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Queen of Shadow
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!
From #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author P. C. Cast—a passionate and magical epic bringing alive Celtic legend, perfect for romantasy fans who love Sue Lynn Tan and Thea Guanzon and historical fantasy fans of Madeline Miller.
Step into the mystical world of the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, where legends come to life, goddess and gods walk the mortal earth, and the Queen of Shadow holds court. But Scáthach is no ordinary queen. Daughter of the Underworld goddess Bēfionn, golden-haired Scáthach is not just a brilliant trainer of warriors, her divine mother has gifted her with the ability to pass between the living world and the Underworld and has granted her dominion over shadows.
Scáthach dedicates her life to training the most talented warriors from across the ancient world at Dunscaith Castle, her impenetrable fortress on the magical Isle of Skye. When Cuchulainn, the Hero of Ulster, son of the Irish god Lugh, arrives asking to become one of her students, Scáthach reluctantly agrees to train him—even though she has serious misgivings about his violent past and the mindless berserker who sleeps within him and whose rage, once awakened, has always been uncontrollable…until the Hero of Ulster meets the Queen of Shadow. Scáthach soon realizes Cuchulainn is much more than the brutal, emotionless warrior everyone expects him to be. And the Hero of Ulster begins to believe he might take control of and even change his foretold fate.
As their growing attraction deepens, Cuchulainn’s father, the God of Light, forces him to retrieve a weapon that will seal Cuchulainn’s fate and forever take him away from the Queen of Shadow. But when Scáthach joins him on the quest through the most dangerous and disturbing parts of the Underworld, Scáthach discovers that her fate may lie in the Underworld and, perhaps, she might be able to forge a future for herself and Cuchulainn by tricking death herself....
From #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author P. C. Cast—a passionate and magical epic bringing alive Celtic legend, perfect for romantasy fans who love Sue Lynn Tan and Thea Guanzon and historical fantasy fans of Madeline Miller.
Step into the mystical world of the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, where legends come to life, goddess and gods walk the mortal earth, and the Queen of Shadow holds court. But Scáthach is no ordinary queen. Daughter of the Underworld goddess Bēfionn, golden-haired Scáthach is not just a brilliant trainer of warriors, her divine mother has gifted her with the ability to pass between the living world and the Underworld and has granted her dominion over shadows.
Scáthach dedicates her life to training the most talented warriors from across the ancient world at Dunscaith Castle, her impenetrable fortress on the magical Isle of Skye. When Cuchulainn, the Hero of Ulster, son of the Irish god Lugh, arrives asking to become one of her students, Scáthach reluctantly agrees to train him—even though she has serious misgivings about his violent past and the mindless berserker who sleeps within him and whose rage, once awakened, has always been uncontrollable…until the Hero of Ulster meets the Queen of Shadow. Scáthach soon realizes Cuchulainn is much more than the brutal, emotionless warrior everyone expects him to be. And the Hero of Ulster begins to believe he might take control of and even change his foretold fate.
As their growing attraction deepens, Cuchulainn’s father, the God of Light, forces him to retrieve a weapon that will seal Cuchulainn’s fate and forever take him away from the Queen of Shadow. But when Scáthach joins him on the quest through the most dangerous and disturbing parts of the Underworld, Scáthach discovers that her fate may lie in the Underworld and, perhaps, she might be able to forge a future for herself and Cuchulainn by tricking death herself....
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2026
About the author
P.C. Cast
175 books28.6k followersPC was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school, she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today Best-Selling author and a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. PC is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her eccentric Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses. House of Night Other World, book 4, FOUND, releases July 7th, 2020. More info to come soon about the HoN TV series!
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August 2, 2026
Whelp…. That was something. 😐
This review will have spoilers so proceed with caution!
Queen of Shadow is based on the myth of Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology—specifically his training with the Scottish warrior queen Scáthach. I was super excited about this since I feel like it’s a lesser known mythology and I was thrilled to have an accessible novelization.
I honestly did not enjoy much about this book, and I am so exhausted from forcing myself to finish it that I don’t have energy to go over everything I disliked. So here is a breakdown of the big ones.
The world building was some of the clunkiest I’ve ever read. There were entire paragraphs dedicated to telling us something, which the characters would then repeat to each other (even though the character would already know this information). In the case of a contest between the warrior students, the race was described, and then Scáthach reiterated the whole thing to her daughter who pretty much has to say “Yeah mom, I know all that, because I helped plan it?” It was unbearable, although I noticed it less and less as the book went on.
This book attempted to tackle male sexual assault and the healing afterward, which I love to see in books since it’s such a dismissed and underrepresented issue. But the way it was handled in this book made no sense thematically or plot wise, and the choice to swap aggressors felt wrong to me. In the original myth, Cú Chulainn defeats Scáthach’s sister Aífe and only spares her life if she bears him a son (real stand up guy, I know 🙄). In this retelling, Aífe becomes the abuser and uses Cú Chulainn to have a son. The choice to make the original victim into the villain felt super icky to me, and I’ve seen it enough with Greek retellings that I’m just kind of over it. It also completely throws off the plot, because when Aífe is caught in the act, she isn’t killed for her crimes due to her future pregnancy. When she was the one coerced into having a baby, it makes sense that Cú Chulainn would leave her to have his son and move on. When she is the aggressor, why on earth would they let her get away with it and send her off alone to raise his child???? He later mentions that the reason he didn’t want to raise the baby is because his resentment towards his abuser would taint the baby. AS IF BEING RAISED BY A RAPIST WOULDN’T TAINT YOUR SON??? It makes no sense and generally just ruined the rest of the reading experience for me.
Also spoiler for anyone who hasn’t read the myth from 1st century BCE, but Cú Chulainn goes on to murder his son, but the book skips over that part 🤪
I skimmed the last 25% or so because I was DONE and it really seems like this book was 2 separate stories thrown together. The first half is defeating Aìfe, and the second half is a quest through the underworld.
I’m exhausted just from writing this, and I don’t want to waste any more time on it. On to better reading!
•••••••••••
Massive thank you to HarperCollins for a chance to read this Irish-Celtic mythology retelling! ⚔️
This review will have spoilers so proceed with caution!
Queen of Shadow is based on the myth of Cú Chulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology—specifically his training with the Scottish warrior queen Scáthach. I was super excited about this since I feel like it’s a lesser known mythology and I was thrilled to have an accessible novelization.
I honestly did not enjoy much about this book, and I am so exhausted from forcing myself to finish it that I don’t have energy to go over everything I disliked. So here is a breakdown of the big ones.
The world building was some of the clunkiest I’ve ever read. There were entire paragraphs dedicated to telling us something, which the characters would then repeat to each other (even though the character would already know this information). In the case of a contest between the warrior students, the race was described, and then Scáthach reiterated the whole thing to her daughter who pretty much has to say “Yeah mom, I know all that, because I helped plan it?” It was unbearable, although I noticed it less and less as the book went on.
This book attempted to tackle male sexual assault and the healing afterward, which I love to see in books since it’s such a dismissed and underrepresented issue. But the way it was handled in this book made no sense thematically or plot wise, and the choice to swap aggressors felt wrong to me. In the original myth, Cú Chulainn defeats Scáthach’s sister Aífe and only spares her life if she bears him a son (real stand up guy, I know 🙄). In this retelling, Aífe becomes the abuser and uses Cú Chulainn to have a son. The choice to make the original victim into the villain felt super icky to me, and I’ve seen it enough with Greek retellings that I’m just kind of over it. It also completely throws off the plot, because when Aífe is caught in the act, she isn’t killed for her crimes due to her future pregnancy. When she was the one coerced into having a baby, it makes sense that Cú Chulainn would leave her to have his son and move on. When she is the aggressor, why on earth would they let her get away with it and send her off alone to raise his child???? He later mentions that the reason he didn’t want to raise the baby is because his resentment towards his abuser would taint the baby. AS IF BEING RAISED BY A RAPIST WOULDN’T TAINT YOUR SON??? It makes no sense and generally just ruined the rest of the reading experience for me.
Also spoiler for anyone who hasn’t read the myth from 1st century BCE, but Cú Chulainn goes on to murder his son, but the book skips over that part 🤪
I skimmed the last 25% or so because I was DONE and it really seems like this book was 2 separate stories thrown together. The first half is defeating Aìfe, and the second half is a quest through the underworld.
I’m exhausted just from writing this, and I don’t want to waste any more time on it. On to better reading!
