Not only between the invading Angles, but also a religious war. A war between the old ways and the new. The pagans and the Christians.
Both of the twins must face their destiny. Fate is not kind to either of them. They are survivors at every turn.
This story is gripping. I could not put it down. I was so angry at times with what out heroine had to endure. It truly transports you back in time. To a time when women were chattel. When we had no rights. Where we had to out smart them to survive. It is so well written. The characters are so well written. You cry when they cry and laugh when they laugh. The build up and the fall. It is a constantly changing landscape. If you read one book this year let it be this one.
A new take on the King Arthur legend. Very interesting and very well researched!
The Lost Queen
By Signe Pike
When I heard that this was the untold story of Languoreth and the setting of 6th century Scotland and the twin sister of the man that inspired the legend of Merlin, Lailoken. As much as we hear about Merlin, there really was not much that we know about his twin sister and this was such a compeling read that I enjoyed reading about. I was completely sold. I read this in a matter of few days with very few rest in between because yes, I was just that hooked. In the end after a few sleepless nights with my nose stuck in this book, I could not have been more satisfied and ready to read the next books in the series.
The writing was impeccable and I loved the pacing of this book with a lot of excitement for me – the story was easy to follow and I loved how easy it was to get lost in this world of 6th century Scotland. I was in awe the whole time and loved the characters as they were introduced into this magical story of love and adventure.
I loved this so much I highly recommend this book and what an amazing start of the series. i am a fan!!
What an epic tale. A past we, at least me, knows very little about, but with Signe Pike’s research and pen we are able to visit for a little while and learn about a Lost Queen. Did I mention research? Pike spent a few years researching this story and the people in it. Yes, she took some liberties with words, but that was only to help us understand the book. An example of this is, she uses ‘Aye’ instead of ‘ie’ for ‘yes’ bc ‘ie’ is old Welsh.
The story begins in AD 550, where we find Languoreth is just a child of 10. We follow her through her life and end in AD 572. During these 32 years, she will experience first love, war, tragedy, loss, her wedding, birth and many emotions. Pike writes about Languoreth in such a way that you get to feel all she goes through. Pike does amazingly with character development.
On this journey you will learn of a past forgotten. Of a Queen forgotten. Of her twin could who could actually have been Merlin. This is an amazing journey and I can’t wait to read ‘The Forgotten Kingdom,’ the next book about Languoreth.
As always, a caveat that I’ve only read the first of the series (I’m not sure how many there will be, but there are at least two), so the other books may be terrible. (It’s always a possibility.) This is sort of an Arthurian legend but goes pre-Arthur and focuses on Merlin’s sister and the role that she plays in the changing English political and religious landscape. I loved the focus on this forgotten woman in history (I had no idea she existed before reading this and then googling), although the story definitely has some similarities between other Arthurian legends, despite this being the first (or at least one of the first) stories to focus on Langoureth. I’m definitely going to be reading the second book.
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike may be a bit of a tome, but it’s an absolutely stunning novel about Celtic history and sixth-century Scotland. It is the start to a trilogy and what an amazing start it was! I was completely sucked into Languoreth’s world and really appreciated the fact hers is the only viewpoint for this novel. Although Pike took some liberties since it’s fiction (and a dash of fantasy), I still feel like I learned a lot about AD Scotland. I was really impressed by how the author completely immerses you in the world of the book, and I was invested in a lot of the main characters. Languoreth is a wonderfully strong female lead, and it was hard not to feel empowered by her since a lot of things that happen in the book are still true today.
The Lost Queen has been described as spell-binding and I definitely have to agree. I ended up listening to the audio (to help with pronunciation among other things), and even though it is over seventeen hours long I found I had a really hard time setting it aside. All I wanted to do was keep listening and hearing this amazing tale. The narrator is Toni Frutin and she did such a fantastic job with the audio. I loved listening to her speak, and she put a lot of effort into reading the book. I was excited to see she is one of the narrators for the second book as well, which I have already started.
I know absolutely nothing about this time period, and I was thankful for the author’s note in the back of the book. There is some violence of course, but it is to be expected and it wasn’t nonstop which I appreciated. If you are interested in Celtic history and/or this time period, I would highly recommend checking out The Lost Queen. I can already tell all of the books are going to be amazing, and I will be recommending this to everyone that I think would like it!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
Very good historical fiction and the narrator, Toni Fruiton, was excellent. This is the story of the twins: Lailoken (Merlin) and Languoreth (the lost queen) growing up and each having to follow their destiny. It has been compared to Mists of Avalon, Camelot, Outlander … I will be reading the 2nd entry which is due out this fall.
Great read if you like fantasy mixed with historical fiction. I eagerly await the next volume in this series.
Beautifully written, this book that I never wanted to end! Immediately transported to the lovely vistas of ancient Scotland and Wales and drawn to the lovely Languoreth and her twin, Lailoken! Love historical fiction? Read this beautiful book of ancient and mystical medieval Britian!
Sensuous and cinematic