Broken Rites. Songs of the Crowmother, #2

When Ireland's sacred heart is stolen, one woman must choose between divine power and mortal love to save her people's souls. In ancient Ireland, the Lia Fáil-the mystical coronation stone-has vanished from Tara's sacred hill, severing the spiritual bonds that unite the island's kingdoms. Without it, no High King can be chosen, and Ireland teeters on the brink of chaos. But this is no ordinary theft.
A sinister force known as the Hollowed spreads across the land, offering peace through the surrender of individual will. Druids speak with empty voices, promising optimal outcomes through spiritual guidance that eliminates the burden of choice itself. Villages wake to find their people converted overnight, speaking of efficiency and resource allocation where once they sang of beauty and meaning. Neassa, High Priestess of Tara, watches helplessly as Ireland's sacred network crumbles.
When the immortal guardian Ríona-marked by divine scars and bearing the gods' blessing-arrives with warnings of approaching darkness, they must forge an unlikely alliance with Boudica, the exiled British queen whose failed rebellion taught her the true cost of resistance. Together with Cathair, a reluctant leader whose bloodline carries the memories of ancient kings, they face an enemy that doesn't conquer territories but consciousness itself.
Queen Medb of Connacht has allied with forces that promise prosperity through the elimination of everything that makes prosperity worthwhile-the songs, the laughter, the terrible beautiful burden of caring about each other despite the certainty of loss. As the corruption spreads and sacred sites fall silent across Ireland, a desperate choice emerges: accept the beautiful peace of surrender, or fight for the right to remain conscious despite the cost.
In a land where druids lose their voices and children forget how to play, the final battle will be fought not with swords but with the simple human refusal to let meaning die."Broken Rites" is a tale of divine intervention and mortal courage, where immortal guardians stand beside flawed leaders to defend the chaos of consciousness against the seduction of perfect order. Perfect for readers of historical fantasy who love Celtic mythology, complex characters, and stories that explore what it truly means to be human.