Recommendations based on "A Girl Called Owl"

'Transfixing' ELLE'I was totally gripped' DOUGLAS STUART'A brilliant, riveting fox-trap' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER'An immersive and enthralling literary thriller' PAULA HAWKINS

Dreaming the Eagle is the first part of the gloriously imagined epic trilogy of the life of Boudica.Boudica means Bringer of Victory (from the early Celtic word "boudeg"). She is the last defender of the Celtic culture in Britain; the only woman openly to lead her warriors into battle and to stand successfully against the might of Imperial Rome--and triumph.It is 33 AD and eleven-year-old Breaca (later named Boudica), the red-haired daughter of one of the leaders of the Eceni tribe, is on the cusp between girl and womanhood. She longs to be a Dreamer, a mystical leader who can foretell the future, but having killed the man who has attacked and killed her mother, she has proven herself a warrior. Dreaming the Eagle is also the story of the two men Boudica loves Caradoc, outstanding warrior and inspirational leader; and Ban, her half-brother, who longs to be a warrior, though he is manifestly a Dreamer, possibly the finest in his tribe's history. Ban becomes the Druid whose eventual return to the Celts is Boudica's salvation.Dreaming the Eagle is full of brilliantly realised, luminous scenes as the narrative sweeps effortlessly from the epic--where battle scenes are huge, bloody, and action-packed--to the intimate. Manda Scott plunges us into the unforgettable world of tribal Britain in the years before the Roman a world of druids and dreamers and the magic of the gods where the natural world is as much a character as any of the people who live within it, a world of warriors who fight for honour as much as victory, a world of passion, courage and spectacular heroism pitched against overwhelming odds.Dreaming the Eagle stunningly recreates the roots of a story so powerful its impact has lasted through the ages. "From the Trade Paperback edition."

Award-winning author Juliet Marillier's "lavishly detailed"* Blackthorn & Grim series continues as a mysterious creature holds an enchanted and imperiled ancient Ireland in thrall. Disillusioned healer Blackthorn and her companion, Grim, have settled in Dalriada to wait out the seven years of Blackthorn's bond to her fey mentor, hoping to avoid any dire challenges. But trouble has a way of seeking out Blackthorn and Grim. Lady Geileis, a noblewoman from the northern border, has asked for the prince of Dalriada's help in expelling a howling creature from an old tower on her land--one surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of thorns. Casting a blight over the entire district, and impossible to drive out by ordinary means, it threatens both the safety and the sanity of all who live nearby. With no ready solutions to offer, the prince consults Blackthorn and Grim. As Blackthorn and Grim begin to put the pieces of this puzzle together, it's apparent that a powerful adversary is working behind the scenes. Their quest is about to become a life and death struggle--a conflict in which even the closest of friends can find themselves on opposite sides. *Publishers Weekly

In a spellbinding novel of gods and men, myth and brutality, acclaimed author Manda Scott returns to her heralded saga of a world under siege. For here is the epic tale of Boudica, the legendary Celtic queen, and her embattled Eceni tribe—a bold new work of imaginative fiction that takes us on a thrilling journey into a clash between magic and mankind.To the Eceni tribe of Britannia, nature is the ultimate god, and warriors are joined in battle by the voices and spirits of their ancestors. But the proud Eceni are running out of time. Nero’s army, long since out of patience with Britannia’s wild tribes, is becoming increasingly oppressive. And Boudica’s family is at the center of a gathering storm: Cunomar, Boudica’s son, who longs for the mettle to kill as fiercely as his mother… Graine, her young daughter, gifted with the power of dreamers, scarred forever by the horrors of war...and Boudica’s brother, born Bán of the Eceni, turned the traitor Valerius—a man caught between worlds: warrior and dreamer, Roman and Eceni.As conflict erupts between the tribes and their brutal invaders, Boudica is forced to make a bold sacrifice. Cloaking her identity, she will travel directly into the stronghold of an enemy who longs for her crucifixion. What happens next—in a brutal drama of betrayal, heroism, and sacrifice—will leave Boudica with no options but one: to raise and arm every warrior, every dreamer, every tribe…and push the invader and its legions back into the sea.From the thundering hooves of the Eceni’s great horses to mystical spirit quests of young warriors, from the politics of an empire to the passions of lovers, Dreaming the Hound takes us on a breathtaking journey of the imagination—at once brutal, fantastical, and utterly unforgettable.MAGNIFICENT PRAISE FOR MANDA SCOTT’S BOUDICA SAGADreaming the Hound“Extraordinary.” —Independent, UK“Brilliantly imaginative.”—Colchester Evening Gazette, UK“Dramatic…Vivid…Lyrical.”—Yorkshire Evening Post, UK“One of Britain’s most famous legends…is retold here with extraordinary immediacy.”—Our Time, UK“Irresistible…an excellent read.”—Diva, UKDreaming the Bull“Enthralling…Mesmerising…Creates a living past of battle feats, betrayals, heart-breaking loyalties and cruelties.”—Publishing News, UK“Thrilling…Readers will be swept away.” —Booklist, starred reviewDreaming the Eagle“A powerful novel about one of the most intriguing and mysterious women in history…Alive with the love, deceit, wisdom and heroics of humanity. Read it and enjoy!”—Jean M. Auel“The new Mary Renault…Intensely exciting, a tale of passion, courage and heroism against huge odds.”—Publishing News, UK

