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The Return to Camelot #1
Searching for Arthur
Legend tells of King Arthur, mortally wounded at the hand of the traitorous Mordred in the final battle of Camlann. Before he was taken to the magical Vale of Avalon, Arthur declared that one day he would return, when the kingdom of Logres was once more in need of his leadership.
That day has now come.
It is hard to make friends when you’re constantly on the move. Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth’s father is a diplomat, and so her mother – who is paranoid about terrorists – has moved Natasha and her brother, Arthur, to their eighteenth house in seventeen years: Avalon Cottage, deep in the heart of a Welsh forest.
Yet the terrorists are closer than they realize.
While out running, Natasha falls into a hidden tomb and awakens the legendary knights of Camelot: young warriors who have been in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years. All have been waiting patiently for the return of Arthur from the mysterious land of Avalon.
And now the knights are awake, they intend to reclaim their king.
When Arthur goes missing, Natasha joins forces with his girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, in order to look for him. Natasha believes Samantha has fewer brain cells than an amoeba; Samantha believes Natasha is a freak. Retracing Natasha’s original steps to the hidden tomb, they bicker their way into a Welsh mountain and beyond, to the realm of Logres where the Knights of the Round Table are rallying once more.
Natasha falls in love with Sir Bedivere, the most loyal of knights to Arthur. He may be in dire need of a 21st Century razor, but he still possesses a set of lime-green eyes that can melt the soul. Yet just as Natasha starts to find confidence in this mystical land, Samantha deserts her. People who play by the rules are of no use to “Slurpy”. Samantha will take her own path to Arthur, aided and abetted by the dark arts which she willingly absorbs from a hot young stranger called Mordred.
A race across magical yet deadly lands is on. Natasha battles dwarf-riders, dragons, and eventually “Slurpy” to reach Camelot, where Arthur is held captive by the barbarian Saxon, Balvidore.
Natasha’s woes become numerous. What will happen to her and Arthur when the knights realise the eighteen-year-old boy they thought was their king, is in fact a math student with appalling taste in girls? Can two people with a one thousand year age gap really have a relationship? And for the love of all things holy, how is a girl supposed to ride bareback in a pair of skinny jeans?
That day has now come.
It is hard to make friends when you’re constantly on the move. Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth’s father is a diplomat, and so her mother – who is paranoid about terrorists – has moved Natasha and her brother, Arthur, to their eighteenth house in seventeen years: Avalon Cottage, deep in the heart of a Welsh forest.
Yet the terrorists are closer than they realize.
While out running, Natasha falls into a hidden tomb and awakens the legendary knights of Camelot: young warriors who have been in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years. All have been waiting patiently for the return of Arthur from the mysterious land of Avalon.
And now the knights are awake, they intend to reclaim their king.
When Arthur goes missing, Natasha joins forces with his girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, in order to look for him. Natasha believes Samantha has fewer brain cells than an amoeba; Samantha believes Natasha is a freak. Retracing Natasha’s original steps to the hidden tomb, they bicker their way into a Welsh mountain and beyond, to the realm of Logres where the Knights of the Round Table are rallying once more.
Natasha falls in love with Sir Bedivere, the most loyal of knights to Arthur. He may be in dire need of a 21st Century razor, but he still possesses a set of lime-green eyes that can melt the soul. Yet just as Natasha starts to find confidence in this mystical land, Samantha deserts her. People who play by the rules are of no use to “Slurpy”. Samantha will take her own path to Arthur, aided and abetted by the dark arts which she willingly absorbs from a hot young stranger called Mordred.
A race across magical yet deadly lands is on. Natasha battles dwarf-riders, dragons, and eventually “Slurpy” to reach Camelot, where Arthur is held captive by the barbarian Saxon, Balvidore.
Natasha’s woes become numerous. What will happen to her and Arthur when the knights realise the eighteen-year-old boy they thought was their king, is in fact a math student with appalling taste in girls? Can two people with a one thousand year age gap really have a relationship? And for the love of all things holy, how is a girl supposed to ride bareback in a pair of skinny jeans?
291 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2012
10 people are currently reading
1692 people want to read
About the author
Donna Hosie
11 books196 followersDonna Hosie's critically-acclaimed THE DEVIL'S series has been awarded multiple starred reviews, as well as a Kirkus Teen Book of the Year Award, YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults Award, and a Westchester Fiction Gold Seal Award.
Donna is also the author of THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy, THE CHILDREN OF CAMELOT series, and THE 48.
Donna is also the author of THE RETURN TO CAMELOT trilogy, THE CHILDREN OF CAMELOT series, and THE 48.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 29, 2012
A note on context: this review comes straight from my blog, (Hand Me A Longbow And Call Me A Wench - Review of Donna Hosie's SEARCHING FOR ARTHUR), hence the references to being an aspiring writer. Enjoy!
The reason I couldn’t wait to review this book is because it changed me. Not in a ‘grab a sword, declare yourself a knight and run off to fight wolf-riding dwarves’ kind of way, (although if that meant hooking up with any of the lead characters then hand me a longbow and call me a wench). It changed me because for a while I forgot I was an aspiring author who beats myself up if I don’t achieve a certain amount of writing each day… For a while I found that every time I opened my laptop to get some work done I would simply stare at the screen, yearning for my kindle, until I gave up and permitted myself one more chapter. (Or two. Or ten).
It’s not my fault the characters are so well done. Sure I probably laughed out loud a little too much, and swooned far more than was healthy, but I can’t be held accountable. Nor can you blame me for adoring the vivid settings and the way they constantly changed to keep the action fast and entertaining. I admit that sometimes the descriptions were told where they could have been shown, but the end result was still a rich, textured, real world and I loved every minute I was there.
The plot sucked me in and kept me captive, with just the right amount of epic external conflict and deep, relatable internal conflict. And with an immensely satisfying ending and a lovely hint of what’s to come, I’m absolutely gagging for the next installment. My only regret (and notice I say regret instead of complaint) is that I feel that with a bit more editing it could have been superb. The fact is, however, that it didn’t interrupt from my enjoyment of the story for one second. Passive voice may normally be my mortal enemy, and my head might normally explode at the use of two adjectives where one (or none) would do, but reading this I honestly didn’t care, I just thought it was a shame they hadn’t been picked up. Overall I commend Donna for creating something so downright entertaining and I cannot wait to see what's coming next.
Overall score: 4.5/5
The reason I couldn’t wait to review this book is because it changed me. Not in a ‘grab a sword, declare yourself a knight and run off to fight wolf-riding dwarves’ kind of way, (although if that meant hooking up with any of the lead characters then hand me a longbow and call me a wench). It changed me because for a while I forgot I was an aspiring author who beats myself up if I don’t achieve a certain amount of writing each day… For a while I found that every time I opened my laptop to get some work done I would simply stare at the screen, yearning for my kindle, until I gave up and permitted myself one more chapter. (Or two. Or ten).
It’s not my fault the characters are so well done. Sure I probably laughed out loud a little too much, and swooned far more than was healthy, but I can’t be held accountable. Nor can you blame me for adoring the vivid settings and the way they constantly changed to keep the action fast and entertaining. I admit that sometimes the descriptions were told where they could have been shown, but the end result was still a rich, textured, real world and I loved every minute I was there.
The plot sucked me in and kept me captive, with just the right amount of epic external conflict and deep, relatable internal conflict. And with an immensely satisfying ending and a lovely hint of what’s to come, I’m absolutely gagging for the next installment. My only regret (and notice I say regret instead of complaint) is that I feel that with a bit more editing it could have been superb. The fact is, however, that it didn’t interrupt from my enjoyment of the story for one second. Passive voice may normally be my mortal enemy, and my head might normally explode at the use of two adjectives where one (or none) would do, but reading this I honestly didn’t care, I just thought it was a shame they hadn’t been picked up. Overall I commend Donna for creating something so downright entertaining and I cannot wait to see what's coming next.
Overall score: 4.5/5
May 1, 2014
"Searching For Arthur" is an excellent read. It was funny and intense at the same time. The main character, Natasha, had a sarcastic sense of humor perfect for the YA crowd. The jokes flowed effortlessly and made me laugh out loud several times. Mrs. Hosie certainly has talent for the humorous. No one can be bored reading this book!
What pleased me the most was the author's ability to switch between light, funny scenes and very intense ones, packed with action and emotion.
I enjoyed this read very much and wish only that, at the end, Natasha had shown some growth as a character and that we had gotten a better sense of Bedivere's personality. He is the handsome knight with a romantic interest in Natasha, but beyond that it is hard to tell more. However, I suspect the next book will offer us a better glance of him. If you’re looking for a fun, yet emotional ride, this is your book.
What pleased me the most was the author's ability to switch between light, funny scenes and very intense ones, packed with action and emotion.
I enjoyed this read very much and wish only that, at the end, Natasha had shown some growth as a character and that we had gotten a better sense of Bedivere's personality. He is the handsome knight with a romantic interest in Natasha, but beyond that it is hard to tell more. However, I suspect the next book will offer us a better glance of him. If you’re looking for a fun, yet emotional ride, this is your book.
March 25, 2015
I'm a sucker for time-travel books that involve well-known fictional characters. This did not disappoint for me!
February 14, 2024
This book sucked me in and took me on a journey through time to find King Arthur (something I have always wanted to do!). It is funny, fast-paced and sometimes violent but always in a way that is meaningful and part of the story.
The story builds up as it goes along, with layer upon layer skillfully added to it that enriches the whole thing. The characters themselves are fantastic and I think that I've fallen in love with 2 or 3 of them in this book There are some laugh-out-loud moments, sadness, death, and action.
Absolutely brilliant for a debut novel and I immediately put the other two on my wishlist. These are keepers for sure.
* Verified Purchase - November 2012 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 19,2013
The story builds up as it goes along, with layer upon layer skillfully added to it that enriches the whole thing. The characters themselves are fantastic and I think that I've fallen in love with 2 or 3 of them in this book There are some laugh-out-loud moments, sadness, death, and action.
Absolutely brilliant for a debut novel and I immediately put the other two on my wishlist. These are keepers for sure.
* Verified Purchase - November 2012 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 19,2013
May 3, 2015
I was ordering a whole bunch of books when I noticed Searching for Arthur and decided to add it to my order on a whim. I haven't read any Arthurian books/literature so basically my entire interest was based on the TV show Merlin which I really love - despite its many obvious flaws. But this isn't about the TV show, this is about this book. As you can see from my rating, I didn't enjoy it in the slightest. But I will tell you why.
