I’m a little up in the air on this one. If I still did half-stars, I would lean more toward 3.5. Honestly, I think I would’ve enjoyed this more if I had previously read and watched a ton of Arthur/Camelot/Merlin things before. Yes, it’s nice because it makes me more aware of what’s going on (i.e. foreshadowing) and I can see when Ms. White was playing with the story. But it also makes things fairly predictable [cough] the ending [cough]. I was actually really disappointed with the ending, because I thought she would go a different way-which I would have loved, because it would be unexpected.
Moving on.
Guinevere is definitely an interesting character. And I love her as the main character. Guinevere is an often unsatisfying-to-unlikable character in the Arthurian legend. Not you Merlin, you’re Guinevere is great. She’s often under-developed so I love that she’s being explored and given agency in this story. I do hope there is more revealed about her past in the next book-I don’t want it to be dragged out too long. I do have some theories.
Let’s talk other characters. Brangien is probably my favorite character. And I love the little bits you get of her life/story. I’m a little conflicted about Arthur. He seems like a good person, but I don’t know who I feel about him-especially as a potential love interest. Oh, I almost forgot Lancelot without spoilers? Close second for favorite character. I can’t wait for more about Lancelot. Personally, that’s really exciting, because I typically can’t stand the Lancelot character. I will not discuss Mordred, because of spoilers, but his probably the character I am the most disappointed in.
Then, there’s the magic. I like the idea of knot magic, but the overall magic system isn’t explained enough. I could be wrong, but right now it feels like the story is relying on the fact that the Arthurian legend has magic built in. Yes, it does, but I still need an explanation.
I do plan on continuing with the series and seeing where the story goes from here.
Thanks for reading!
Holly