•••••••••••
Massive thank you to HarperCollins for a chance to read this Irish-Celtic mythology retelling! ⚔️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Uhhh god I’m gonna have to sit on this for a few days while I think about this book. Review to come 🗡️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
I honestly don’t know what to say about this. I loved Cast’s Boudicca and was intrigued by her decision to take on the relationship between Cú Chulainn and Scáthach, but this did not work for me at all. It’s rather funny to me that Boudicca was advertised as a romantasy and this is a historical fiction since I found them to be flipped. For a reimagining of Ireland’s most important hero, I found this really frustrating as I feel like Scáthach was depicted in a way that I both expected and found cringeworthy. As for Cú Chulainn, I do enjoy seeing a hero shown as an average human burdened with divine heritage, but the romance with his teacher just left an INCREDIBLY bad taste in my mouth. Again, I think I will have to start with the positives first and then get into the problems that I had with the book because man were there A LOT. 😮💨
First and foremost, I think it was a very powerful decision to write a book about SA survival and healing along with the portrayal of a young man as the victim. I think this was the biggest highlight for me from this book because I do think there needs to be more discussion on the SA of young men and the healing journey overall. However, I have other thoughts on the characters that were in that event. The depiction of Befíonn was both expected for an important goddess, but also one that cares for her child. I do wish we could have gotten a deeper look into her potential link with the Picts of Scotland, but again this is an Irish myth reimagining so I get that it wasn’t explored. If this story just focused on Scáthach and her relationships with her daughter and Shadow Guard, I think this would have been a great look into this incredible Scottish warrior. And lastly, I do like the depiction of Cú Chulainn in this since I like to see famous heroes struggle to please their divine parents and fit it. This makes them way more human and even tragic figures because they never really got to live the life that they wanted, but what everyone expected of them. Despite all of these positives, the negatives were too glaring for me for these to make any kind of dent in my opinion. 😔
The biggest problem that I had with this book was the romance itself. While Scátchach’s age is never truly revealed, it still felt very uncomfortable to read about a grown woman having a sexual relationship with a man who was a few years older than her 19-year-old daughter. I’m all for an older woman getting into a relationship with a younger man, but the fact that Cú Chulainn is old enough to be her son and that he is her student . . . . You get where I’m going with this. It just felt like a weird incestuous mother-son relationship due to the fact that Scáthach continuously treated Cú Chulainn like a son and that he described him as “boyish” all the time. I get that Cast raised his age from the canon 17 in order to make this less cringeworthy and in turn make Scáthach a p£d0, but it never sat well with me. Plus, seeing a warrior woman like this acting like a lust filled teenage girl made me so irrationally mad. I also couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a famed warrior would make mistake and mistake in battle when it came to her lover. The second thing that I really had problems with is the depiction of Aife, Scáthach’s half-sister. She just felt like a cartoonish villain to me the entire time. The other thing that really annoyed me about Aife is that Cast changed the canon r@p£ that happened between Aife and Cú Chulainn. While I did say earlier that I loved the representation of a young man as the victim, I LOATHED that a woman that was previously the victim is now the perpetrator. To me, it almost erases Aife’s pain and trauma after being coerced into sleeping with Cú Chulainn because (spoiler!) he kills the son that was conceived and made Aife send when he was old enough to be alone. I think if Cast had created new characters with a similar storyline and setting this would have worked just fine, but taking the canon myth and warping it into this just made me go ballistic. All I can think about now are the future readers who are not familiar with Irish myths or won’t go looking into the original story, now believing that this is the canon story and forever believing that Cú Chulainn is a good boy done wrong. The last things that just drove me wild while reading the book is just the overall lacking of “Irish-ness” in this book. Sure Scátchach is a canon Scottish warrior, but for this being an Irish myth reimagining, there was a lot of focus on Norse mythology and the use of the Welsh mythology name of the Underworld: Annwn. 😤
. . . *sighs* This book could have been such a wonderful depiction of the healing journey after SA, but it just nose dived trying to reimagine a romance in a myth that had no love in it. I wish I could say that the little positives that I had redeemed this book, but in reality, I don’t think they could. 😫
Thank you goes to William Morrow and NetGalley for accepting my request read this in exchange for an honest review. I do I wish I could have enjoyed this, but my love of Irish mythology just couldn’t stand this reimagining. 💔
Publication date: August 4
Overall: . . . . Man, I dunno anymore 1.25/5 ⭐️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
I honestly don’t know what to say about this. I loved Cast’s Boudicca and was intrigued by her decision to take on the relationship between Cú Chulainn and Scáthach, but this did not work for me at all. It’s rather funny to me that Boudicca was advertised as a romantasy and this is a historical fiction since I found them to be flipped. For a reimagining of Ireland’s most important hero, I found this really frustrating as I feel like Scáthach was depicted in a way that I both expected and found cringeworthy. As for Cú Chulainn, I do enjoy seeing a hero shown as an average human burdened with divine heritage, but the romance with his teacher just left an INCREDIBLY bad taste in my mouth. Again, I think I will have to start with the positives first and then get into the problems that I had with the book because man were there A LOT. 😮💨
First and foremost, I think it was a very powerful decision to write a book about SA survival and healing along with the portrayal of a young man as the victim. I think this was the biggest highlight for me from this book because I do think there needs to be more discussion on the SA of young men and the healing journey overall. However, I have other thoughts on the characters that were in that event. The depiction of Befíonn was both expected for an important goddess, but also one that cares for her child. I do wish we could have gotten a deeper look into her potential link with the Picts of Scotland, but again this is an Irish myth reimagining so I get that it wasn’t explored. If this story just focused on Scáthach and her relationships with her daughter and Shadow Guard, I think this would have been a great look into this incredible Scottish warrior. And lastly, I do like the depiction of Cú Chulainn in this since I like to see famous heroes struggle to please their divine parents and fit it. This makes them way more human and even tragic figures because they never really got to live the life that they wanted, but what everyone expected of them. Despite all of these positives, the negatives were too glaring for me for these to make any kind of dent in my opinion. 😔
The biggest problem that I had with this book was the romance itself. While Scátchach’s age is never truly revealed, it still felt very uncomfortable to read about a grown woman having a sexual relationship with a man who was a few years older than her 19-year-old daughter. I’m all for an older woman getting into a relationship with a younger man, but the fact that Cú Chulainn is old enough to be her son and that he is her student . . . . You get where I’m going with this. It just felt like a weird incestuous mother-son relationship due to the fact that Scáthach continuously treated Cú Chulainn like a son and that he described him as “boyish” all the time. I get that Cast raised his age from the canon 17 in order to make this less cringeworthy and in turn make Scáthach a p£d0, but it never sat well with me. Plus, seeing a warrior woman like this acting like a lust filled teenage girl made me so irrationally mad. I also couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a famed warrior would make mistake and mistake in battle when it came to her lover. The second thing that I really had problems with is the depiction of Aife, Scáthach’s half-sister. She just felt like a cartoonish villain to me the entire time. The other thing that really annoyed me about Aife is that Cast changed the canon r@p£ that happened between Aife and Cú Chulainn. While I did say earlier that I loved the representation of a young man as the victim, I LOATHED that a woman that was previously the victim is now the perpetrator. To me, it almost erases Aife’s pain and trauma after being coerced into sleeping with Cú Chulainn because (spoiler!) he kills the son that was conceived and made Aife send when he was old enough to be alone. I think if Cast had created new characters with a similar storyline and setting this would have worked just fine, but taking the canon myth and warping it into this just made me go ballistic. All I can think about now are the future readers who are not familiar with Irish myths or won’t go looking into the original story, now believing that this is the canon story and forever believing that Cú Chulainn is a good boy done wrong. The last things that just drove me wild while reading the book is just the overall lacking of “Irish-ness” in this book. Sure Scátchach is a canon Scottish warrior, but for this being an Irish myth reimagining, there was a lot of focus on Norse mythology and the use of the Welsh mythology name of the Underworld: Annwn. 😤
. . . *sighs* This book could have been such a wonderful depiction of the healing journey after SA, but it just nose dived trying to reimagine a romance in a myth that had no love in it. I wish I could say that the little positives that I had redeemed this book, but in reality, I don’t think they could. 😫
Thank you goes to William Morrow and NetGalley for accepting my request read this in exchange for an honest review. I do I wish I could have enjoyed this, but my love of Irish mythology just couldn’t stand this reimagining. 💔
Publication date: August 4
Overall: . . . . Man, I dunno anymore 1.25/5 ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve said it before, but the bar in mythology is extremely high. But I’m always eyeing new-to-me authors, because I’m curious to watch this category grow and evolve.
So, many thanks to Netgalley & @williammorrowbooks for the chance to read this ARC.
For me though, this was a TBR miss.
The writing felt YA, but then 1/2 way through it felt very spicy. And it gave me the ick factor I just couldn’t shake.
It unfortunately didn’t grab my heart as it hoped. 🤷🏽♀️
So, many thanks to Netgalley & @williammorrowbooks for the chance to read this ARC.
For me though, this was a TBR miss.
The writing felt YA, but then 1/2 way through it felt very spicy. And it gave me the ick factor I just couldn’t shake.
It unfortunately didn’t grab my heart as it hoped. 🤷🏽♀️
August 13, 2026
unfortunately, this book did not capture my attention in the slightest. it wasn’t that it was necessarily written badly, but there was nothing for me to latch onto to feel a connection.
none of the characters were memorable and I felt no reason to root for their story. I also felt nothing for the romance, I didn’t fully understand why either character loved the other and to be honestly, when I first started reading this, I genuinely thought they would just remain friends forever there was never a moment I felt a romantic spark between the two of them! the world building/story itself was also not enough to compensate for my lack of connection to the characters, which is a shame because the premise sounded great!
the story felt incredibly slow and not enough was happening to warrant the page count. I ended up skimming a lot of it just to get to the end.
thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Publishing, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
none of the characters were memorable and I felt no reason to root for their story. I also felt nothing for the romance, I didn’t fully understand why either character loved the other and to be honestly, when I first started reading this, I genuinely thought they would just remain friends forever there was never a moment I felt a romantic spark between the two of them! the world building/story itself was also not enough to compensate for my lack of connection to the characters, which is a shame because the premise sounded great!
the story felt incredibly slow and not enough was happening to warrant the page count. I ended up skimming a lot of it just to get to the end.
thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Publishing, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2026
**𝔄ℜℭ ℜ𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔴** 𝔔𝔲𝔢𝔢𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔥𝔞𝔡𝔬𝔴 𝔟𝔶 𝔓. ℭ. ℭ𝔞𝔰𝔱
Release Day: August 4, 2026
3.75⭐️3🌶
After just having read the Odyssey maybe my viewpoint is skewed, but this book reminds me a lot of the Odyssey with the tone and the writing style. There is so much "interference" from gods and what they want or don't want. Plus, the main characters are Demi-gods or children of the gods who frequently call upon them for favors.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
Scáthach, daughter of the Bēfionn goddess of the Underworld, rules the Isle of Skye and is also reknown for one of the greatest warrior training programs in the known world.