--> There will be spoilers.
1. Age Group. Its strange. I think this book should be marketed towards a younger age group than Young Adult as I felt it was too immature reading wise for me. Yet there is a lead in to a sex scene and its referenced afterwards, so not exactly appropriate. I think the age group needed to be thought out more clearly.
2. The Heroine. Natasha is not a very likeable protagonist. She comes across extremely immature for a 17 year old girl - to the point where I was questioning if I'd mistaken her age as she seemed like a 14 year old. She has a snarky voice that literally talks back at her in italics throughout the entire novel and is very confusing. Authors can use this as a device to make us readers reading the protags thoughts more interesting, though as events took place I suspect this voice is meant to point to the 'apparent' mental issues Natasha supposedly has. I say supposedly because though she does act irratic she seems pretty in control half the time for someone who is supposed to be unstable. If that wasn't the intention then thats even worse as the entire time this is how it reads.
Furthermore She is not reliable in the slightest. We spend the start of the book with her hating her brother's girlfriend because Sammy (said GF) calls her a freak. Yet Natasha has nicknamed Sammy both Slurpy (for how she kisses her brother - yes, a 17 year old made this nickname) and SS (meaning Slurpy Sammy but it doubles up with the much more terrible, and intentional on Natasha's part, named army under Hitler's regime). Yes, a character who we are supposed to feel sorry for for being a victim of bullying has named said bully after a god-damn Hitler reference.
There is a scene early on where Natasha lets slip this nickname and Sammy, in a justified bout of rage, storms off at the offensive nickname. And Natasha doesn't even feel bad. What a terrible, terrible person. Not someone I want to be in the head of for an entire 300 pages.
3. Arthur. This one confuses me a little as I am not sure whether the author intended for readers to like Arthur or not. As far as I'm concerned I felt I shouldn't like him and only did on the preference that I hated everybody else. Coming from Natasha's point of view though, I think he's ridiculous. They are described as being extremely close and protective of one another yet he never ever listens to Natasha's issues about Sammy. Even at the end of the book when he over hears Sammy calling Natasha a freak he gets a bit angry and says he is sick of them bickering at each other and they better cut it out. What. A. D-bag. This girl you call your girlfriend just called your slightly mental (literally) sister a freak. And you did not dump her then and there?! I can't stand Natasha and even I thought this was ridiculous.
Are any of these characters supposed to be likeable? I actually didn't mind Mordred (which shows how waaaay off this book was for me).
4. Instalove. That is the quickest instalove I have witnessed in a long time. The minute Natasha started describing his light green eyes I knew where this was going. What makes it worse is this is obviously based in Arthurian times, and Natasha takes merely days to fall into the hay (literally) with Bedivere. Two things reeeeally bothered me with this relationship.
a)Said hay falling which occurs after... wait for it... 6 days. SIX. DAYS. And is immediately followed by declarations of 'my love!' not only by the old school knight Sir Bedivere but also our protagonist, she of the modern times Natasha!
Oh Lord.
b) We find out Bedivere is engaged and Natasha loses her mind. Understandable, actually commendable. The first likeable thing she did in my opinion. And then she ruined it by finding out Bedivere was planning to break it off because he loves her. Umm... he didn't tell you in the first place when you were having intense make out sessions (when they were supposed to be keeping watch for the rest of the regiment, mind you. But whatever. Unprofessional acting knights can qualify for the round table, apparently).
Why is it ok because he now plans to break up with her?! No! No, no, no, he didn't tell you in the first place!
On another side note Natasha has named said rival Lady Puke, even though she has never met her and even finds out it was an arranged engagement FROM BIRTH. Once again, we are supposed to support this protagonist AND this relationship?
5. The Layout & Writing. The actual layout of the book and its writing also bothered me. The layout is just a personal preference and obviously author is allowed to write it however she likes. I just prefer more traditional layouts.
The writing bothered me along the lines of description. We get character descriptions (E.G green eyes, black glossy hair, freckles) but not once do we get a description of the country-side. The modern day world and Camelot could be exactly the same for all we know. I don't have an internal image of anything. The world-building was just zero.
Others have enjoyed this book and you might too. But sadly, it isn't the thing for me.
--> There will be spoilers.
1. Age Group. Its strange. I think this book should be marketed towards a younger age group than Young Adult as I felt it was too immature reading wise for me. Yet there is a lead in to a sex scene and its referenced afterwards, so not exactly appropriate. I think the age group needed to be thought out more clearly.
2. The Heroine. Natasha is not a very likeable protagonist. She comes across extremely immature for a 17 year old girl - to the point where I was questioning if I'd mistaken her age as she seemed like a 14 year old. She has a snarky voice that literally talks back at her in italics throughout the entire novel and is very confusing. Authors can use this as a device to make us readers reading the protags thoughts more interesting, though as events took place I suspect this voice is meant to point to the 'apparent' mental issues Natasha supposedly has. I say supposedly because though she does act irratic she seems pretty in control half the time for someone who is supposed to be unstable. If that wasn't the intention then thats even worse as the entire time this is how it reads.
Furthermore She is not reliable in the slightest. We spend the start of the book with her hating her brother's girlfriend because Sammy (said GF) calls her a freak. Yet Natasha has nicknamed Sammy both Slurpy (for how she kisses her brother - yes, a 17 year old made this nickname) and SS (meaning Slurpy Sammy but it doubles up with the much more terrible, and intentional on Natasha's part, named army under Hitler's regime). Yes, a character who we are supposed to feel sorry for for being a victim of bullying has named said bully after a god-damn Hitler reference.
There is a scene early on where Natasha lets slip this nickname and Sammy, in a justified bout of rage, storms off at the offensive nickname. And Natasha doesn't even feel bad. What a terrible, terrible person. Not someone I want to be in the head of for an entire 300 pages.
3. Arthur. This one confuses me a little as I am not sure whether the author intended for readers to like Arthur or not. As far as I'm concerned I felt I shouldn't like him and only did on the preference that I hated everybody else. Coming from Natasha's point of view though, I think he's ridiculous. They are described as being extremely close and protective of one another yet he never ever listens to Natasha's issues about Sammy. Even at the end of the book when he over hears Sammy calling Natasha a freak he gets a bit angry and says he is sick of them bickering at each other and they better cut it out. What. A. D-bag. This girl you call your girlfriend just called your slightly mental (literally) sister a freak. And you did not dump her then and there?! I can't stand Natasha and even I thought this was ridiculous.
Are any of these characters supposed to be likeable? I actually didn't mind Mordred (which shows how waaaay off this book was for me).
4. Instalove. That is the quickest instalove I have witnessed in a long time. The minute Natasha started describing his light green eyes I knew where this was going. What makes it worse is this is obviously based in Arthurian times, and Natasha takes merely days to fall into the hay (literally) with Bedivere. Two things reeeeally bothered me with this relationship.
a)Said hay falling which occurs after... wait for it... 6 days. SIX. DAYS. And is immediately followed by declarations of 'my love!' not only by the old school knight Sir Bedivere but also our protagonist, she of the modern times Natasha!
Oh Lord.
b) We find out Bedivere is engaged and Natasha loses her mind. Understandable, actually commendable. The first likeable thing she did in my opinion. And then she ruined it by finding out Bedivere was planning to break it off because he loves her. Umm... he didn't tell you in the first place when you were having intense make out sessions (when they were supposed to be keeping watch for the rest of the regiment, mind you. But whatever. Unprofessional acting knights can qualify for the round table, apparently).
Why is it ok because he now plans to break up with her?! No! No, no, no, he didn't tell you in the first place!
On another side note Natasha has named said rival Lady Puke, even though she has never met her and even finds out it was an arranged engagement FROM BIRTH. Once again, we are supposed to support this protagonist AND this relationship?
5. The Layout & Writing. The actual layout of the book and its writing also bothered me. The layout is just a personal preference and obviously author is allowed to write it however she likes. I just prefer more traditional layouts.
The writing bothered me along the lines of description. We get character descriptions (E.G green eyes, black glossy hair, freckles) but not once do we get a description of the country-side. The modern day world and Camelot could be exactly the same for all we know. I don't have an internal image of anything. The world-building was just zero.
Others have enjoyed this book and you might too. But sadly, it isn't the thing for me.
January 4, 2013
I rated this book yesterday; however, I was on my Kindle Fire and wanted to wait until I could sit quietly and type to post the review.
This book is, to sum it up in one word, WONDERFUL! At the very beginning I was worried. The start of the book was somewhat similar to the recent Disney Channel movie "Avalon High". By the end of the first chapter I was very pleased to be wrong. There is action, mystery, romance, intrigue. There are knights, insanity - though I've yet to determine whether said insanity is factual or perceived by the sufferer - , dragon attacks, and time travel. The pacing is such that I can easily see even the reluctant readers among us having no problems keeping the pages turning. The characters are well-developed, and the fact that the author manages to allow the reader to feel as if they know the character without bogging them down with drawn out back stories is quite enjoyable. To put it simply? I felt that I got to know the characters much as I would had I met them in real life, adding a "chapter" - so to speak - every time a new kernel of information was granted.
I was also delighted to find that this book deviated from one of my pet peeves of stereotypical self-published works - rampant grammatical errors. There were some questionable spellings; however, that could be attributed to the book being written from a Welsh perspective, rather than an English or American one. As much as I sang the praises of Ms. Hosie's unique method of character development in the last paragraph, I found myself feeling a bit empty in regards to the heroine's character. I just wanted to feel a little closer to her, I think. Perhaps have been given a bit more insight into what makes her tick.
All in all this book is a must buy, worth much more than the paltry $3.99 price on it. Immediately after finishing it I purchased the second book in the series and am now a little over the halfway point with it. I now find myself hoping that the wait for the third book isn't very long - I'm not sure I could bear it!
This book is, to sum it up in one word, WONDERFUL! At the very beginning I was worried. The start of the book was somewhat similar to the recent Disney Channel movie "Avalon High". By the end of the first chapter I was very pleased to be wrong. There is action, mystery, romance, intrigue. There are knights, insanity - though I've yet to determine whether said insanity is factual or perceived by the sufferer - , dragon attacks, and time travel. The pacing is such that I can easily see even the reluctant readers among us having no problems keeping the pages turning. The characters are well-developed, and the fact that the author manages to allow the reader to feel as if they know the character without bogging them down with drawn out back stories is quite enjoyable. To put it simply? I felt that I got to know the characters much as I would had I met them in real life, adding a "chapter" - so to speak - every time a new kernel of information was granted.
