Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Released: March 1, 2010
My rating: 4/5
Goodreads synopsis:
Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake and apprentice to Merlin the mage. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and avarice of man. But the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even Avalon's peace, and Merlin needs his apprentice to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. And so Niviene must use her special talents to help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love. A mystical love story, now back in print, sure to become a modern teen classic.
My Thoughts:
This was a tough review as I enjoyed the book when reading it but couldn't figure out WHY I liked it and then after I finished I kept seeing not-so-hot reviews. I thought, well darn I better come up with something to defend this book! Sadly you will see my argument is fairly weak. I can see some of the arguments against (time lapses made it a tad confusing in parts, slow moving) but I wonder if the reason maybe has to do with people having/not having an Arthurian background? I had to 'consult' my BFF, Jackie, on a few things to see what was added, altered or kept true to Arthur's story and there were parts of story I felt went undeveloped, but overall, I don't see my time was wasted reading this book and perhaps will even re-read it another day. I came into this book expecting an Arthurian story (which fascinate me) and saw the Fey aspect as a bonus, plus I love variations on stories which is why I think I liked it. If this is also your cup of tea, then I think you too will like this one! (Though I must add Helen Hollick's Arthurian trilogy was amazing, so if you are looking for a purely Arthurian story, check her out!)
Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake and apprentice to Merlin the mage. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and avarice of man. But the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even Avalon's peace, and Merlin needs his apprentice to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. And so Niviene must use her special talents to help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love. A mystical love story, now back in print, sure to become a modern teen classic.
My Thoughts:
This was a tough review as I enjoyed the book when reading it but couldn't figure out WHY I liked it and then after I finished I kept seeing not-so-hot reviews. I thought, well darn I better come up with something to defend this book! Sadly you will see my argument is fairly weak. I can see some of the arguments against (time lapses made it a tad confusing in parts, slow moving) but I wonder if the reason maybe has to do with people having/not having an Arthurian background? I had to 'consult' my BFF, Jackie, on a few things to see what was added, altered or kept true to Arthur's story and there were parts of story I felt went undeveloped, but overall, I don't see my time was wasted reading this book and perhaps will even re-read it another day. I came into this book expecting an Arthurian story (which fascinate me) and saw the Fey aspect as a bonus, plus I love variations on stories which is why I think I liked it. If this is also your cup of tea, then I think you too will like this one! (Though I must add Helen Hollick's Arthurian trilogy was amazing, so if you are looking for a purely Arthurian story, check her out!)
About Author Mel Boulrice
LOL
ReplyDeleteNoted ;)
Great, honest review!! We all like different things :) I haven't read this one, but I think it looks great, and I've been bummed to see all the negative reviews.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame, it's such a beautiful cover!
ReplyDeleteJuju - not sure if this is something you would have liked :(
ReplyDeleteCarrie - yes it was a bummer, not sure it deserves all the negative ones but not one to rave about either :(
Alaine - I know, the cover is stunning! Are you reading this? I'd be curious of your thoughts on this one actually :)
I really like the book too (as you know). It's a different take on the story, with some interesting explanations. Glad I could help with the Lancelot background :-)
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