Cuchulainn, son of Lugh, seeks out Scáthach and her training program, so he can prove himself to his would-be father-in-law.
While Scáthach is minding her business training her warriors, Aife, Scáthach's younger sister, is planning to start a war with her because their father has named Scáthach as the rightful heir to Lethra aka the Isle of Skye. But her reasoning for wanting to become ruler is purely selfish and has nothing to do with wanting the good of the people. She would, in fact, sacrifice many people to become the Queen of Lethra. Just to prove to her dead father that she is "more worthy" than her demi-god sister.
Cuchulainn has never been on good terms with his father Lugh, God of Light, and Lugh often requires Cuchulainn to go on quests or endure battles just so that he can get the honor and glory of having a son that has achieved those feats, not because he is proud or wants the best for his son.
Much of this story is steeped in trauma, and wanting to please parents that are seemingly un-please-able. I found it a challenging read at times, and the only character I found redeemable where Cuchulainn.
Themes/Tropes:
🍁Celtic Mythology
🍁Mythological Reimagining(Cycle of Ulster)
🍁Teacher/Student Romance
🍁Hate to Love
🍁Hidden Royal / Secret Heritage
🍁The Berserker
🍁Shadow Magic
🍁Sibling Rivalry
🍁Elite Warrior Academy
TW:
✨Graphic Violence and Murder
✨Berserker Rage
✨Torture
✨Gore and Body Horror
✨Attempted Sexual Assault and Rape
✨Graphic Sexual Content
✨Suicidal Ideation
✨Grief and Trauma
✨Misogyny and Sexism
#pccast #celticmythology #queenofshadow
Release Day: August 4, 2026
3.75⭐️3🌶
After just having read the Odyssey maybe my viewpoint is skewed, but this book reminds me a lot of the Odyssey with the tone and the writing style. There is so much "interference" from gods and what they want or don't want. Plus, the main characters are Demi-gods or children of the gods who frequently call upon them for favors.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
Scáthach, daughter of the Bēfionn goddess of the Underworld, rules the Isle of Skye and is also reknown for one of the greatest warrior training programs in the known world.
Cuchulainn, son of Lugh, seeks out Scáthach and her training program, so he can prove himself to his would-be father-in-law.
While Scáthach is minding her business training her warriors, Aife, Scáthach's younger sister, is planning to start a war with her because their father has named Scáthach as the rightful heir to Lethra aka the Isle of Skye. But her reasoning for wanting to become ruler is purely selfish and has nothing to do with wanting the good of the people. She would, in fact, sacrifice many people to become the Queen of Lethra. Just to prove to her dead father that she is "more worthy" than her demi-god sister.
Cuchulainn has never been on good terms with his father Lugh, God of Light, and Lugh often requires Cuchulainn to go on quests or endure battles just so that he can get the honor and glory of having a son that has achieved those feats, not because he is proud or wants the best for his son.
Much of this story is steeped in trauma, and wanting to please parents that are seemingly un-please-able. I found it a challenging read at times, and the only character I found redeemable where Cuchulainn.
Themes/Tropes:
🍁Celtic Mythology
🍁Mythological Reimagining(Cycle of Ulster)
🍁Teacher/Student Romance
🍁Hate to Love
🍁Hidden Royal / Secret Heritage
🍁The Berserker
🍁Shadow Magic
🍁Sibling Rivalry
🍁Elite Warrior Academy
TW:
✨Graphic Violence and Murder
✨Berserker Rage
✨Torture
✨Gore and Body Horror
✨Attempted Sexual Assault and Rape
✨Graphic Sexual Content
✨Suicidal Ideation
✨Grief and Trauma
✨Misogyny and Sexism
#pccast #celticmythology #queenofshadow
September 15, 2026
2.5. Scáthach is a warrior, teacher, and the daughter of an Underworld goddess. Her life gets a lot more complicated when Cuchulainn arrives at her school in search of training. As the two grow closer, they find themselves caught between their feelings for each other. Not only that but their families and the futures that seem to have already been decided them.
I did enjoy the characters in this book and it made me wish I was more invested in the plot. I was enjoying myself while reading but once it was over, it didn’t leave the lasting impression I’d hoped for. It was good, I just can’t pinpoint exactly what was missing for me that would have made me feel more invested.
I did enjoy the characters in this book and it made me wish I was more invested in the plot. I was enjoying myself while reading but once it was over, it didn’t leave the lasting impression I’d hoped for. It was good, I just can’t pinpoint exactly what was missing for me that would have made me feel more invested.
April 16, 2026
4.5 Stars
✨✨✨THE ENDING 🫠 ✨✨✨
Queen of Shadow is such an enjoyable read!! Both Scáthach and Cuchulainn’s characters were really interesting to me and more mature than what I’m used to in fantasy/romantasies. Hallelujah! I really appreciated a strong, wise, and kick ass ADULT FMC. Who’s also a mother! Claps for that! 👏
The world building is easy to understand and so cool! Absolutely love the mix of Norse and Greek mythology! I do feel like with the battles they were kinda lacking tension a bit but that’s okay.
I like the writing style though and it’s such a FUN, fast-paced, and entertaining fantasy novel!! The ending had me in my feels!!! 😱
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released August 4, 2026 .
✨✨✨THE ENDING 🫠 ✨✨✨
Queen of Shadow is such an enjoyable read!! Both Scáthach and Cuchulainn’s characters were really interesting to me and more mature than what I’m used to in fantasy/romantasies. Hallelujah! I really appreciated a strong, wise, and kick ass ADULT FMC. Who’s also a mother! Claps for that! 👏
The world building is easy to understand and so cool! Absolutely love the mix of Norse and Greek mythology! I do feel like with the battles they were kinda lacking tension a bit but that’s okay.
I like the writing style though and it’s such a FUN, fast-paced, and entertaining fantasy novel!! The ending had me in my feels!!! 😱
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released August 4, 2026 .
August 23, 2026
I was brought to a place of mythical magic where warriors reign and gods walk the world. I love these stories that take you just out of this world into myth while keeping the lore of history vibrant and engaging. Scáthach was everything I could want from a heroic feminine figure as she claimed her future through battles and intrigue. Battling through everything that is tossed at them, Scáthach and Cuchulainn kept me invested in the story and rooted to this read. I really love a good epic historical vibe in a read especially when its combines with a touch of magic and to add in some romance just really set this one apart for me and made it un put down able.
March 18, 2026
okay as a girl who is utterly obsessed with the works of PC Cast AND mythology this book is stunning.
PC Cast has a way of building worlds that i get so sucked into, worlds that I can visualize almost instantly and characters I love from the get go.
I am typically someone who struggles to read true fantasy, but this one? I was hooked. Between the way our main characters were written, our fmc with such grace and love for her people and our mmc who was complex and so fiercely loyal and protective to those around him.
thank you to netgalley and PC Cast for this eARC i’m utterly in love.
PC Cast has a way of building worlds that i get so sucked into, worlds that I can visualize almost instantly and characters I love from the get go.
I am typically someone who struggles to read true fantasy, but this one? I was hooked. Between the way our main characters were written, our fmc with such grace and love for her people and our mmc who was complex and so fiercely loyal and protective to those around him.
thank you to netgalley and PC Cast for this eARC i’m utterly in love.
June 9, 2026
I’ve been reading P.C. Cast’s books for years, and every time I pick up a new release, it feels a little like coming home. Queen of Shadow absolutely did not disappoint.
This book has everything I’ve come to love from Cast—strong female characters, rich world-building, magic woven into every page, and enough twists to keep me coming back for more. The story pulled me in from the start, and the emotional moments hit just as hard as the action-packed ones.
My only very minor critique is that there were a few spots where the pacing slowed slightly as the story set up bigger events down the road. But honestly, that’s a tiny complaint in an otherwise fantastic read, and the payoff was worth it.
If you’ve been a longtime P.C. Cast fan like I have, you’ll find so much to love here. And if you’re new to her work, Queen of Shadow is another reminder of why she’s remained one of my go-to fantasy authors for so many years. A captivating, magical, and thoroughly enjoyable five-star read.
This book has everything I’ve come to love from Cast—strong female characters, rich world-building, magic woven into every page, and enough twists to keep me coming back for more. The story pulled me in from the start, and the emotional moments hit just as hard as the action-packed ones.
My only very minor critique is that there were a few spots where the pacing slowed slightly as the story set up bigger events down the road. But honestly, that’s a tiny complaint in an otherwise fantastic read, and the payoff was worth it.
If you’ve been a longtime P.C. Cast fan like I have, you’ll find so much to love here. And if you’re new to her work, Queen of Shadow is another reminder of why she’s remained one of my go-to fantasy authors for so many years. A captivating, magical, and thoroughly enjoyable five-star read.
August 10, 2026
3.75 stars!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Honestly not much to say here but it was like a popcorn fantasy quick very fast paced very easy read.
I did really enjoy it but there are book I liked much more than this. Honestly a really good book I would recommend you to read it.
It had gods and goddesses not necessarily Greek gods but either way that story plot had a very interesting plot line.
Overall enjoyed the book but ready to move on.
Honestly not much to say here but it was like a popcorn fantasy quick very fast paced very easy read.
I did really enjoy it but there are book I liked much more than this. Honestly a really good book I would recommend you to read it.
It had gods and goddesses not necessarily Greek gods but either way that story plot had a very interesting plot line.
Overall enjoyed the book but ready to move on.
October 19, 2026
I was really looking forward to reading this one, but unfortunately I didn’t connect with the story. I usually enjoy PC Cast’s writing; however, this book just wasn’t for me. I had a hard time actually caring about the characters and the plot until about 74% into the book, and then after 86% in I lost interest again. I really wish I would have enjoyed this one more. This does have some things that could be triggering for some, so be sure to read the warning if you have any triggers before reading this book.