I was also delighted to find that this book deviated from one of my pet peeves of stereotypical self-published works - rampant grammatical errors. There were some questionable spellings; however, that could be attributed to the book being written from a Welsh perspective, rather than an English or American one. As much as I sang the praises of Ms. Hosie's unique method of character development in the last paragraph, I found myself feeling a bit empty in regards to the heroine's character. I just wanted to feel a little closer to her, I think. Perhaps have been given a bit more insight into what makes her tick.
All in all this book is a must buy, worth much more than the paltry $3.99 price on it. Immediately after finishing it I purchased the second book in the series and am now a little over the halfway point with it. I now find myself hoping that the wait for the third book isn't very long - I'm not sure I could bear it!
April 11, 2016
Why I read it:
- Magic
- Arturian Legend
- Next book had Merlin in the title
- the synopsis sounded promising
- no one rated it less than 4/5 here. (that's a feat for any book here)
What wasn't there:
- Love triangle (and I'm so grateful for that)
Rating: 4.3/5. [because i wasn't floating in heavens for some reason)
What it had:
Magic
Classy Leads
Great action scenarios
Nicely thought Plot
No over chaotic execution
Realistic emotions
Romance
Amazing Characterization
All characters had equal empahsis
In length:
I really loved reading this book, especially after the My Merlin series, which tore me apart. So this was like a balm to that wound. Though there was no Merlin, directly involved in this book, it had all the elements of Arthurian legends minus the sadness and tragedy ;)
So it was exactly what i was looking for. It was a breezy read too.
I couldn't put it down once i started with it. It was gripping and you just wanted to reach the end as soon as possible, because you just can't wait. The action scenes were very well thought through and even classically executed. I could really imagine the fights with words used like a diamond formation or a magnetic safe shield around the table. It gives you scope for clear imagination. You can keep up with the Author's thoughts. There was good amount of Romance too, though i really thought Bedivere would not really kiss that much, but turns out i was happily wrong ;) I loved the whole gang. Esp Talan and David :D
SO, go ahead, give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it too :D
- Magic
- Arturian Legend
- Next book had Merlin in the title
- the synopsis sounded promising
- no one rated it less than 4/5 here. (that's a feat for any book here)
What wasn't there:
- Love triangle (and I'm so grateful for that)
Rating: 4.3/5. [because i wasn't floating in heavens for some reason)
What it had:
Magic
Classy Leads
Great action scenarios
Nicely thought Plot
No over chaotic execution
Realistic emotions
Romance
Amazing Characterization
All characters had equal empahsis
In length:
I really loved reading this book, especially after the My Merlin series, which tore me apart. So this was like a balm to that wound. Though there was no Merlin, directly involved in this book, it had all the elements of Arthurian legends minus the sadness and tragedy ;)
So it was exactly what i was looking for. It was a breezy read too.
I couldn't put it down once i started with it. It was gripping and you just wanted to reach the end as soon as possible, because you just can't wait. The action scenes were very well thought through and even classically executed. I could really imagine the fights with words used like a diamond formation or a magnetic safe shield around the table. It gives you scope for clear imagination. You can keep up with the Author's thoughts. There was good amount of Romance too, though i really thought Bedivere would not really kiss that much, but turns out i was happily wrong ;) I loved the whole gang. Esp Talan and David :D
SO, go ahead, give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it too :D
March 7, 2015
Sweet Baby Jesus!! It's books like this that just make me wonder if I was born in the right time or not. I thought I'd never read something as amazing as The Torrent of Time series again, but I'm so glad I'm wrong, as this book was just as amazing and investing and satisfying to read. And Bedivere, my god, where can I find me a Bedivere? I love guys with green eyes and especially ones who are Knights. I will definitely read the next book in the series, even if I have to scrounge for some money to add to my kindle (update: I was successful) . I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS. GO AND READ IT RIGHT NOW!!! There's cool as knights and sweet and caring brothers and Bedivere and Arthur.
May 11, 2014
Freaking fantastic. Such a quick read and such a great story. Gotta love Arthurian stories.
March 17, 2013
Finally got some time to write my review.
Where to start? Well, best of with the positive things. The idea is great. I think, a fresh version of the Arthurian myth will be very appealing to a lot of (younger) readers. References are well done and the story told in a way that you are drawn into it and can't put the book (eReader) aside before you have finished it.
However, I do have a couple of things that I did not really like about the book. If it was a draft, I would suggest some editing before trying to publish it as hard copy.
Here they are:
1) When I started reading the book, I actually thought it was written for a younger audience, like twelve plus. The main character seemed so immature in her thinking and behavior and also so much younger than her (not so much)older brother, who acts like a surrogate father. That is why I was surprised that she is already 17, which made me wonder if it was a wise decision to have a young teenager having to identify with a young adult.
Only later in the story it became apparent that the story was written for an older audience, especially by the depiction of graphic violence. Unfortunately, the main character stayed somewhat immature throughout the story, which is most apparent in her coming up with silly nicknames like "Slurpy" and "Lady Puke".
Well, maybe teenagers of 17 are really like that, I don't know. I just couldn't relate and didn't like it.
2) The main character is basically the major flaw of the book.
As I said, she is very immature. She becomes more violent (and used to violent ongoings) as the story moves on, but otherwise she does not really change at all.
The constant screaming was just as annoying. She screams and screams. I know I am a little "infested" by my emancipated upbringing by my mother, but I consider that a good thing. Women should make the most of their emancipation and keep working on it. We don't need other (literature) drawbacks such as recent examples (Twilight, Shades of Grey ...). As a young woman at the verge of adulthood I would look for strong female role models - in reality and in fiction. That means, no cliches and no old stereotypes. Unfortunately, our narrator is not a woman to look up to (neither are any of the other female characters; they are all either deprived of the compacity to love, or are deceitful and spiteful).
In addition she is rather bratty (not naughty, but more Juliette Lewis-esque), especially in this one scene: "I threw myself into Bedivere's arms and spread my mouth across his warm lips". Arthur wasn't the only one choking about this image, which is obviously only intended to get back at her brother for making her watch making out with his girlfriend.
Another minor thing about the narrator is that she keeps calling the knights "boys". They might not be that old, that's right, but then in the middle ages, when most people didn't get much older than 40, an 18 year old is already a full-grown man. "Boy" sounds really weird! On the other hand we only have the POV of a late pubescent girl, so I guess this minor flaw is negligible.
3) The atmosphere. While the author describes many of the character's attires and looks in great detail, she neglects landscape and atmosphere, which appear too pale for my taste. At some ponits during the story I was surprised that the characters had moved on to a different place, because it did not differ from the previous. A more colorful depiction of a mythical land would have been a nice touch to create more Athurian atmosphere.
4) Basically, one incident follows the next, each gorier than the one before. Which wouldn't be so terrible, if the actual final battle against Baldivore and Mordred wasn't rather anti-climatic in comparison.
Even though this was a long thrashing, I still think that the story itself is promising and the Arthurian and Arthurian literature ("The Once and Future King") references well done (I loved the bearded squirrel!!). I am eager to see how the story unfolds in the second volume.
Where to start? Well, best of with the positive things. The idea is great. I think, a fresh version of the Arthurian myth will be very appealing to a lot of (younger) readers. References are well done and the story told in a way that you are drawn into it and can't put the book (eReader) aside before you have finished it.
However, I do have a couple of things that I did not really like about the book. If it was a draft, I would suggest some editing before trying to publish it as hard copy.
Here they are:
1) When I started reading the book, I actually thought it was written for a younger audience, like twelve plus. The main character seemed so immature in her thinking and behavior and also so much younger than her (not so much)older brother, who acts like a surrogate father. That is why I was surprised that she is already 17, which made me wonder if it was a wise decision to have a young teenager having to identify with a young adult.
Only later in the story it became apparent that the story was written for an older audience, especially by the depiction of graphic violence. Unfortunately, the main character stayed somewhat immature throughout the story, which is most apparent in her coming up with silly nicknames like "Slurpy" and "Lady Puke".
Well, maybe teenagers of 17 are really like that, I don't know. I just couldn't relate and didn't like it.
2) The main character is basically the major flaw of the book.
As I said, she is very immature. She becomes more violent (and used to violent ongoings) as the story moves on, but otherwise she does not really change at all.
The constant screaming was just as annoying. She screams and screams. I know I am a little "infested" by my emancipated upbringing by my mother, but I consider that a good thing. Women should make the most of their emancipation and keep working on it. We don't need other (literature) drawbacks such as recent examples (Twilight, Shades of Grey ...). As a young woman at the verge of adulthood I would look for strong female role models - in reality and in fiction. That means, no cliches and no old stereotypes. Unfortunately, our narrator is not a woman to look up to (neither are any of the other female characters; they are all either deprived of the compacity to love, or are deceitful and spiteful).
In addition she is rather bratty (not naughty, but more Juliette Lewis-esque), especially in this one scene: "I threw myself into Bedivere's arms and spread my mouth across his warm lips". Arthur wasn't the only one choking about this image, which is obviously only intended to get back at her brother for making her watch making out with his girlfriend.
Another minor thing about the narrator is that she keeps calling the knights "boys". They might not be that old, that's right, but then in the middle ages, when most people didn't get much older than 40, an 18 year old is already a full-grown man. "Boy" sounds really weird! On the other hand we only have the POV of a late pubescent girl, so I guess this minor flaw is negligible.
3) The atmosphere. While the author describes many of the character's attires and looks in great detail, she neglects landscape and atmosphere, which appear too pale for my taste. At some ponits during the story I was surprised that the characters had moved on to a different place, because it did not differ from the previous. A more colorful depiction of a mythical land would have been a nice touch to create more Athurian atmosphere.
4) Basically, one incident follows the next, each gorier than the one before. Which wouldn't be so terrible, if the actual final battle against Baldivore and Mordred wasn't rather anti-climatic in comparison.
Even though this was a long thrashing, I still think that the story itself is promising and the Arthurian and Arthurian literature ("The Once and Future King") references well done (I loved the bearded squirrel!!). I am eager to see how the story unfolds in the second volume.
