Arthurian Saga - Book 1

The Crystal Cave
By Mary Stewart

 

Synopsis:

Who was Merlin? Was the famed magician of Camelot & King Arthur's court really a sinister, all-powerful being from another world? Was he truly a Prince of Darkness? Or was he a man with the passions of other mortals? A man with unique intelligence & unusual gifts? Why was he so feared? How did he come by his occult powers? Why was the crystal cave so important to him?

5th century Britain is a country of chaos & division after the Roman withdrawal. Born the bastard son of a Welsh princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity, Myridden Emrys--or as he would later be known, Merlin--leads a perilous childhood, haunted by portents & visions. But destiny has great plans for this no-man's-son, taking him from prophesying before the High King Vortigern to the crowning of Uther Pendragon & the conception of Arthur--king for once & always.

Source: Goodreads

My rating: 4.2 / 5

My Thoughts:

Presently, my TV series addiction is the BBC's Merlin. I've seen adverts in relation to this for years but never thought the show could be my kind of thing, that was until I subscribed to Netflix and it appeared as a recommendation. How have I deprived myself of the awesomeness of Merlin for so long??!!!

TV Series, being what they are, eventually end (unless they're EastEnders and then they're never ending!) and alas, I'm coming to the end of series 5 but I'm just not ready to let it go! And so, I've been researching into books relating to the Arthurian Legend. One of the most recommended series is the Arthurian Saga trilogy by Mary Stewart so I thought of giving it a try...

The Crystal Cave is essentially the build up to the birth of the future King, Arthur's. Merlin learns more about his powers of the Sight, which are both awed and feared by many other kings in this time of war. As Crystal Cave is the first book in the trilogy, there was a lot of narrative and worldbuilding, which at times became tedious to read. However, I completely understand that this is essential for a fantasy series so I wasn't too bothered about that.

To my delight, Merlin retains the wit and dry humour shown by Colin Morgan on the BBC. His risk taking and easy going personality kept the story going and I loved reading about his many adventures, especially his banter with his servants. Ideally, I would have liked Arthur to have made an actual appearance in this book (their TV bromance is hilariously adorable) but Crystal Cave is like a prequel to Arthur's story; the battles leading up to his birth and how important his arrival was to Merlin's destiny and therefore, the future of Britain.

"The gods only go with you, Cerdic, if you put yourself in their path.""Well, all right, but some of them have mighty big hoofs to walk over you with. Do you want Christian burial?""I don't really mind. I suppose I'll work my way up to Christian baptism fairly soon, if the bishop has his way, but till then I've not signed on officially for anyone."

I was surprised to learn that Merlin himself is, or was, a prince. On the TV show, he's portrayed as Arthur's servant boy but in this book he is seen a far more powerful light. To have a claim to the throne but not consider it twice is not something most people could do but it becomes clear that Merlin is unlike most people. Once I learnt more about his nature, his generous and straightforward personality, I wasn't surprised at this, indeed I doubt it had even crossed his thoughts until the King pointed it out!

Overall, the crystal Cave was a very interesting read and I'm now proceeding to book two. Although, I would like to know how much of the book, the TV show and Disney's Sword in the Stone movie is based on actual history? Has anyone read / watched any of these? Any thoughts?

Favourite Quotes:

"Because they are not for me. I have feared for other men, but never in that way for muself. Not yet. I think what men fear is the unknown. They fear pain and death, because these may be waiting round any corner. But there are times when I know what is hidden, and waiting, or when - I told you - I see it lying straight in the pathway. And I know where pain and danger lie for me, and I know that death is not yet to come; so I am not afraid. This isn't courage."He said slowly: "Yes, I knew you had the Sight."

Henge (le Fay series) Blog tour and giveaway! Feb 9 - 14

  

Henge

(Le Fay #1)

By Realm Lovejoy  

I am so excited to participate in the Henge by Realm Lovejoy blogtour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. 

If you think the cover is intriguing, check out the synopsis and excerpt below.

Don't forget to enter the Tour-wide Giveaway at the bottom of this post for a chance at the following:

1 signed copy of Henge + swag (US only)

1 Amazon Giftcard ($20) (INTL)

2 paperbacks of Henge (US only)

4 ebook copies of Henge (INTL)

Synopsis:
Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted. 

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven - the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur's Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.  

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur's Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret - years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan's desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot's tests of survival and magic? Only time - and Morgan's powerful fire - will tell.

"Camelot meets Hogwarts meets Panem in this intriguing, well-written beginning to a planned YA series."- Kirkus Reviews

Source: Goodreads

Publication date: November 11th 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Trailer: Youtube
Purchase link: Amazon

 

My rating: 3.8 / 5

My Thoughts:

*I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

In all honesty, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I received this book. I had read the synopsis, which was about a magical school and that has always been my weakness post Harry Potter. The cover of Henge shows an animated manga-type character in kick ass clothes, which suggests that the book is more along the line of a graphic novel (it isn’t) but it definitely piqued my interest.

Let’s move on to the story itself, which takes place in and around Camelot(!) and the protagonist is a stubborn, female girl named Morgan. I found Morgan to be a most intriguing character, in both a good and a not-so-good way. Her life’s ambition is to work for King Arthur as his Maven; the most trusted member of his consul. As a Maven she wants to help influence politics and change the laws in favour of magic users outside of Camelot because of the strong impractical restrictions currently in place. Her aim to be Maven is strongly influenced by her mother's execution for using magic in self defence and because of the visions she had as a child of serving King Arthur.