I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A self-contained world, rich in its own mythology and fully realized inside the story. "Queen of Shadow" blends Norse and Greek mythology, with its own tiny additions to create a beautiful world of warriors.
Scathach is the Queen of Shadow, a daughter of a god training only the worthy to be wise warriors and leaders. She uses strength and grace to teach not only her students but also her daughter to defend their home and others. When a champion comes to be trained, he must follow her teachings to master not only the physical feats of training, but also to calm the battles inside of himself.
This story feels like an epic quest, calling on the gods themselves to grant wisdom and favors upon mortals. Much like Hercules proving himself through his trials, so too does the warrior Cuchulainn in his journey to be a worthy student of the Queen of Shadow.
P.C. Cast does a wonderful job of building a world that is both mythical and real. The story flows easily and it isn't hard to get caught up in the action. This is an enjoyable book that fans of mythology and fantasy will enjoy.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
Scathach is the Queen of Shadow, a daughter of a god training only the worthy to be wise warriors and leaders. She uses strength and grace to teach not only her students but also her daughter to defend their home and others. When a champion comes to be trained, he must follow her teachings to master not only the physical feats of training, but also to calm the battles inside of himself.
This story feels like an epic quest, calling on the gods themselves to grant wisdom and favors upon mortals. Much like Hercules proving himself through his trials, so too does the warrior Cuchulainn in his journey to be a worthy student of the Queen of Shadow.
P.C. Cast does a wonderful job of building a world that is both mythical and real. The story flows easily and it isn't hard to get caught up in the action. This is an enjoyable book that fans of mythology and fantasy will enjoy.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was not a fan. There's no explanation whatsoever about the magic system the FMC has use of, the characters are all pretty one-dimensional aside from the MMC (who is the only one I was able to feel any sort of connection to. I did not care at all about the others.) This also felt like 2 separate books that were sped up and mashed into 1. This could have easily been fleshed out and worked into a duology. Everything was just concluded so quickly and easily and things were all so convenient. I think if this has been more thought out it could have been good as there are some good and interesting elements. But the execution is severely lacking.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
February 13, 2026
Me? Reading pure fantasy? Noblebright, no less? Strange, I know. But I grew up on PC Cast’s House of Night series, so I leapt at the chance to request this ARC and was delighted to receive it.
There is SO much exposition and scene-setting to be done, with much of happening through in-universe personal conversations, that Queen of Shadow admittedly gets off to a bit of a clunky start. The pieces are all there - an imaginative, historical world rich with mystery and belief; the enchanting coexistence of gods, goddesses, religions and otherworlds feels fresh and unique, like Superwholock is real and nothing hurts - but they just don’t quite come together in the way I expected.
For all of the combat, there is little real conflict for quite some time; for all of the things that happen, the stakes never feel particularly high; for all of the worldbuilding, the plot somehow feels a bit anemic, like an early draft rather than a polished release. I wish I could’ve connected more with our main cast of characters, but as it was, I almost felt like I was watching a movie on 2x speed. Part III was my favorite by FAR, so stick it out to be rewarded with some mesmerizing visuals and fascinating folklore!
Another thing I did really like was getting to see a strong, capable grown woman - a mother, no less, and not of a toddler - be the focus of a romantic fantasy. It was refreshing and engaging, and made the entire tale feel much more relatable and realistic (caring about realism in an Ulster Cycle fantasy? yes, I know, I know) than the world being saved yet again by someone who just got their non-vertical license this year.
P.S. dog-lovers unite: the buff and fearless Shadow Queen, daughter of Béfionn, teacher of heroes and warring men, commander of the sea and demigoddess of the Afterlife, basically named her guard dog Sweetheart. Sweetie Pie. Babydoll. Lovergirl.
Relatable.
Many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC!
There is SO much exposition and scene-setting to be done, with much of happening through in-universe personal conversations, that Queen of Shadow admittedly gets off to a bit of a clunky start. The pieces are all there - an imaginative, historical world rich with mystery and belief; the enchanting coexistence of gods, goddesses, religions and otherworlds feels fresh and unique, like Superwholock is real and nothing hurts - but they just don’t quite come together in the way I expected.
For all of the combat, there is little real conflict for quite some time; for all of the things that happen, the stakes never feel particularly high; for all of the worldbuilding, the plot somehow feels a bit anemic, like an early draft rather than a polished release. I wish I could’ve connected more with our main cast of characters, but as it was, I almost felt like I was watching a movie on 2x speed. Part III was my favorite by FAR, so stick it out to be rewarded with some mesmerizing visuals and fascinating folklore!
Another thing I did really like was getting to see a strong, capable grown woman - a mother, no less, and not of a toddler - be the focus of a romantic fantasy. It was refreshing and engaging, and made the entire tale feel much more relatable and realistic (caring about realism in an Ulster Cycle fantasy? yes, I know, I know) than the world being saved yet again by someone who just got their non-vertical license this year.
P.S. dog-lovers unite: the buff and fearless Shadow Queen, daughter of Béfionn, teacher of heroes and warring men, commander of the sea and demigoddess of the Afterlife, basically named her guard dog Sweetheart. Sweetie Pie. Babydoll. Lovergirl.
Relatable.
Many thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC!
August 5, 2026
Okay, I really enjoyed this one.
First, the Celtic lore was SO well done. I always get a little nervous going into books that lean heavily into mythology or folklore because sometimes there’s just so much information thrown at you that I end up feeling completely lost. That wasn’t the case here at all. Everything felt natural, and I never felt like I was struggling to keep up. The whole setting had this really magical feeling to it that I absolutely loved.
I also really enjoyed Cu and Scáthach’s relationship. There was just something about their dynamic that worked for me, and I liked watching it develop throughout the story. The dialogue in general felt really genuine, too. It didn’t have that weird feeling of characters saying things just because the author needed them to say it to move the plot along. Their conversations actually felt like conversations between real people.
And honestly, even the slower parts worked for me. Obviously, I enjoyed the action scenes because who doesn’t love a good bit of chaos, but I never found myself thinking, “Okay, can we get back to the exciting stuff?” The quieter moments still felt like they had a purpose and gave the characters room to breathe.
Something I wasn’t expecting was how much I connected with some of the advice and words of wisdom throughout the book. I took note of a lot of these sections since they felt incredibly relevant to where I am in my own life right now, which made those moments hit a little harder.
I also really appreciated how trauma was handled. The story acknowledged what people go through without minimizing it or acting like everything is magically fixed afterward. The way the aftermath was portrayed, especially what victims can continue to face long after the initial trauma, felt thoughtful and respectful.
There were a couple things that didn’t quite work for me, though. The biggest one was the development of our FMC’s sister, Aife, and her motivations. That part felt a little rushed, almost like it was shoehorned in just to make the plot happen. I really wish we had gotten more of her backstory and a better understanding of why she did what she did because I think that would have made that whole storyline hit a lot harder.
The other thing that didn’t always sit right with me was how easily some of the issues were resolved. There were moments where the success just didn’t feel earned because certain conflicts seemed to resolve a little too easily. I wanted a bit more struggle or buildup before some of those resolutions.
Overall, though, the writing was really easy to fall into. I got pulled into the story pretty quickly, and once I was there, I didn’t really want to leave. The lore, the setting, the relationships, the magic, the emotional moments—it all came together really well for me.
First, the Celtic lore was SO well done. I always get a little nervous going into books that lean heavily into mythology or folklore because sometimes there’s just so much information thrown at you that I end up feeling completely lost. That wasn’t the case here at all. Everything felt natural, and I never felt like I was struggling to keep up. The whole setting had this really magical feeling to it that I absolutely loved.
I also really enjoyed Cu and Scáthach’s relationship. There was just something about their dynamic that worked for me, and I liked watching it develop throughout the story. The dialogue in general felt really genuine, too. It didn’t have that weird feeling of characters saying things just because the author needed them to say it to move the plot along. Their conversations actually felt like conversations between real people.
And honestly, even the slower parts worked for me. Obviously, I enjoyed the action scenes because who doesn’t love a good bit of chaos, but I never found myself thinking, “Okay, can we get back to the exciting stuff?” The quieter moments still felt like they had a purpose and gave the characters room to breathe.
Something I wasn’t expecting was how much I connected with some of the advice and words of wisdom throughout the book. I took note of a lot of these sections since they felt incredibly relevant to where I am in my own life right now, which made those moments hit a little harder.
I also really appreciated how trauma was handled. The story acknowledged what people go through without minimizing it or acting like everything is magically fixed afterward. The way the aftermath was portrayed, especially what victims can continue to face long after the initial trauma, felt thoughtful and respectful.
There were a couple things that didn’t quite work for me, though. The biggest one was the development of our FMC’s sister, Aife, and her motivations. That part felt a little rushed, almost like it was shoehorned in just to make the plot happen. I really wish we had gotten more of her backstory and a better understanding of why she did what she did because I think that would have made that whole storyline hit a lot harder.
The other thing that didn’t always sit right with me was how easily some of the issues were resolved. There were moments where the success just didn’t feel earned because certain conflicts seemed to resolve a little too easily. I wanted a bit more struggle or buildup before some of those resolutions.