May 15, 2014
I really enjoyed this. Review soon to come on the blog! About to download the next in the series and start it right away!
March 21, 2014
2.5 stars
The fiction around the Arthurian legends was one of my favorite reading themes while growing up.
Let's be honest, everything is more interesting than...analytical geometry and trigonometry!
Themes as loyalty, companionship, and above all, honour, were always able to catch my interest. Due to that, i read quite a few books regarding Arthur and his Knights. Some told from his companions pov (for instance, Patrick McCormack's Albion duology, or Bernard Cornwell "The Arthur Books"), others from Guinevere's pov (like Rosalind Miles trilogy).
Ironically neither of them was as teen (or better yet, new adult) oriented as this one, now that my teen years are long gone...
...Thank God! (I mean, the teen years..)
I don't know if this is the author's first work, but she do knows how to captivate her reader.
The story started out really strong.
A little dark, it promised such an incredible story!
It definitely kept me guessing where it was going.
Normally, books that involve time travel, are hit's or misses for me.
The junction of the contemporary elements with mythology, can either be done seamlessly, or in such an abhorrent way that one doesn't even where to turn, much like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard....
Donna Hosie did it perfectly.
Our main character, who is a seventeen year old girl named Natasha begins her journey into the unknown, when her brother Arthur (one year older) goes missing.
Like i said: This had such a strong beginning.
Natasha started out as an interesting character, but i'm afraid that in the author's attempt to develop her by opposition to another character (we will get to there in a minute), she ended up falling in the role of other stereotyped characters.
I liked that the author tried to pass the message that friendship comes first than boys.
Unfortunately it was short lived, and as such doesn't count!
Because______ _________ _______dragon!!
And, what was with that public declaration : MY LOVE!! (They knew each other for what...three, four days?)
O_O The thing could have been taken from a soap opera!
So friendship before boys....
Unfortunately it also got trampled by insta love, bouts of jealousy that involved screaming out aloud about: Pigs!
And boys *knights* clutching their family...jewels....
It was strange, and too much!! And all of a sudden an interesting story disappeared beneath all that mush...and crazy hormones.
When i read the synopsis of this story, i thought that two characters that hated each other would be forced to bound, in order to discover Arthur whereabouts. Girl power! Friendship!
My imagination got the better of me...
So we have Natasha and Samantha, respectively Arthur's sister and his girlfriend...
For me this was one of the story's weakest points.
It's impossible to see Natasha as a grown up, when she's constantly referring to Sammy as Slurpy!
Yes, she and Samantha never got along...because *Arthur Jealousy*, but it was stupid!
I also didn't like how Samantha ended being called and written as whorish, because she was pretty, with curves, and took advantage of cleavages...
Two modern day girls find themselves in another time period, and instead of sticking together, Samantha goes of into the unknown, because *stereotypes* and because, someone has to be the ~evil dude/dudette?~
A "bad guy/girl" needs so much more in terms of characterization, than what this girl got...
Sticking her tongue in Arthur's mouth, and apparently using his face as an ice cream, doesn't turn a person into evil material....
The sex...
Oh boy...
As if insta love wasn't enough!
She's in another time period!! With a guy she met a couple days ago, and she's having sex, because it's obvious they're soul mates!!! O_o WTF?
And she judges Samantha/Aka M.? (yes, i'm being obscure on propose!)
Of course there's no contemplation of what may happen...~diseases~ pregnancy~ no health care~
How can i see this girl as intelligent and mature?
Also, there was a tragic event in the siblings past. However the way the author decided to "explain" how she dealt with it, was not good...
By this time, the story was a complete wreck of bouncing hormones...
Bottom Line:
A promising story that could have been so much more, if it wasn't for the full throttle romance.
Younger readers will probably devour it.
Oh, and i'm not even going to start with the fact of Natasha being able to pick up a sword...and using it!!
Unless it was a prop, _and unless she had the Hulk's strength _ c'mon....
Even so, i'm curious about the next volumes o_O
The fiction around the Arthurian legends was one of my favorite reading themes while growing up.
Let's be honest, everything is more interesting than...analytical geometry and trigonometry!
Themes as loyalty, companionship, and above all, honour, were always able to catch my interest. Due to that, i read quite a few books regarding Arthur and his Knights. Some told from his companions pov (for instance, Patrick McCormack's Albion duology, or Bernard Cornwell "The Arthur Books"), others from Guinevere's pov (like Rosalind Miles trilogy).
Ironically neither of them was as teen (or better yet, new adult) oriented as this one, now that my teen years are long gone...
...Thank God! (I mean, the teen years..)
I don't know if this is the author's first work, but she do knows how to captivate her reader.
The story started out really strong.
A little dark, it promised such an incredible story!
It definitely kept me guessing where it was going.
Normally, books that involve time travel, are hit's or misses for me.
The junction of the contemporary elements with mythology, can either be done seamlessly, or in such an abhorrent way that one doesn't even where to turn, much like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard....
Donna Hosie did it perfectly.
Our main character, who is a seventeen year old girl named Natasha begins her journey into the unknown, when her brother Arthur (one year older) goes missing.
Like i said: This had such a strong beginning.
Natasha started out as an interesting character, but i'm afraid that in the author's attempt to develop her by opposition to another character (we will get to there in a minute), she ended up falling in the role of other stereotyped characters.
I liked that the author tried to pass the message that friendship comes first than boys.
Unfortunately it was short lived, and as such doesn't count!
Because______ _________ _______dragon!!
And, what was with that public declaration : MY LOVE!! (They knew each other for what...three, four days?)
O_O The thing could have been taken from a soap opera!
So friendship before boys....
Unfortunately it also got trampled by insta love, bouts of jealousy that involved screaming out aloud about: Pigs!
And boys *knights* clutching their family...jewels....
It was strange, and too much!! And all of a sudden an interesting story disappeared beneath all that mush...and crazy hormones.
When i read the synopsis of this story, i thought that two characters that hated each other would be forced to bound, in order to discover Arthur whereabouts. Girl power! Friendship!
My imagination got the better of me...
So we have Natasha and Samantha, respectively Arthur's sister and his girlfriend...
For me this was one of the story's weakest points.
It's impossible to see Natasha as a grown up, when she's constantly referring to Sammy as Slurpy!
Yes, she and Samantha never got along...because *Arthur Jealousy*, but it was stupid!
I also didn't like how Samantha ended being called and written as whorish, because she was pretty, with curves, and took advantage of cleavages...
Two modern day girls find themselves in another time period, and instead of sticking together, Samantha goes of into the unknown, because *stereotypes* and because, someone has to be the ~evil dude/dudette?~
A "bad guy/girl" needs so much more in terms of characterization, than what this girl got...
Sticking her tongue in Arthur's mouth, and apparently using his face as an ice cream, doesn't turn a person into evil material....
The sex...
Oh boy...
As if insta love wasn't enough!
She's in another time period!! With a guy she met a couple days ago, and she's having sex, because it's obvious they're soul mates!!! O_o WTF?
And she judges Samantha/Aka M.? (yes, i'm being obscure on propose!)
Of course there's no contemplation of what may happen...~diseases~ pregnancy~ no health care~
How can i see this girl as intelligent and mature?
Also, there was a tragic event in the siblings past. However the way the author decided to "explain" how she dealt with it, was not good...
By this time, the story was a complete wreck of bouncing hormones...
Bottom Line:
A promising story that could have been so much more, if it wasn't for the full throttle romance.
Younger readers will probably devour it.
Oh, and i'm not even going to start with the fact of Natasha being able to pick up a sword...and using it!!
Unless it was a prop, _and unless she had the Hulk's strength _ c'mon....
Even so, i'm curious about the next volumes o_O
August 20, 2013
I am speechless (which is unusual!) I LOVED IT! If you don't read it you are seriously missing out!
September 24, 2013
So this should be 3 and a half stars by the way..
I really had to give this book time before I could review it in a way that wasn't cranky and crabby. First off let me say I did like this book. My biggest issue was it wasn't an unwavering "like" I had for it. I went in super excited, nervous because of how much I love Arthurian legend (I also super love BBC's Merlin) and was worried it would somehow insult or make a fool of the characters I love so much. Thankfully it didn't do that.. well except it made me dislike Arthur here and there, but overall I was content with what was done with him.
While keeping in mind that I really did like this book, the longer it went the more I hated the main character Natasha. The biggest thing that bugged me about her was she deemed herself a better person than Morgana and Mordred in this knowing what she'd done to her little brother, Patrick. It wasn't what happened to him that made me hate her but it bugged me that the guilt didn't get to her very much. It seemed to at times bug her, but not eat at her like I felt like it should any normal person with a conscience. Half the time I just wanted to punch her because she was just super annoying besides that.. I kept having to remind myself that she wasn't twelve because her thoughts just were... very twelve-year-old-ish..
I did like Bedivere (even though I kept getting confused when they were talking about Bad-..whatever the bad guy's name was) but the "MY LOVE!" KILLED ME. I love cheesiness and I can handle my dairy but that was a lot of queso... Also I REALLY badly wish the love story there took more time. Not only did it just seem to take moments for Natasha and Bedivere to decide they were madly in love, which bugged me, I also didn't have the time to fall in love with Bedivere. It's those little moments.. the almost touches/kisses, the wanting to say something but not.. those are what are just so fantastic about a love story.. the leading up to the "My love"s and it started out great, when she instantly noticed Bedivere's green eyes, and when she rode on his horse with him I was getting excited, my stomach ready to unleash the butterflies and then when Bedivere swore to protect her I was thinking, "yeah he's a knight that's what knights do.. alright, still good." And then even the kiss I was alright with, it showed Natasha was spontaneous, but after that, it just got way too carried away way too quickly, at least for my liking.
Pushing past some of the faults with the story itself, Donna Hosie has quite an expanded vocabulary she's ready to use and I really liked her word choices a lot, I only wish everything else followed suit.
I really had to give this book time before I could review it in a way that wasn't cranky and crabby. First off let me say I did like this book. My biggest issue was it wasn't an unwavering "like" I had for it. I went in super excited, nervous because of how much I love Arthurian legend (I also super love BBC's Merlin) and was worried it would somehow insult or make a fool of the characters I love so much. Thankfully it didn't do that.. well except it made me dislike Arthur here and there, but overall I was content with what was done with him.
