Song of the North

Dalriada Trilogy #3

by Jules Watson

From the celebrated author of The White Mare comes the story of the ancient Scottish fight for freedom and of a love destined for centuries.

Roman Britain, AD 366. Minna, a beautiful Roman serving girl, finds herself thrust into the wilds of barbarian Scotland with acrobat Cian, a tribeless youth loyal only to himself. Here, they are trapped between Roman scouts fighting to subdue the dark, tattooed Picts, and the Scottish warring tribes themselves.

Caught between these forces is Cahir, King of the Dalriadans of western Scotland, who has watched his power dwindle and his people fall under the Roman yoke.

At Dunadd, Cahir’s fort, Minna hears songs that tell of his ancestors, Rhiann and Eremon, and it stirs dreams and visions within her: visions of Scotland, battles and bloodshed. And despite her loyalties to her Roman upbringing, as the war for Scottish freedom unfolds, Minna struggles against an irresistible call of her blood, a call that reveals a destiny she shares with the wounded king Cahir, and which binds her inevitably to Dalriada and its people.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Scotland

512 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Jules Watson was born in Australia to English parents. She came to fiction via archaeology and public relations, working most recently as a freelance writer in England. She and her Scottish husband divide their time between the United Kingdom and Australia.

Reviews

[Monica Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the beginning and end of the novel. The middle got a little murky and I almost lost interest. I did not read the first two novels in this trilogy as this was set several hundred years after the first one. I might have enjoyed the middle more if I had. It did make references to things that happened in those book. The novel was about Minna and her life. She doesn't fit in and is a wise women. Her brother leaves to become a soldier near Hadrian's wall. She is left with a choice once her grandmother passes; marry a man who only wants her because she is odd or runaway. She gets these visions at times and decides that she should go. She ends up meeting Cian a traveling performer. He agrees to bring her to the wall to find her brother so that she can tell him about her grandmother. Thus begins Cian and Minna's adventure. There were many confusing parts and some of the names get lost. Overall it is the history of the Scots, and northern Britain tribes rebelling against the Romans. It is taking place in the 4th century so I do appreciate any novel from this time period. I wish more was written about it.

[Zaryna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing book. I had my doubts though; set 300 years after The Dawn Stag with no more Rhiann or Eremon. I didn't know whether i would be able to enjoy it or even finish it. But i did! And my god was i so wrong! This one book alone took me so much deeper into the lives of the characters and the land of Alba than both previous book in the series could ever. Instead of having to grow on the characters such as Rhiann, i fell in love with Minna from the beginning. I had no trouble reading this book and more difficulty in being able to put it down at nights. The story was absolutely magnificent and the ending as perfect and as heart wrenching as a book can be. I always say i leave the 5th star for books that leave me with tears in my eyes. This one left me in a pool of my own tears, but thats what books are about right? Just the fact that the words on the page are were able to create emotions and feelings proves how amazing this novel is and how gifted Watson is in creating it.
This book, and the series, are a must read.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scotland (Alba), ancient history. Picts, druids, Romans, a love story. now I have to get the first two in the series!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole historical fantasy spans three centuries and covers settling of West Scotland, known as Dalriada, the Alban resistance to Agricola's invasion with the warlord Eremon, and Pictish king, Calgacus, uniting tribes to resist the Romans. The 3rd volume takes place right before the Roman final abandonment of the island and we follow descendants of Eremon and his wife Rhiann, a seer and prophetess. Fascinating to follow this story. Strong characters and very good battle scenes, but so much portrayal of graphic sex in the first two volumes spoiled my complete enjoyment.

This novel can be read as a standalone. Highly recommended.

[Britta Stumpp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this was actually my favorite book in the trilogy. I really enjoyed Minna. Rhiann was a bit too much of a victim in the first two books for my taste. Cahir was compelling, although not as much as Eremon, but the overall arc of this book felt more cohesive and was a quicker read and I LOVED the reincarnation aspect. Overall, a satisfactory ending to the Dalriada trilogy. I hope Jules Watson writes more.

[Lia Pone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read the first and second Book some months ago and it took me a while to read the third book now, because I thought it had nothing to do with Eremon and Rhiann.
The story was really exciting and I loved the references to the books before.

