Queenswood - by Kathleen Schwab

Book Synopsis

Queenswood is a lush, lyrical historical fantasy debut that transports readers to twelfth century Ireland.

In twelfth-century Ireland, girls go missing--fleeing arranged marriages, carried off by outlaws, abducted by faeries. Rhiannon, treasured daughter of nobility, believes herself secure, shielded by her parents' stone manor and friendship with the king. But as her beauty grows and suitors jostle for her dowry, she watches her father's tenants wrung dry in order to supply the banquet for her older sister's wedding, and realizes the marriage market is a game she does not want to win. A convent offers a life of books and learning, although it means turning her back on mortal men for good.

Angus, Crown Prince of Faerie, grew up in the Queenswood, the enchanted old-growth forest that feeds all the woodlands of Earth and Faerie. Even once he comes of age, Angus much prefers roaming the wilds over the High Court and the responsibility of choosing a bride. But when he sees his mother fading--and the Queenswood dropping its leaves in mourning--he knows he cannot put it off any longer. He must do his duty as the prince and journey to the human world to find a maiden who can become the next Queen of Faerie.

Set in an Ireland still reeling from the Norman invasions, Queenswood combines a deep and immersive historical world with folkloric fantasy adventure.