While keeping in mind that I really did like this book, the longer it went the more I hated the main character Natasha. The biggest thing that bugged me about her was she deemed herself a better person than Morgana and Mordred in this knowing what she'd done to her little brother, Patrick. It wasn't what happened to him that made me hate her but it bugged me that the guilt didn't get to her very much. It seemed to at times bug her, but not eat at her like I felt like it should any normal person with a conscience. Half the time I just wanted to punch her because she was just super annoying besides that.. I kept having to remind myself that she wasn't twelve because her thoughts just were... very twelve-year-old-ish..
I did like Bedivere (even though I kept getting confused when they were talking about Bad-..whatever the bad guy's name was) but the "MY LOVE!" KILLED ME. I love cheesiness and I can handle my dairy but that was a lot of queso... Also I REALLY badly wish the love story there took more time. Not only did it just seem to take moments for Natasha and Bedivere to decide they were madly in love, which bugged me, I also didn't have the time to fall in love with Bedivere. It's those little moments.. the almost touches/kisses, the wanting to say something but not.. those are what are just so fantastic about a love story.. the leading up to the "My love"s and it started out great, when she instantly noticed Bedivere's green eyes, and when she rode on his horse with him I was getting excited, my stomach ready to unleash the butterflies and then when Bedivere swore to protect her I was thinking, "yeah he's a knight that's what knights do.. alright, still good." And then even the kiss I was alright with, it showed Natasha was spontaneous, but after that, it just got way too carried away way too quickly, at least for my liking.
Pushing past some of the faults with the story itself, Donna Hosie has quite an expanded vocabulary she's ready to use and I really liked her word choices a lot, I only wish everything else followed suit.
January 18, 2013
***½
A fun and entertaining read with well develop plot, that kept me interested and curious all along. The ending was left open to what will be next to come in the next novel. It was just enough to leave me wanting to know what is next without being a cliffhanger.
My big qualm and the reason it has lost a full star, is the heroine.
I have trouble with story lines involving emotionally immature heroine in general, though sometimes it doesn't bother me has much as losing a full star.
Here it did, because I had to "hear" the inner thoughts of the equivalent of a 13-14 years in the character of a 17 years old. Though I understands the whys she is that way (yes there are reasons) and the reasons why this literary tools has been use (to make her look like a weirdo who talks to herself and to explain her lack of "social experience", boys and friends in general).
I would have prefer reading a prologue where this is explain, and later being shown through her actions and reactions that she isn't on par with her age, rather than "listening" to her inner voice.
That being said, this is a problem I have in general and might definitely not be a problem for someone else, who would then find a bigger enjoyment at reading Natasha's adventure.
A fun and entertaining read with well develop plot, that kept me interested and curious all along. The ending was left open to what will be next to come in the next novel. It was just enough to leave me wanting to know what is next without being a cliffhanger.
My big qualm and the reason it has lost a full star, is the heroine.
I have trouble with story lines involving emotionally immature heroine in general, though sometimes it doesn't bother me has much as losing a full star.
Here it did, because I had to "hear" the inner thoughts of the equivalent of a 13-14 years in the character of a 17 years old. Though I understands the whys she is that way (yes there are reasons) and the reasons why this literary tools has been use (to make her look like a weirdo who talks to herself and to explain her lack of "social experience", boys and friends in general).
I would have prefer reading a prologue where this is explain, and later being shown through her actions and reactions that she isn't on par with her age, rather than "listening" to her inner voice.
That being said, this is a problem I have in general and might definitely not be a problem for someone else, who would then find a bigger enjoyment at reading Natasha's adventure.
August 12, 2015
This book was terrible. While not badly written, per se, the major characters were unlikeable and there were huge gaps in the plot that were never explained. Having just come off a book series with a similar premise, King Arthur and Her Knights, which begins with Enthroned, I can't help comparing the two and this book definitely came off the worse.
I really, really disliked the main character, Natasha. At first I just had trouble relating to her, which isn't the worst crime in the world for a character, but what really sealed the deal was her reaction to finding out her love interest, Bedivere, was engaged to someone else. First off, they've known each other for a couple of days and suddenly Natasha's all proud because he's "hers." Then she completely hits the roof when she finds out there's someone else in the picture. Yes, Bedivere should have told her, but her rage is completely out of proportion and her possessiveness and neediness only gets worse from there. She also spends the entire book complaining about how much she hates her brother Arthur's girlfriend, who turns out to be Morgana, but Natasha acts just as selfish and terrible and irrational as this person she despises. And then she makes it worse by taking a leaf out of Bella from Twilight's book and going all catatonic because she is separated from her One True Love. Oh noes, her life is totally over at sixteen. In fact, she's a lot like Bella in many ways--and that's not a good thing. Finally, she has a bad case of Dumba** in Distress (term copyright The Nostalgia Critic), a character who is supposed to be capable but then serves at the end only to be the helpless hostage. We make a point of the knights teaching her how to fight, but does she do anything with her newfound knowledge? Nope. She just keeps getting captured.
Morgana/Samantha is a cartoon cheerleader villain from a Disney Channel show, she was so completely unbelievably over the top evil. No one actually accuses someone lying injured in a hospital bed of getting that badly hurt on purpose just to sabotage a date with her brother, but that's pretty much the first interaction we have with Samantha and it continues in that vein of ridiculous for the entire book.
I still can't figure out how Natasha, Arthur and Samantha could have been in the past before (they all keep saying how everything in the medieval fantasy scenario they find themselves in after crawling through an old tomb is so familiar and everyone recognizes Arthur at least as the vanished king) yet appear to have no memory of it. And how does Natasha fit into this? She has no Arthurian equivalent (which I thought the weird voice in her head she keeps having conversations with was going to turn out to be--her former Arthurian personality, but nope, we never do anything with that other than it's just a weird version of herself she talks to sometimes), unlike Arthur and Samantha. King Arthur has sisters in the legend, but it's never once posited that her name is actually something other than Natasha. She's just a self-insert, I assume as a fantasy for the author who has a thing for the honorable Bedivere. The whole thing is never explored in any logical way and it's so frustrating to have these hints of interactions in the past that never go anywhere.
This book is also dead depressing. Natasha's life starts off terrible, though a lot of it is #firstworldproblems, and the mood of the book never improves. Yes, we have Natasha and Bedivere's so-called romance, but that was so unbelievable that it didn't improve things for me. The best parts were when the group of knights were interacting with each other. The rest of the book is just pure chaos and killing off people we like. Hosie really aroused my ire by introducing Gaheris (for whom I have a soft spot) and then killing him off almost immediately before we got a chance to even feel a connection with him other than being Gawain and Gareth's brother.
Hosie obviously did very little research into Arthurian legend other than pull a few names to populate her Arthurian Britain and then make up a few more to round it out. Most of the characters have no connection to their deeds in legend and are too young to have gone on all the adventures they're supposed to have gone on, since supposedly at the time of the final battle at Camlann, Gareth, the eldest of the knights, is twenty, and all the rest are between fourteen and nineteen (except Percivale, who is maybe in his 20s or 30s). Even if they were knighted at fourteen or fifteen that's not much time for the glory days of Arthurian Britain before it was all destroyed by Mordred. I get that Hosie was trying to keep them close to the age of her target audience, but it was hard to swallow.
I should have quit once I realized that this book was never going to make any sense and the characters were never going to improve, but it was short enough that by the time I realized this I was more than halfway through and by then I decided to power on and just get to the end. Don't make my mistake. Don't pick up this book at all.
I really, really disliked the main character, Natasha. At first I just had trouble relating to her, which isn't the worst crime in the world for a character, but what really sealed the deal was her reaction to finding out her love interest, Bedivere, was engaged to someone else. First off, they've known each other for a couple of days and suddenly Natasha's all proud because he's "hers." Then she completely hits the roof when she finds out there's someone else in the picture. Yes, Bedivere should have told her, but her rage is completely out of proportion and her possessiveness and neediness only gets worse from there. She also spends the entire book complaining about how much she hates her brother Arthur's girlfriend, who turns out to be Morgana, but Natasha acts just as selfish and terrible and irrational as this person she despises. And then she makes it worse by taking a leaf out of Bella from Twilight's book and going all catatonic because she is separated from her One True Love. Oh noes, her life is totally over at sixteen. In fact, she's a lot like Bella in many ways--and that's not a good thing. Finally, she has a bad case of Dumba** in Distress (term copyright The Nostalgia Critic), a character who is supposed to be capable but then serves at the end only to be the helpless hostage. We make a point of the knights teaching her how to fight, but does she do anything with her newfound knowledge? Nope. She just keeps getting captured.
Morgana/Samantha is a cartoon cheerleader villain from a Disney Channel show, she was so completely unbelievably over the top evil. No one actually accuses someone lying injured in a hospital bed of getting that badly hurt on purpose just to sabotage a date with her brother, but that's pretty much the first interaction we have with Samantha and it continues in that vein of ridiculous for the entire book.
I still can't figure out how Natasha, Arthur and Samantha could have been in the past before (they all keep saying how everything in the medieval fantasy scenario they find themselves in after crawling through an old tomb is so familiar and everyone recognizes Arthur at least as the vanished king) yet appear to have no memory of it. And how does Natasha fit into this? She has no Arthurian equivalent (which I thought the weird voice in her head she keeps having conversations with was going to turn out to be--her former Arthurian personality, but nope, we never do anything with that other than it's just a weird version of herself she talks to sometimes), unlike Arthur and Samantha. King Arthur has sisters in the legend, but it's never once posited that her name is actually something other than Natasha. She's just a self-insert, I assume as a fantasy for the author who has a thing for the honorable Bedivere. The whole thing is never explored in any logical way and it's so frustrating to have these hints of interactions in the past that never go anywhere.
This book is also dead depressing. Natasha's life starts off terrible, though a lot of it is #firstworldproblems, and the mood of the book never improves. Yes, we have Natasha and Bedivere's so-called romance, but that was so unbelievable that it didn't improve things for me. The best parts were when the group of knights were interacting with each other. The rest of the book is just pure chaos and killing off people we like. Hosie really aroused my ire by introducing Gaheris (for whom I have a soft spot) and then killing him off almost immediately before we got a chance to even feel a connection with him other than being Gawain and Gareth's brother.
