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Lords of Avalon #1
Sword of Darkness
The new king of Camelot wears no shining Arthur and his knights have fallen and a new king rules.
In the darkest forest...
A scared, forsaken youth has become the most powerful—and feared—man in the world. Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.
In the heart of London...
A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.
Their worlds are forever changed...
Kerrigan's goal is barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.
For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.
In the darkest forest...
A scared, forsaken youth has become the most powerful—and feared—man in the world. Ruthless and unrestrained, Kerrigan has long ceased to be human.
In the heart of London...
A spirited peasant mired in drudgery, Seren dreams of becoming her own woman, but never expects that by fleeing her fate, she will meet her destiny.
Their worlds are forever changed...
Kerrigan's goal is barter or kill Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table. Yet she is the one person who holds no fear of him. More than that, her nobility sparks something foreign inside him. In his nether realm, kindness is weakness and a king who harbors any sort of compassion loses his throne.
For countless centuries, Kerrigan has lived alone in the shadows. Now Seren's courage has forced him into the light that will bring either salvation to both of them...or death.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2006
207 people are currently reading
9791 people want to read
About the author
Kinley MacGregor
31 books1,572 followersSherrilyn McQueen
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Sherrilyn Kenyon & Kinley MacGregor
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Sherrilyn Kenyon & Kinley MacGregor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 375 reviews
February 15, 2018
Kerrigan and Seren
Lords of Avalon take place during alternative medieval times where besides our known world described in history books, two more Kingdoms were present:
1. The Camelot which has gone rotten. Arthur is gone. All the knights are either dead or chased away and the evil Morgen is now the boss. No colour exists. Everything is black or grey.
2. The Avalon where you can find all the good guys, the good wizards, the good knights that used to be part of Camelot etc.
Seren is a poor girl that works really hard as a seamstress. What she doesn't know is that she will become the mother of the next powerful Merlin. Merlin was not a name, but a title given to the most poweful wizards.
Kerrigan is from the Avalon and he is a very bad immortal male/part demon/part man. Before the Avalon knights save Seren, he manages to abduct her and take her back to unfriendly Camelot.
Kerrigan is bored.
I used to enjoy being evil. It wears thin, doesn't it?"
He is a lone wolf who suddenly gets interested in the little "mouse", i.e. Seren. But the most important part is that although he is bad, he has honour and he will keep his promises.
Seren is a stubborn, wise girl who as soon as she realises that she is in trouble, she tries to adapt. Eventually she will fall in love with the bad guy and she will try to find the goodness in him.
This is a great series that combines historical romance with fantasy, magic, dragons and time traveling. At some point in the next books, the series will be embedded in the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
I couldn't stop laughing when I read on the book cover "Kinley MacGregor writes fantasy the way I would." Sherrilyn Kenyon. Because as you will probably know Kinley MacGregon is the other pen name of Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Lords of Avalon take place during alternative medieval times where besides our known world described in history books, two more Kingdoms were present:
1. The Camelot which has gone rotten. Arthur is gone. All the knights are either dead or chased away and the evil Morgen is now the boss. No colour exists. Everything is black or grey.
2. The Avalon where you can find all the good guys, the good wizards, the good knights that used to be part of Camelot etc.
Seren is a poor girl that works really hard as a seamstress. What she doesn't know is that she will become the mother of the next powerful Merlin. Merlin was not a name, but a title given to the most poweful wizards.
Kerrigan is from the Avalon and he is a very bad immortal male/part demon/part man. Before the Avalon knights save Seren, he manages to abduct her and take her back to unfriendly Camelot.
Kerrigan is bored.
I used to enjoy being evil. It wears thin, doesn't it?"
He is a lone wolf who suddenly gets interested in the little "mouse", i.e. Seren. But the most important part is that although he is bad, he has honour and he will keep his promises.
Seren is a stubborn, wise girl who as soon as she realises that she is in trouble, she tries to adapt. Eventually she will fall in love with the bad guy and she will try to find the goodness in him.
This is a great series that combines historical romance with fantasy, magic, dragons and time traveling. At some point in the next books, the series will be embedded in the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
I couldn't stop laughing when I read on the book cover "Kinley MacGregor writes fantasy the way I would." Sherrilyn Kenyon. Because as you will probably know Kinley MacGregon is the other pen name of Sherrilyn Kenyon.
