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Tommy Kennedy is an alternative, sensitive soul. He’s a musician and loves old 80’s indie rock bands from Britain, especially The Cure, The Smiths and Morrissey. He’s also very knowledgeable about Irish history, folklore and poets; so much so his teachers consult him before they even think of trying to pronounce any Gaelic words in texts. It stems from his Nana. His great-grandmother who emigrated to America when she was a child from Sligo. When his Nana, at the ripe age of 96, passes away Tommy meets Eve, a carer at the hospice where his Nana lived out her last days. They form a connection, and before long, Tommy finds out that Eve is far more than a humble carer. She’s a Banshee Queen.
Death’s Fair Maiden starts of with Eve’s story – or as she was in 1,500 BCE, Aibheal (pronounced Ee-vahl), describing her untimely death from the plotting of her little sister who wanted to be a Queen. O’Mahony paints a vivid picture of a dark, pre-Christian era Ireland, the reader can practically smell the fire from the braziers as Aibheal tries to flee to Albion with her lover. You feel the stab, not only of the knife which kills her, but the sharp tang of betrayal from her sister. It’s richly written and immediately captures the imagination.
Unfortunately, some of that richness fades when the story continues, narrated by Tommy. It feels as though he skips over a lot of important parts of the story – concentrating only on what affects him. Even at the end, when everything. just seems to fall smoothly into place, he skims across it – focusing instead on just what those events made him feel like.
Saying that, O’Mahony doesn’t shy away from some disturbing themes in Death’s Fair Maiden. While it could, ultimately, be called a paranormal romance, there are so many other aspects to this novel. He touches on some major events in Irish history – from the Battle of Clontarf to the Easter Rising. He also discusses bullying (verbal and physical) and sexual harassment in schools and teachers apathy if the crimes are committed by the popular crowd; suicide and suicidal ideations; the old gods and human sacrifice.
In all, this isn’t a book for the faint hearted. There’s some graphic violence and sex, as well a lot of history – all wrapped up with a boy who just wants to be a musician. There’s also a great soundtrack that accompanies it – if you enjoy The Smiths and The Cure, that is.
S. A
First published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the original review here.
Death’s Fair Maiden is available to buy on Amazon. It’s also available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited.