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books4susie's review against another edition
4.0
Elaine Harrison, aka Ellie, is starting her junior year of high school away from home. Her parents, both Medievalist professors, are on a sabbatical for one year in Annapolis, Maryland. Her father is researching for a book he is writing on an old rusty sword while her mother continues her research on Elaine of Astolat. Ellie is named after Lady Elaine Asolat, the title character from the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem, The Lady of Shalott. In the poem, Elaine kills herself when Lancelot chooses Queen Guinevere over her. Ellie has grown up with the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Ellie’s not thrilled about the move but her parents do rent a house with a pool. She spends all of her time floating in it until her mother persuades her to go jogging with her father at the local park. Quickly leaving her father behind, Ellie notices a cute dark haired boy talking with a blond girl and guy. He smiles at her and seems to say something to her that she doesn’t understand because she is listening to her iPod. Ellie goes to the park every day for the next two weeks but doesn’t run into the dark haired biy again until her first day at her new high school.
At Avalon High. Ellie quickly spies the cute dark haired boy, A. William Wagner. Will is the senior class president, quarterback of the football team and all around great guy. He finds himself drawn to Ellie even though he has a steady girlfriend, Jennifer Gold. Ellie soon finds herself drawn to Will and is invited by him to start hanging out with his inner circle of friends that includes his best friend Lance and step brother Marco. Between her World Literature teacher Mr. Morton partnering her with Lance for an oral presentation and Marco calling her the Lily maid (a reference to Elaine of Astolat), Ellie begins to think something is not quite right at Avalon High.
After a day of sailing with Will and his friends, Marco spills the beans about Jennifer dating Lance behind Will’s back. Will is actually a bit relieved and not upset. When the news hits Avalon High, Mr. Morton tells Ellie that she is too late and he will be leaving. She asks him what and he tells her once again that evil has won out over good and King Arthur will not come back into power. When Mr. Morton informs her of his belief that Will is the reincarnation of King Arthur, Ellie decides to figure out what is really going on before it is too late.
Is it really impossible that King Arthur’s court has been reincarnated in Annapolis? And will history repeat itself once again?
This was a cute read that had me sucked in. A bit slow at the start, the action leads to a climax at the end along with a few unexpected surprises.
Ellie’s not thrilled about the move but her parents do rent a house with a pool. She spends all of her time floating in it until her mother persuades her to go jogging with her father at the local park. Quickly leaving her father behind, Ellie notices a cute dark haired boy talking with a blond girl and guy. He smiles at her and seems to say something to her that she doesn’t understand because she is listening to her iPod. Ellie goes to the park every day for the next two weeks but doesn’t run into the dark haired biy again until her first day at her new high school.
At Avalon High. Ellie quickly spies the cute dark haired boy, A. William Wagner. Will is the senior class president, quarterback of the football team and all around great guy. He finds himself drawn to Ellie even though he has a steady girlfriend, Jennifer Gold. Ellie soon finds herself drawn to Will and is invited by him to start hanging out with his inner circle of friends that includes his best friend Lance and step brother Marco. Between her World Literature teacher Mr. Morton partnering her with Lance for an oral presentation and Marco calling her the Lily maid (a reference to Elaine of Astolat), Ellie begins to think something is not quite right at Avalon High.
After a day of sailing with Will and his friends, Marco spills the beans about Jennifer dating Lance behind Will’s back. Will is actually a bit relieved and not upset. When the news hits Avalon High, Mr. Morton tells Ellie that she is too late and he will be leaving. She asks him what and he tells her once again that evil has won out over good and King Arthur will not come back into power. When Mr. Morton informs her of his belief that Will is the reincarnation of King Arthur, Ellie decides to figure out what is really going on before it is too late.
Is it really impossible that King Arthur’s court has been reincarnated in Annapolis? And will history repeat itself once again?
This was a cute read that had me sucked in. A bit slow at the start, the action leads to a climax at the end along with a few unexpected surprises.
flerpi's review against another edition
3.0
Another case of the book being (much) better then the movie. I can't say this is great literature, but it's amusing.
suzanna_gg's review
funny
fast-paced
2.0
very fun! I appreciate a book that openly outs itself on the source material it’s using and abusing.
but I’m docking stars for SO MUCH misogyny (why is nancy still Ellie’s best friend) and also because I’m irritated that the source material they’re using to base the book’s rendition of the Arthurian tradition on is Tennyson and Malory like come on. crack open some Chrétien
but I’m docking stars for SO MUCH misogyny (why is nancy still Ellie’s best friend) and also because I’m irritated that the source material they’re using to base the book’s rendition of the Arthurian tradition on is Tennyson and Malory like come on. crack open some Chrétien
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Minor: Gun violence
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
4.0
My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
I liked this book. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was enjoyable. The idea behind the story was pretty cool, though.
Also, I watched the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) based on the book and it was nothing like the book. The only thing they got right was that these people are reincarnations of King Arthur’s court. So, yeah…
The very worst thing about this book is the way Ellie’s character behaves. She just doesn’t act like a normal teenage girl; more like the way adults think normal teenage girls act than a real girl. Oh, and I don’t mean this in the way the character’s mother means it when she tells Ellie that she’s not normal.
The very best thing about this book is the way the Arthurian legend ties in with everything.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
I liked this book. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was enjoyable. The idea behind the story was pretty cool, though.
Also, I watched the DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) based on the book and it was nothing like the book. The only thing they got right was that these people are reincarnations of King Arthur’s court. So, yeah…
The very worst thing about this book is the way Ellie’s character behaves. She just doesn’t act like a normal teenage girl; more like the way adults think normal teenage girls act than a real girl. Oh, and I don’t mean this in the way the character’s mother means it when she tells Ellie that she’s not normal.
The very best thing about this book is the way the Arthurian legend ties in with everything.
sturmykins's review against another edition
4.0
I think what surprised me most on this reread was how short it was! Enjoyable, but over so quickly...
devs_thevintagechaosbat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A GREAT book, really loved the story, and how Meg Cabot managed to take an old poem, and create a brilliantly written novel out of it!
10/10 recommend reading :))
10/10 recommend reading :))
aliceaslan's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
avaholic29's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a fun book!
jasbah's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jeslyncat's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, they just turned this very good book into a horrible, horrible movie. If you watched the awful Disney film, don't ruin your delusions of the plot by picking up this book. Cabot actually manages to make a modernized King Arthur tale seem like it could happen in a small town in our nation.