Historical fiction and fantasy are two of my favorite genres. Add in “inspired by legends” and I will be convinced to read the story. The Lost Queen by Signe Pike was that kind of book for me. Merlin is one of my favorite all time magicians and getting to know his history along with his powerful sister’s was perfect! Erynn was interested by the synopsis too when I showed it to her and we decided to buddy read it. She finished the book a month before me and we are excited to share our discussion with you today! Take a look at the synopsis and then read on:
In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.
Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time.
Content Notes: Infidelity, Death, Violence (Religious and Physical) and Brutality
The Lost Queen
The Reading Discussion
I love the concept of The Lost Queen – Arthurian legends are one of my favorite to read about and this one is based in research and real-world connection. The beginning was slow and I was expecting more magic than the book delivered, but that is totally on me since the synopsis did not promise that. I loved the writing and learning about the Old Way and Gods. We were deeply rooted in nature in the sixth century and I felt that the author set up the world beautifully. Through Languoreth and her family customs, there was so much to learn about their beliefs and what ‘magic’ looked like to them. What did you think of the worldbuilding, Erynn?
I thought the worldbuilding was amazing! It was so well-crafted and truly felt like an immersive historical experience to me. Although I, too, was hoping for a little more magic, I found that the natural spirituality of the Old Way enjoyable to learn about. It felt so ingrained in the beliefs of the world and the main characters, so when their beliefs were attacked by the Christians in the story, I felt attacked, too! I consider that a success on the story’s end. 🙂
I found it interesting to learn about all the battles that were waging before King Arthur’s time and the influence that the rise of Christianity had on the people and politics. I had not thought about religion in this sense and it was new knowledge for me to imagine how the threat of a new belief would play out in the world. What did you think of this side of the story, Erynn?
Considering how religion once played (and still plays) a significant role in the lives of people and how they understand the world, I understand how the arrival of new beliefs would appear threatening to an established way of life. I actually really enjoyed how the aspects of spirituality and religion played out in the book; it felt so alive and real, affecting every part of the characters’ lives. At the end of part one, I think, where tensions were starting to rise with the battling religions, I felt so sorrowful with how things turned out. There was no explicit violence, but to have sanctuaries maliciously damaged beyond repair was so difficult for me to read. I think how I felt, experiencing that as a reader, is only a fraction of what the characters would have felt in that situation. That, and the many other battles between beliefs in the book seemed realistic and was important to understanding the political developments in the story, especially as related to Langureth’s situation.
That is a great point, Erynn! You are right – those events truly showed the gravity of a new religion.
The ending made me wonder if the focus of the rest of the trilogy will change and no longer be Langureth, and become more about how Lailoken became Merlin.
I hope the focus doesn’t change too much. Although I would love to learn more from Lailoken’s point of view, I felt like I came to understand and bond with Langureth throughout her life and feel like we are just reaching the point in the story where she will become the powerful queen history made her out to be. In that sense, I think it would be a mistake for the book to turn to focus too much away from Langureth. In the Author’s Note at the end, Pike mentions how she based Langureth off of the historical queen, and how she wanted to bring her lost story to life. I sincerely believe she intends to do Langureth’s story justice, even if she is positioned in relation to Lailoken’s development into Merlin. Kriti, what are your thoughts about how Langureth’s character was handled, considering that she is based on a real person who no one knows much about?
It was handled very well! How protected Langureth was when she was younger and the difference in destiny of her and Lailoken gave us a glimpse into why she could have been forgotten. Add to that, her religious beliefs and the war on the Old Ways that we see coming – it is not surprising that her records would be hard to find. We are talking about the 6th century and that was so long ago!
The Lost Queen covered almost three decades of Langureth’s life, with leaps in between, and I felt the pace built up and the stakes were higher as she grew. The book starts at her mother’s death who was a Wisdom Keeper. I loved how important knowledge was throughout this book and how it manifested in the form of visions and premonitions. Langureth’s struggle with her destiny was heartbreaking to read about and I wished she had influenced the way she wanted rather than through marriage. What were your thoughts about her journey through the book?
I truly felt for her struggle with her destiny, but I was glad when she tried to take control of her life in the few ways that she could. I think she could have done better in that regard, but I like that she was a flawed character. It made her feel more human especially with how, at the end of the book, Langureth was beginning to lose some of the knowledge she learned about the world from her mother and Cathan. Like the world around her, she has changed, too. It’s sad, but realistic. Being a part of her journey for so long, I felt like I could understand most of the decisions she made.
Though this was a good read for me, I think it is important to talk about some minor flaws that I noticed. While the love story between Langureth and Mawek added more dimension to her character and risk-taking impulses, I felt it wasn’t well thought out. To have his child and have Rhyss grow up as her husband’s is a huge sabotage which will probably have major consequences.
I agree, but I like how these consequences were foreshadowed in the book. Langureth is terrified of these consequences and makes further rash decisions to try and change what might just be fate. Still, the love at first sight bothered me. I wish there had been more time taken to better develop that relationship so Langureth’s decisions about her situation and the child had more justification.
I felt the first half of the book was slow and not engaging enough. Characters like Adrianne, who I thought would have a major role, did not stick around and I am interested to see if she comes back in the second book. Was there anything that you wish had been portrayed differently in the book?
Based on some hints in the first book and the blurb for book 2, I think Adrianne will come back, but maybe not in Langureth’s story. I think it’s more likely that it will be her daughter who reunites with Adrianne. This is what I hope for, at least.
Besides everything we’ve discussed already, the only thing I wish had been slightly different was the ending. It wasn’t bad, but it felt like something was missing. Maybe it was just that I hated seeing Langureth so helpless when she has struggled against that helplessness for her whole life already. She sort of took action in the end, but I wish she could have done something for herself and her situation.
Yes, I wish the same. And now that she has taken action, let’s see how that plays out!
Conclusion
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I am sorry that I was super slow at reading it. The beginning didn’t captivate me enough and I left it alone for a couple weeks in between, but like I said, at like 40%, it picked up and I did not put it down the whole weekend until I was done! I am learning a lot about Merlin and I am excited to see where the series takes us next in The Forgotten Kingdom.
I’ve really been looking forward to starting book 2. I have a good feeling about this book since it’s unlikely to suffer from the same slowness at the start. Here’s to another adventure!
** The Lost Queen is now out in stores so get a copy and let me know what you think! **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
While Erynn and I go get started on the sequel, The Lost Kingdom, check out my reading experience below! Erynn and I also read Strange The Dreamer and highly recommend checking that out!
Cover Photo by Aditya Vyas on Unsplash
Ahh, this looks extremely promising. And oh, I so love the cover.
Great job with the review. That must’ve taken just as much time as reading it.
Thanks for reading! 🙂 the discussion honestly didn’t take as long. Contributing to it whenever we got time was a good way to collaborate! And for this book, we had so much to discuss too!
I love anything ‘Merlin-esque’. I’ll look out for this one!
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
🙂