Plot Twists & Poor Decisions: Tides of Treachery (Beyond the Faerie Rath Book) by Hanna Park

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was how deeply rooted it is in Celtic mythology. So many fantasy novels borrow a few elements from folklore, but Tides of Treachery feels as though it grows directly from those ancient stories and legends.

Magic is woven through every part of the novel, and not all of it is benevolent. There is a constant struggle between light and darkness, with old powers stirring beneath the surface and secrets lurking where you least expect them. I loved the sense that danger could come from anywhere, whether from human ambition or something far older and far more powerful.

The story grabbed my attention from the beginning. A druid beheading a man is certainly one way to make an impression, and from that point onwards I found myself questioning everyone's motives. There are very few easy answers in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to work out who could be trusted.

I also found Ruairi's story particularly intriguing. There is something wonderfully tragic about a man carrying the weight of a past that stretches beyond an ordinary lifetime. The mythology surrounding him added another layer to his character, and I found myself just as invested in his journey as I was in Macha's.

The romance between Macha and Ruairi develops against a backdrop of magic, prophecy, and danger. Their relationship felt earned, and some of their scenes together were surprisingly sensual without ever overwhelming the larger story.

This isn't the sort of fantasy that can be rushed through. There is a richness to the world-building and mythology that rewards taking your time and becoming immersed in the story. The more I read, the more invested I became in both the characters and the fate of Ulaid.

A richly imagined tale filled with Celtic mythology, dark magic, ancient mysteries, and memorable characters. I closed the book feeling satisfied with the journey while already looking forward to spending more time in this world.

I'd give Tides of Treachery 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of five.

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I began my writing career in the pre-dawn of a winter morning while my husband snored like a train. We could call my husband the catalyst. If it weren’t for him, I would never have gone to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee, feed the cat, and sit on the loveseat in front of the fire. It was there, in those moments of wondrous quiet, that I did something I had never thought possible. I opened my laptop, and while the coffee went cold, I wrote a story. My husband had no idea that these sojourns to the loveseat in front of the fire would become a daily occurrence, that writing would become an obsession, but the cat knew. She knows everything.