November 19, 2010
4.5 stars
Let me just say that you,Ms Kenyon, are too good to be true. Please forgive me for having thought that you would not be able to surprise me after writing the dark hunter series. I apologize for having believed, even for a second, I would not like this series. There were some reviews that were not good so I thought this series would disappoint me, but boy was I wrong...
This book was amazing. I enjoyed every page of it. Maybe the reason for why many didn't like it is that they were expecting too much romance, when the truth is there's a really good one but the book is not strictly focus on it. But the characters were terrific, I laugh so many times that I lost count. Then there's the fantastic world building and the incredible and entertaining plot that got me hooked from the beginning.
In this series we get to read about magic, demons and the good side; the old times after the king Arthur ruled. Kenyon is a terrific writer, she just knows how to catch your interest. This author knows how to create a whole new world and make it seem real. She just explains it in a way that is extremely appealing. I can't wait to read the next installment.
As in most first books in a series, there's a lot of info about this new world, but not even once I found it overwhelming. I enjoyed every detail in it.
Let me just say that you,Ms Kenyon, are too good to be true. Please forgive me for having thought that you would not be able to surprise me after writing the dark hunter series. I apologize for having believed, even for a second, I would not like this series. There were some reviews that were not good so I thought this series would disappoint me, but boy was I wrong...
This book was amazing. I enjoyed every page of it. Maybe the reason for why many didn't like it is that they were expecting too much romance, when the truth is there's a really good one but the book is not strictly focus on it. But the characters were terrific, I laugh so many times that I lost count. Then there's the fantastic world building and the incredible and entertaining plot that got me hooked from the beginning.
In this series we get to read about magic, demons and the good side; the old times after the king Arthur ruled. Kenyon is a terrific writer, she just knows how to catch your interest. This author knows how to create a whole new world and make it seem real. She just explains it in a way that is extremely appealing. I can't wait to read the next installment.
As in most first books in a series, there's a lot of info about this new world, but not even once I found it overwhelming. I enjoyed every detail in it.
November 22, 2015
Whether writing as Sherrilyn Kenyon or Kinley MacGregor, this author knows how to give us amazing characters who are people we love – or love to hate – and worlds unlike any others. Sword of Darkness, the first book in the Lords of Avalon series, is a tale centered on the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and is no exception.
There are so many things to love about this book, but standing out most of all is the hero! Kerrigan was incredibly tortured, scarred, angry and solitary – in short, the perfect hero. I absolutely adored everything about him, but it was his sense of honor, even though he thought he had none, that made me love him!
Seren was a likable, strong, independent heroine. I appreciated that, even at his worse, she accepted Kerrigan for not only who and what he was, but also for who and what he wasn’t. He was the kind of hero who had many things in need of changing, but she asked very little of him in that way.
There was a large supporting cast, a mish-mash of Merlins, gargoyles, dragons and demons. In the beginning I had a little trouble sorting out who was who, but by the halfway mark of the story I had it all pretty much figured out and was able to follow along nicely. And speaking of having trouble following along, I’d suggest that the very first thing you do is turn to the back of the book and read the sections marked ”The Legend," "The Thirteen Sacred Objects," and "Vocabulary." You won’t regret having all of that information under your belt when starting the actual story.
Now, all that said, you’d expect a 5 star rating, right? Well, there was something that really grated on my nerves, so much so that it really affected my enjoyment of the story. This isn’t something I’ve heard others complain about in their reviews, so it was probably just me. But since this is my review, and I can, I’ll mention it. Some of the dialogs between the characters would start out light hearted and funny, but would quickly evolve into a level of silliness that just annoyed me and distracted me from the actual story. However, one thing I did find very funny was the author endorsement on the cover: '“Kinley MacGregor writes fantasy the way I would.” – Sherrilyn Kenyon' That made me laugh out loud because, well, she is Kinley MacGregor!
So, would I recommend this story to my friends? Absolutely! It was an entertaining, exciting and very sexy read that kept me coming back for more.
