The battling personalities of a high spirited 16-yr. old in 6th century Ireland and that of her jealous aunt appear to have little in common. Brigit is kind though inexperienced, having lived most of her life with Christian monks while Medb, who is queen of the Sun Palace is sly, war-hardened, and completely in control of those around her. Each woman wants the same thing, the love of one man and to keep safe all she holds dear, one by killing everyone in her path, the other by exposing hidden truths.
While Brigit is welcomed into her father's house, her foster sister, Geileis has finally married the man she loves. Arguis, while on the surface clams an arrogant manner; it is only a facade. A compassionate powerful personality is revealed to his new wife when his newborn son by another woman comes to live with the new couple. After much misunderstanding, the three become a family. They settle into their lives together when Arguis is brutally abducted and presumed dead. Grief stricken, Geileis has more than her husband's death that weighs heavily on her heart. Troubled by guilt and hopelessness, she agrees to marry another man. She has no idea that by doing this she has set in motion a path of destruction and given Medb the power to destroy her father's kingdom to a mad woman.
The Sun Palace has been described as a excellent adventure of religious tension, tribal rivalry, and betrayal told in a distinctly Irish voice.
Brighid O'Sullivan has worn many hats. She attended college for nursing and writing. She ran two businesses of her own, one in sales and the other sewing wedding gowns. Now she writes Irish historical fiction and all about Ireland, which she visits often. Brighid has written for History Magazine, History Channel magazine, and also writes a blog centered on history, travel, and all things Irish . She lives in Western NY with her adoring husband, her amusing grand-children and a few goldfish.
Here, we see a father who is surprised at the bravery and perhaps fool hardiness of his only daughter. Perhaps he sees a bit of himself in her. Perhaps he sees his wife. Brigit has done something very daring, something dangerous and very much out of her usual character. She's taken something of value from someone who hates her, her evil Aunt who would like nothing more than to see Brigit vanish from her world forever. In fact Queen Mebd would like to kill Brigit. However, Brigit is not frightened. In a rare moment of anger and bitterness, she seizes her aunt's crutch and throws it into the fire.
Book Excerpt
The Sun Palace
Dubthach stared at the charred wood on the edge of the hearth. The peat was reduced to pale grey ash cradled in large boulders stacked in a semi-circular pattern; wisps of grey-blue smoke streamed up toward the heat-hole. What was left of Medb's crutch, lay on a mound of turf, reduced to the length of a man's forearm, dark, soft, vanquished. He was still surprised that Brigit had managed to get her hands on it, even more shocked that she was bold enough to destroy the thing. He shook his head, wondering if he was more angry or amused. He squirmed inside his shirt; it was soaked linen and clung to his back like a second skin, reeking of horse flesh and exhaustion coated with his own putrid smell of too long a ride through hill and moor and mist. He toed the crutch further into the hearth, coating his sandal with black soot
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