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.
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
"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
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.
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.
Favourite Quotes:
“My father told me never to judge someone I don’t know.”
“Judging and gossiping are part of proper conversation.”
“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.’”
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.
“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.
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.”
“Sir Lancelot,” I say quietly. “I suggest you be careful.”
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