Aife marries Lir, a king with four children by his previous wife. Jealous of his affection for his children, the witch Aife turns them into swans for 900 years.
This retelling of the favourite Irish fairytale ‘The Children of Lir’, is seen from the perspective of Aife. It is unsettling and dark, feminist and fierce, yet nuanced in its exploration of the guilt of a complex character.
Voiced in Sullivan’s trademark rich, lyrical prose as developed in Tangleweed and Brine - the multiple award-winner which established Sullivan as the queen of witchy YA, which has been awarded the YA Book of the Year in the Irish Book Awards. No-one writes like Deirdre Sullivan. She is lyrical, poetic and intoxicating. - Juno Dawson, author of Wonderland This is a fiercely feminist novel, but it escapes being polemical partly through its lyrical prose and partly through its commitment to empathy and compassion … intellectually pleasing and emotionally devastating. - Claire Hennessy, The Irish Times