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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
It was OK. There was one part that I couldn't stop reading, but otherwise I had little desire to read it.
Jane Yolen takes the Arthurian legend and does interesting things with it. I'm not quite sure if it's brilliant or misguided; either way, it was an interesting book.
If you like King Arthur stories, then you will like this book.
Enjoyable. I'm always down for any retelling of the King Arthur legend. I love the different take on this one. Not the best I've ever read but I was entertained.
A fresh remake of the Camelot tale about the life of King Arthur with a surprising twist at the end.
Um, so this book has a terrible blurb. In other words, the main idea of this novel wasn't mentioned until more than halfway through the book. Yeah.
In fact, the iconic sword in the stone wasn't mentioned until around halfway through the book.
So to say I was disappointed is a bit of an understatement.
I mean, the whole idea of someone other than Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone is downright epic. But the execution . . . a bit less than epic. (Sorry, friends.)
So think of a "day in the life" vlog set in Camelot with a few assassination attempts thrown in. This book was a bit cool in that way. I've never read anything like it. And it was interesting to see the threads of the thousands of legends and retellings of King Arthur woven throughout this story.
I will say the worldbuilding and writing style was very well done. The world was unique and didn't really feel like the Camelot I know and love but was new and exciting nonetheless. The writing style was super interesting because it was low key set up like a legend. There were tons of books within this novel and there were poems opening each section that foreshadowed what would happen next.
But, as a whole, I wasn't a fan. The book dragged in some places. Or a lot of places. It was very slow paced and I felt disconnected from the characters and the original theme of the story.
And the ending. *dramatic sigh*
Anyway. These are my thoughts, feelings, and opinions on this book. Have a nice day!
In fact, the iconic sword in the stone wasn't mentioned until around halfway through the book.
So to say I was disappointed is a bit of an understatement.
I mean, the whole idea of someone other than Arthur pulling the sword out of the stone is downright epic. But the execution . . . a bit less than epic. (Sorry, friends.)
So think of a "day in the life" vlog set in Camelot with a few assassination attempts thrown in. This book was a bit cool in that way. I've never read anything like it. And it was interesting to see the threads of the thousands of legends and retellings of King Arthur woven throughout this story.
I will say the worldbuilding and writing style was very well done. The world was unique and didn't really feel like the Camelot I know and love but was new and exciting nonetheless. The writing style was super interesting because it was low key set up like a legend. There were tons of books within this novel and there were poems opening each section that foreshadowed what would happen next.
But, as a whole, I wasn't a fan.
Spoiler
My favorite character in the legends--Gawaine--(don't ask me why, friends; I just always felt that he was amazing) was less than noble. Or implied to be less than noble. I mean, I guess he got himself into the same trouble as the battle with the Green Knight *cough* if you know what I mean *cough*. So that was charming. But he didn't actually, ya know, kill Arthur.And the ending. *dramatic sigh*
Spoiler
The ending came totally out of left field for me. Like hello??? What the actual heck?? So this WHOLE TIME this child was actually a woman. Guinevere, no less. I mean, it was a bit cool and it made this book bump up a star for me but still. I might have missed some foreshadowing or something but it was just too unexpected for me. And it was super weird for this couple to go from a father/son relationship to a romantic relationship and it high key weirded me out.Spoiler
One thing I did appreciate was the lack of the Guinevere and Lancelot thing. Thank goodness. I never was a big fan of that whole mess. (Sorry Lancelot and Guinevere shippers) And remember in the iconic legend that the affair sparked a literal civil war amongst the round table fellows? In this version, that never happened. Again, thank goodness cause it rips my heart apart every time. Apparently, I feel very passionate on this subject lol.Anyway. These are my thoughts, feelings, and opinions on this book. Have a nice day!
A Young Adult story but I was captivated nonetheless. Of course, I love anything to do with the Arthurian legend(s) and this story was delightful.