July 28, 2023
If you ask me what genre this book is, I wouldn't know which one to say first. McGregor tried to put everything in there... She overloaded her project like an overenthusiastic grocery shopper with 20 bags.
The story is about Seren who was chased by two knights who claimed she's to be the mother of Merlin, like in Arthurian stories. Trying to run away from these crazy people, she ran straight into the hands of Kerrigan, the usurper of Camelot. Suddenly, she was transported into this magical world, kept prisoner by King Kerrigan himself who, despite what everyone says, was kind to her.
McGregor brainstorming session resembled a tornado of ideas with no clear path. Let's discuss it one by one, shall we?
Fantasy?Historical? Paranormal?TimeTravel? All of the Above!
The fantasy and paranormal bit I actually tolerated, although it was a little sloppy. The magic wasn't really explained that much, and this resulted in a huge ambiguity. There's literally no line made, no limit.
Teleportation? check. Telekinetic? check. Psychokinetic? Sure. Healing? Somehow, no, but other people could do it though. Interdimensional travel? Of course. Turn the walls into mirrors? Yeah yeah, ok fine. BUT LIKE.... if he's THAT powerful, why can't he just snap people's necks easily?
He had to use his sword and such, took too much time. Literally. It DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. WHy can't he do that every time? He could also appear behind his enemies and cut their throats and be done with it. But that trick was only used ONCE and not by the hero. WHY?
Don't get me started on the Time Travel.... Honestly, this whole thing could do without Time-travel. It could just be interdimensional traveling between Camelot and real world, and it would be the same story. The time-travel is so unnecessary and cringy to me.
Maybe I am exaggerating, because it could just be attempted comedy, but like... I just can't things seriously when there's words like "Tylenol", "Bad asses", "Starbucks", the references to Star Trek, them hiding in an RV... One time there's a character who said: "I have no beef with you". WHAT?!?!?!!??!!?!?!? I just can't. Is this just Percy Jackson with sex?
And I do have a point, people. The Time-Travel DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. I WILL PROVE IT:
1. The villain played a CD/music player while having orgies. Conveniently, all the songs out of all the time in the future were all from the 70s. Sure, McGregor. I love you, but be realistic. Also, where is the electricity coming from?
2. They went to the future once, and Kerrigan claimed it's because even the villain is scared of the bombs and shit in the real world. I mean, it might be the evil human in me, but like, Why not get some of that bomb to Camelot? If you have access and want to have world domination (which Kerrigan said he wanted), literally the tool is right there for the taking. It does not make sense. Also WHY MODERN NEW YORK?This crowded mess where you could be seen wearing costumes from the past. WHY? They literally did nothing there but hide in an RV. It had no significance to the story.
3. A bit similar to the above, Kerrigan is so worried about protecting the heroine and at one point he lost his powers.. my question is... why not get guns and shit? You're in America for god's sake. I just could not FATHOM how this character, who is a self-proclaimed devil, got a CD player for his castle but not guns for himself?
It just takes me out that all the things from the "future" that they had, is all from our present, you know? Why not 200 years from now? There is literally no limit with time-traveling, it could turn into sci-fi. I just don't like it. I think it's the worst part of the book, honestly. It just doesn't go well. I'm OVER IT.
Characters & Worldbuilding
The hero was supposed to be the anti-hero. The villain. The devil himself. What do I say to that? hardly. You think you're big shit, Kerrigan? I know worst humans than you in my life. All this "evilness" is just he says she says.
He literally only killed the bad people here, the people who fought him, meant to kill/harm him or heroine. Yeah if he's supposed to look evil, I say, weak. But then again, I've never been into the villain type. Also, him as KING? Does not look like it. He did NONE of the Kingly things. No responsibilities at all. All he did is fuck and fight. He makes 0 rules, 0 duties. I did not feel the "King" vibes from him.
Come to think of it, there are literally no subjects to take care of. No uprising, no demands, nothing. Just occasional slaves, sex workers, and servants. I mean even a dictatorship system has some things to take care of. There are literally no subjects there. Camelot is SOOOO underdeveloped, it felt like this dimension is just the castle.
I like his love for the heroine, though. Could do without him explaining how plain and uninteresting she is except her eyes, but hey he's into it.
