The Warrior's Daughter (Young Adult Challenge 2009 #7 of 12)

I have read many books about the old Irish - Red Branch and Lion of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn (along with many others of hers), a fun YA called Why I Let My Hair Grow Out, The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutheford, and some others. But one of my favorites so far is definitely The Warrior's Daughter by Holly Bennet. Luaine (pronounced Loo-in-ya) is the daughter of the Irish warrior hero Cuchulainn (pronounced Coo-khull-in) and the incredibly strong Irish maiden Emer. She has a relatively happy childhood in the shadow of her much larger-than-life father. She is given a raven named Fintan by a druid and has a bit of the second-sight through her connection with the bird. When her father returns from a battle barely hanging onto life Luaine is forced to see her life with the eyes of a young woman rather than those of a child - her life only gets more difficult from then on. Luiane is a fantastic character. Strong-willed, determined, frustrated by the life her parents have forced upon her and yet devoted to them, Luaine is able to truly find that inner strength she needs to survive a time of bloody war and treachery.