I really like Jane Yolen and I love the Arthur stories, so this one seemed like a safe bet. However, I wasn't crazy about her Young Merlin trilogy. This one, happily, wasn't really connected with the Merlin stories. It revolved around Arthur, Merlin, Gawain and Morgause and a newcomer to court, the confusingly named Gawin.
Morgause is her normal rotten self, Gawain was a hero as always (he's my favorite, really), and there was much intrigue. I wound up only giving it 3.5 stars though, because the plot was just too complex to be believable. Arthur here was very easy to like. If you enjoy the Arthur stories, I think this one would be a fun one.
Morgause is her normal rotten self, Gawain was a hero as always (he's my favorite, really), and there was much intrigue. I wound up only giving it 3.5 stars though, because the plot was just too complex to be believable. Arthur here was very easy to like. If you enjoy the Arthur stories, I think this one would be a fun one.
If you're looking for a good twist on the traditional Arthurian legend, this probably isn't going to scratch that itch. I stopped after reading 30 pages, skimmed the next couple dozen, and then quit. The characters are all pretty flat, and it's very cliche and predictable. Also the ages of the characters seemed off to me, but maybe I'm just not as much in the know as I aught to be.
Anyhow, having quit this book, I can safely say that I can't recommend this to you as a fellow reader.
Anyhow, having quit this book, I can safely say that I can't recommend this to you as a fellow reader.
I have always loved the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. When I was a kid I read everything I could get my hands on about this topic.
In this retelling, Queen Morgause is deliciously evil and is constantly plotting to overthrow young King Arthur and put one of her sons on the throne.
Arthur is already king when the story begins, but Britain is not united. The whole sword in the stone thing turns out to be a trick that Merlinnus uses to convince the people of Britain that Arthur is the "once and future king" and to stop the assassination attempts.
Arthur's knights are barely mentioned; the only one who gets any real face time is Gawaine, who also happens to be Morgause's eldest son. Merlinnus also takes in a young boy, Gawen, who has a secret and holds a grudge against Gawaine.
This book will appeal most to middle and high school readers who enjoy myths and legends.
Another book by this author that is one of my favorites books OF ALL TIME is called Briar Rose and retells "Sleeping Beauty" as a Holocaust story. Sounds bizarre, but it is wonderful. Briar Rose is a tale that teen and adult readers will love.
If you can't get enough of King Arthur, another of my favorite books OF ALL TIME is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The King Arthur legend is reimagined and told from the women's perspectives. This is a huge book (about 1000 pages). The book is complex and there are many different characters and stories, all intertwined. Beautiful, with a decidedly feminist slant. I first read this when I was in college. I would most strongly recommend it to readers in high school and beyond. Younger readers will probably be intimidated by the book unless they are already passionate about the topic.
In this retelling, Queen Morgause is deliciously evil and is constantly plotting to overthrow young King Arthur and put one of her sons on the throne.
Arthur is already king when the story begins, but Britain is not united. The whole sword in the stone thing turns out to be a trick that Merlinnus uses to convince the people of Britain that Arthur is the "once and future king" and to stop the assassination attempts.
Arthur's knights are barely mentioned; the only one who gets any real face time is Gawaine, who also happens to be Morgause's eldest son. Merlinnus also takes in a young boy, Gawen, who has a secret and holds a grudge against Gawaine.
This book will appeal most to middle and high school readers who enjoy myths and legends.
Another book by this author that is one of my favorites books OF ALL TIME is called Briar Rose and retells "Sleeping Beauty" as a Holocaust story. Sounds bizarre, but it is wonderful. Briar Rose is a tale that teen and adult readers will love.
If you can't get enough of King Arthur, another of my favorite books OF ALL TIME is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The King Arthur legend is reimagined and told from the women's perspectives. This is a huge book (about 1000 pages). The book is complex and there are many different characters and stories, all intertwined. Beautiful, with a decidedly feminist slant. I first read this when I was in college. I would most strongly recommend it to readers in high school and beyond. Younger readers will probably be intimidated by the book unless they are already passionate about the topic.