Highland Queen

Celtic Blood #4

by Melanie Karsak

The king is dead.
Long live the queen.

With Duncan defeated, Gruoch becomes Queen of Scotland. Now she must rule at Macbeth's side, a difficult prospect as the new King of Scots grows increasingly unstable. To keep her son, her love, and her country safe, Gruoch must call upon the raven.

Dive into the final installment of Gruoch's epic tale in Highland Queen , a Scottish Historical Fantasy, Book 4 in The Celtic Blood Series by New York Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak.

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

356 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 27, 2018

About the author

New York Times and USA Today best-selling historical fantasy author Melanie Karsak is the author of the Celtic Blood series, Steampunk Red Riding Hood, Steampunk Fairy Tales, the Road to Valhalla Series, and other works of fantasy and fiction. The author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

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Reviews

[Izzie d · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so adore this series.
The author, who is new to me has created an interesting world of intrigue, ambition and love.
Gruoch is separated from Macbeth and I admired her determination not to be fooled again and fall for his charm or efforts. At the same time she tries to work with him for the good of Scotland.
I still love Gillacoemgain, there are many references to him and secrets are also discovered.
Gruoch and Banquo reunite in secret and work out how to deal with Macbeth and his madness.
There are no intimate details.
Gruoch and Machbeth's marriage is essentially over so although technically she is still married, in the eyes of their ways, Gruoch and Banquo reform their marriage, so cheating, depends on your viewpoint.
It didn't bother me but technically yes.
HEA.
The ending is satisfying, if a bit rushed, I would have liked an epilogue, if only short.
At the same time, there is news on the events affecting well loved characters as well as those who we love to hate.

[Bego Salem · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful and amazing saga. Scotland, Scottish history, old ways and magic all line up for a story I enjoyed very much reading. It was a real pleasure to see Lady Macbeth recovered from Shakespeare's grasp and restored to a more true storyland and a path and way of how things might have been for her. Loved all the strong women characters in the books: Gruoch, Madelaine, Uold, Sid and the women at the coven, also Creawry, Merna, Morag, Ute, ..... even Druanne, in her own way. Ant the men: you can only marvel about and feel sympathetic to Gillacoemgain, Banquo, Tavis, Thorfinn, Lulach, Fleance...
It only made me sad to see how little time Gruoch was allowed to spend with both the men she loved (in one way or the other). But I guess, this was the making of the goddess. Hoping the raven is now reunited with her druid in the otherworld.
Highly recommendable read, for sure. Loved every line.

[Mamajamz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

I found this to be a very good read and almost impossible to put down. I would stop reading and then hurry to finish my project get back to see what was happening Spent nights reading into the early hours the next day.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably my least favorite of the 4. Something about it felt a little different. I didn’t hate it but it wasn’t a favorite.
Also, the author wrote babies oddly to me. She gives them more advanced abilities at a young age. Is this on purpose? Are Grouch’s kids supposed to be extra advanced in all aspects? Just weird and took me out of the moment.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very satisfying series. One that I will revisit in a few years. This one lagged a bit and then sped up with a million things happening in the last couple of chapters. Even still it was incredibly interesting, and I couldn't stop reading. I loved the note in the end about the real MacBeths. Take that Shakespeare!

[Haylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A medieval historical fiction fantasy romance based on a Shakespearean play that was based on historical events? Loved it.

Devoured these books during our Hurricane Dorian evacuation. These books had a lot more depth than I was expecting?? The middle two are better than the beginning and end. Honestly the first one struggled to keep my attention at all. The ending was... not what I was expecting? I am left feeling deflated but not really upset. Altogether, I enjoyed the “escape from reality” entertainment of this series. If you struggle to find good content on Kindle Unlimited, you should try these out!

[Stephanie Braswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I 10/10 believe it’s a better, more conclusive series than Outlander. And I love Outlander.

Thought this entire series you come to love (and loathe) the characters so much. The heavy loss entwined with the beautiful storytelling and druid magic made me fly through all four books in less than 72 hours.

The highland druid magic, courtly life, battle and bloodshed, Royal conniving, faerie encounters, passion, love, death, betrayal. Kept me turning pages until I got through every page.

I only wish I could read them again for the first time.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent series! Melanie Karsak knows how to write fabulous stories with amazing characters

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

so much fun!

I have enjoyed every book in this series. Actually I have enjoyed every book from this author….and look forward to reading more. Each book is a delightful romp in a fantasy world that I could easily somehow relate to. Perhaps it is my Irish and Scots heritage that makes her books so easy and enjoyable to read…

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit surprised by myself, but I found the ending unsatisfying. I know the author wanted to give the characters good endings like they deserve... but after a whole series of misfortune and following the theme of such an ill-fated story like Macbeth... it didn't feel natural to me. I thoroughly expected a tragedy. It seemed like too little too late and also very rushed and sudden. Not to mention the things that seemed like they would be a big deal not really amounting to anything in the end, just dropping off. Oh well.

