G1060 Book Review of Mistress of Legend by Nicole Evelina
Author: Nicole Evelina
ISBN: 9780996763288
Publisher: Lawson Gartner Publishing
Part of a Series: The Guinevere's Tale Trilogy
Type of book: Britons, England, Anglo-Saxons, 518-524, wars, Votadini, tribes, fall of Camelot, battles, King Arthur, Mordred, ruler, feud, Avalon, fantasy, history, new religion, starting over, alliances
Year it was published: 2018
Summary:
Legend says Guinevere spent her final days in penance in a convent, but that is far from the truth.
Having escaped death at the stake, Guinevere longs to live a peaceful life in Brittany with Lancelot, but the threat of Arthur’s wrath quickly separates the lovers. Guinevere finds herself back in Camelot, but it is not the peaceful capital she once knew; the loyalty of the people is divided over Arthur’s role in her death sentence. When war draws Arthur away from Britain, Mordred is named acting king. With Morgan at his side and a Saxon in his bed, Mordred’s thirst for power becomes his undoing and the cause of Guinevere’s greatest heartache.
In the wake of the deadly battle that leaves the country in civil war, Guinevere’s power as the former queen is sought by everyone who seeks to ascend the throne. Heartbroken and refusing to take sides in the conflict, she flees north to her mother’s Votadini homeland, where she is at long last reunited with Lancelot. The quiet life she desires is just beginning when warring tribal factions once again thrust her into an unexpected position of power. Now charged with ending an invasion that could bring an end to the Votadini tribe and put the whole island in the hands of the Saxons, Guinevere must draw upon decades of experience to try to save the people she loves and is sworn to protect.
Characters:
Main characters include Guinevere, while other characters seem to be more of supporting roles rather than ones controlling destinies. Guinevere is a priestess Avalon who has been stripped from her title and so forth by her husband, King Arthur. She is best described as very determined, compassionate and a survivor of whatever fate will throw her way. Very often she sacrifices her own happiness and desires for the sake of people and society, making her an admirable woman. While Guinevere was very well developed, I feel that other characters were not as well developed as I had hoped, and beyond their roles, I cannot say with certainty what personalities they have.
Theme:
Life is not over after myths end
Plot:
The story is in first person narrative from Guinevere's point of view. THE MISTRESS OF LEGEND does tie up a lot of loose ends and it begins immediately from ending of CAMELOT'S QUEEN, so reading the previous two book is a must, although in the third book there are brief introductions to previous characters. Also, a few old characters from the first and second book show up as well. While there are political intrigues in THE MISTRESS OF LEGEND as well, I felt that the entire book was more focused on battles and on fracturing of various kingdoms as well as attempts to rebuild them (unsuccessfully.) Personally because I tend to be fascinated by villains, I felt that villains of the novel weren't paid a lot of attention on trying to understand them. (Elga and the Votadiness in particular.) Other than that, a novel of fantasy, thrills and history that should become memorable for a long time.
(From HFVBT)
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | IBOOKS | KOBO | SMASHWORDS
About the Author
Nicole Evelina is a historical fiction, non-fiction, and women’s fiction author whose five books –Daughter of Destiny, Camelot’s Queen, Been Searching for You, Madame Presidentess and The Once and Future Queen: Guinevere in Arthurian Legend (nonfiction) – have won more than 30 awards, including three Book of the Year designations.
Her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Independent Journal, Curve Magazine and numerous historical publications. She is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness.
Nicole is currently working on Mistress of Legend (September 15), the final novel in her Guinevere’s Tale historical fantasy trilogy and researching two future non-fiction books. She also teaches online writing and business classes for authors at Professional Author Academy.
Her website/blog is http://nicoleevelina.com and she can be found on Twitter as well as on Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram and Tumblr.
Opinion:
Traditionally, after the debacle of Camelot, Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot end up being repentant for their sins and are assigned to languish the rest of their lives in a nunnery or a monastery. In this book, however, the author dares to give a worthy alternative ending to Queen Guinevere's life; that after humanizing the woman who has made up much of my teen obsession, Queen Guinevere gets a different route, which I enjoyed a great deal. The first half of the book focuses on the tale after the ending of CAMELOT'S QUEEN, while the second half, after that fateful battle between Mordred and Arthur, is one that goes differently than expected. Post Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere tales, I barely have any familiarity with what happened after Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot were caught, but its good that the author takes that into account and we watch with Guinevere on the fall and destruction of Camelot as well as what was going on with the tribes of England at that time. It's both a fun and historical journey that should definitely inspire readers to dig deep into Arthurian legends.
This is for HFVBT
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, December 10
Interview at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, December 11
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Daughter of Destiny)
Wednesday, December 12
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Thursday, December 13
Review at A Book Geek (Daughter of Destiny)
Friday, December 14
Interview at Donna’s Book Blog
Saturday, December 15
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views (Daughter of Destiny)
Sunday, December 16
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective (Mistress of Legend)
Tuesday, December 18
Review at Book Nerd (Camelot’s Queen)
Thursday, December 20
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Camelot’s Queen)
Friday, December 21
Excerpt at Passages to the Past
Thursday, December 27
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views (Camelot’s Queen)
Friday, December 28
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit (Mistress of Legend)
Saturday, December 29
Review at Pursuing Stacie (Mistress of Legend)
Sunday, December 30
Review at Jorie Loves a Story (Mistress of Legend)
Monday, December 31
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story
Review at Curling up by the Fire (Mistress of Legend)
Wednesday, January 2
Review at Book Nerd (Mistress of Legend)
Thursday, January 3
Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views (Mistress of Legend)
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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