A little less than 4 stars, rounded up. The story drew me in and kept me entertained and I do plan on reading the rest of the books in the series. I felt like the writing was almost too simplistic (I just looked to check that it wasn't considered a "young adult" book) but I may feel that way because the book I finished previously was long (and part of a longer series) and quite detailed. We are also told numerous times in the book that the main character is so clever but there isn't much if any evidence of her actually being clever (I hope this changes in the next book). There were a few times that she does something, is told to never do that again, promises not to, and then immediately does it again which was frustrating. Overall entertaining but could have been much better. ( )

Quotes, notes and snippets:
My husband and King had locked me in the blinding dark. And now I call upon my ancestors to give me the power of sight. ( )

I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but this book exceeded that nonetheless. Although there were a few time jumps, the story flows nicely and in keeping with the tradition of epics, little events cause bigger ripples in the grand scheme of the whole book.

I don't want to give too much away, but I connected to Languoreth: her fears were mine, as well as her stolen moments of joy and peace. (There were a couple of points when I wanted to shake her silly, but that's a whole other issue.) I'm not sure how 2 more books will add to the overall trilogy, but I look forward to finding out.

Book received as part of a Goodreads giveaway for an unbiased review. ( )

First off, I have to say how overjoyed I was to win this book through a goodreads giveaway! I am the type of person who rarely ever wins anything so I was overjoyed just to win. Now I am so thankful that I won because I was able to experience this wonderful and enthralling novel. I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU to the publishers for sending me a free copy of this book! This has been one of my top reads this year.

From the very first page this book sucked me into its magical realm. For two and a half days I lived in the world that Singe Pike has recreated, I was utterly transported. I have not been this engrossed in a book in as long as I can remember. I simply could not tear myself away from it! It is difficult to explain but I feel like there is truly some magic in this book. It is the type of book that one experiences more than reads. Reading The Lost Queen was a completely sensory experience for me as the author wove her breathtaking prose and ignited my imagination. It is clear that Signe Pike poured her soul, her entire being into this book. Reading it has impacted me in a really profound way. In recent times, with everything that is going on in the world, I have felt a sort of emptiness and loss. This book filled that void for me and made me realize that I needed to rekindle my relationship with the earth and natural world around me. Through this book I was able to visit ancient healing springs and now I am determined to go out in the world and discover some healing springs of my own. I am also now obsessed with finding out more about the time period and unraveling its mysteries. If the author is reading this, I want you to know how special and meaningful this book is to me. It is a book that will live with me forever AND I cannot wait for the sequel!
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I urge you to just start it and you will see. I imagine you will be sucked in just like me. It is pure magic! ( )

I loved the language of this book! It's so lyrical and immersive - you can literally, so-easily imagine yourself walking in the Scottish woods - their magic, their beauty, their calm and peacefulness. I just love books that wrap you in like that!

The story was great too - we meet Langoureth when she is ten years old and follow her through the next 5 or 6 years as she grows into a woman, finds her first love, then marries another for political alliance. The story then skips forward about 10-12 years or so. Normally I would find that unsettling, but it is handled well, with the gaps in the story filled out in a satisfying manner.

I was hoping for a bit more of the Merlin and Arthur tale in this novel, as it was advertised as "Outlander meets Camelot". We do get to know Lailoken well, the man who is later known as Myrddin or Merlin, and who is Langoureth's twin brother, but there really are not any references to Merlin or Author in this story, save for the Note from the Author at the end. The story is also not like Outlander, unless you count that it takes place in what is later known as Scotland and is in a medieval setting, although The Lost Queen takes place much earlier (6th Century) than Outlander (18th Century).

Also, I was a bit disappointed to learn this was part of a trilogy, as I do prefer stand-alone books. However, this novel definitely stood on its own, with a satisfactory ending, and did not fall prey to the "trilogy cheat" of expanding what should have been one book over three books instead.

All of that said, The Lost Queen is a beautiful book with engaging characters. Langoureth sneaks into your heart and you root for her and feel for her along the way. And you long to enter her beautiful, forested world of magic and beauty. Definitely recommend! ( )