Winner: YA Book of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2020
Winner: Book of the Year, KPMG-Children's Books Ireland Awards 2021

A dark, feminist retelling of The Children of Lir by the author of the multi-award-winning Tangleweed and Brine

'Breathes new life into the Irish legend of the Children of Lir.' The Obrsever

'Saturated with the power of Sullivan’s lyrical prose.’ The Guardian


A retelling of the favourite Irish fairytale The Children of Lir. Aife marries Lir, a chieftain with four children by his previous wife. Jealous of his affection for his children, the witch Aife turns them into swans for 900 years.

Retold through the voice of Aife, Savage Her Reply is unsettling and dark, feminist and fierce, yet nuanced in its exploration of the guilt of a complex character.

A dark & witchy feminist retelling from the author of Tangleweed and Brine

Illustrated by: Karen Vaughan