[Lisette Kristensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This truly one of the best series I have read. Phenomenal stories and had me crying through the last part of the book. Thank you, Melanie for writing such a compelling story. You brought all of them to life and astounding story telling.

[Heidi Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-crafted, exciting, beautiful and satisfying series from beginning to end! I was thrilled with the way Highland Queen ended. These characters, based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, came alive for me and the intertwining of the old ways with the Christianity of the time was perfect! This is a series well worth reading and if any new reader is considering it, don’t just download one or buy one. Get them all at the same time. You will not stop reading once you start. Can’t wait to see what’s next for Ms. Karsak. Oh, her steampunk series is every bit as amazing!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Wonderful, heart-breaking and fast paced. I loved everything about this series and Ms. Karsak brings Lady MacBeth to life like I've never read. Thank you for this series. I hope to one day find out more about the children that are next to rule.

[Andria Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Raven

Melanie, thanks for your decade of toil. These feelings made my toes curl,left tears in my eyes as I laughed. Thank you so much for the fantastic life of Lady McBeth

[Kodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was a fun take on Shakespeare's Macbeth but through the lens of Lady Macbeth. I was initially worried it would only focus on romance, and while there is romance, the focus is more on Lady Macbeth's life and decisions.

It was entertaining to see peeks of the original story come through. I had not realized it was a Macbeth-based story until the introduction of Macbeth himself. The signs were there, though. The integration of the magical world was smooth and gave the books more intrigue. My only critique would be that the author, who spent nearly four books guiding you through the ups and [more] downs of Gruoch's (Lady Macbeth) life, wrapped her life up in a 'happily ever after' in the last few chapters. And it felt like a mad dash that was too clean and perfect to fit the rest of the book. For example, she spends all of her adult life making decisions for the sake of her children and their futures, only to have a quick conversation and tell them to forget all that and make their own destinies.

Voila, they do, and she can rest in peace knowing her children do not resent her.

I would have preferred to read about her slow descent into madness before she found contentment in her afterlife as a Weird Sister. This ending would feel more suitable to the tone of the rest of the books and the life she led.

But overall, the books were well-written, intriguing, and a fun story to follow.

[Beri K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has the potential to write some really great stories. I found that every time it got to the cusp of something amazing, they would change course / de-escalate things that left it interesting enough to keep reading "just in case it got good" but overall it was a touch lackluster for me reading preferences.

*~~*spoilers (personal take) below*~~*

There was so much time jumping that didn't make sense, it set the tone for Book 1 where I was wondering what the heck was going on and everything felt very jumbled. Book 2 was okay, but Book 3 was the best of the series I felt, it had an actual story thread you could follow without the chaos of leaps in time happening in mere moments for Gruoch.

The death of Thora in the magical world didn't make sense to me for the timing - didn't she get sent there to elongate her life until Gruoch could be there too, and then she just got a line about passing on after a chapter or two?

The ending of the story was very flat for me - all that she had done, all she had sacrificed for, was for naught as she walked away from it all entirely and so did (we assume) her children.

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish this was longer!!

I love this story but I am NOT a fan of years flying by with the pages....I'm not a writer but sometimes I feel authors get stuck with what's left to rap up and just fast forward to the end we have to except. Maybe that's publishers fault for not letting them end a book with as many chapters as it takes. I did love the premise of the ending but a few more chapters to let me get a feel for what really is happening would of been wonderful. Like said in my earlier review I love the daily of stories ( not yearly). BUT thank you for not killing the ones you did in the first draft....I probably would of threw my tablet outside😬😢!! Anyway, great books can't wait to read your others. Thank you

[Tori - Novel Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now the fourth book was amazing BUT I feel like it was really rushed. Do I think it was still amazing? Yes. But I feel like the author rushed to squeeze everything in to bring this book to an end.
I still throughly enjoyed this book. I think, for the most part, all my questions were answered. I realized I became very attached to these characters. Like all of them. I needed to know what happened to all of them. You don't really realize while you are reading, but once you realize this the last book, it really hits you.
The one character that I didn't get closure on was her first daughter. I am not sure if the author is planning on doing her own series. But I feel that the story ended without really knowing what happened to her. I'm still really upset about it if you cant tell.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Want This Story to Go On!

I don’t like to share specific details about characters or storylines in my reviews. The blurb shares enough usually to entice a reader. I like instead to share my emotional involvement with the characters and how invested I become in them. This whole series builds to a crescendo that brought me to tears again and again. So much betrayal and pain but yet there is also triumph and love. The character of Gruoch has taken a spot in my heart as I have travelled with her to the ending. Shakespeare’s vision of Lady MacBeth was awful. This is a much better tale of the struggles and divided loyalties of an 11th century Scottish woman whose destiny was not her own. I hope like me, your opinion of her is greatly changed after reading this series.

