Her Hidden Fire – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: One Girl’s Power Amid Corruption.
YA book title: Her Hidden Fire.
YA author: Clíodhna O’Sullivan.
Genre: Romantasy.
Published by: Penguin Books.
ISBN: 9780241714812.
Recommended for children aged: 14+.
First published: Paperback March 2026.
This YA book is ideal for: teen readers looking for a gripping fantasy and slow burn romance in an Irish inspired world. It explores corruption, misuse of power and rooting for the underdog.
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Our review:
Her Hidden Fire, published in March 2026, is a gripping YA fantasy novel set in an Irish-inspired world. The book centres around Éadha, a young goatherd living in Ailm’s Keep on an island called Domhain. Éadha has led a quiet and contented childhood as the companion of Ionáin, the grandson of the last Channeller of the Keep. Despite the scarcity of adequate food, the pair led a childhood that was relatively sheltered from the darker secrets of Domhain.
The story begins with Ionáin awaiting his Reckoning, a ceremony which will determine whether he has power enough to become the next Channeller of Ailm’s Keep. Although Éadha is also due her Reckoning, the focus is on Ionáin, as his fate will decide the fate of the entire Keep. In an unexpected turn of events, Éadha discovers that she possesses deeply powerful channelling skills. However, it is not long before she learns a disturbing secret behind the channeller’s powers and makes a promise to hide her abilities. Possessing secret power turns out to be no easy thing in Domhain, and as the story progresses, the secrets that Éadha holds become more complex and harder to manage.
As themes of both abuse of power and gender inequality emerge and deepen, Éadha’s situation becomes ever more precarious. It is clear from early on that Domhain runs on a patriarchal system, with the vast majority of men with power being Channellers and the vast majority of women with power being Keepers, therefore being considered as having less power. The reader feels Éadha’s pain and pent-up power as she is forced to mute herself both vocally and physically, a feeling that many female readers may be familiar with. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that there is, in fact, more than one kind of power, but only one way that is allowed by the Master. Those who fail to comply with the brutal regime are severely punished.
The theme of gender inequality evolves further as Éadha discovers that there is hidden history regarding a particular female figure of power who has been deliberately erased from the stories passed on to each new generation. This situation is reflected many times in our own history, for example, with the erasure of Anna Maria Mozart and her achievements, as well as the credit misplaced for the achievements of Ada Lovelace and numerous other females, many of whom we still cannot name. These themes leave much opportunity for readers to reflect on both real-life situations and compare them with a wide range of both classical and modern texts which explore similar themes. As either a group or individual activity, students could even redesign Domhain in a way that they feel would be fairer.
The slow-burn romance between Éadha and Ionáin plays a key part throughout the narrative. It is initially complicated by Éadha keeping her powers secret from Ionáin and later complicated further by the introduction of Keeper Gry. Gry adds intrigue to the wider plot, as his family have a better knowledge of the history of power on Domhain and different attitudes to the other powerful families. The friendship that develops between Gry and Éadha turns the situation into a love triangle, leaving much opportunity for debate as to which is the better match. Gry’s statement that he wished Éadha had met him first is a particularly poignant moment that I am sure many can relate to. Ionáin is also pursued by wealthier family girls, which leads to misunderstandings and confusion. Issues of class come into play here, as Éadha is not seen by society as a match for Ionáin despite them having grown up together and caring about each other deeply.
Her Hidden Fire covers important topics for young adults living in this tumultuous modern world, whilst also creating an opportunity to escape into a fantasy world and put yourself in the shoes of a young goatherd who we secretly hope will overthrow the systems of the world she lives in. Later this year, O’Sullivan will be releasing a sequel, Her Rising Flame, and I, for one, can’t wait.
Many thanks to Penguin for the review copy.
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