Overall, though, the writing was really easy to fall into. I got pulled into the story pretty quickly, and once I was there, I didn’t really want to leave. The lore, the setting, the relationships, the magic, the emotional moments—it all came together really well for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an ARC from NetGalley to review this book. The book sounded right up my alley, but I could not get into it at all. I would go days between picking it back up, and I'm not sure if that was just from the slower pace of the book or the fact that the writing style was really not my cup of tea. Something about it just didn't read smoothly to me. The characters were a bit robotic with their, "How good of you to correct me," and "you were right to remind me I am being unfair. I won't do it again." I think it was a slight lack of varying emotions of these characters, but the story just fell flat for me. There were some elements that I really loved, like the Winter, Autumn, and Summerlands as the afterlife. I loved the idea of a transitional land where you really had to self reflect before being allowed passage into Paradise. I'm not very familiar with Celtic mythology, so I'm not sure if that was original to the book or a big part of established mythology. I wish there had been a pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book, because I was truly lost with trying to figure out pronunciation of all the names (historically I'm terrible with Garlic and Celtic pronunciations). I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I feel bad giving it a 2 star, but several times I contemplating a DNF. I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book, and hope that everyone else enjoys it! i would have given this a 2.5 or 2.75 star, but I could not justify rounding it up with how hard of a time I had finishing this book.
October 22, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Queen of Shadow by P. C. Cast.
Set on the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, this fantasy romance follows Scáthach, a warrior trainer with the power to move between the living world and the Underworld. When Cuchulainn arrives seeking training, their growing connection draws them into a dangerous quest that could change both their fates.
I loved Cast’s House of Night series, so I was looking forward to reading something new from her. Unfortunately, this one never held my attention in the same way. The beginning was slow, and I struggled to become invested enough to feel excited about picking it back up. It ended up taking me quite a while to finish.
The Celtic mythology and premise appealed to me, but the story itself left me feeling fairly disconnected. Perhaps my tastes have changed since reading House of Night, or perhaps this particular book simply wasn’t the right fit. There are readers who will enjoy the mythology and romance, but I finished wishing I’d felt more drawn into it.
Set on the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, this fantasy romance follows Scáthach, a warrior trainer with the power to move between the living world and the Underworld. When Cuchulainn arrives seeking training, their growing connection draws them into a dangerous quest that could change both their fates.
I loved Cast’s House of Night series, so I was looking forward to reading something new from her. Unfortunately, this one never held my attention in the same way. The beginning was slow, and I struggled to become invested enough to feel excited about picking it back up. It ended up taking me quite a while to finish.
The Celtic mythology and premise appealed to me, but the story itself left me feeling fairly disconnected. Perhaps my tastes have changed since reading House of Night, or perhaps this particular book simply wasn’t the right fit. There are readers who will enjoy the mythology and romance, but I finished wishing I’d felt more drawn into it.
August 24, 2026
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really wanted like this book as I have enjoyed other works by this author, but man, it was tough to get through. The characters were okay, the main male character wasn't my cup of tea, but the story just didn't seem to go anywhere for most of the book. I didn't really feel connected to it at all. I will say the last 25% of the book improved, and there was some spice in it, but unfortunately it was not enough to improve my overall view of the book.
I really wanted like this book as I have enjoyed other works by this author, but man, it was tough to get through. The characters were okay, the main male character wasn't my cup of tea, but the story just didn't seem to go anywhere for most of the book. I didn't really feel connected to it at all. I will say the last 25% of the book improved, and there was some spice in it, but unfortunately it was not enough to improve my overall view of the book.
August 31, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
The Queen of Shadow was an interesting book about a badass celtic warrior! I loved the more mature main characters and the pursuit of changing destiny. I haven't read a lot of Irish/Celtic romantasy, so it was a refreshing twist and a great ending!!
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC of #QueenofShadow!
The Queen of Shadow was an interesting book about a badass celtic warrior! I loved the more mature main characters and the pursuit of changing destiny. I haven't read a lot of Irish/Celtic romantasy, so it was a refreshing twist and a great ending!!
Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC of #QueenofShadow!
August 18, 2026
More like 2.5 stars for me. I liked the narrator for the audiobook. It was a bit boring for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
P.C. Cast is known for her ability to immerse readers in different worlds and bring gods and goddesses to life. Queen of Shadow uses characters and features of Celtic lore to create a vibrant and multilayered setting for Scáthach and Cuchulainn’s story. Cast’s dedication to carefully researching her chosen legend(s) shines through in this work, although it’s missing the modern twists of her Goddess Summoning and Divine Series. This different approach lends itself to this particular story and helps the reader fall back in time and myth.
What stood out the most in Queen of Shadow is Scáthach’s steady self-assurance in her own abilities and worth, and Cuchulainn’s humility. It’s exciting to have a female protagonist who has earned strength and wisdom through many years and puts the good of others over personal glory, and refreshing to have a man who recognizes the opportunity he has to learn from a strong woman without her needing to prove herself or convince him.
-Scáthach is powerful but uses her abilities to train others into strong capable warriors and to act with honor and compassion.
-She uses her own fighting abilities as a last resort when diplomacy has failed, and only to prevent further loss of innocent life.
-She recognizes her divine powers are a gift and uses them sparingly and always with thanks.
-Cuchulainn is already strong but recognizes Scáthach has skills and knowledge he doesn’t possess.
-He admits when he doesn’t know something and takes guidance and advice seriously.
-He supports and uplifts his peers through training, and never brags about his superior abilities or looks down on others
Fantasy romance fans tired of the ‘young woman suddenly gifted with extraordinary powers’ trope will appreciate the steady confidence and capability of Scáthach, the mutual respect and admiration between her and Cuchulainn, and enjoy the slow burn as she allows herself to find love.
*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC*
What stood out the most in Queen of Shadow is Scáthach’s steady self-assurance in her own abilities and worth, and Cuchulainn’s humility. It’s exciting to have a female protagonist who has earned strength and wisdom through many years and puts the good of others over personal glory, and refreshing to have a man who recognizes the opportunity he has to learn from a strong woman without her needing to prove herself or convince him.
-Scáthach is powerful but uses her abilities to train others into strong capable warriors and to act with honor and compassion.
-She uses her own fighting abilities as a last resort when diplomacy has failed, and only to prevent further loss of innocent life.
-She recognizes her divine powers are a gift and uses them sparingly and always with thanks.
-Cuchulainn is already strong but recognizes Scáthach has skills and knowledge he doesn’t possess.
-He admits when he doesn’t know something and takes guidance and advice seriously.
-He supports and uplifts his peers through training, and never brags about his superior abilities or looks down on others
Fantasy romance fans tired of the ‘young woman suddenly gifted with extraordinary powers’ trope will appreciate the steady confidence and capability of Scáthach, the mutual respect and admiration between her and Cuchulainn, and enjoy the slow burn as she allows herself to find love.
*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC*
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wanted a mature, brilliant protagonist to level up the Celtic mythology, but what I got was a character with no flaws, no rules, and no depth. Final Score: 1.6
Content Disclosure: This review will lightly touch on a sexual assault scene without going into detail. I’ll start the section that talks about this in bold in case you want to skip it entirely.
What Worked Well For Me
I was so excited to finally have a mature female protagonist leading a fantasy novel! We don’t know Scathach’s age, but she is at least mid-30s, likely in her 40s. Even though this book didn’t land for me, I would love to see more mature female protagonists in general, but especially in fantasy!
Cuchulainn has the most depth of any character. I appreciated that we opened with his monstrous reputation as a fierce warrior and then we immediately saw his emotional vulnerability in a way that felt genuine. Again, this is something I wish we had more of with male leads in general, but specifically in the fantasy space.
I’m not very familiar with Celtic mythology, so I appreciated the opportunity to dip my toe into learning about this mythology.
Where It Fell Short For me
There were significant craft issues right from the start. I already get very frustrated with lore dumps and telling instead of showing, but this had an extra frustrating layer: After the lore dump the exact same information would be repeated via dialogue on the same page! This pattern eased up significantly after 20%, but it was a very rough way for me to start a book and likely significantly impacted how I viewed the rest of the book. The book also opened with very disorienting spatial writing. The narration would say that they couldn’t see a person who is very far away, but then a couple paragraphs later they were discussing details of what that person looked like and could suddenly hear them too when earlier it was muffled - all without moving.
At the beginning of each chapter there was a “snippet” that was usually the thoughts of the other POV’s character, but it was their thoughts at the end of that chapter so each chapter had its own mini spoiler. I think this was meant to make the reader want to read “just one more chapter”, but I found it frustrating to have to constantly switch POVs for each chapter for just a couple of paragraphs. The vast majority of the book is from Scathach’s POV, so it wasn’t until Cuchulainn’s first full POV chapter that I realized the prose issues weren’t just the way Scathach views the world.
The prose was lacking throughout, it’s clear but it felt overly formal and robotic. So even in the times that I wasn’t reading through a lore dump in the exposition, there were times that the characters felt like two NPCs telling each other the lore that they very obviously should have known. There was even a point in the book where Scathach’s daughter directly tells her mother “Yes, I know all that.” There was very little distinction between different characters even though many of them came from different parts of the continent.
Similarly, the pacing never balanced out. The first 30-35% of the book felt like an extended training montage and then the second half of the book almost felt like a different story than the first half.
My biggest issue with this book is Scathach. She’s smart, she’s wise, she’s endlessly talented, she’s the daughter of a deity, everyone loves and adores her, and her magic happens to be able to fix any challenge she comes across. There is quite literally nothing wrong with her, she is perfectly good, which made her bland and boring to me. Any time tension started to build and the stakes were raised, her magic would evolve so she could resolve it with no consistent rules or downsides of using her magic. I don’t mind a soft magic system, but if the magic system is consistently a get out of jail free card with no consequences, it’s not fun.
The romance didn’t work for me here for a few reasons, but I will say I am very much a character driven reader, so me not finding Scathach interesting was always going to color the relationship aspect of this book. It is established that Cuchulainn is an adult in his early 20’s, we learn this because he is only a couple of years older than Scathach’s 19 year old daughter. So while Cuchulainn is an adult, it was more than their 15+ year age gap that bothered me. There are clear power dynamics at play here, I won’t go into details because of spoilers but there are more power dynamics beyond Scathach being Cuchulainn’s teacher at the best training school for warriors. I won’t say that Scathach came off as predatory, but it made me really uncomfortable so I was never able to root for them as a couple.