The heroine is my favorite thing about this book. It's the reason I finished this book. She has a brain, is not easily manipulated, kind, and loving. She is the best thing here. Period. She's lovely.
One thing that's weird, though, is that this series is called "Lords of Avalon" but literally we see none of the Lords aside from the first chapter, they're barely anywhere else.
PLOT & CONFLICT
This is the most ridiculous part of it folks. NONE of this would've happened if Galahad (Yes, the Galahad we know from the original stories) had worded his sentence differently.
Basically, when Kerrigan was asked to pick a side, good/bad (wow how complex), the villain said "you could be king, make love, have riches," and what did Galahad-- the representative of the good side offer? He mentioned chasity. Like mentioning that he can't have sex would convince a boy. Bruh. be for real. OF COURSE, Kerrigan was like "Nah, give me bitches bro."🤙 And then TADA he went to the bad side and proceed to be a dictator. Do you know how goofy that is? Fucking hilarious.
Also, this book had the trope I avoid: Back-to-life. That is when the MC "dies" and then was brought back to life. This happened for H and h. I mean, i get the angst and the climax of it... but if they want people to live again, i prefer authors to not kill, that makes every death in that universe insignificant if i could just kill everyone and then heal/kiss them back to life. Nah.
Lastly, the conflict was over it WAYYYYY too easily. They avoided Avalon the whole book because "Kerrigan was evil" and they were at war with the Avalons blablabla. But when the Seren rescued Kerrigan from the evil crutches of the villain, what did they do? They just walked right into Avalon. LIKE WHAT?!?!!?!??!?!
I Love HEA, I dooo.... but the way they just came to Avalon, and Merlin was like "meh... welcome, you're forgiven" Like what? Why didn't they do that from the very start is it's that easy to forgive? No consequences or anything?? Then why did he avoid avalon in the first place??
I'm also used with Fantasy to finish their conflicts, saving the city, solving all the problems, heroes story, wars and such. But this book literally did nothing. All that worldbuilding of Camelot, and the HEA is just for the romance part. Nu uh. Not when 80% of this is fantasy. They achieved nothing for Camelot. They just fall in love and run away, that's the whole book.
Conclusion
I wished I hadn't taken this book seriously when I started reading. Even when the blurp, other reviews, and cover suggest that it is a "serious" book, It's not. In order to like this book, you have to take it easy and not think too much. The execution falls short. McGregor's attempt to include a myriad of ideas results in a confusing and underdeveloped narrative. The superpower-like abilities lack consistent rules, leading to implausible scenarios that undermine the story's cohesiveness. The time-travel aspect feels forced and disconnected from the main plot, contributing to a lack of impact on the overall story. Despite these flaws, the protagonist, Seren, shines as a well-rounded and engaging character, and helped me at least enjoy the rest of the ride. The only reason I'm invested is because of her.
Lastly, I would like to salute Jenna for being patient and listening to my rant and useless opinions during this buddy read. Thank you.
The story is about Seren who was chased by two knights who claimed she's to be the mother of Merlin, like in Arthurian stories. Trying to run away from these crazy people, she ran straight into the hands of Kerrigan, the usurper of Camelot. Suddenly, she was transported into this magical world, kept prisoner by King Kerrigan himself who, despite what everyone says, was kind to her.
McGregor brainstorming session resembled a tornado of ideas with no clear path. Let's discuss it one by one, shall we?
Fantasy?Historical? Paranormal?TimeTravel? All of the Above!
The fantasy and paranormal bit I actually tolerated, although it was a little sloppy. The magic wasn't really explained that much, and this resulted in a huge ambiguity. There's literally no line made, no limit.
Teleportation? check. Telekinetic? check. Psychokinetic? Sure. Healing? Somehow, no, but other people could do it though. Interdimensional travel? Of course. Turn the walls into mirrors? Yeah yeah, ok fine. BUT LIKE.... if he's THAT powerful, why can't he just snap people's necks easily?
He had to use his sword and such, took too much time. Literally. It DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. WHy can't he do that every time? He could also appear behind his enemies and cut their throats and be done with it. But that trick was only used ONCE and not by the hero. WHY?