[~mad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The White Mare
The Dawn Stag
The Boar Stone

Good series
History of Roman rule in Brittania.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, just as the first two in the series. I loved Minna and Cahir. I really like the writting stile of Jules Watson, she knows how to tell a story.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be brutally honest here: When I first picked up The White Mare a couple of weeks back, I never thought I'd even want to read the 2nd book of the Dalriada trilogy. I never thought I'd make it to the end of the 3rd book, and that it'd leave me craving for more.

So The Boar Stone is said 3rd book, and it's set about 300 years after the conclusion of The Dawn Stag. We are first introduced to the story through Minna, a mostly-Roman, slightly-Alban slave girl. I'm not going to spoil anything about the plot here for you folks, so I'm staying mum on what happens to her, who she meets etc. What I will say though is that Jules Watson does a phenomenal job at tugging at my heart strings, like what she did in her previous novel in the series, The Dawn Stag.

While I may find some fault with Watson's tendency to drag out descriptions a little (I don't think her forte is in a beautifully painted atmospheric type of novel), it was something I was able to overlook by the end of The White Mare. Her strength in writing is her uncanny ability to write of the bond between a pair of lovers, to the extent of making me feel the pain of loss almost tangibly.

A great read for when you want to indulge your emotions a little. Especially awesome for ladies who are PMSing, because the depth of emotions of the characters will really make you want to bawl your eyes out, or make your heart soar with love.

[Elien · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was by far the best book in the trilogy.

Unlike Rhiann in the first two books, who had to grow on me, I adored Minna from the start. I was also a big fan of Ruarch, who reminded me a LOT of Lorn, though I liked Ruarch better. At one point during the attack of the Picts I thought he was dead (NOOO!), and then he heroically returns to save his king's life (YEAH!). And then he died after all. :p

The whole feel of magical-love-is-all-around in this book was amazing. Also the idea of past lives, life after death, ... Definitely my thing. Cahir's death scene was so very sad and yet so beautiful at the same time. I finished this book with the feeling that no matter what may happen, there's always a reason for it, a bigger picture than the one right in front of you. And that's a nice way of looking at life.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely better than the second book, The Dawn Stag, The Boar Stone takes place a few centuries later, with the descendants of the characters in the first two books. The plots are very similar, but with a different take and not so drawn out. In fact, the ending seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the books, but probably only in comparison. The Boar Stone interweaves well with the first two, picking up threads in a way that is useful, not forced. The characters are also different enough to be interesting, though the archetypes are the same. The typical celtic themes of struggle and triumph are present, as are the themes of sacrifice and loss.

On a side note, I really need to take a break from the books with depressing endings.

[kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more of a Marillier-style, romance-centric story, and a lot less bulky than the first two novels. Unfortunately, the character depth was somewhat lacking. Minna was not only a total Mary Sue (thank you, Goodreads, for introducing me to that term), but she was also (shock!!) super powerful and didn't even know it. Yawn.

I'm very glad I read the first two Dalriada books, even though this one is set 300 years after. I definitely liked how the two timelines intertwined. And I really did like the King (very hard for me to like any adulterous characters in fiction, but I do accept that marriages were very rarely love matches way back then).

[Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picks up reasonably well after the Dawn Stag and doesn't require a refresher. Ties up neatly, and the plot's decent, but with the sudden introduction of all these characters it's a bit too rushed, especially toward the end, for the reader to get attached. The heroes feel a little generic, though it's very clear the author hard tried to give them depth. Perhaps she succeeded the most with Cian. If only he hadn't disappeared for most of the action. But hey, it's good to know a girl can have it all.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you 300 years later to to about AD 366, to Roman Britain and The Wall that separated Scotland (Alba) from the rest of Britannia. We first know Minna as a Roman serving girl but she really turns out to be a vessel of the Goddess returned in another life to fulfill a purpose. That is to let Cahir, King of the Dalriadans in Scotland, become aware that it is time to rise up against the Romans in another epic battle. The lore of how the Mother Goddess manifests herself in Minna is what I enjoy in these books.

