The sequel to A Harp of Kings brings us another YA fantasy tale, set in a Celtic countryside of Iron Age forts and wayward Fae. A DANCE WITH FATE involves less dancing than the first book, and the determined wrapping up of many loose ends from the earlier tale.

Training as a warrior and bard, Liobhan has risen through the ranks at Swan Island. She still needs to prove herself in combat and a training challenge is arranged between her and her friend Dau. But fights are dangerous, and unfortunately, Dau is injured in a complete accident. His head is harmed and his sight is lost – temporarily perhaps. Liobhan is terribly distressed and blames herself.

Dau’s uppity family arrives to take him home to recover. The chieftain’s eldest son Seanan wants compensation according to the complex Brehon laws. Liobhan agrees to act as a bond servant at the settlement of Oakhill for a year. She hopes by being with Dau, she can help him see again or relearn activities.  The rest of the story follows the tribulations at Oakhill, where everything is not going smoothly. We also see the ominous Crow Folk from the first book again. During the earlier tale, Liobhan’s brother Brocc decided to stay in a Fae realm with its queen. The Crow Folk are there as well, invading and causing harm.

As with the earlier part of the dramatic Warrior Bards series, I found a great deal of repetition. An incident occurs and we hear about it from two points of view, then a formal hearing is held and we learn about it all over again. This happens more than once. Brocc is exploring the Fae realm without much connection to the other two until near the end, so I was wondering if his section was just padding, but it did turn out to have an effect on the Oakhill story. Because of this, I liked A Harp of Kings better, as everything was immediately connected.

Readers with a strong conviction that no fantasies should show women in a lesser role, may be annoyed with Liobhan’s subservience in A DANCE WITH FATE. I suggest that this is probably a reasonable account of how bond servants worked, in the early Celtic society. Our young heroine proves herself a capable warrior and investigator, so consider it undercover work. Some rulers would treat underlings better than others.

Juliet Marillier has written a third instalment in the series, called A Song of Flight. This may be where the understated romances take centre stage.