Don't get me started on the Time Travel.... Honestly, this whole thing could do without Time-travel. It could just be interdimensional traveling between Camelot and real world, and it would be the same story. The time-travel is so unnecessary and cringy to me.
Maybe I am exaggerating, because it could just be attempted comedy, but like... I just can't things seriously when there's words like "Tylenol", "Bad asses", "Starbucks", the references to Star Trek, them hiding in an RV... One time there's a character who said: "I have no beef with you". WHAT?!?!?!!??!!?!?!? I just can't. Is this just Percy Jackson with sex?
And I do have a point, people. The Time-Travel DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. I WILL PROVE IT:
1. The villain played a CD/music player while having orgies. Conveniently, all the songs out of all the time in the future were all from the 70s. Sure, McGregor. I love you, but be realistic. Also, where is the electricity coming from?
2. They went to the future once, and Kerrigan claimed it's because even the villain is scared of the bombs and shit in the real world. I mean, it might be the evil human in me, but like, Why not get some of that bomb to Camelot? If you have access and want to have world domination (which Kerrigan said he wanted), literally the tool is right there for the taking. It does not make sense. Also WHY MODERN NEW YORK?This crowded mess where you could be seen wearing costumes from the past. WHY? They literally did nothing there but hide in an RV. It had no significance to the story.
3. A bit similar to the above, Kerrigan is so worried about protecting the heroine and at one point he lost his powers.. my question is... why not get guns and shit? You're in America for god's sake. I just could not FATHOM how this character, who is a self-proclaimed devil, got a CD player for his castle but not guns for himself?
It just takes me out that all the things from the "future" that they had, is all from our present, you know? Why not 200 years from now? There is literally no limit with time-traveling, it could turn into sci-fi. I just don't like it. I think it's the worst part of the book, honestly. It just doesn't go well. I'm OVER IT.
Characters & Worldbuilding
The hero was supposed to be the anti-hero. The villain. The devil himself. What do I say to that? hardly. You think you're big shit, Kerrigan? I know worst humans than you in my life. All this "evilness" is just he says she says.
He literally only killed the bad people here, the people who fought him, meant to kill/harm him or heroine. Yeah if he's supposed to look evil, I say, weak. But then again, I've never been into the villain type. Also, him as KING? Does not look like it. He did NONE of the Kingly things. No responsibilities at all. All he did is fuck and fight. He makes 0 rules, 0 duties. I did not feel the "King" vibes from him.
Come to think of it, there are literally no subjects to take care of. No uprising, no demands, nothing. Just occasional slaves, sex workers, and servants. I mean even a dictatorship system has some things to take care of. There are literally no subjects there. Camelot is SOOOO underdeveloped, it felt like this dimension is just the castle.
I like his love for the heroine, though. Could do without him explaining how plain and uninteresting she is except her eyes, but hey he's into it.
The heroine is my favorite thing about this book. It's the reason I finished this book. She has a brain, is not easily manipulated, kind, and loving. She is the best thing here. Period. She's lovely.
One thing that's weird, though, is that this series is called "Lords of Avalon" but literally we see none of the Lords aside from the first chapter, they're barely anywhere else.
PLOT & CONFLICT
This is the most ridiculous part of it folks. NONE of this would've happened if Galahad (Yes, the Galahad we know from the original stories) had worded his sentence differently.
Basically, when Kerrigan was asked to pick a side, good/bad (wow how complex), the villain said "you could be king, make love, have riches," and what did Galahad-- the representative of the good side offer? He mentioned chasity. Like mentioning that he can't have sex would convince a boy. Bruh. be for real. OF COURSE, Kerrigan was like "Nah, give me bitches bro."🤙 And then TADA he went to the bad side and proceed to be a dictator. Do you know how goofy that is? Fucking hilarious.
Also, this book had the trope I avoid: Back-to-life. That is when the MC "dies" and then was brought back to life. This happened for H and h. I mean, i get the angst and the climax of it... but if they want people to live again, i prefer authors to not kill, that makes every death in that universe insignificant if i could just kill everyone and then heal/kiss them back to life. Nah.
