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rebelbelle13's review
2.0
I really tried to get through this book. Let's call it a 'valiant effort'. I have read Bradley before and absolutely loved her- The Firebrand, for example, was an amazing book. This one, not so much. I have to blame it on her co-author, Diana Paxson. The book started out alright, but soon became a trudging chore. I was very disappointed, having been completely blown away by her other books. There are too many dates and places and historical facts that the reader just doesn't care about, and I found my mind wandering, wondering when the book would be done. I only made it about halfway through and called it quits. I would not recommend this to any MZB fan. This is in no way a fitting ending to her Avalon series.
maferg01's review
5.0
I think this was my favorite out of this series. It tells the story of a priestess of Avalon who loves a roman general. She marries him, leaves Avalon and the British Isles and follows him to Rome. I found her character the most appealing of the 4 women featured in the books thus far and after finishing this novel, I wanted to reread it immediately.
ablotial's review
3.0
This book was very difficult for me to get through, but I am glad I read it. It took me much longer to read than other books of a similar length. Part of it is the language used, part is the unfamiliarity of the locations and material, and part is just wrapping my head around the events and message in the book. It gets quite religious and spiritual, although definitely not just Christian! Some of the passages are very beautiful and eloquent, and it sparked an interest in me to look up many of the people, places, and events mentioned in the book on Wikipedia to learn more. Although the story is fictional, it is based on real people and events. It doesn't compare to "The Mists of Avalon" in my opinion, but it is definitely worth the read - especially if you are interested in history and or spirituality.
minervaxyz's review against another edition
2.0
bueno, pues ya por terminar los 4 que tengo en casa, ¿no?
rai's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
babelbard's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kairosdreaming's review
4.0
The Mists of Avalon took the story of Arthur and changed it so that the perspective was from a woman. And then a series was spawned from it. Priestess of Avalon is one of those books in the series, although I couldn't tell you what order they should be in as it doesn't seem to matter what order you read them in.
Helena, also known as Eilan, was born of the Lady of Avalon and also caused her death. She is sent to her father as a child and only returns to Avalon ten years later, to start her training as a priestess. There she clashes with the new Lady of Avalon, who is her aunt, and it comes to a head when she substitutes herself as his priestess at a ritual. She is cast out of Avalon and travels with this Roman man as his companion, becoming his wife in all but name and eventually bearing his son Constantine, who will be a great man in his own right some day. But she still feels the call of Avalon from time to time, and misses her sisterhood of priestesses.
Helena is mostly Helena in this book and not really her British side. She spends the majority of her life with the Romans and as a wife and a mother rather than a priestess. She does call upon her powers from time to time but this is more the story of a noble lady rather than an Avalon priestess. I do appreciate that she liked her dogs though and had many throughout the story. I really couldn't care either way about any of the other characters. They weren't described as much as Helena and seemed only there to prop her up on her journey rather than be their own persons. Except for her son Constantine, he was so fervent in his desires that it was hard to like him. Although he did get a lot done.
Despite this being a large book it was exceptionally fast paced. The course of eighty years is told in it and it flies by with big jumps in time with each chapter. It was a little confusing because of that, but luckily at the start of each chapter the year was given so that helped a little. This being a story about a cast out priestess was different from the rest of the series too as most usually take place close to Avalon and Helena traveled all over the Roman empire. I can't say that it held quite the same charm and power that Mists of Avalon did, but it was still a pretty good story in its own right.
If you like the works of Bradley, you'll like this one in the series. It follows a strong woman and her adventures in a world that doesn't always appreciate strong women.
Priestess of Avalon
Copyright 2002
394 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Helena, also known as Eilan, was born of the Lady of Avalon and also caused her death. She is sent to her father as a child and only returns to Avalon ten years later, to start her training as a priestess. There she clashes with the new Lady of Avalon, who is her aunt, and it comes to a head when she substitutes herself as his priestess at a ritual. She is cast out of Avalon and travels with this Roman man as his companion, becoming his wife in all but name and eventually bearing his son Constantine, who will be a great man in his own right some day. But she still feels the call of Avalon from time to time, and misses her sisterhood of priestesses.
Helena is mostly Helena in this book and not really her British side. She spends the majority of her life with the Romans and as a wife and a mother rather than a priestess. She does call upon her powers from time to time but this is more the story of a noble lady rather than an Avalon priestess. I do appreciate that she liked her dogs though and had many throughout the story. I really couldn't care either way about any of the other characters. They weren't described as much as Helena and seemed only there to prop her up on her journey rather than be their own persons. Except for her son Constantine, he was so fervent in his desires that it was hard to like him. Although he did get a lot done.
Despite this being a large book it was exceptionally fast paced. The course of eighty years is told in it and it flies by with big jumps in time with each chapter. It was a little confusing because of that, but luckily at the start of each chapter the year was given so that helped a little. This being a story about a cast out priestess was different from the rest of the series too as most usually take place close to Avalon and Helena traveled all over the Roman empire. I can't say that it held quite the same charm and power that Mists of Avalon did, but it was still a pretty good story in its own right.
If you like the works of Bradley, you'll like this one in the series. It follows a strong woman and her adventures in a world that doesn't always appreciate strong women.
Priestess of Avalon
Copyright 2002
394 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2014
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com