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Broken Rites: Book Two of the Songs of the Crowmother
When Ireland’s sacred heart is stolen, one woman must choose between divine power and mortal love to save the soul of a nation.
The Lia Fáil, the stone of destiny and symbol of the land’s sovereignty, has vanished from Tara. Its absence severs the spiritual bond that unites the island’s kingdoms and casts Ireland into uncertainty. No High King can be chosen. No future can be secured. And in the silence left behind, an ancient corruption begins to rise.
Across the island, a force known as the Hollowed spreads from one sacred site to the next. Druids speak with empty voices as their wills dissolve into a collective mind that promises peace at the cost of identity. Villagers wake changed, their songs and laughter replaced with talk of efficiency, output, and order. Beauty is fading. Memory is thinning. Choice itself is under attack.
Neassa, High Priestess of Tara, feels the sacred network weakening in her bones. When Ríona, the immortal guardian marked by the gods, returns from exile with warnings of a darkness older than Ireland’s tribes, Neassa knows the crisis is no mere political fracture. A spiritual extinction is underway.
Their fight draws in allies who understand the cost of resisting overwhelming power. Among them is Boudica, the exiled queen of Britannia, whose failed rebellion taught her what it means to stand against an empire that demands obedience above all else. And Cathair, a reluctant leader whose bloodline carries the memories of kings, must confront the legacy he never sought.
What they face is not an army of flesh, but a slow and beautiful dissolution of what makes life worth living. The Hollowed do not conquer land. They convert consciousness. Their promise is perfect harmony, a world without grief or longing or fear. A world without the messy, painful, necessary burden of being human.
As sacred wells darken and ancient groves fall silent, the final battle approaches. It will not be fought with swords. It will be fought in the human soul, where meaning and memory must stand against the seduction of effortless peace.
Broken Rites continues the mythic saga begun in Echoes of the Otherworld, weaving Irish mythology, historical depth, and spiritual tension into a story of courage, community, and the fierce will to remain whole.
Perfect for readers who
• Celtic mythology and ancient Ireland
• High-stakes spiritual and political conflict
• Complex characters shaped by prophecy and choice
• Literary, mythic fantasy in the tradition of The Mabinogion, The Priory of the Orange Tree, and The Mists of Avalon
The Lia Fáil, the stone of destiny and symbol of the land’s sovereignty, has vanished from Tara. Its absence severs the spiritual bond that unites the island’s kingdoms and casts Ireland into uncertainty. No High King can be chosen. No future can be secured. And in the silence left behind, an ancient corruption begins to rise.
Across the island, a force known as the Hollowed spreads from one sacred site to the next. Druids speak with empty voices as their wills dissolve into a collective mind that promises peace at the cost of identity. Villagers wake changed, their songs and laughter replaced with talk of efficiency, output, and order. Beauty is fading. Memory is thinning. Choice itself is under attack.
Neassa, High Priestess of Tara, feels the sacred network weakening in her bones. When Ríona, the immortal guardian marked by the gods, returns from exile with warnings of a darkness older than Ireland’s tribes, Neassa knows the crisis is no mere political fracture. A spiritual extinction is underway.
Their fight draws in allies who understand the cost of resisting overwhelming power. Among them is Boudica, the exiled queen of Britannia, whose failed rebellion taught her what it means to stand against an empire that demands obedience above all else. And Cathair, a reluctant leader whose bloodline carries the memories of kings, must confront the legacy he never sought.
What they face is not an army of flesh, but a slow and beautiful dissolution of what makes life worth living. The Hollowed do not conquer land. They convert consciousness. Their promise is perfect harmony, a world without grief or longing or fear. A world without the messy, painful, necessary burden of being human.
As sacred wells darken and ancient groves fall silent, the final battle approaches. It will not be fought with swords. It will be fought in the human soul, where meaning and memory must stand against the seduction of effortless peace.
Broken Rites continues the mythic saga begun in Echoes of the Otherworld, weaving Irish mythology, historical depth, and spiritual tension into a story of courage, community, and the fierce will to remain whole.
Perfect for readers who
• Celtic mythology and ancient Ireland
• High-stakes spiritual and political conflict
• Complex characters shaped by prophecy and choice
• Literary, mythic fantasy in the tradition of The Mabinogion, The Priory of the Orange Tree, and The Mists of Avalon
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2025
2 people want to read
About the author
Donald Quill
8 books11 followersDonald Quill writes stories that linger in the shadows—where myth, memory, and the supernatural converge.
He first introduced readers to his thoughtful, lyrical style with From the Threads of Silence, a standalone meditation on the unseen connections that shape human lives.
Donald then turned to the realm of mythic fantasy with the Songs of the Crowmother series. Beginning with Echoes of the Otherworld and continuing with Broken Rites, the series explores fractured lands where Celtic myth, sacrifice, and the endurance of memory collide in sweeping, atmospheric narratives.
His most recent work, The House on Ashburn Street, carries that same haunting sensibility into modern times—a chilling paranormal thriller where a family must confront not only the dark history of their house, but the secrets that haunt them from within.
Drawing from a lifelong fascination with ancient myth, folklore, and the thin places where past and present blur, Donald crafts tales that explore identity, sacrifice, and the unseen forces that bind us.
When he isn’t writing, he can often be found walking misty river paths, studying old legends, or listening for stories still hidden in the stones.
He first introduced readers to his thoughtful, lyrical style with From the Threads of Silence, a standalone meditation on the unseen connections that shape human lives.
Donald then turned to the realm of mythic fantasy with the Songs of the Crowmother series. Beginning with Echoes of the Otherworld and continuing with Broken Rites, the series explores fractured lands where Celtic myth, sacrifice, and the endurance of memory collide in sweeping, atmospheric narratives.
His most recent work, The House on Ashburn Street, carries that same haunting sensibility into modern times—a chilling paranormal thriller where a family must confront not only the dark history of their house, but the secrets that haunt them from within.
Drawing from a lifelong fascination with ancient myth, folklore, and the thin places where past and present blur, Donald crafts tales that explore identity, sacrifice, and the unseen forces that bind us.
When he isn’t writing, he can often be found walking misty river paths, studying old legends, or listening for stories still hidden in the stones.
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