Lastly, the conflict was over it WAYYYYY too easily. They avoided Avalon the whole book because "Kerrigan was evil" and they were at war with the Avalons blablabla. But when the Seren rescued Kerrigan from the evil crutches of the villain, what did they do? They just walked right into Avalon. LIKE WHAT?!?!!?!??!?!
I Love HEA, I dooo.... but the way they just came to Avalon, and Merlin was like "meh... welcome, you're forgiven" Like what? Why didn't they do that from the very start is it's that easy to forgive? No consequences or anything?? Then why did he avoid avalon in the first place??
I'm also used with Fantasy to finish their conflicts, saving the city, solving all the problems, heroes story, wars and such. But this book literally did nothing. All that worldbuilding of Camelot, and the HEA is just for the romance part. Nu uh. Not when 80% of this is fantasy. They achieved nothing for Camelot. They just fall in love and run away, that's the whole book.
Conclusion
I wished I hadn't taken this book seriously when I started reading. Even when the blurp, other reviews, and cover suggest that it is a "serious" book, It's not. In order to like this book, you have to take it easy and not think too much. The execution falls short. McGregor's attempt to include a myriad of ideas results in a confusing and underdeveloped narrative. The superpower-like abilities lack consistent rules, leading to implausible scenarios that undermine the story's cohesiveness. The time-travel aspect feels forced and disconnected from the main plot, contributing to a lack of impact on the overall story. Despite these flaws, the protagonist, Seren, shines as a well-rounded and engaging character, and helped me at least enjoy the rest of the ride. The only reason I'm invested is because of her.
Lastly, I would like to salute Jenna for being patient and listening to my rant and useless opinions during this buddy read. Thank you.
March 2, 2015
I've been on a quest to find a mind-blowing book, so I've been picking up random books to read (which apparently is NOT the way to go about this). Needless to say, Sword of Darkness was not a mind-blowing book, for me at least. I knew I wouldn't like it by 20%, because I already had the plot completely figured out. So I skimmed the rest, so that I could put this book to the side and continue on with my hunt.
This is one of those books with a plot that exists only for the sole purpose of romance. I just can't with those books. I can tell when an author writes a plot like that, it just feels inauthentic to me. This book was based on the King Arthur tales, but instead it focused on the good girl/bad guy trope.
This trope works very well in the Fever series, but not here.
I have read one other book by this author that I really enjoyed. She went by the name of Sherrilyn Kenyon then, and I thought this book would be a no-brainer. Wrong.
If you like romance over plot, then I think you'd probably enjoy this book. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not for me.
This is one of those books with a plot that exists only for the sole purpose of romance. I just can't with those books. I can tell when an author writes a plot like that, it just feels inauthentic to me. This book was based on the King Arthur tales, but instead it focused on the good girl/bad guy trope.
This trope works very well in the Fever series, but not here.
I have read one other book by this author that I really enjoyed. She went by the name of Sherrilyn Kenyon then, and I thought this book would be a no-brainer. Wrong.
If you like romance over plot, then I think you'd probably enjoy this book. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not for me.
Want to read
March 18, 2015One clicking the crap out of this... Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US! 3/18/15!
April 2, 2018
This book hit my number one pet peeve, the love interest threatening to rape the heroine. I don't care how evil he's supposed to be or that he didn't do it. It's still wrong. Not romantic at all.
The 'hero' called the heroine mouse and that's what she is. A weak, spineless mouse. He kept thinking she was brave but I didn't see it.
They fell in love quickly and I never understood why he'd change his entire outlook on life for her.
The worldbuilding was decent but not up to Kenyon's normal standards, and the story was meh. (Nothing special or interesting.)
Blaise (the Mandrake, think dragon who turns into a man) was by far the best part of the book.
Overall, Sword of Darkness was disappointing and I'd say skip it. If you're interested in The Lords of Avalon series, read the sequel. It's MUCH better! (And it's not necessary to read this book to understand it.)
The 'hero' called the heroine mouse and that's what she is. A weak, spineless mouse. He kept thinking she was brave but I didn't see it.
They fell in love quickly and I never understood why he'd change his entire outlook on life for her.
The worldbuilding was decent but not up to Kenyon's normal standards, and the story was meh. (Nothing special or interesting.)
Blaise (the Mandrake, think dragon who turns into a man) was by far the best part of the book.
