“The Lost Queen” by Signe Pike

Title: The Lost Queen
Author: Signe Pike
Publisher: Touchstone
Year: 2018
Genre(s): historical fiction
Part of a Series: No
Rating:

Why I read it: It was a Once Upon a Book Club pick.

Synopsis: Lailoken and Languoreth are the twin children of Morken, a chieftain in the time before Britain was Britain. Various tribes throughout the island continue to clash and it grows worse as Christianity starts to spread, bringing more strife as Christian monks threaten the people’s pagan ways. In these tense times, Lailoken is destined to become a Wisdom Keeper, trained in the Old Ways, while Languoreth is destined to marry a great lord to strengthen her father’s lands. But will her destiny lie with the upstart Pendragon, a champion of the Old Ways, or with ruthless Tutegal, who welcomes Christianity?

With an Old World on the verge of becoming a New World, Lailoken and Languoreth find their lives tied to both – and to one of the greatest stories of all time: King Arthur and the wizard Merlin.

Review: The cover says the book is Outlander meets Mists of Avalon. I believe I once started Mists of Avalon but gave up on it many years ago so I can’t comment on that. But as for Outlander…it doesn’t remind me of that book at all. It has almost nothing in common with the book except for historical aspects and some fantasy elements. Otherwise, it just seems to be part of the trend where everything is compared to whatever is popular, no matter how much you have to squint to make the comparison.

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.

I liked the book and I wanted to love it but I just couldn’t go the extra step for it. And about halfway through the book, I realized why – most of the book felt like exposition and I was waiting for the real story to begin. And by the time it did, the book ended! I almost feel like this should’ve been the elaborate backstory the author kept while writing the main story.

It also felt a lot like telling and not much showing. In the end, I still don’t feel like I know the main characters. I know about them but I can’t really tell you much about their characters. And I think Pike’s story would’ve been better served if she really delved into these characters and how everything changing around them affected them. Because in the times where she does, her writing and her story really does shine.

The imbalance between showing and telling also affects the two romantic relationships we see in the book. Languoreth’s relationship with Maelgwn suffers for it as well. It had a good start but then it wasn’t really nurtured. And there were fleeting moments that showed it could’ve earned that Outlander comparison and been as good as Jamie and Claire’s but the author never fully committed to it. Or at least it didn’t seem she studied romantic relationships to understand how to punch up this romance that is supposed to form Languoreth. And as for her relationship with Rhydderch…it’s not fully explored and we’re pretty much told how Languoreth feels rather than shown, even though the novel is written in first person.

Where Pike really excels relationship-wise is the one between Languoreth and Lailoken, which is the real central relationship of the book. We see how much they care for each other and the bond they share over the years. Languoreth takes significant risks for her brother and it’s understandable because we see how special he is to her. We know he is worth the risk to her and that really does help drive the story along.

(I also liked the relationship Pike started to build between Languoreth and Ariane and wish she had let us see more of them together as well).

She also showed great skill at building a world, bringing ancient Britain to life. I could see everything in my mind’s eye and though all the political intrigue was complex, I was still able to follow it. It was a good foundation and I wished she had focused on adult Languoreth’s role in that world rather than spending so much time with her when she was a child.

Bottom line: A good story that gets bogged down by too many details.

Sex: Some mentions but nothing too graphic.

Moonlight Musing

What famous legend would you love to write or read about?