Recommendations based on "Tales of Fire and Freedom: Gael Song Stories"

Poet, writer, and Instagram sensation Nikita Gill returns with a collection of fairytales poetically retold for a new generation of women.Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

Juliet Marillier is a rare talent, a writer who can imbue her characters and her story with such warmth, such heart, that no reader can come away from her work untouched. Daughter of the Forest is a testimony to that talent, a first novel and the beginning of a trilogy like no other: a mixture of history and fantasy, myth and magic, legend and love.Lord Colum of Sevenwaters is blessed with six sons: Liam, a natural leader; Diarmid, with his passion for adventure; twins Cormack and Conor, each with a different calling; rebellious Finbar, grown old before his time by his gift of the Sight; and the young, compassionate Padriac.But it is Sorcha, the seventh child and only daughter, who alone is destined to defend her family and protect her land from the Britons and the clan known as Northwoods. For her father has been bewitched, and her brothers bound by a spell that only Sorcha can lift.To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known, and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss, and terror.When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems that there will be no way for her to break the spell that condemns all that she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and Sorcha will have to choose between the life she has always known and a love that comes only once..

From the New York Times bestselling author of RUMP, comes a spellbinding fairy tale featuring a brave heroine, a wild wolf, plenty of magical misadventures, and more!Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic.But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is forced to confront her one weakness.With the help of a blond, porridge-sampling nuisance called Goldie, Red goes on a quest to cure Granny. Her journey takes her through dwarves’ caverns to a haunted well and a beast’s castle. All the while, Red and Goldie are followed by a wolf and a huntsman—two mortal enemies who seek the girls’ help to defeat each other. And one of them just might have the magical solution Red is looking for. . . .Liesl Shurtliff weaves a spellbinding tale, shining the spotlight on a beloved character from her award-winning debut, Rump."Red is the most wonder-filled fairy tale of them all!” -- Chris Grabenstein, New York Times Bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library."Moving and filled with hope . . . the charm of Shurtliff's retelling is how she imbues the storybook tropes with vibrant humanity."—Shelf Awareness, starred reviewAnd don't miss Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk, "a delightful story of family, perseverance and courage" (Booklist).

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

With all the magic of Narnia and the humour of Mary Poppins, this is a future middle grade fantasy classic – and the beginning of an unforgettable journey…Imogen should be nice to her little sister Marie. She should be nice to her mum’s boyfriend too. And she certainly shouldn’t follow a strange silver moth through a door in a tree.But then… who does what they’re told?Followed by Marie, Imogen finds herself falling into a magical kingdom where the two sisters are swept up in a thrilling race against time – helped by the spoiled prince of the kingdom, a dancing bear, a very grumpy hunter… and even the stars above them.Thrilling, sharply funny, and with characters you will fall in love with, A Clock of Stars is a timeless fantasy from an astonishing new voice.

The world is at war and the prophesied savior is nowhere to be found. The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, races to find her in the fourth novel of Andrzej Sapkowski's groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life.But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies including Dandelion, Milva, Regis, and Cahir, to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down. Her crimes have made her famous.There is only one place left to run. The tower of the swallow is waiting. . .Witcher collectionsThe Last WishSword of DestinyWitcher novelsBlood of ElvesThe Time of ContemptBaptism of FireThe Tower of SwallowsLady of the LakeSeason of StormsHussite TrilogyThe Tower of FoolsWarriors of GodTranslated from original Polish by David French

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.

"A quick-moving, enchanting tale" (Booklist) from an acclaimed historical novelist. When the women of the patriarchal Tribe of the Horse are fatally poisoned by tainted water, the men kidnap the women of the matriarchal Tribe of the Red Deer. A timeless tale of conflict between two societies set against a backdrop of ancient magic, mammoth hunts, and secret rituals.

Set way before the mists of time, when humankind was taking its first defiant steps to master the earth, this brilliantly imagined tale returns to the same setting of Joan Wolf's first novel of prehistory, Daughter of the Red Deer. The tribes who call themselves the Kindred and live in the lush green valleys of Southern France have already encountered the rivalries and desires that divide societies while uniting passionate men and women with a force no power, ancient or modern, has ever deigned to break. One of the special tribes among the Kindred, the Tribe of the Red Deer alone is still ruled by the priestess/chief called the Mistress. Through cabalistic rites in mysterious caves, she teachers her band to share in the sacred gifts of the Great Mother. But change is coming on the chill wind that howls through the stark Pyrenees. Alarming reports are being circulated during Kindred gatherings about a race of conquerors swooping down from the North. Yet the Tribe's Mistress, Arika, gives little credence to such wild stories. Her attention is captured by the ambition of the proud, handsome young Ronan, the son she gave away at birth; the charisma of the small, dark-haired girl, Nel, her dead sister's child whose extraordinary talents with animals and healing will someday make her a dangerous rival; and the lust of beautiful, laughing, sensual Morna, Arika's self-centered daughter who is intent on seducing Ronan, the one warrior forbidden to her because he is her half-brother. As ageless hungers for love and power become a catalyst in the battle for the tribe's destiny, Ronan is cast out. While struggling to form a tribe of his own, he undertakes a journey to an Eden-like secret valley anddiscovers that the fierce band of northerners has mastered the art of horsemanship and is moving south in a wave of conquest. The terrifying threat is that these brutal warriors will enslave the Kindred women, murder their men, and burn their villages to ashes. Ronan's challenge