Overall, Sword of Darkness was disappointing and I'd say skip it. If you're interested in The Lords of Avalon series, read the sequel. It's MUCH better! (And it's not necessary to read this book to understand it.)
November 18, 2008
3.5 stars. Overall a light and quirky paranormal filled with Merlins, Gargolyes, time travel and good vs. evil. An ejoyable read. (Don't expect anything similar to her Dark Hunter series that she writes as Sherrilyn Kenyon. This is much lighter, and almost fairytale like.)
December 8, 2015
I'm going to give this four out of five it was a good story but just seamed as if it wasn't as polished as her later works
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July 12, 2011
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book. This one's got 2 parts.
[note: You have to forgive my really long review but this book was worth it! I had to talk about it all and LOVED Kerrigan.]
Alright, I'll try my best to keep the information in this book straight, which are a bit convulated for me wee brain! Otherwise, it's a marvelous book. I'm loving the story and the h/h, Kerrigan and Seren. There are things and terms sometimes seem a bit confusing but after reading the glossary of words once, somehow I can remember them enough to relate.
The story takes place about 600yrs after king Arthur/Arthur Pendragon's death. Camelot is under the rule of demons. Kerrigan (not his real name, he never had one; this is his title from the fey) is the demon king of the fallen Camelot, while Arthur's sister Morgen is the queen. Kerrigan's been alive for couple of centuries and lived among pure chaos and evil. He's never cared for another, always took what he wanted. But, he's hasn't always been like this. He'd been a human once with an awful childhood; his mother was a whore who abused him constantly. Kerrigan murdered her while she was trying to sale him to a few men for you-know-what. There was a scene where he thought about how hungry he'd go for days and the kind of treatment he got from people around him, was really tough to read. How he come to be with Morgen, a bit of it is described in the prologue and then throughout the story. But, ever since he's been in this dark world, he served and ultimately his power grew stronger.
Morgen is the queen of the fey, a sex-crazed demon harpy, who's truly malicious and pure evil. She's as ugly on the inside as she's fair on the outside. Her court is full of sex-crazed demon whores like her (most of them are m/f Adoni and former humans like Kerrigan) and it's all they do, apart from planning to rule the world and do evil things. Kerrigan's been one of her I-don't-know-how-many thousand lovers (but has stopped being that a longtime ago) over the centuries. Her son, Mordred has died many centuries ago but she wants to bring him back from the dead. So, she's hatched this plan, which involves Kerrigan and Seren.
Seren is a peasant girl, who loves to weave. The day she got rejected from a guild of the weavers, which has been a long time dream for her, she met two knights of the legendary Avalon, Gawain and Agravain. She couldn't believe them when they said she's the future mother of the next Penmerlin and ran from them, thinking they wanted to have 'fun' with her. On the way, a dark knight saves her and then, she's taken to a dark and gloomy place. She falls asleep and when she woke, she meets Kerrigan, the said dark night and realizes she made the mistake of willingly going into the clutches of the evil. Kerrigan knows the plan the knights of Avalon and the Penmerlin have for her. He and Morgen planned to take the Round Table from them, bartering Seren for it but their ultimate plan is to kill her. But as the days go by, somehow Kerrigan is beguiled by her gentleness, innocence and honesty. Seren also doesn't believe that Kerrigan is pure evil, she senses something different in him, something almost kind and utterly human. Kerrigan even defied Morgen for Seren (not that he was ever scared of her, just broke the 'truce' they lived with), not knowing Morgen's real plan, which is to keep them together as much as possible so that Seren's child is fathered by him, who would hold the power to revive Mordred. After a few so-called attacks from Morgen, Kerrigan takes Seren to Joyous Gard, Lancelot's resting place and keeps her there.
Seren is confused. She even planned to escape this dreaded place. She even got some tips from a so-called friend (sent by Morgen, of course), who told her that taking Kerrigan's star medal and the sword of immortality Caliburn and it's magical scabbard, will help her. For that she has to seduce Kerrigan. But, Seren is already enchanted by her dark knight. She wants to know him better; soothe his hurt, anger and the darkness she senses within him. No matter how he tries to tell her how evil he is and wants to stay away, Kerrigan has only been kind to her. He could've raped her but kept the promise he gave to her the first day. After coming to Joyous Gard with him and Blaise, his mandrake servant, Seren realizes she wants to be with him. Knowing that Kerrigan never recieved a gift ever in his life, she uses her only treasure, a scarlet cloth she weaved and embroidered for the guild and makes a tunic for him.