And then there’s the unnecessary sexual assault scene at the midpoint. While I wouldn’t call the scene itself incredibly graphic, I don’t think I would feel comfortable saying it was handled with care either. Not only was it completely unnecessary in my opinion (the plot would have been fine without it occurring), the resolution is the flawless protagonist saving the day. I already wasn’t loving this book and this was the point that I officially stopped caring. It doesn’t matter what the gender dynamics are in a sexual assault scene, if it’s unnecessarily used as a plot mechanic or to impact the other protagonist’s journey - I don’t like it.
Final Thoughts, Opinions & Recommendations
This is not the worst fantasy novel I have read by far - I think the craft issues at the beginning really frustrated me and even though the initial issues improved, other significant issues took their place for me. There are a lot of elements in this book for people to enjoy, but the bad outweighed the good here for me.
My thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for the complimentary copy. Queen of Shadow is set to publish on 8/4/26. All opinions are my own.
TL;DR
Would I Recommend it? No
Would I Reread it? No
Would I Read More From This Author?I won’t rule this author out entirely, but I’m not interested in reading their backlog at this point.
Series Information: Standalone
Star Score Breakdown
Personal Enjoyment: 1
Overall Execution: 1.5
Craft & Writing Quality: 1.5
Characters: 2
Plot: 2
Final Score: 1.6
Content Disclosure: This review will lightly touch on a sexual assault scene without going into detail. I’ll start the section that talks about this in bold in case you want to skip it entirely.
What Worked Well For Me
I was so excited to finally have a mature female protagonist leading a fantasy novel! We don’t know Scathach’s age, but she is at least mid-30s, likely in her 40s. Even though this book didn’t land for me, I would love to see more mature female protagonists in general, but especially in fantasy!
Cuchulainn has the most depth of any character. I appreciated that we opened with his monstrous reputation as a fierce warrior and then we immediately saw his emotional vulnerability in a way that felt genuine. Again, this is something I wish we had more of with male leads in general, but specifically in the fantasy space.
I’m not very familiar with Celtic mythology, so I appreciated the opportunity to dip my toe into learning about this mythology.
Where It Fell Short For me
There were significant craft issues right from the start. I already get very frustrated with lore dumps and telling instead of showing, but this had an extra frustrating layer: After the lore dump the exact same information would be repeated via dialogue on the same page! This pattern eased up significantly after 20%, but it was a very rough way for me to start a book and likely significantly impacted how I viewed the rest of the book. The book also opened with very disorienting spatial writing. The narration would say that they couldn’t see a person who is very far away, but then a couple paragraphs later they were discussing details of what that person looked like and could suddenly hear them too when earlier it was muffled - all without moving.
At the beginning of each chapter there was a “snippet” that was usually the thoughts of the other POV’s character, but it was their thoughts at the end of that chapter so each chapter had its own mini spoiler. I think this was meant to make the reader want to read “just one more chapter”, but I found it frustrating to have to constantly switch POVs for each chapter for just a couple of paragraphs. The vast majority of the book is from Scathach’s POV, so it wasn’t until Cuchulainn’s first full POV chapter that I realized the prose issues weren’t just the way Scathach views the world.
The prose was lacking throughout, it’s clear but it felt overly formal and robotic. So even in the times that I wasn’t reading through a lore dump in the exposition, there were times that the characters felt like two NPCs telling each other the lore that they very obviously should have known. There was even a point in the book where Scathach’s daughter directly tells her mother “Yes, I know all that.” There was very little distinction between different characters even though many of them came from different parts of the continent.
Similarly, the pacing never balanced out. The first 30-35% of the book felt like an extended training montage and then the second half of the book almost felt like a different story than the first half.
My biggest issue with this book is Scathach. She’s smart, she’s wise, she’s endlessly talented, she’s the daughter of a deity, everyone loves and adores her, and her magic happens to be able to fix any challenge she comes across. There is quite literally nothing wrong with her, she is perfectly good, which made her bland and boring to me. Any time tension started to build and the stakes were raised, her magic would evolve so she could resolve it with no consistent rules or downsides of using her magic. I don’t mind a soft magic system, but if the magic system is consistently a get out of jail free card with no consequences, it’s not fun.
The romance didn’t work for me here for a few reasons, but I will say I am very much a character driven reader, so me not finding Scathach interesting was always going to color the relationship aspect of this book. It is established that Cuchulainn is an adult in his early 20’s, we learn this because he is only a couple of years older than Scathach’s 19 year old daughter. So while Cuchulainn is an adult, it was more than their 15+ year age gap that bothered me. There are clear power dynamics at play here, I won’t go into details because of spoilers but there are more power dynamics beyond Scathach being Cuchulainn’s teacher at the best training school for warriors. I won’t say that Scathach came off as predatory, but it made me really uncomfortable so I was never able to root for them as a couple.
And then there’s the unnecessary sexual assault scene at the midpoint. While I wouldn’t call the scene itself incredibly graphic, I don’t think I would feel comfortable saying it was handled with care either. Not only was it completely unnecessary in my opinion (the plot would have been fine without it occurring), the resolution is the flawless protagonist saving the day. I already wasn’t loving this book and this was the point that I officially stopped caring. It doesn’t matter what the gender dynamics are in a sexual assault scene, if it’s unnecessarily used as a plot mechanic or to impact the other protagonist’s journey - I don’t like it.
Final Thoughts, Opinions & Recommendations
This is not the worst fantasy novel I have read by far - I think the craft issues at the beginning really frustrated me and even though the initial issues improved, other significant issues took their place for me. There are a lot of elements in this book for people to enjoy, but the bad outweighed the good here for me.
My thanks to NetGalley & William Morrow for the complimentary copy. Queen of Shadow is set to publish on 8/4/26. All opinions are my own.
TL;DR
Would I Recommend it? No
Would I Reread it? No
Would I Read More From This Author?I won’t rule this author out entirely, but I’m not interested in reading their backlog at this point.
Series Information: Standalone
Star Score Breakdown
Personal Enjoyment: 1
Overall Execution: 1.5
Craft & Writing Quality: 1.5
Characters: 2
Plot: 2
Final Score: 1.6
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
celtic mythology 🤝 warrior queen 🤝 “fate says no but what if we ignore that?”
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
okay but…i was NOT expecting this to feel so different from a lot of current romantasy.
because instead of having snarky assassins with shadow daddies and endless miscommunication
this gave me myth and destiny with powerful people acting like actual adults and honestly???
that was refreshing.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
what i loved was SCÁTHACH.
finally a fantasy heroine who already knows who she is. she’s not discovering hidden powers or learning she's secretly special or stumbling through leadership
she IS the leader.
she’s respected, she’s powerful, she’s already built a life and a legacy for herself and i LOVED that.
watching her navigate duty, desire and prophecy felt so much more interesting because she wasn’t starting from nothing.
and cuchulainn???listen, this man could've easily become broody warrior #47 but instead he’s surprisingly earnest. yes, he’s dangerous yes, he has a violent reputation but underneath all of that there’s a lot of vulnerability and self awareness that i wasn't expecting and his dynamic with scáthach worked because it felt like mutual respect first, attraction second which i appreciated.
the mythology was probably my favorite part of the book i mean the gods feel PRESENT not just names dropped for aesthetic reasons.
you really get the sense that fate matters the prophecies matter the divine is constantly interfering
and the celtic mythology gives everything a more ancient, legendary feeling than a lot of modern fantasy romances.
which speaking of the romance, this is definitely more mature and emotional and fate driven than super spicy romantasy. the relationship develops through trust, training and shared experiences rather than instant obsession.
and honestly? that worked for me.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
what didn’t fully hit was that the pacing gets a little uneven.
the first half really takes its time building the world and relationships...and then parts of the second half move much faster than i expected. there were also moments where the dialogue felt a little too modern compared to the ancient setting and while i liked the romance, i never became completely obsessed with it in the way i hoped i would.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
overall this felt like sitting beside a fire listening to an old legend while knowing the ending might be tragic and hoping the characters can outsmart fate anyway it’s more mythic than addictive.
more atmospheric than fast paced but i genuinely enjoyed spending time in this world.
So if you like celtic mythology with powerful adult heroines and fate driven romances and fantasy that feels like a legend rather than an adventure…this will probably work for you.
My final thought;
i came for the warrior queen and mythology…
i stayed because apparently watching two powerful people try to argue with destiny is one of my favorite forms of entertainment ⚔️🖤✨
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher House for providing me an ARC!
celtic mythology 🤝 warrior queen 🤝 “fate says no but what if we ignore that?”
