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Genre: Arthurian Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
This book ties together three main stories from Arthurian legend: Guinevere's story, the story of Sir Gawain (changed to Gerek) and the Green night, and the story of the Lady of Shallot (Elaina of Astolat). We get to see Arthur's rule and Lancelot's betrayal through their eyes. Each has a unique perspective, and each person's story comes together near the end of the book to create an amazing tale.
This book is beautifully written. I was drawn in from the first page and had no difficulty wanting to pick it up and keep reading.
I have not heard or read any fiction about the Lady of Shallot legend outside of the Anne of Green Gables movies (and of course the original poem), so that aspect of the story was new and different for me. Being trapped in a tower and forced to weave for decades is strangely interesting, although I did find myself wondering what the purpose of it was. What do they do with all the tapestries? Elaina has good character growth. She is certainly weaker in the beginning, but by the end of the book she has grown considerably.
I love the Gerek storyline because the struggle is very relatable. He is a man who is trying to follow his passion of becoming a knight, sacrificing time with his wife and children as a result. His marriage is deteriorating, and Lancelot treats him like dirt. In fact, Gerek is the only one who seems to be able to see Lancelot for the snake he is. I really love how Gerek's story is told and how he experiences redemption and lots of character growth.
Guinevere's story was a roller coaster. So much happened to this poor girl -- it was a rough ride. I began by not really liking her that much. She seems kind of spoiled and shallow, but as the story progresses, she really becomes a much stronger character. SPOILER The multiple personalities thing was a bit confusing to be honest, but I tried to just roll with it, and it made more sense as the book went on. END SPOILER I began to root for her more and more. Even knowing what was going to happen with her and Arthur, their tragic story still made me a bit sad.
Overall, I am very impressed with this book and have already purchased the sequel. I do read fantasy, but I have not read a lot about the Arthurian legends. This book is a unique and refreshing take on the stories. I do think the reincarnation/mind enchanting aspects of the book make it a little unnecessarily complicated, but if you stick with it despite some of the confusing things, it turns out to be a fascinating story.
Trigger and spoiler warning: There is a LOT of attempted rape and actual rape that happens in this book. I thought it was handled realistically and inserted into the story with purpose rather than for shock value though. And it was in no way taken lightly.
