It’s less than a day after arriving at their grandmother’s house in Connemara (Ireland) that Amy and her grumbling big brother Liam find the adventure Amy is determined to have.

Only the night before, Amy discovered a book written by her grandmother about a magical land called Tír na nÓg. It’s a land full of magic and eternal youth. Fascinated, Amy asks questions but Liam scoffs at the very thought of it. When Amy sets off for the day after breakfast, Liam trudges along behind her, thinking he’d rather read a book.

A strange white bird appears above them, leading first Amy then a reluctant Liam to a waterfall. Amy, headstrong, defiant and brave pushes through the waterfall and vanishes. Liam has no option but to follow his little sister…again. When he finds her on the other side he tries to go back. There is only a wall of rock.

In front of them grow trees as tall as skyscrapers, birds that look nothing like the ones Liam likes to watch on nature documentaries, and then a river sings to them! In shock, these siblings realise that Gran’s Tír na nÓg might just be real. Wonders of this strange land are soon forgotten as horrors reveal themselves. The ground begins to rumble and they scramble to hide. Liam isn’t quick enough and Amy watches agape as Liam is snatched up by the strangers. Strangers with nothing above their shoulders but swarming black mist in the place of a head.

Amy is the type of girl that doesn’t give up. Soon she has made friends with people of the area, including the Fianna – brave soldiers of this realm. When Amy asks them to help save her brother she has her work cut out for her. As she learns more about this land, she understands their worries.

A powerful mage called Tarlock rules Tír na nÓg, chaining the sun in the sky, preventing it from rising or setting. No-one knows how to stop Tarlock’s ‘forever young’ spell, but Amy being Amy won’t hear any excuses and does everything she can to find a way to Liam. Her determination and spirit inspire others, including the Pooka who have been turned from human to animal for defying Tarlock.

What follows is a battle between good and evil and the discovery of a family member lost many years before. Can they finally break the curse of Tír na nÓg and free all who live there?

A rollicking tale of magic, courage, good vs evil and sibling love. Amy is the feistiest character I have read and enjoyed in a while. The very behaviour that drives her elder brother mad in the real world, is what saves him in a magical one. She is told the rules and warned against certain behaviour in a new land she has stumbled upon, but does what she thinks is right in order to get to her sibling.

Wolves, selkies, swans and horses are all in the mix to fight an evil curse. It’s weakening and now is the time to strike. But Amy and Liam are on the villain’s list for a new curse, one that will never be broken. Will they be part of the solution or make things 100 times worse?

As a Narnia fan, I enjoyed this story set in a magical place, with talking rivers, multifaced trees, and ocean creatures (selkies). The build-up to a frightening battle of headless horsemen against all who’d been wronged by an evil mage, is page-turning stuff!

By the way, The Lost Girl King isn’t who I thought she was. Grab a copy and see what I mean.

Author – Catherine Doyle

Illustrator – Alessia Trunfio

Age – 8+

(2022, Bloomsbury, Magic, Tír na nÓg, Myth, Legend, Ireland, Good vs Evil, Curse, Chained Sun, Irish, Siblings, Courage, Determination, Brother and Sister, Castle, Dungeon, Memory, Waterfall Portal, Battle, Fight, Selkies, Magical Creatures, Adventure, Action, Animals, Fantasy, Love)