Simon, the foundling from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, arrives in London to meet an old friend and pursue the study of painting. Instead he finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a wicked crew's fiendish caper to overthrow the good King James and the Duke and Duchess of Battersea. With the help of his friend Sophie and the resourceful waif Dido, Simon narrowly escapes a series of madcap close calls and dangerous run-ins. In a time and place where villains do nothing halfway, Simon is faced with wild wolves, poisoned pies, kidnapping, and a wrecked ship. This is a cleverly contrived tale of intrigue and misadventure.

Now eighteen, Felix sets out across the mountains of Spain to rescue three children kidnapped by their father. Along the way, he hopes to see his true love, Juana, who has entered a convent. But his rescue party is being followed, and Felix fears he and the children are being led into a trap.

A band of misfits seek to fight the darkness that's slowly overcoming their kingdom—the start of a grand adventure series in the tradition of The Chronicles of Narnia and the Wingfeather Saga.Light in the Kingdom of Wildfel is dying. The shadows have been overtaking the light ever since The Great Betrayal. Now, the sun shines increasingly dimmer, it takes more firewood to brighten a room, and the world is growing more desperate and dangerous by the day.Twelve-year-old orphan Finn survives in this world by being a thief, along with his best friend Adrion and younger sister Lydia. When the three meet a mysterious stranger who claims to know of a lake of light, they set off on an adventure across the kingdom. They discover that Wildfel is a place of great danger and great beauty, where the mist can steal your most precious memories, starlight gathers in waterfalls, spiders spin shimmering webs of glass as deadly as they are dazzling. If they can find this mythical lake of light, it could change the course of their lives, and the kingdom itself. There are also secrets hiding in the darkness that could change Finn’s very understanding of everything he knows to be true, even about himself—but only if he's brave enough to step into the light.

“No dragons, but [Crystal Singer] has all of [Anne] McCaffrey's gifts for world-building and characterization . . . an excellent book.”—Chicago Sun-TimesHer name was Killashandra Ree; and after ten grueling years of musical training she was young, beautiful—and still without prospects. Then she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found.For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left.To Killashandra the risks were acceptable . . .

In tenth-century France, Elin, a woman of the pagan Forest People, and Owen, the young Christian bishop of Chantalon, found each other and wed, standing against the brutal onslaughts of Viking invaders. Gifted with the Forest People's powers of "sight", Elin sees a vision of danger to Chantalon, another invasion she fears will soon be visited upon the town. She must protect the child she carries within her. But loving Owen with fierce intensity, she will not run. She will stay and find a way to defy the enemy - a Norseman called Hakon. Owen knows only one way to defeat Hakon - the warrior's way, with sword and sinew. Now he sets out to gather a force to lead against the Vikings. His journey will take him to a crossroads where there is sorcery at work, betrayal waiting, and an act confronting him that can cost him Elin's love.

THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE REVOLUTIONARY DARK STAR TRILOGY IS HERE! Booker Prize-winner Marlon James once again draws on a rich tradition of African mythology and fantasy to imagine a mythic world, a lost child, a 177-year-old witch and a mystery with many answers . . . *Perfect for fans of Pratchett, George R. R. Martin and Octavia Butler* 'Even more gripping and inventive than its predecessor . . . like Tolkien on ayahuasca' Observer ***** Part adventure, part chronicle of an indomitable woman - the witch Sogolon - who bows to no man, this is an unforgettable exploration of power, personality, and the places where they overlap, set in a world at once ancient and startlingly modern. In the words of Neil Gaiman, James has created 'a fantasy world as well-realized as anything Tolkien made, with language as powerful as Angela Carter's'. Chronicling the same events but telling a very different story - who will you believe? Read THE DARK STAR TRILOGY in any order! Book one, BLACK LEOPARD, RED WOLF, is available now. ***** 'Moving, vivid, and thought-provoking . . . brilliant' Buzzfeed 'James masterfully flips the first instalment on its head . . . [A] titanic story of empire, adventure and power' Esquire 'Told with James' inimitable linguistic verve . . . Riotous, ultraviolent, dazzlingly inventive' Literary Hub