Hosie obviously did very little research into Arthurian legend other than pull a few names to populate her Arthurian Britain and then make up a few more to round it out. Most of the characters have no connection to their deeds in legend and are too young to have gone on all the adventures they're supposed to have gone on, since supposedly at the time of the final battle at Camlann, Gareth, the eldest of the knights, is twenty, and all the rest are between fourteen and nineteen (except Percivale, who is maybe in his 20s or 30s). Even if they were knighted at fourteen or fifteen that's not much time for the glory days of Arthurian Britain before it was all destroyed by Mordred. I get that Hosie was trying to keep them close to the age of her target audience, but it was hard to swallow.
I should have quit once I realized that this book was never going to make any sense and the characters were never going to improve, but it was short enough that by the time I realized this I was more than halfway through and by then I decided to power on and just get to the end. Don't make my mistake. Don't pick up this book at all.
dropped
January 28, 2014This review might contain a teensy weensy bit of spoiler
I had high hopes for this book. I really did. The reviews on goodreads were raving good, so I knew what to expect. Or so I had thought.
The writing wasn't a problem for me. It wasn't the best that I've come across, but it sure as hell wasn't the worst that I've read. What I did not like, however, was the pacing and the world building. There is no proper transition from one scene to another. Here I was reading a scene about how the main girl was captured, branded a witch and looked upon warily; the next thing I knew I was reading about Natasha and her (potential)love interest's conversation about their shared dream. Which was really weird considering the time gap between those two scenes. Apparently, a few days have passed since Natasha and her bro's girlfriend were captured; though it was never really explained what compelled the guy/knight/love interest to talk to Natasha all of a sudden.
I also found the world building to be sorely lacking. Whether it is Camelot, or Avalon Cottage, they all look the same to me. If only the author hadn't skipped out on all those details about the environment to settle on the gory bits and Natasha's make out session with the cheesy hot knight, I'm pretty sure that this would have been a memorable read.
And speaking of Natasha, boy, was she bratty. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that she was a 13-year-old girl from the way her mind works. She was inconsistent, and her actions were incomprehensible and out-of-character. How did a hermit-like girl who was so afraid of decrepit zombies with holes for eyes, suddenly pick up a spear and charge at stinky dwarfs fearlessly, was beyond me. What's even more unbelievable was that most of the time, she was behaving like those normal teenagers or as she calls them "airheads", she often uses as example to compare her woe-is-me life to, which, mind you, was her own bloody choice. No one actually puts a gun to her head to force her to be her pretentious little self. And this is coming from me, the person who likes her protagonists to be imperfect. But in Natasha's case, her personality changes were too erratic. Predictably unpredictable , irritating, contradictory and equally as mean as her bro's girlfriend. She has her fair share of spiteful name-calling in which she so gracefully bestowed upon her bro's girlfriend. I don't know if it's just me but it felt as though the author was trying too hard to embody her character with as many unlikable traits as possible.
Before I end my review, let me just say Bedivere is too perfect for my taste. I was rolling my eyes the entire time Natasha was describing his physical attributes. Really, if you think Hugh Jackman was a total hunk, wait till you read about Bedivere and his godly looks.
I could go on and on forever, but I think I'll stop here.
*I'm not going to rate this book because I stopped reading halfway. I don't think it's fair of me to rate a book that I didn't finish. So, Peace! :)
I had high hopes for this book. I really did. The reviews on goodreads were raving good, so I knew what to expect. Or so I had thought.
The writing wasn't a problem for me. It wasn't the best that I've come across, but it sure as hell wasn't the worst that I've read. What I did not like, however, was the pacing and the world building. There is no proper transition from one scene to another. Here I was reading a scene about how the main girl was captured, branded a witch and looked upon warily; the next thing I knew I was reading about Natasha and her (potential)love interest's conversation about their shared dream. Which was really weird considering the time gap between those two scenes. Apparently, a few days have passed since Natasha and her bro's girlfriend were captured; though it was never really explained what compelled the guy/knight/love interest to talk to Natasha all of a sudden.
I also found the world building to be sorely lacking. Whether it is Camelot, or Avalon Cottage, they all look the same to me. If only the author hadn't skipped out on all those details about the environment to settle on the gory bits and Natasha's make out session with the cheesy hot knight, I'm pretty sure that this would have been a memorable read.
And speaking of Natasha, boy, was she bratty. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that she was a 13-year-old girl from the way her mind works. She was inconsistent, and her actions were incomprehensible and out-of-character. How did a hermit-like girl who was so afraid of decrepit zombies with holes for eyes, suddenly pick up a spear and charge at stinky dwarfs fearlessly, was beyond me. What's even more unbelievable was that most of the time, she was behaving like those normal teenagers or as she calls them "airheads", she often uses as example to compare her woe-is-me life to, which, mind you, was her own bloody choice. No one actually puts a gun to her head to force her to be her pretentious little self. And this is coming from me, the person who likes her protagonists to be imperfect. But in Natasha's case, her personality changes were too erratic. Predictably unpredictable , irritating, contradictory and equally as mean as her bro's girlfriend. She has her fair share of spiteful name-calling in which she so gracefully bestowed upon her bro's girlfriend. I don't know if it's just me but it felt as though the author was trying too hard to embody her character with as many unlikable traits as possible.
Before I end my review, let me just say Bedivere is too perfect for my taste. I was rolling my eyes the entire time Natasha was describing his physical attributes. Really, if you think Hugh Jackman was a total hunk, wait till you read about Bedivere and his godly looks.
I could go on and on forever, but I think I'll stop here.
*I'm not going to rate this book because I stopped reading halfway. I don't think it's fair of me to rate a book that I didn't finish. So, Peace! :)
February 2, 2013
What a loved about this book: the plot was interesting and kept me reading to the end. Arthur is a great character-strong and intelligent, but not without flaws. The descriptions set me back in time.
What I did not like about this book: My biggest complaint is the main character is annoying! She flies off the handle about everything. She is not endearing at all. I couldn't stand the nick-name Slurpy-it grossed me out. Natasha and Samantha seemed to swear at each other just because. Much of the conversation seemed forced.
What I did not like about this book: My biggest complaint is the main character is annoying! She flies off the handle about everything. She is not endearing at all. I couldn't stand the nick-name Slurpy-it grossed me out. Natasha and Samantha seemed to swear at each other just because. Much of the conversation seemed forced.
January 23, 2014
I love all things Arthurian. This YA novel would have received 5 stars from an 18 year old Laurie. However, my elder self can't help but notice the lack of literary depth. Still, the author sure knows how to keep you turning pages! I'll be reading the next book in the series to find out what happens to the engaging MCs; and hope Ms Hosie continues to develop better writing skills.
September 7, 2016
Amazing
I've always loved stories involving King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and this was a really good book.
I've always loved stories involving King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and this was a really good book.
April 1, 2020
Partial spoilers ahead.
God, this was such a chore to read but engaging enough that I finished it in a day out of sheer spite.
The story follows our main character Natasha who loses her brother to a magical adventure and she's trying to find him. Joined by his girlfriend Samantha who she constantly slut shames.
This book was written in first person pov and I hated that so fricken much, I hate being in the heads of these types of main characters, quirky one-dimensional characters, who think they aren't like other girls but act just like them. Honestly, the only saving grace and the reason I wanted to finish this book as a whole was because the plot was really compelling and I wanted this to be a good book.
I didn't start out hating the main character Natasha, in fact I sympathized with her at first. But after reading through I just realized she makes no effort in any of her relationships. She snaps at everyone, kind words rarely leave her mouth, her attitude while endearingly feisty at first devolved more and more into a directionless bad attitude.
Samantha just sucked, unlikeable from beginning to end with the added bonus of being the hot girlfriend the little sister hates. There was nothing redeeming about this character with the added character inconsistency later in the novel when she learns magic.
The knights were so awesome Talan and Bedivere carried this damn novel they were fun and endearing and I really cared about them. I wouldn't have minded if the story was just about them and their adventures.
Arthur is a brother that fricken sucks, he never believes Natasha throughout this entire thing yet we're supposed to believe he always has her back just because we're told he does by the protagonist. When it always came time for them to trust each other, they never do. Arthur repeatedly chose his girlfriend over his sister and no reason is given as to why. We are never told of any explicit memories that make him hold such fondness for her and yet he hangs on her every word and believes her even when Samantha is visibly bullying his sister.
The main Villian was boring and unremarkable and Archibald was just there for shitty love interest conflict in the gross romantic subplot this story did not need.
end of review
God, this was such a chore to read but engaging enough that I finished it in a day out of sheer spite.
The story follows our main character Natasha who loses her brother to a magical adventure and she's trying to find him. Joined by his girlfriend Samantha who she constantly slut shames.
This book was written in first person pov and I hated that so fricken much, I hate being in the heads of these types of main characters, quirky one-dimensional characters, who think they aren't like other girls but act just like them. Honestly, the only saving grace and the reason I wanted to finish this book as a whole was because the plot was really compelling and I wanted this to be a good book.
I didn't start out hating the main character Natasha, in fact I sympathized with her at first. But after reading through I just realized she makes no effort in any of her relationships. She snaps at everyone, kind words rarely leave her mouth, her attitude while endearingly feisty at first devolved more and more into a directionless bad attitude.
Samantha just sucked, unlikeable from beginning to end with the added bonus of being the hot girlfriend the little sister hates. There was nothing redeeming about this character with the added character inconsistency later in the novel when she learns magic.
The knights were so awesome Talan and Bedivere carried this damn novel they were fun and endearing and I really cared about them. I wouldn't have minded if the story was just about them and their adventures.
Arthur is a brother that fricken sucks, he never believes Natasha throughout this entire thing yet we're supposed to believe he always has her back just because we're told he does by the protagonist. When it always came time for them to trust each other, they never do. Arthur repeatedly chose his girlfriend over his sister and no reason is given as to why. We are never told of any explicit memories that make him hold such fondness for her and yet he hangs on her every word and believes her even when Samantha is visibly bullying his sister.
The main Villian was boring and unremarkable and Archibald was just there for shitty love interest conflict in the gross romantic subplot this story did not need.
end of review
December 28, 2020
When I started, The writing style in first-person made me think that it might be for a slightly younger audience, but I assure you the content is not. There is violence and massacres and sex (not sex scenes but more like moaning in the next room) so it is not for the too faint of heart, while also not being too much for most people. At times, the writing was almost lacking necessary descriptions, but the plot was strong enough to carry much of it. Overall, I really enjoyed it and plan on continuing the trilogy.
