The Irish Queen

The Norsewomen #8

by Johanna Wittenberg

The Irish queen's golden rattle has followed Ragnhild and Murchad across the sea to Gausel, where its curse shatters their happiness. Ragnhild summons a völva to counter the spell, but Norse magic is no match for a curse from the Otherworld. The intervention backfires, leading to catastrophe.
Ragnhild, Murchad, and the intrepid crew of Raider Bride battle winter gales to cross the sea to Ireland, to contend with the sorceress queen of Aileach.
But they fall into a trap laid by powers older than kings, the Tuatha Dé, the Fair Folk of the Otherworld.
The Otherworld is beautiful and terrible, with harp music that captivates, pigs that roast and live again, a god who smiles like a storm.
Ragnhild and Murchad must ally with the Irish queen to trade, trick and storm the Otherworld, racing the tide of fairy time.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2026

About the author

Like her Viking forebears, Johanna Wittenberg has sailed to the far reaches of the world. She lives on a fjord in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, whom she met on a ship bound for Antarctica.

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Reviews

[Emily Kakolewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in the series yet and…A must read!

I’ve enjoyed every book in this series, but the author out did herself in this one. She pulled in new historical facts in archaeology and points out in her afterword a very valid theory of the evolution on Ireland. You will enjoy it very, very much. Make sure you read her afterword.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her books just keep getting better and better!!! I'm already excited for book 9. I am buying these in actual book form as well for my library, specifically my treasured Norse area. Johanna has reached my top 5 authors ♡

[Linnea Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Irish Queen (Book 8 of The Norsewomen) continues the epic saga of Queen Ragnhild from Gausel, Norway and Queen Gormlaith from Aileach, Ireland in AD 825 but can be read as a standalone. After she discovers Gormlaith, a powerful sorceress, has gifted her baby son a cursed rattle, Ragnild recruits a volva to break the spell. Nonetheless, her baby disappears on Samhain when portals to the Otherworld allow the Fairy Folk to enter the mortal world. Ragnhild travels with her husband to Ireland to confront Gormlaith about her son’s disappearance. The Irish Queen confesses that a fairy woman warned her baby daughter would be taken by the Tuatha Dé unless she offered Ragnhild’s son instead. However, Gormlaith was tricked because her baby was also taken on Samhain. The only way for the mothers to rescue their babies is to journey to the Otherworld and ask the Dagda for their return. However, both queens are kept as prisoners to lure their husbands into the Otherworld, causing chaos in their realms and raids from sworn enemies.

Author Johanna Wittenberg is a masterful storyteller weaving Irish mythology into the tale. The Otherworld and battle scenes are vividly described and cinematic in scope. The fast-paced adventure races to a gripping ending where Norsemen and Irish must find a way to rescue their rulers from the spells of the Tuatha Dé, and to fight off rivals. A list of characters, maps, and glossaries of Norse and Irish terms help the reader to navigate the worlds.

The Irish Queen is a riveting epic adventure that captures the myths and legends of the Irish and seafaring Vikings.

I voluntarily reviewed the book for the Historical Novel Society [HNR Issue 117 (August 2026)].

[Lauren Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5