[Donia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final book in Jules Watson's Alba trilogy - and this last one is my favorite, by far. Though I loved Rhiann, Minna is much more decisive and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her journey.

Watson relies upon Ammianus Marcellinus'- a Roman historian - Res Gestae for her historical details regarding the Romans in Britain. Cahir, king of Dalriada, takes up his ancestor, Eremon's, mission to expel the Romans from Britain. He is aided by Minna, a Roman slave.

I loved these characters. The story was fascinating, well written, and I hated for it to end!

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Song of the North is the new name for the book, I actually read the original book The Boar Stone, I had to buy this on the Amazon.com UK site which cost me 3 times more than the first two books, funny thing is one of the sellers on the UK site was in the United States but I still had to pay the "pounds" price, tried to get a hold of the seller but they wouldn't reply back. Still I am glad I got the original book as it matches the first two books. Good books!

[Emmy de Reus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoewel de gebeurtenissen in dit boek zich een kleine 300 jaar later afspelen en er dus sprake is van andere hoofdpersonages dan in de delen 1 en 2, bleek het boek tot mijn grote vreugde toch naadloos aan te sluiten bij de eerste twee delen en vormde het een prachtige afsluiting van deze trilogie, waarin de oude religie van de Kelten (gebaseerd op de spiritualiteit van de natuur, 'De Oorsprong') een belangrijke rol speelt.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! It is the third in a trilogy- but I started with it- it is historical fiction which takes place in England during the time of the Roman occupation. The characters are beautifully detailed and the main character goes from being a servant to slave to queen. This book has both action and romance.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fantastic conclusion (aka "The Boar Stone"), to thr Dalraida trilogy. As it jumps several hundred years to the future, I approacched it with bated breath, expecting almost, to be disappointed. However, the concluding episode is the best of the three! very much looking forward to more from this outstading new author.

[Karen]

Maybe my attention span is shorter now that I have more going on in my life, but I cannot get into this one as easily or as quickly as the first two in the series. Perhaps it's the multiple generations after the characters in books 1 & 2 that create too much of a time lapse. I'm not sure, but I'm just not getting through this one like the others. I think it's going back to the library for now.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was worried at first that the disconnect of hundreds of years would make this last in the trilogy more difficult to love. But as soon as the plot tied the story to that of Rhiann/Eremon, I loved it every bit as much. While the characters were not as detailed, and therefor harder to become as attached to, the end of a tale that began centuries before made up for it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the story of this book as much as the other two in the trilogy, I didn't think the character development was as strong. It felt like the author was relying on you having read the previous books (which feature different characters) and applying what you know about the types of characters she creates and the relationships they have to these new characters.

[Mariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

This third book of the Dalriada trilogy is the same as the other two books. Good at first but really disappointing at the end. I was truly happy at the beginning with the change of characters and time but starting at the middle of the book that happiness changed to bitterness. I haste my reading so I could finish it as soon as posible and then never to look at this serie ever again.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, i think that this series got really long, and could've ended before the 3rd book. I got sick of all the fighting with the Romans, but it was a good book in a way with all the Sisterhood coming back with Minna! :D

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy? History? Another Celtic tale, this time of the final conflict between the tribes of Alba (ancient Scotland) and the last remaining Romans. I have to give it some fantasy points as these things always have some sort of Ancient Magick at work. But, a good tale.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondered how this was going to link in with the other two in the series about Eremon and Rhiann, as this takes place 300 years later.
Nicely worked in, though.
At times I got rather fed up with the mysticism, but got quite attached to the characters

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me this is not the third book, it's a different story. Maybe just bad timing, but I didn't like it that much. And maybe I just expected more of the original story that took place in the first two books, so my mind was closed.

[Hwhack72 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand why we jumped to the future for this book, and I understand how it fit in the story, but I wasn't able to grow to love the characters in this book as well as I was in the first too book. It felt too rushed. Regardless, it was a good way to end the trilogy, and it was unique.

[Jomikki]

Great read set in Roman Occupation of England and Scotland.

[Gail]

I enjoyd this story. I was little disappointed to find that it is not historically accurate, although I think little is known about names and events of that time and region.
A good read.