Review: The Epic of Brigid Callahan by Beau Wallis

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Published: June 2024
Pages: 286

Synopsis

What would you do if you didn’t want to fulfil a prophecy?

Brigid Callahan is anything but ordinary. At sixteen, she’s burdened with a fate she never asked to defeat the one-eyed giant Balor as foretold in an ancient prophecy. But she’d rather deal with teenage troubles than train endlessly for battle with her guardians Cú Chulainn and Fionn Mac Cumhaill.

Cú and Fionn don’t see it that way.

That’s fine, because Brigid Callahan’s got a plan, the Egyptian God of Chaos on her side, and more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She is not going to spend the rest of her life training to defeat some giant that’s probably never going to pop back up.

It’s been over 2000 years since he was last seen. He’s definitely dead.

Right?

Join Brigid Callahan on an exhilarating adventure as she attempts to defy prophecies, challenge fate, and write her own future. Will she evade destiny’s grasp? Or will she embrace her role in shaping the future of her world?

My Thoughts…

This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.

Brigid Callahan is special: at sixteen, she’s been training all her life with her legendary guardians Cú Chulainn and Fionn Mac Cumhaill so she may be ready to defeat the one-eyed giant Balor as foretold by an ancient prophecy. That is if Balor ever does show up during her lifetime. Brigid would much rather do normal teenage things since Balor is probably dead anyway and so, with Set the Egyptian God of Chaos by her side, she enacts a cunning plan to free herself from destiny’s grasp. Surely nothing bad can happen in the meantime… right?

The Epic of Brigid Callahan is a light-hearted and refreshing take on the reluctant hero trope. As one of the few remaining people with fae blood, Brigid has dedicated all her life so far to training to defeat Balor and yet, she is only a typical teenager seeking to find her place in the world and to understand who she is beyond what others tell her. The themes of identity, belonging and family blend beautifully with the high-stakes action plot. Brigid is a charming protagonist, full of wit and cunning, determined not to appear fragile in front of her mythological guardians. Even though some of her interactions with her guardians appeared slightly repetitive after a while, she embarked on a deeply satisfying growth arc right up to its conclusion.

The world of this book is rich in characters drawn from different mythological traditions – blending Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, Norse, and many more – providing a vivid mosaic of side characters even though in some cases this felt a bit more like name-dropping than building fully fleshed-out characters. The initial set-up could also have been tidied up slightly to make the introduction a little less confusing, particularly for readers who might not be overly familiar with the lore. Balor is also a fairly typical villain seeking world domination and could have benefited from a slightly more complex characterisation. Still, he plays his role well in all his evilness.

With action aplenty, humour, and heart, The Epic of Brigid Callahan is a deeply entertaining novel perfect for both its YA audience and young-at-heart adults.