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
okay but…i was NOT expecting this to feel so different from a lot of current romantasy.
because instead of having snarky assassins with shadow daddies and endless miscommunication
this gave me myth and destiny with powerful people acting like actual adults and honestly???
that was refreshing.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
what i loved was SCÁTHACH.
finally a fantasy heroine who already knows who she is. she’s not discovering hidden powers or learning she's secretly special or stumbling through leadership
she IS the leader.
she’s respected, she’s powerful, she’s already built a life and a legacy for herself and i LOVED that.
watching her navigate duty, desire and prophecy felt so much more interesting because she wasn’t starting from nothing.
and cuchulainn???listen, this man could've easily become broody warrior #47 but instead he’s surprisingly earnest. yes, he’s dangerous yes, he has a violent reputation but underneath all of that there’s a lot of vulnerability and self awareness that i wasn't expecting and his dynamic with scáthach worked because it felt like mutual respect first, attraction second which i appreciated.
the mythology was probably my favorite part of the book i mean the gods feel PRESENT not just names dropped for aesthetic reasons.
you really get the sense that fate matters the prophecies matter the divine is constantly interfering
and the celtic mythology gives everything a more ancient, legendary feeling than a lot of modern fantasy romances.
which speaking of the romance, this is definitely more mature and emotional and fate driven than super spicy romantasy. the relationship develops through trust, training and shared experiences rather than instant obsession.
and honestly? that worked for me.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
what didn’t fully hit was that the pacing gets a little uneven.
the first half really takes its time building the world and relationships...and then parts of the second half move much faster than i expected. there were also moments where the dialogue felt a little too modern compared to the ancient setting and while i liked the romance, i never became completely obsessed with it in the way i hoped i would.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
overall this felt like sitting beside a fire listening to an old legend while knowing the ending might be tragic and hoping the characters can outsmart fate anyway it’s more mythic than addictive.
more atmospheric than fast paced but i genuinely enjoyed spending time in this world.
So if you like celtic mythology with powerful adult heroines and fate driven romances and fantasy that feels like a legend rather than an adventure…this will probably work for you.
My final thought;
i came for the warrior queen and mythology…
i stayed because apparently watching two powerful people try to argue with destiny is one of my favorite forms of entertainment ⚔️🖤✨
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher House for providing me an ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved P.C. Cast’s House of Night series when I was in high school, so I was really excited to see her write an adult fantasy book, but sadly this one just wasn’t for me.
This book is a reimagining of the Irish myth of Scáthach and follows Scáthach, Queen of Shadow, and Cú Chulainn, the famous hero of Ulster and son of the Irish sun god. I thought the concept was really interesting, especially with the Celtic mythology and the setting on the Isle of Skye. I also liked the Isle of Skye mention because it felt like a fun callback to House of Night, where the characters also travel there. However, I wish there was more worldbuilding. The book also brings in Norse mythology, and I felt like I was expected to already know how everything connected. The only mythology I really know is Greek and some Roman, so I had no idea who these characters were, their stories, or even how to pronounce their names.
I also struggled with the writing style. Even though this is marketed as adult fantasy, it felt more like YA. There was a lot of unnecessary explaining, repeated thoughts, awkward dialogue, and slow pacing. The chapter openings also spoiled what was about to happen, which I found frustrating.
The characters were probably my biggest issue. I never felt very attached to them. Scáthach is strong, kind, and basically perfect, which made her feel bland. Cú Chulainn had more personality, but I still struggled to connect with him.
The romance was also a big issue. Cú Chulainn is around 18, while Scáthach seems to be around 40 since she has a teenage daughter, and that age gap gave me the biggest ick. I just couldn’t get behind their relationship.
The first 60% focuses on one villain, but she was so immature that her villain arc felt almost comical. Then the story completely shifts into another journey with Scáthach and Cú Chulainn, making the second and third parts feel like two different stories forced into one. I think this could’ve worked better as a duology with more time spent developing the characters and plot.
There is also a scene of sexual assault, so definitely check trigger warnings before reading. The male main character is the victim, and the book does focus on his healing afterward.
Overall, I think this could be a good book for someone interested in Celtic mythology, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting a typical romantasy. The romance is a smaller part of the story, and the pacing, characters, and writing style made it hard for me to fully enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Marrow for this ARC!
This book is a reimagining of the Irish myth of Scáthach and follows Scáthach, Queen of Shadow, and Cú Chulainn, the famous hero of Ulster and son of the Irish sun god. I thought the concept was really interesting, especially with the Celtic mythology and the setting on the Isle of Skye. I also liked the Isle of Skye mention because it felt like a fun callback to House of Night, where the characters also travel there. However, I wish there was more worldbuilding. The book also brings in Norse mythology, and I felt like I was expected to already know how everything connected. The only mythology I really know is Greek and some Roman, so I had no idea who these characters were, their stories, or even how to pronounce their names.
I also struggled with the writing style. Even though this is marketed as adult fantasy, it felt more like YA. There was a lot of unnecessary explaining, repeated thoughts, awkward dialogue, and slow pacing. The chapter openings also spoiled what was about to happen, which I found frustrating.
The characters were probably my biggest issue. I never felt very attached to them. Scáthach is strong, kind, and basically perfect, which made her feel bland. Cú Chulainn had more personality, but I still struggled to connect with him.
The romance was also a big issue. Cú Chulainn is around 18, while Scáthach seems to be around 40 since she has a teenage daughter, and that age gap gave me the biggest ick. I just couldn’t get behind their relationship.
The first 60% focuses on one villain, but she was so immature that her villain arc felt almost comical. Then the story completely shifts into another journey with Scáthach and Cú Chulainn, making the second and third parts feel like two different stories forced into one. I think this could’ve worked better as a duology with more time spent developing the characters and plot.
There is also a scene of sexual assault, so definitely check trigger warnings before reading. The male main character is the victim, and the book does focus on his healing afterward.
Overall, I think this could be a good book for someone interested in Celtic mythology, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting a typical romantasy. The romance is a smaller part of the story, and the pacing, characters, and writing style made it hard for me to fully enjoy.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Marrow for this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really wanted to love this one. Celtic mythology, an older FMC, and a warrior school setting. It had everything going for it on paper. But somewhere between the page and my heart, it just never connected.
I'll start with what worked. The mythology itself is genuinely interesting, and you can tell P.C. Cast did her research. The underworld worldbuilding had some imaginative moments, and the idea of Scáthach as a warrior goddess running her own school is inherently compelling.
But I never felt connected to any of the characters. Scáthach is written as strong, wise, and endlessly kind, which sounds great but in practice made her feel flat. And for a legendary warrior goddess whose entire identity is training the greatest fighters in the world, she makes some genuinely baffling errors in judgment that cost people around her dearly. These are not endearing flaws that make her feel human. They undermine the entire premise of who she is supposed to be.
Cuchulainn had slightly more dimension, but the romance between them never moved past a dynamic that felt more mother and son than slow burn. Their dialogue reinforced that feeling throughout.
The book also has a pattern of handling sexual violence in ways I found genuinely troubling. Without going into specifics, I felt the narrative treated the aftermath of sexual violence with a lightness that prioritized plot momentum over the weight of what characters had experienced. For a book written by a survivor and with a content warning upfront, I expected more care in the execution.
There is also a scene in the underworld involving a man who attempted to kidnap and assault a child that I felt the narrative framed with more sympathy than I was comfortable with. Rather than treating his actions with appropriate gravity, the scene seemed to invite the reader to feel sorry for him. That did not sit well with me.
Readers familiar with the source mythology will notice that Cast made deliberate adaptation choices, some that modernized the myth effectively and some that I felt needed more reimagining than they received.
The mythology foundation is interesting enough that some readers will enjoy it, but readers sensitive to age-gap dynamics, teacher-student power imbalances, or the handling of sexual violence should go in with eyes open.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start with what worked. The mythology itself is genuinely interesting, and you can tell P.C. Cast did her research. The underworld worldbuilding had some imaginative moments, and the idea of Scáthach as a warrior goddess running her own school is inherently compelling.
But I never felt connected to any of the characters. Scáthach is written as strong, wise, and endlessly kind, which sounds great but in practice made her feel flat. And for a legendary warrior goddess whose entire identity is training the greatest fighters in the world, she makes some genuinely baffling errors in judgment that cost people around her dearly. These are not endearing flaws that make her feel human. They undermine the entire premise of who she is supposed to be.
Cuchulainn had slightly more dimension, but the romance between them never moved past a dynamic that felt more mother and son than slow burn. Their dialogue reinforced that feeling throughout.
The book also has a pattern of handling sexual violence in ways I found genuinely troubling. Without going into specifics, I felt the narrative treated the aftermath of sexual violence with a lightness that prioritized plot momentum over the weight of what characters had experienced. For a book written by a survivor and with a content warning upfront, I expected more care in the execution.
There is also a scene in the underworld involving a man who attempted to kidnap and assault a child that I felt the narrative framed with more sympathy than I was comfortable with. Rather than treating his actions with appropriate gravity, the scene seemed to invite the reader to feel sorry for him. That did not sit well with me.
Readers familiar with the source mythology will notice that Cast made deliberate adaptation choices, some that modernized the myth effectively and some that I felt needed more reimagining than they received.
The mythology foundation is interesting enough that some readers will enjoy it, but readers sensitive to age-gap dynamics, teacher-student power imbalances, or the handling of sexual violence should go in with eyes open.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2026
Check your trigger warnings bc this one goes places.. but WOW, what a refreshing fantasy heroine ✨
Scáthach is already THAT GIRL 💅 No secret powers conveniently discovered at 23% into the book. No: wait… I’m actually the chosen one?! nonsense. No fumbling through leadership while everyone inexplicably stands around waiting for her to become competent. She is already a respected, powerful leader with a life, a legacy and (bless the fantasy gods!) a grown child 👏 An ADULT WOMAN who knows who she is and what she’s capable of? We are apparently asking for miracles now 😂
Both Scáthach and Cuchulainn are noticeably more mature than the usual fantasy romance crowd and I absolutely ate that up 🔥 Their relationship is built on mutual respect, admiration and a deliciously slow-burn connection 🫠 THANK YOU 🙌 Cu is strong enough to know when he doesn’t know something and instead of getting threatened by Scáthach’s abilities, he learns from her. Imagine that: a man witnessing a powerful woman and simply thinking: Cool. Teach me. Revolutionary 👏
The Celtic myths and worldbuilding were another huge win for me. The dialogue felt genuinely human which should not be as rare in fantasy as it apparently is 😭 People actually sounded like they were having conversations instead of delivering Plot Information.
