I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Nightshade & Oak by Molly O'Neill Published by Orbit on February 3 2026
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A grand and harrowing adventure sets the stage for this intimate portrayal of an unlikely romance.
Molly O’Neill has become a go-to author for me, especially since she’s proven that she can write a satisfying follow-up to the amazing Greenteeth. Once again, her story is rooted in history and mythology and gives readers a wonderfully relatable main character to cheer for. This is a quest story that allows the romantic couple time to get to know one another while they complete seemingly impossible tasks.
We follow two main characters. Mallt Y Nos is the Nightshade Goddess of Death. For thousands of years, she’s kept Briton’s land free of dangerous spirits by ushering souls from dead bodies to the afterlife. Mallt is a powerful being with barely a care in the world. She is accompanied by her pack of loyal hounds who help her in her task, and she’s even friends with the fae Gwyn ap Nud, the Lord of the Hunt, and often visits their realm.
But one day, as she’s cleaning up after a terrible battle between the Romans and the Inceni tribe, she comes upon two young women, one on the brink of death who appears to need her help. But as she begins her work to send the soul on to the next life, the other girl performs a spell that takes away Mallt’s powers and leaves her human. Powerless and trapped in an unfamiliar body, Mallt is furious with the girl, an Inceni warrior princess names Belis who was simply trying to save her sister Cati.
When Mallt explains that Cati’s body is still alive but her soul is gone, she agrees to help Belis by making the long journey to Annwn, a waystation for souls who aren’t ready to move on. She believes the Lord of the Dead will help them, and even more important, he’ll be able to help Mallt get her powers back.
But when they arrive, things in Annwn are dire. A malevolent plague is infecting the land, and until it’s stopped, there’s nothing the Lord of the Dead can do to help either Mallt or Belis.
The plot is fairly straightforward: Mallt and Belis are on a quest to get what they want, and along the way, they are given several tasks that they must complete in order to move on. I thought the quest plot worked pretty well, although it does slow the pace down in spots. But it did allow Belis and Mallt time to get to know each other, and their relationship was one of my favorite things in the story.
Mallt is a wonderful character. She’s a goddess who has lost her powers, and she’s dealing with having a human body for the first time, with all the aches and pains, hunger and other physical limitations that are part of being human. At first she complains a lot, but little by little she starts to build strength as she’s forced to hike for miles, sleep on the ground, and hunt for food. Belis is the perfect foil for her and teaches her how to survive in the wild, and it’s during this time that the two begin to grudgingly like each other. Mallt doesn’t understand how to speak to humans at first, but she learns humility along the way.
We get to know Belis through flashback chapters, showing her life growing up as royalty. Belis’s mother Boudica insists she learn how to fight, and I loved that she wasn’t a fragile flower who couldn’t take care of herself, but a powerful warrior who was raised to defend her people.
We meet some interesting side characters as well. I loved Arawn, the Lord of the Dead, and his good friend Rhiannon, a witch who was trying to push back the darkness in Annwn when she disappeared. Most of the characters are trying to help Mallt and Belis, and the only real threats in the story are the Romans, who are after Belis so they can end her family line.
The story has a T. Kingfisher vibe, so fans of that author will probably love this book. It was especially strong during one scene where the women meet a witch named Vatta and stay at her cozy cottage, completely with a roaring fire and a cat! I did want more of the dogs, especially Mallt’s favorite dog Dormath, but I will say that no dogs are harmed in Nightshade & Oak, something I’m very grateful for.
An ending can sometimes make or break a story for me, and I’m happy to report that I absolutely loved the way O’Neill ended this one. It wasn’t the ending I expected, but it was the perfect way to wrap up Mallt’s and Belis’s adventures. Fans of Greenteeth will not want to miss this book.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Great review! I’m so excited for this one!
I hope you enjoy it!
Yep, clearly I need to get started on this one! And it’s a relief to know no dogs are harmed tbh…
I was worried for the dog at first, especially since she leaves him behind to watch over the almost dead sister. But all good!
As per usual I’m so so so glad no dogs were harmed in this book. Always such a relief! I also love that it has a T. Kingfisher vibe!
It’s got that sweet quirky vibe going on that so many Kingfisher books have:-)
Lovely review, I can see a lot of readers longing to pick it up after that Kingfisher comparision. It sounds like it has a lot of great characters and I love learning people’s pasts via flashbacks. Here’s hoping you also love whatever the author writes next.
Thank you Charlotte. The characters were so strong.
Interesting! The characters of Malit and Gwyn and the Lord of the Hunt are all part of the Cainsville series by Kelley Armstrong. Completely different stories but utilizing those characters.
She adds lots of mythology to her stories, and I’m curious to read more about these characters since I wasn’t familiar with this myth.
I’m so happy to see your review! I loved Greenteeth, and I’m glad to hear that this book is great too.
I still enjoyed Greenteeth more, but I’m so happy her second book was so good. Sometimes that’s not the case:-)
Oh, this sounds really good! I’ll have to see if I can get a copy sometime soon.
It’s definitely worth trying:-)
This book seems full of interesting characters and I want to meet them all! (Especially the dogs!!). But the first book by this author didn’t really work for me. I mean, it wasn’t bad but I didn’t love it and I wasn’t interested in trying again but… But you made this one sound soooo good! I will have to think about it!
This might work for you!
I still need to read Greenteeth! But it’s on my list. And now, so is this one. ;D
I liked Greenteeth more, but this is really good too:-)
I haven’t tried Greenteeth so I can’t compare with that, but I have enjoyed what T. Kingfisher I’ve read, so it has that going for it. Awesome to see you’ve enjoyed both of the author’s books.
Sometimes that second book isn’t nearly as good, but luckily that wasn’t the case here:-)
This is such a good cover. I am not familiar with this author, but I like that this one reminds you of T. Kingfisher. Also love a good ending. Great review!
Endings are so important, at least to me. This was a great one:-)
I hope to read this book very soon!
I hope you enjoy it!
I’m glad you enjoyed this one. Nice cover too!
The cover is gorgeous!
I also adored the part when Mallt had to adjust to her new fate and body. I even wrote in my notes that “she was like a new babe”!
Yes exactly! She had to learn everything.
I was eyeing this one, but your thoughts made me buy it!! I also just read Sh!tshow!
I hope you enjoy this! And I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Shitshow!
Great review. This is such a good story (interestingly I’m now reading Boudicca’s daughter so certain elements cross over), i really enjoyed the two characters and their interactions. I love the way O’Neill writes and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Lynn 😀
Thanks Lynn! I love her writing too, it’s sort of casual and I think that makes it easier to jump into.
This sounds really good! I remember the cover for Greenteeth I think, but not whether I wanted to read it, but I might have to give this author a chance. And this has a beautiful cover as well. Great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2026/02/02/e-galley-review-just-for-the-cameras-bay-area-players-1-by-meghan-quinn/
I just finished this and enjoyed this too but I thought Greenteeth was stronger. Probably because of the characters!