[Patrice Veilleux Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible Series with Disappointing Ending

WTF? That was my thought as I finished the last book of the series last night-it’s still my thought this morning. What a gut punch. It felt like an ending that was written just to end the book and does not feel true to the rest of the saga. I have consistently given 5 star reviews to the previous books but can not this time because the ending is bereft, shallow, and incomplete; the characters didn’t deserve that. Skipping through time, events and emotions, the ending does not allow for the suspension of belief and I am utterly disappointed. I still encourage others to read this this story because it is a magnificent, well written interpretation of Lady MacBeth and the events of her time.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melanie Karsak delivers a satisfying conclusion to the The Celtic Blood series with Highland Queen, showcasing her signature blend of history, myth, and strong female leads. Gruoch’s journey remains compelling, and the action keeps the pace moving.

One thing I appreciated was the slight improvement in Karsak’s writing—her descriptions felt richer, and the dialogue flowed more naturally than in earlier books. However, while the story itself was engaging, the ending left me feeling uncertain. It wrapped up a little too quickly, making it hard to fully process or savor the resolution. I’m not sure if I liked it or not—it just felt rushed.

Overall, Highland Queen is a solid read for fans of the series, even if it doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

[brii | brii (three months behind...) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this ended in pretty much the only way that it could. I wasn’t really surprised by anything that happened in this conclusion, to be honest I was patiently waiting for some of it to happen. Everyone got their neat little ending, and all the loose ends came together beautifully to give me all the closure I could possibly need.

I will say, I might have been a little underwhelmed by the ending. It happened really quickly… maybe too quickly? We might have spent a bit more time on Gruoch’s transition and subsequent events. I would have liked more detail into that side of things.

Overall, considering I didn’t exactly love the first book in the series, I did really come to love all the characters and their stories. It was a fantastic series - no matter how heartbreaking.

[bill isaacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

Just finished the Celtic blood series . You are a great storyteller. Enjoyed all but the end. Didn't get the point.Weak ending for such strong characters. You are right an epilogue would help. I enjoyed it very much. Look forward to seeing completion of these wonderful people. Don't have us wait too long. Never did enjoy (Shaekspere) too much . You hepled. Loved you as I could tell you loved them . Thanks for such an endepth read. Let us go along with you. Over all great read. Keep going on and on .I personally will go with you. Thanks for your efforts.Keep on keeping' on. Sharon avid reader.

[Morgan Gallup Zhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed how Celtic mythology, pagan covens and witchcraft was explored in this series. I read all four books over a three day period. The first two were my favorite and I love discovering what exactly our heroine is capable of and setting everything up. I haven't read Macbeth, but that almost made it more interesting and suspenseful.

The third and fourth book kind of lost steam for me. I was still invested in finding out how things turned out, but I wanted more of the Gods and witchy elements. Also, it generally felt like things were foretold and I knew what was coming most of the time. However, I did still enjoy the series.

[Leanne F · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bitter sweet ending

Melanie Karsak has solidified her place as one of my all time favourite historical authors. This is the third series I’ve read and I love everything about her storytelling.

In this final book, the truths are revealed even when they serve no one. Lies remain hidden, betrayal and bloodshed, revenge and vengeance abound. Each storyline has its thread woven. And the ending for Corbie, the thane of Lockaber, and the Mad Macbeth is justified. Highly recommend this series. Solid 6 stars overall.

[Diana Saavedra-Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down!!!

This series was incredible! I couldn't put them down and lost a few nights sleep as a result. Corbie is so strong and relatable. I loved the epic story telling, the magic, the characters, the complex relationships, all of it! I want more and really hope Melanie gives us a short story on where the kids end up. This is the second series I have read by this author, her books crab you and don't let go, so make sure you will have time to go down the rabbit hole when you begin a series.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

May be my favorite series ever.

I loved this tale of Lady Macbeth. It reminds me of Mists of Avalon. I fell into the telling and never wanted to leave. The characters are now forever in my heart. Please please, an epilogue..... there is so much to love about this series, at first it just sat on my shelf but once started, you won’t be able to put it down. I have been raving about it to anyone who will listen. What a tale... thank you, Grouch will live on forever in my heart.

[Linda Figueira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep, amazing and breathtaking journey waits for you in this last book of the serie. Love, hate, fun, tears...a mixture of feelings carries you throughout this incredible narrative. Allow yourself to travel back in time and live among gods and goddesses, the wisdom of the druids, the respect towards Mother Nature and above all the fact that all choices are ours. Thanks Melanie to gift us all with this fantastic trip. I’m already missing all characters!

[Emma Mammano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say this book was underwhelming after the third one. I almost wish the series had ended there. I am embarrassed to say I don’t really know Shakespeare’s MacBeth so I had no preconceived notions. I was kind of devastated by how cold and cruel the main character was
toward MacBeth. I guess it just didn’t resonate with me because I am a sucker for the tortured soul ha ha. I felt the ending was rather abrupt. Overall a decent but less than satisfying ending to the series.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the books in the series were fantastic! Recommend!

I am reviewing all the books at once. The series kept me enthralled to the end. The characters had depth, soul & energy. The 1st 3 books I went through in 9 days, page turners but then I savored the last over a couple of weeks. I will miss these beautiful characters & the vivid story telling! Thank you for your wonderful words that filled my life with magic for a time!