The Goddesses of the Morrigan Series, Book 2
Heat Factor: I’m covered in the blood of my enemies! It’s a perfect time to bone!
Character Chemistry: Macha is pretty self contained
Plot: Battle Goddess experiences several lifetimes, learns some stuff, kills a bunch of people
Overall: This is not in any way a romance, but it was an entertaining read
Basic backstory: The Morrigan is the Celtic triple goddess of war and fate. Macha is one third of the Morrigan, and is the goddess of battle and sovereignty. In this book, she has not yet hooked up with her sisters, but rather has been cursed to have her immortal, shape-shifting self inhabit mortal bodies. After a time in a body, she dies a brutal death, and then is popped into a new body. This book follows four of these lifetimes, during which she loves, kills, fucks, and conquers her way around Ireland.
While I would not classify this as a romance, as every single one of her male partners dies (sometimes a horrible death), there are some romantic elements. Also a good deal of sex. We can argue about whether or not the ending is optimistic or apocalyptic (I say it’s both).
I will say that I really applaud Abbott for taking on a deeply unlikeable female character and making her the protagonist. We do not have enough female antiheroes floating around. I was so-so on some of the execution – her guilt and indecision seemed a little overwrought to me – but overall I thought Macha was a compelling character. Who bathes in the blood of her enemies, as one does.
Because this book is definitely not for everyone, I’m going to do the rest of this review in list form.
You may enjoy this book if:
- You like fantasy novels.
- You want nothing more than to read about a bad-ass woman murdering terrible leaders.
- You think battle goddesses are seriously under-appreciated.
- You enjoy sprawling stories. Especially ones where you’re not entirely sure where the story will be going next.
- You believe that gore and sex definitely belong together.
You will probably not enjoy this book if:
- You are in the camp of HEA or GTFO.
- You disapprove of the protagonist having multiple sexual partners (some of whom she does not love in any way).
- You are squeamish about violence, even if it’s cartoony.
- You are a stickler about mythology. Characters from Celtic, Greek, and Norse mythology all appear.
- You don’t dig it when female characters are really really into motherhood.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
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