I really appreciated the way trauma was handled ❤️🩹 The story doesn’t pretend that surviving something means you’re magically fine afterward. The aftermath matters. Healing is messy. The effects linger. Victims are allowed to carry what happened to them without the narrative turning it into a convenient character development checkbox. That felt thoughtful and respectful 🫶
Scáthach was the star for me. She’s powerful, wise, compassionate and completely secure in her own worth 👑 She doesn’t need to prove herself every 5 minutes and she doesn’t throw her power around just bc she can. She trains others, leads with honor, chooses diplomacy when possible and fights when necessary. Her strength comes with restraint, I was taking life notes!
Cu has the humility to recognize that being strong doesn’t mean knowing everything. He listens. He learns. He supports other people. He doesn’t constantly need to remind everyone how exceptional he is 👏
If you are tired of the “young woman discovers she’s secretly extraordinarily special” trope, this book is a very welcome change of scenery. Give me the seasoned woman. Give me the earned wisdom. Give me the mutual respect 🔥
Scáthach is already THAT GIRL 💅 No secret powers conveniently discovered at 23% into the book. No: wait… I’m actually the chosen one?! nonsense. No fumbling through leadership while everyone inexplicably stands around waiting for her to become competent. She is already a respected, powerful leader with a life, a legacy and (bless the fantasy gods!) a grown child 👏 An ADULT WOMAN who knows who she is and what she’s capable of? We are apparently asking for miracles now 😂
Both Scáthach and Cuchulainn are noticeably more mature than the usual fantasy romance crowd and I absolutely ate that up 🔥 Their relationship is built on mutual respect, admiration and a deliciously slow-burn connection 🫠 THANK YOU 🙌 Cu is strong enough to know when he doesn’t know something and instead of getting threatened by Scáthach’s abilities, he learns from her. Imagine that: a man witnessing a powerful woman and simply thinking: Cool. Teach me. Revolutionary 👏
The Celtic myths and worldbuilding were another huge win for me. The dialogue felt genuinely human which should not be as rare in fantasy as it apparently is 😭 People actually sounded like they were having conversations instead of delivering Plot Information.
I really appreciated the way trauma was handled ❤️🩹 The story doesn’t pretend that surviving something means you’re magically fine afterward. The aftermath matters. Healing is messy. The effects linger. Victims are allowed to carry what happened to them without the narrative turning it into a convenient character development checkbox. That felt thoughtful and respectful 🫶
Scáthach was the star for me. She’s powerful, wise, compassionate and completely secure in her own worth 👑 She doesn’t need to prove herself every 5 minutes and she doesn’t throw her power around just bc she can. She trains others, leads with honor, chooses diplomacy when possible and fights when necessary. Her strength comes with restraint, I was taking life notes!
Cu has the humility to recognize that being strong doesn’t mean knowing everything. He listens. He learns. He supports other people. He doesn’t constantly need to remind everyone how exceptional he is 👏
If you are tired of the “young woman discovers she’s secretly extraordinarily special” trope, this book is a very welcome change of scenery. Give me the seasoned woman. Give me the earned wisdom. Give me the mutual respect 🔥
January 1, 2026
Before I dive into this review, I want to clarify that while this is a 3-star read for me personally, I think there are a ton of fantasy and romantasy readers who will find this to be easily 4-5 stars, and I think this could potentially be one of the biggest fantasy books of 2026, especially in the romantasy readers’ sphere.
Readers who loved Throne of Glass will find this to be a super satisfying, stand-alone (I think), mythology-inspired fantasy/romantasy (80% adventure/20% romance). I suspect that readers of PC Cast’s
House of Night series will also enjoy reading something more adult from such a beloved author.
Writing: the prose is better than TOG in my opinion, but not by a ton. Nothing novel in the prose itself, but it gets the job done.
Characters: I LOVE that we finally have a romantasy book featuring a middle aged MOTHER! Hell yeah—no more insecure, weak-but-somehow-strongest-girl-alive tropes. Scáthach is wise, compassionate, strong AF, and she is at least 40, I think. It was so refreshing to read about a mature woman in fantasy (and with a younger man, too)!
Plot & Pacing: I wasn’t super familiar with the Ulster Cycle (Irish mythology), so I went into this fairly blind, and I love Cast’s take on the Irish gods and legends. I don’t know how well it matches actual Irish mythology, but I think it’s pretty well done. At times, it felt too fast-paced (a significant portion of the book takes place all in 1-2 days), and that prevented me from feeling the sense or urgency and tension that a slower-burning plot can inspire, but overall the pace and plot were effective.
Spice: reminiscent of one of the later TOG novels—all the actual spice is in the last 15% of the book, and it’s not that detailed. Definitely adult, but kind of mild spice imo. More romantic than spicy.
So overall, if you want poetic, powerful prose or epic fantasy, I’d skip this one. But if you loved the Throne of Glass series (but long for older, more mature characters), or tend to enjoy mythology-based romantasy, I think this is a must-read.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and P.C. Cast for access to this ARC.
Readers who loved Throne of Glass will find this to be a super satisfying, stand-alone (I think), mythology-inspired fantasy/romantasy (80% adventure/20% romance). I suspect that readers of PC Cast’s
House of Night series will also enjoy reading something more adult from such a beloved author.
Writing: the prose is better than TOG in my opinion, but not by a ton. Nothing novel in the prose itself, but it gets the job done.
Characters: I LOVE that we finally have a romantasy book featuring a middle aged MOTHER! Hell yeah—no more insecure, weak-but-somehow-strongest-girl-alive tropes. Scáthach is wise, compassionate, strong AF, and she is at least 40, I think. It was so refreshing to read about a mature woman in fantasy (and with a younger man, too)!
Plot & Pacing: I wasn’t super familiar with the Ulster Cycle (Irish mythology), so I went into this fairly blind, and I love Cast’s take on the Irish gods and legends. I don’t know how well it matches actual Irish mythology, but I think it’s pretty well done. At times, it felt too fast-paced (a significant portion of the book takes place all in 1-2 days), and that prevented me from feeling the sense or urgency and tension that a slower-burning plot can inspire, but overall the pace and plot were effective.
Spice: reminiscent of one of the later TOG novels—all the actual spice is in the last 15% of the book, and it’s not that detailed. Definitely adult, but kind of mild spice imo. More romantic than spicy.
So overall, if you want poetic, powerful prose or epic fantasy, I’d skip this one. But if you loved the Throne of Glass series (but long for older, more mature characters), or tend to enjoy mythology-based romantasy, I think this is a must-read.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and P.C. Cast for access to this ARC.
June 11, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC of Queen of Shadow by P.C. Cast.
I grew up reading P.C Cast’s House of Night series and was so excited to be approved for this ARC, as I haven’t read any of her adult novels. I unfortunately felt the writing to read very similar to her YA series and it pulled me out of the story so many times because the FMC, Scáthach, is a grown woman with a 19 year old daughter.
On the topic of Scátchach, while her exact age is never revealed, we know that Cuchulainn is only a couple years older than her daughter, which would mean realistically Scátchach is old enough to be his mother. While age gap is fine, (it’s not my personal preference) I just thought their relationship read a bit icky. She is his teacher and he’s a student in her school. So many times it felt like they had a motherly relationship, when she was comforting Cuchulainn with his issues regarding his berserker and his relationship with his father, but then halfway it shifted to a lustful interest and it just felt uncomfortable. On the same vein of predatory relationships and how they are perceived in the book there is a scene later in the book regarding a man who is obsessed with a 9 year old child and Scátchach says that is a redeemable offense and that he could eventually go to the summerlands, which there’s just too much there to unpack for me, but I’ll just say I didn’t agree with that whole concept at all.
If I’m being honest the only redeeming part of this book, in my opinion, was Cuchulainn. I really liked exploring the concept of this Demigod who really struggled with his divine heritage and wanting to earn his father’s love. His character, while explained as a revered warrior, honestly came across as such a golden retriever, I love him so much. I absolutely sobbed during the SA and the aftermath he endured, and it was one of the few things I thought was done well. I don’t think SA of men is talked about enough and I thought it was an important topic.
Overall, this was definitely not what I was expecting from this book and have to say it was a bit of a disappointment.
I grew up reading P.C Cast’s House of Night series and was so excited to be approved for this ARC, as I haven’t read any of her adult novels. I unfortunately felt the writing to read very similar to her YA series and it pulled me out of the story so many times because the FMC, Scáthach, is a grown woman with a 19 year old daughter.
On the topic of Scátchach, while her exact age is never revealed, we know that Cuchulainn is only a couple years older than her daughter, which would mean realistically Scátchach is old enough to be his mother. While age gap is fine, (it’s not my personal preference) I just thought their relationship read a bit icky. She is his teacher and he’s a student in her school. So many times it felt like they had a motherly relationship, when she was comforting Cuchulainn with his issues regarding his berserker and his relationship with his father, but then halfway it shifted to a lustful interest and it just felt uncomfortable. On the same vein of predatory relationships and how they are perceived in the book there is a scene later in the book regarding a man who is obsessed with a 9 year old child and Scátchach says that is a redeemable offense and that he could eventually go to the summerlands, which there’s just too much there to unpack for me, but I’ll just say I didn’t agree with that whole concept at all.
If I’m being honest the only redeeming part of this book, in my opinion, was Cuchulainn. I really liked exploring the concept of this Demigod who really struggled with his divine heritage and wanting to earn his father’s love. His character, while explained as a revered warrior, honestly came across as such a golden retriever, I love him so much. I absolutely sobbed during the SA and the aftermath he endured, and it was one of the few things I thought was done well. I don’t think SA of men is talked about enough and I thought it was an important topic.
Overall, this was definitely not what I was expecting from this book and have to say it was a bit of a disappointment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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