As honourable as her goals sound, Morgan doesn't seem to know much about what being a Maven entails. She's hell bent on achieving the role but I can't see her having much love for the royal family and she’s never at ease in their presence, which doesn’t exactly fit with the job description. Morgan is impulsive, keeps a lot of secrets and although she means well, she's cheated throughout her trials in Arthur's Round. For example, when Ganeida used her fire magic to help Morgan achieve top scores, Morgan questioned her but since it helped her scores, she didn't report anything. As soon as Ganeida uses her magic to fail Morgan she immediately speaks up against her, a tad bit hypocritical don't you think? She drugs Lancelot to go through his stuff, doesn’t object when Guinevere heals her and lies about her vision in her final test because it doesn’t show her in the best light and then wonders why Maven Mordred doesn’t trust her?!

Don't get me wrong, her magical Power as a fire user and determination is remarkable, but personally I can’t see her as being fit for the Maven role. I’m not saying Merlin isn’t any better, but at least he knows what the job involves and what he’s doing. He’s level-minded and whether he's evil at heart, who knows. I didn’t trust him from the start but as the story progresses I realised his sometimes questionable actions are not entirely of his own making.

Despite my concerns about the main character, Morgan isn’t bad at heart; I just think she’s really young and thinks that being Maven is the only way she can bring about a change. There’s a lot more to her mother’s story than we know of and I’m interested to learn more about the Luminaries. My favourite character was Morgan’s father; his scene when meeting (aka grilling) Merlin was hilarious! I enjoyed this book, and it was told at a fairly quick pace with the right amount of back story I would expect from a series starter.

Zed (:

Favourite Quotes:

“My father told me never to judge someone I don’t know.”
“Judging and gossiping are part of proper conversation.”

“A friend, huh?” Father presses. “You might think so, Morgan, but men are animals. I bet you he wants something more.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s just a friend.”
“Oh, yeah? I told people that your mother was ‘just a friend.’”

Father grips Merlin’s good arm, as if he wishes the other were broken too. He inspects Merlin like he’s scrutinizing meat at a butcher shop. “You’re a bit thin, boy.”
“Oh, were you planning on cooking me?” Merlin queries, and I have to stifle a laugh.

“You should hunt with me next week,” Father says to Merlin.
Father only takes people he likes hunting, but maybe Father is planning to shoot Merlin.

“Lady Fay,” he says. “You have such an icy stare. It burns me.”
“Sir Lancelot,” I say quietly. “I suggest you be careful.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Talon

Talon 
(Talon #1)

By Julie Kagawa

 

About:

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

Source: Goodreads

My rating: 4.6 / 5

My Thoughts:

I would have given Talon four out of five stars, until the very ending when it transformed into an unmistakable five star read! No spoilers but wow and WOW! I can't say it was as good as the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa but it sure is a series worth following. The ending had me on the edge of my seat with the sky high level of action and drama! At one point I was actually speaking to the characters aloud, until I realised that talking to a kindle isn't a good sign at the best of times.

The storyline itself was fairly predictable; St George's soldiers and Talon's dragons are sworn enemies so when Ember, a hatchling meets Garrett, the Dragon slayer, it was pretty obvious they would fall in love. What wasn't so obvious was when slowly they both uncover secrets of the organisations that they've devoted their lives to. Ember and Garrett discover that their life-long beliefs might not be accurate, and the facts they have about their 'enemies' are no longer crystal clear.

Garrett realises that not all dragons are merciless and inhumane, incapable of feelings and emotions, as the order of St George has led him to believe. Likewise, Ember finds out that Talon might not be such a honourable Dragon organisation to work for, especially if they don't even spare her own kind.

My pet peeve with this book was that we're thrown into this 'summer break' that Ember and Dante are on, but we know very little about what they did beforehand. Why is Dante so susceptible to Talon's brainwashing, but Ember isn't, especially when they've always trained together? And what exactly was Talon training them for earlier. It would have been nice to understand their history a leeetle bit more.

There are a number of fascinating characters in Talon so I'll share the one I was most fond of, aside from Ember and Garrett of course. Riley, the Rogue dragon had to be my favourite. His blunt-bad-ass-occasionally-overconfident-but-sexy attitude confuses Ember. She's in love with Garrett the human, but the dragon side of her has an unmistakeable pull towards Riley. I am most interested in how their relationships progress since I suspect she's beginning to fall for both!

Ember's brother is beyond irritating. All I'm going to say is what an idiot!

In Talon, loyalties are tested, secrets are revealed but will the truth be enough to save their love? Especially because it doesn't matter how human Ember might seem to be, deep down she is a Dragon.

Zed (:

Favourite Quotes:

I rolled my eyes. The "blasted hurry" was that I rarely had any time that was truly my own. They wanted me to sit, listen, learn, be quiet, when I wanted to run, shout, jump, fly.

"Get off me," I growled, pushing at his chest. Don't shift, Ember. If you Shift and eat this troll, Talon will lock you away for the rest of your life. Plus, you'd probably get food poisoning.

"...Everyone slips up, makes a mistake. We just have to be there when they do."

"I've decided it's your fault. You're very distracting." I cocked my head. "Good distracting or bad distracting?" "I'm not sure yet." "Well, when you figure it out, let me know. I'll be sure not to care very much."

"So, if you're going to stand there and tell me we're done, because heaven forbid you actually feel something, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to call bullshit.

"Oh, sure," I heard Wes mumble as I left the room. "Don't want to worry the bloody hatchlings, but the human's heart exploding from stress, that's perfectly okay."