I originally assumed that there would be a plot twist that she was the real reincarnation of King Arthur, but I know that I was just hearing what I wanted to hear instead of the truth and that's on me.
As a warning in addition to the inclusion of violence, massacres, and sex, there are also threats of sexual assault and implied sexual assault to children. Luckily, no sexual assault actually occurs in the book.
I originally assumed that there would be a plot twist that she was the real reincarnation of King Arthur, but I know that I was just hearing what I wanted to hear instead of the truth and that's on me.
As a warning in addition to the inclusion of violence, massacres, and sex, there are also threats of sexual assault and implied sexual assault to children. Luckily, no sexual assault actually occurs in the book.
Read
October 14, 2022DNF
Couldn't connect with the story 🙈
Couldn't connect with the story 🙈
June 24, 2012
Book Description:
Legend tells of King Arthur, mortally wounded at the hand of the traitorous Mordred in the final battle of Camlann. Before he was taken to the magical Vale of Avalon, Arthur declared that one day he would return, when the kingdom of Logres was once more in need of his leadership.
That day has now come.
It is hard to make friends when you’re constantly on the move. Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth’s father is a diplomat, and so her mother – who is paranoid about terrorists – has moved Natasha and her brother, Arthur, to their eighteenth house in seventeen years: Avalon Cottage, deep in the heart of a Welsh forest.
Yet the terrorists are closer than they realize.
While out running, Natasha falls into a hidden tomb and awakens the legendary knights of Camelot: young warriors who have been in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years. All have been waiting patiently for the return of Arthur from the mysterious land of Avalon.
And now the knights are awake, they intend to reclaim their king.
When Arthur goes missing, Natasha joins forces with his girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, in order to look for him. Natasha believes Samantha has fewer brain cells than an amoeba; Samantha believes Natasha is a freak. Retracing Natasha’s original steps to the hidden tomb, they bicker their way into a Welsh mountain and beyond, to the realm of Logres where the Knights of the Round Table are rallying once more.
Natasha falls in love with Sir Bedivere, the most loyal of knights to Arthur. He may be in dire need of a 21st Century razor, but he still possesses a set of lime-green eyes that can melt the soul. Yet just as Natasha starts to find confidence in this mystical land, Samantha deserts her. People who play by the rules are of no use to “Slurpy”. Samantha will take her own path to Arthur, aided and abetted by the dark arts which she willingly absorbs from a hot young stranger called Mordred.
A race across magical yet deadly lands is on. Natasha battles dwarf-riders, dragons, and eventually “Slurpy” to reach Camelot, where Arthur is held captive by the barbarian Saxon, Balvidore.
Natasha’s woes become numerous. What will happen to her and Arthur when the knights realise the eighteen-year-old boy they thought was their king, is in fact a math student with appalling taste in girls? Can two people with a one thousand year age gap really have a relationship? And for the love of all things holy, how is a girl supposed to ride bareback in a pair of skinny jeans?
My thoughts:
What can I say? I'm not a huge follower of Arthurian legends or tales, but I've read one or two. I'm probably as familiar with some of the names as most people. My greatest resource of knowledge comes from the Richard Harris film "Camelot".
I loved this book. It was easy to relate with Natasha, a normal girl who'd gone through (and carried the scars from) some tough things. Hosie does a good job giving us just enough of the backstory relating to this family trauma. My heart ached for Natasha, alienated from most members of her dysfunctional family. We're not told how stable the family was before the problems began, but that kind of thing can either strengthen a family or tear it apart.
Poor Natasha has one champion--her brother, Arthur. And he brings his own baggage with a witch of a girlfriend who's favorite thing to call Natasha is "freak". Lovely.
And that's even before the fantastical things start happening.
There's plenty of action, romance, betrayal, magic, and mystery. Hosie totally wrenched my emotions, especially as we got to the end.
Can't wait for the sequel. As a fan of strong and proactive female characters, I want to see how something that happens in this book (no spoilers here) plays out in the future.
Legend tells of King Arthur, mortally wounded at the hand of the traitorous Mordred in the final battle of Camlann. Before he was taken to the magical Vale of Avalon, Arthur declared that one day he would return, when the kingdom of Logres was once more in need of his leadership.
That day has now come.
It is hard to make friends when you’re constantly on the move. Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth’s father is a diplomat, and so her mother – who is paranoid about terrorists – has moved Natasha and her brother, Arthur, to their eighteenth house in seventeen years: Avalon Cottage, deep in the heart of a Welsh forest.
Yet the terrorists are closer than they realize.
While out running, Natasha falls into a hidden tomb and awakens the legendary knights of Camelot: young warriors who have been in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years. All have been waiting patiently for the return of Arthur from the mysterious land of Avalon.
And now the knights are awake, they intend to reclaim their king.
When Arthur goes missing, Natasha joins forces with his girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, in order to look for him. Natasha believes Samantha has fewer brain cells than an amoeba; Samantha believes Natasha is a freak. Retracing Natasha’s original steps to the hidden tomb, they bicker their way into a Welsh mountain and beyond, to the realm of Logres where the Knights of the Round Table are rallying once more.
Natasha falls in love with Sir Bedivere, the most loyal of knights to Arthur. He may be in dire need of a 21st Century razor, but he still possesses a set of lime-green eyes that can melt the soul. Yet just as Natasha starts to find confidence in this mystical land, Samantha deserts her. People who play by the rules are of no use to “Slurpy”. Samantha will take her own path to Arthur, aided and abetted by the dark arts which she willingly absorbs from a hot young stranger called Mordred.
A race across magical yet deadly lands is on. Natasha battles dwarf-riders, dragons, and eventually “Slurpy” to reach Camelot, where Arthur is held captive by the barbarian Saxon, Balvidore.
Natasha’s woes become numerous. What will happen to her and Arthur when the knights realise the eighteen-year-old boy they thought was their king, is in fact a math student with appalling taste in girls? Can two people with a one thousand year age gap really have a relationship? And for the love of all things holy, how is a girl supposed to ride bareback in a pair of skinny jeans?
My thoughts:
What can I say? I'm not a huge follower of Arthurian legends or tales, but I've read one or two. I'm probably as familiar with some of the names as most people. My greatest resource of knowledge comes from the Richard Harris film "Camelot".
I loved this book. It was easy to relate with Natasha, a normal girl who'd gone through (and carried the scars from) some tough things. Hosie does a good job giving us just enough of the backstory relating to this family trauma. My heart ached for Natasha, alienated from most members of her dysfunctional family. We're not told how stable the family was before the problems began, but that kind of thing can either strengthen a family or tear it apart.
Poor Natasha has one champion--her brother, Arthur. And he brings his own baggage with a witch of a girlfriend who's favorite thing to call Natasha is "freak". Lovely.
And that's even before the fantastical things start happening.
There's plenty of action, romance, betrayal, magic, and mystery. Hosie totally wrenched my emotions, especially as we got to the end.
Can't wait for the sequel. As a fan of strong and proactive female characters, I want to see how something that happens in this book (no spoilers here) plays out in the future.
April 5, 2015
Searching for Arthur is a quick and fun read, but not anything special or memorable. One of the strong points of the book is its humor; it's there throughout. However, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be that way or not. I didn't feel anything else from this book. The romantic scenes, the battle scenes, and even the death scenes are funny, and that's it.
This book is about Natasha and her quest to look for her brother, who chased after a star-eyed rabbit and disappeared. This search takes Natasha (and her brother's girlfriend) into the world of Camelot. (To my great shame, I don't really know the original Arthur story/ies. So I'm not sure how this book lives up as an Arthurian spin-off or whatever.)
The narrative flows simply and easily, and is often humorous in a way that is mostly actually funny. Either the author has a good sense of wit and sarcasm, or we're on the same wavelength. Whichever it is, I actually found the slightly immature, cynical voice of the narrator enjoyable. The wit can sometimes be misplaced though, and in my opinion ruins some scenes. For example, one kiss was described as salty, like potato chips. Er, okay, not romantic, not even sure if it was supposed to be witty...but then again, I'm not really sure what the author was aiming for there. I guess the humor overdose kind of doused everything and downplayed all emotions I was supposed to feel.
Speaking of romantic. The "love" of the MC is as instant as can be, as clingy as can be, as whiny and piney as can be. I try not to involve myself too much whenever she talks about her love interest, to save myself some frustration and eye strain from too much eye-rolling. I really didn't appreciate the romance. Given the flatness of every. single. character, I guess it's too much to hope for any realistic relationship development.
The story is paced nicely, although very linear. Not much depth in this department, really.
Contending with some kind of mental illness in a medieval setting is actually a nice and different take on similarly themed books. I guess it's a point for the book that I sometimes felt going mental myself.
In a nutshell, Searching for Arthur is an enjoyable read if you don't take it too seriously. If you prefer more character, more plot, and generally more everything except funny, this book will disappoint. I still plan on reading the next books, if only for the laughs and the beautiful covers. (But I swear if the MC pines one more time...)
This book is about Natasha and her quest to look for her brother, who chased after a star-eyed rabbit and disappeared. This search takes Natasha (and her brother's girlfriend) into the world of Camelot. (To my great shame, I don't really know the original Arthur story/ies. So I'm not sure how this book lives up as an Arthurian spin-off or whatever.)
The narrative flows simply and easily, and is often humorous in a way that is mostly actually funny. Either the author has a good sense of wit and sarcasm, or we're on the same wavelength. Whichever it is, I actually found the slightly immature, cynical voice of the narrator enjoyable. The wit can sometimes be misplaced though, and in my opinion ruins some scenes. For example, one kiss was described as salty, like potato chips. Er, okay, not romantic, not even sure if it was supposed to be witty...but then again, I'm not really sure what the author was aiming for there. I guess the humor overdose kind of doused everything and downplayed all emotions I was supposed to feel.
Speaking of romantic. The "love" of the MC is as instant as can be, as clingy as can be, as whiny and piney as can be. I try not to involve myself too much whenever she talks about her love interest, to save myself some frustration and eye strain from too much eye-rolling. I really didn't appreciate the romance. Given the flatness of every. single. character, I guess it's too much to hope for any realistic relationship development.
The story is paced nicely, although very linear. Not much depth in this department, really.
