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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Avalon High is a fun YA romp. It's a contemporary re-telling (ish) of Arthurian legend, set in high school. This was my first Meg Cabot book, and it was honestly better than I expected. There was no cheesy love triangle, the protagonists parents were alive and involved in her life, and the protagonist was intelligent and analytical, not a total bimbo.
My only annoyance was the protagonist's Valley Girl speech. She'd go from intelligent woman to "I so looked forward to that. Not." And I got enough of that, living in SoCal in the 80's and 90's, to never want to deal with it again.
Aside from that small blemish, I thoroughly enjoyed this frothy, light-hearted contemporary YA. I recommend it for fans of the genre, Arthurian legend, YA myth retellings, and anyone curious to read the Lady of Shalott.
My only annoyance was the protagonist's Valley Girl speech. She'd go from intelligent woman to "I so looked forward to that. Not." And I got enough of that, living in SoCal in the 80's and 90's, to never want to deal with it again.
Aside from that small blemish, I thoroughly enjoyed this frothy, light-hearted contemporary YA. I recommend it for fans of the genre, Arthurian legend, YA myth retellings, and anyone curious to read the Lady of Shalott.
This is a truly thought-provoking book. It has a good plot line and I like how it was written. This is one of the best books I have ever read!
While Avalon High is by no means the pinnacle of Arthurian retellings, it’s so fun to read. This was one of my favorite reads in middle school, and I really enjoyed revisiting it. Be warned, it’s definitely a product of the mid-2000s, but if you’re like me and fueled my nostalgia, that makes it even better.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Even after finishing this book, I still can't tell if I've read it when I was younger... -___-"
Cute! I have a soft spot for books that retell classics (in this case very very loosely based). Arthurian romance done by Meg Cabot? Yes, please. Also, there is a Disney original movie of this book, hence the retroactive interest in this title.
A fabulous retelling and twist on the Arthurian legend, it's all I could have wanted as an Arthurian legend buff. The main character is interesting as well as strong; she rarely whines, which is a fabulous and rare find within the genre. The characters both break and fit stereotypes in the way that actual high school students do. The lacing of the legend and hints of the legend throughout the story is well done and not distracting: giving you all the information you need without overloading you. All in all, it's a great read and has been one of my favorites for years.
*spoiler spoiler spoiler below*
Will calls her Elle. He's the only one that does this. Because Lady of the Lake starts with an 'L'. That's pretty much the best answer to the question "How cheesy is this book?" And yet I enjoyed it. With the exception of the Princess Diaries, I tend to enjoy Meg Cabot's stand-alone books more, and this one is like Classic Cabot (as opposed to newer stuff like the Abandon, Airhead, or vampire series'). Classic Cabot is cheesy, but it can also be pleasant if you're into that sort of thing. This was a nice read. Not great. No amazing world-building, some unanswered questions, but it's a small scenario where she leaves the magic stuff ambiguous, which actually works in her favor because she's good at conveying emotion and scene, not so much world building (as Abandon and Airhead have taught me; I think Princess Diaries probably works because it was not afraid to be cheesy, was not formulaic, and had enough writing space for her to actually grow that world out; God, I wish she would write something like that again. But I'm getting sidetracked).
I liked the romantic leads, I liked the idea of a protagonist who likes floating in water and running and checking water filtration levels often and doesn't like bugs but doesn't necessarily want to kill them, who thinks her parents are dorks but is also comfortable in their style of life. I liked the 'nice' description of Guinevere's fill-in (although it did come at the cost of perpetrating that whole she-wasn't-evil-but-she-WAS-vain-and-kind-of-vapid reading of Guinevere...so single quotes around nice for that). Good to lose some time with. Rereading it? Probably only after a good long while and you've forgotten most if not all of the salient plot points.
Will calls her Elle. He's the only one that does this. Because Lady of the Lake starts with an 'L'. That's pretty much the best answer to the question "How cheesy is this book?" And yet I enjoyed it. With the exception of the Princess Diaries, I tend to enjoy Meg Cabot's stand-alone books more, and this one is like Classic Cabot (as opposed to newer stuff like the Abandon, Airhead, or vampire series'). Classic Cabot is cheesy, but it can also be pleasant if you're into that sort of thing. This was a nice read. Not great. No amazing world-building, some unanswered questions, but it's a small scenario where she leaves the magic stuff ambiguous, which actually works in her favor because she's good at conveying emotion and scene, not so much world building (as Abandon and Airhead have taught me; I think Princess Diaries probably works because it was not afraid to be cheesy, was not formulaic, and had enough writing space for her to actually grow that world out; God, I wish she would write something like that again. But I'm getting sidetracked).
I liked the romantic leads, I liked the idea of a protagonist who likes floating in water and running and checking water filtration levels often and doesn't like bugs but doesn't necessarily want to kill them, who thinks her parents are dorks but is also comfortable in their style of life. I liked the 'nice' description of Guinevere's fill-in (although it did come at the cost of perpetrating that whole she-wasn't-evil-but-she-WAS-vain-and-kind-of-vapid reading of Guinevere...so single quotes around nice for that). Good to lose some time with. Rereading it? Probably only after a good long while and you've forgotten most if not all of the salient plot points.