Reviewed by elysium on
I haven’t read that many books based on King Arthur so I was curious enough to try this and there aren’t too many books set in sixth-century Scotland either.
Languoreth is a twin of Lailoken who will be known as Merlin. Growing up Languoreth wants to become a Wisdom Keeper, a druid, like her brother and hates the fact that her fate lies in marriage. She is wed to Rhydderch, son of a Christian High King, but she has fallen in love with Maelgwn, one of Pendragon’s man.
Languoreth is an easy character to like. Strong and fearless who soon learns the ways of the court intrigues. Her marriage to Rhydderch doesn’t start in a promising way but in time they develop mutual respect for each other.
It was interesting to see the coming of Christianity and slowly losing the Old Ways. Anglo-Saxons are coming and there are wars and bloodshed. The book is from Languoreth’s point of view and I think it kind of restricts the story. It would have been nice to see what happens elsewhere, like in battles and such.
One real complaint from me is that Languoreth and Maelgwyn’s romance was a bit too instalove for me. They meet and in a manner of days, they’re so in love with each other that they’ll pine for each other for nearly 20 years.
The start dragged a bit but once things start to happen it flows nicely. In the end, I just wanted to know what happens next. All in all, I think this was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next book.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 15 September, 2018: Finished reading
- 15 September, 2018: Reviewed