Contending with some kind of mental illness in a medieval setting is actually a nice and different take on similarly themed books. I guess it's a point for the book that I sometimes felt going mental myself.
In a nutshell, Searching for Arthur is an enjoyable read if you don't take it too seriously. If you prefer more character, more plot, and generally more everything except funny, this book will disappoint. I still plan on reading the next books, if only for the laughs and the beautiful covers. (But I swear if the MC pines one more time...)
April 19, 2014
7/10 stars. Enjoyed it very much. (I'll write a better review later.)
Review written Apr 19/14
Review written Apr 19/14
July 11, 2017
Edit: re-read in July, 2017.
I had a sudden urge to pick up a retelling of arthuriana, and I figured I might as well re-read Searching for Arthur and finish the series. But unfortunately, I liked it a lot less than before.
The idea was great, it grabbed me immediately and I like the setting created by the author but there was more negatives than positives for me. For one, the main character felt extremely childish and annoying to me, and made a lot of questionable decisions. Natasha is supposed to be 17 but she acts much younger, has to be looked after by her brother Arthur who is only a year older and likes to come up with silly nicknames for the people she doesn't like (who coincidentally all happen to be women, whom she's jealous about). Reading the story from her POV proved to be really frustrating. To add to that, there's quite some slut shaming going on in this book. The way Natasha reacted to Arthur and Sam's relationship and then to Bedeviere and Lady Fleur was plain ridiculous and came off as if she was actually 12 or 13-years old. And speaking of Bedeviere, I observed probably one of the worst insta-love cases and it gets even more disturbing when you think about how fast their relationship progressed. But then again, Natasha's behaviour was so immature that it may kind of explain her decisions.
Other character weren't much better. Even though I was angry at Natasha for treating Sam the way she did, Sam wasn't much better. It felt like the author really wanted to make an antagonist of her and in the end she ended up like your stereotypical mean girl. It didn't feel natural at all, because her behaviour at times was just as ridiculous as Natasha's. As much as he was present in the story, Arthur was a little better but I still couldn't connect with him, and the knights weren't fleshed out enough.
Overall, instead of a fun retelling I got a frustrating protagonist and story that made me want to dnf the book quite a few times. And it's a shame, because the idea was good, only the execution disappointed me a lot, and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with the rest of the series now.
----------------------
(initially given 3 stars)
Review to come as soon as possible.
I had a sudden urge to pick up a retelling of arthuriana, and I figured I might as well re-read Searching for Arthur and finish the series. But unfortunately, I liked it a lot less than before.
The idea was great, it grabbed me immediately and I like the setting created by the author but there was more negatives than positives for me. For one, the main character felt extremely childish and annoying to me, and made a lot of questionable decisions. Natasha is supposed to be 17 but she acts much younger, has to be looked after by her brother Arthur who is only a year older and likes to come up with silly nicknames for the people she doesn't like (who coincidentally all happen to be women, whom she's jealous about). Reading the story from her POV proved to be really frustrating. To add to that, there's quite some slut shaming going on in this book. The way Natasha reacted to Arthur and Sam's relationship and then to Bedeviere and Lady Fleur was plain ridiculous and came off as if she was actually 12 or 13-years old. And speaking of Bedeviere, I observed probably one of the worst insta-love cases and it gets even more disturbing when you think about how fast their relationship progressed. But then again, Natasha's behaviour was so immature that it may kind of explain her decisions.
Other character weren't much better. Even though I was angry at Natasha for treating Sam the way she did, Sam wasn't much better. It felt like the author really wanted to make an antagonist of her and in the end she ended up like your stereotypical mean girl. It didn't feel natural at all, because her behaviour at times was just as ridiculous as Natasha's. As much as he was present in the story, Arthur was a little better but I still couldn't connect with him, and the knights weren't fleshed out enough.
Overall, instead of a fun retelling I got a frustrating protagonist and story that made me want to dnf the book quite a few times. And it's a shame, because the idea was good, only the execution disappointed me a lot, and I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with the rest of the series now.
----------------------
(initially given 3 stars)
Review to come as soon as possible.
August 27, 2012
I adore Arthurian legend. I especially adore adaptations of the well-known storylines and enjoy the fresh perspectives. When my friend Donna Hosie released her self-published book, Searching for Arthur, I immediately purchased it and bumped it to the top of my list of books to read.
Natasha, Hosie's 17-year-old protagonist, is a modern-day teen with modern-day woes. Parental conflicts: check. Peer issues: check. Hot guy: check. What's not so modern-day about Natasha's woes are her medieval-day woes. Hosie navigates both worlds with ease, vividly transporting the reader through Natasha's perspective.
I'm an only child and can hardly imagine what having a sibling is like; but I think Hosie does a wonderful job of portraying the relationship between Natasha and Arthur. I feel their bond through the writing without being explicitly told that they are close, and the bond feels stronger as their history unfolds. I appreciate when an author can show me without having to tell me!
Most of the primary characters are developed nicely, yet a few are neglected and feel like strangers. Besides her unfortunate nickname, Slurpy also suffers from this neglect and misses out on an opportunity to have real emotional impact in several situations. Also, I get that we can't feasibly have the backstories and personality profiles of every Knight of Camelot; it's just a shame when some knights are in full technocolor while others are in fuzzy black-and-white. One of the problems with this unbalanced characterization is that it can create obvious foreshadowing (which can then lessen the effect of climactic story elements).
Hosie's story-telling is solid and her plotting is nice and tight. Unfortunately, scattered grammatical errors and persistent use of passive voice distracted me from becoming completely immersed in the book. This, combined with my annoyance of the nickname Slurpy, is why I'm giving this book four stars. I look forward to the second in this trilogy, The Fire of Merlin, scheduled for release in three months!
Natasha, Hosie's 17-year-old protagonist, is a modern-day teen with modern-day woes. Parental conflicts: check. Peer issues: check. Hot guy: check. What's not so modern-day about Natasha's woes are her medieval-day woes. Hosie navigates both worlds with ease, vividly transporting the reader through Natasha's perspective.
I'm an only child and can hardly imagine what having a sibling is like; but I think Hosie does a wonderful job of portraying the relationship between Natasha and Arthur. I feel their bond through the writing without being explicitly told that they are close, and the bond feels stronger as their history unfolds. I appreciate when an author can show me without having to tell me!
Most of the primary characters are developed nicely, yet a few are neglected and feel like strangers. Besides her unfortunate nickname, Slurpy also suffers from this neglect and misses out on an opportunity to have real emotional impact in several situations. Also, I get that we can't feasibly have the backstories and personality profiles of every Knight of Camelot; it's just a shame when some knights are in full technocolor while others are in fuzzy black-and-white. One of the problems with this unbalanced characterization is that it can create obvious foreshadowing (which can then lessen the effect of climactic story elements).
Hosie's story-telling is solid and her plotting is nice and tight. Unfortunately, scattered grammatical errors and persistent use of passive voice distracted me from becoming completely immersed in the book. This, combined with my annoyance of the nickname Slurpy, is why I'm giving this book four stars. I look forward to the second in this trilogy, The Fire of Merlin, scheduled for release in three months!
July 16, 2017
This book needs more negative reviews.
Truly.
Oh, I know the synopsis sounds like a fun, fluffy adventure. And the first few chapters 100% deliver on that promise. Natasha is immature in a makes-funny-comments-about-people kind of way, and Hosie's writing keeps the story going. I particularly enjoyed the appearance of the Zombie Bunny of Death. And then...
And then.
And then Natasha and Samantha arrive in Camelot and are picked up by a bunch of hot knights, right about the same time that Natasha's immature humor starts to lose it's charm and become annoying. Really annoying. Intensely annoying.
I can't begin to describe how annoying Natasha was.
She and Sam and the knights (whose names I don't remember, because they were all just hot hunks with no depth) were supposed to be searching for Arthur/saving the kingdom/something else? I don't remember, because their quest didn't feel like much of a quest. It was more like 'ride a horse with DA BOYZ, get to a castle and do some stuff, talk about Artur, oh DA BOYZ are so HAWWT, fight someone, ride some more, what's the plot again, oh well, who cares, because OMG DA BOYZ.
There are a lot of other things I could complain about, like the fact that Natasha picks up a sword and fights with DA BOYZ without a problem (real swords are heavy. No really, Donna Hosie, they are. try lifting one yourself). Or Natasha and Bedevere's revolting instalove, only made worse by the time they have sex in straw without preamble and it's just maaaagical. Or the slut-shaming. Or the piss-poor characterization. Or what a snotty little hypocritical moron Natasha is. Or...
You know what? I'm done. Finis. Caput. No mas. I have no more fucks to give.
I actually don't remember if I finished this book or not. If I did, it must not have been a very memorable ending.
Truly.
Oh, I know the synopsis sounds like a fun, fluffy adventure. And the first few chapters 100% deliver on that promise. Natasha is immature in a makes-funny-comments-about-people kind of way, and Hosie's writing keeps the story going. I particularly enjoyed the appearance of the Zombie Bunny of Death. And then...
And then.
And then Natasha and Samantha arrive in Camelot and are picked up by a bunch of hot knights, right about the same time that Natasha's immature humor starts to lose it's charm and become annoying. Really annoying. Intensely annoying.
I can't begin to describe how annoying Natasha was.
She and Sam and the knights (whose names I don't remember, because they were all just hot hunks with no depth) were supposed to be searching for Arthur/saving the kingdom/something else? I don't remember, because their quest didn't feel like much of a quest. It was more like 'ride a horse with DA BOYZ, get to a castle and do some stuff, talk about Artur, oh DA BOYZ are so HAWWT, fight someone, ride some more, what's the plot again, oh well, who cares, because OMG DA BOYZ.
There are a lot of other things I could complain about, like the fact that Natasha picks up a sword and fights with DA BOYZ without a problem (real swords are heavy. No really, Donna Hosie, they are. try lifting one yourself). Or Natasha and Bedevere's revolting instalove, only made worse by the time they have sex in straw without preamble and it's just maaaagical. Or the slut-shaming. Or the piss-poor characterization. Or what a snotty little hypocritical moron Natasha is. Or...
You know what? I'm done. Finis. Caput. No mas. I have no more fucks to give.
I actually don't remember if I finished this book or not. If I did, it must not have been a very memorable ending.
February 21, 2017
A great story involving time travel and King Arthur.
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