I loved many scenes in this book; one was seeing Seren crying for the cloth, Kerrigan goes back to Camelot and retrieves it for her. Also, the way he yearns for her innocent touch and words were amazing to read. But, when Seren takes the cloth to give it to Kerrigan, she got stabbed by him. It was some scene! Kerrigan was napping and she startled him. Blaise, who masquerades in his human form most of the times, saves Seren with his magic. Kerrigan felt helpless for the first time in his damned life, knowing his evil power is useless in this regard. After that, when Seren wakes up and finds herself alright, hot scenes follow and they give into the temptation. Even knowing he's got no tender feelings for her, Seren decides that her virginity would be her gift to Kerrigan.
Morgen comes back with her dragon and gargoyle troups knowing (though her demonic power of course) that Seren is pregnant already and attacks Kerrigan's castle. Kerrigan tries his best to save them using his own power but knows it's not gonna hold them much longer. In between, the ghost of Lancelot comes to Seren, tells her she's already pregnant and that Kerrigan will kill her and the baby once he finds out. Seren doesn't believe him and later realizes Kerrigan means to hold her baby for the power it'll be born with to help him rule the world. Seren is appalled. She promises Kerrigan that she'll do anything to save her son (yah, they all know the gender) from this atrocity.
Blaise is a very wise character. He gives both Kerrigan and Seren really worthwhile advices. He also senses something in Seren and after seeing the way she can weave and sew so effortlessly as she worked on Kerrigan's tunic, Blaise is sure she's got something magic in her. But, what it is, I'm not sure yet.
*************
WOW! I mean really, so so beautiful. This book, the last few chapters just took my breath away. Oh, Kerrigan! You're a sweet pea and I wanna hug you tight. And, Seren did prove herself. Even with all those 21st century head banging stuffs, it was a worthwhile read. I'm giving it a 5 stars with a wistful heart. *sigh*
As the story progressed, Morgen tried to break through Kerrigan's shield, the one he put with his powers to protect Seren and their unborn child. Though he repeatedly said he wants the child because he wants to rule the world, in truth, Kerrigan was confused of the feeling that Seren invokes in him and also, the dreams of a family that keep flashing through his mind. Then, at one point, it was revealed that Seren is actually a Merlin herself. Blaise and Kerrigan both tells her that though at first she doesn't believe it, later on, a few things about her mother and the loom she gave to her when Seren was young, convinces her that it might be true. The loom is magical, it's called the the Loom of Caswallan. In between, Lancelot's ghost, again, tries to convince Seren to kill Kerrigan and take Caliburn from him. When she doesn't give him, he puts a spell on her and then she tries to kill him but Kerrigan thwarts the attempt. Seren gets her first taste of dark power after touching the sword and begins understanding Kerrigan's state of being even more. Brea, a Celtic God, who is on the side of the good and been fighting with Kerrigan for Caliburn, visits them then and asks Seren to give up the sword. He was probably who was masquerading as Lancelot's ghost. Seren denies his command. Afterwards, Kerrigan and Seren talk and make love. Morgen sends a gargoyle (former human, cursed by Morgen) named Garafyn to talk with him but the gargoyle tells Kerrigan that he'll help him escape if Kerrigan takes him and his stone legions with him. Kerrigan had no other option but to trust him, though reluctantly.
Later, Seren then asks Kerrigan to help her use her magic powers so that together they can fight Morgen. Kerrigan was weakening. Kerrigan tells Seren that he also possesses Merlin blood, he unknown father must've had it but didn't even know and that's why when he found Caliburn, it worked and Morgen took him in. Then, even though all his being revolted to take her innocence (in a way), Kerrigan does the ancient ritual of power sharing and gives Seren a portion of his dark magic. It was a crazy ceremony with blood taking/sucking and Seren sees a lot of Kerrigan's past through flashes; the same happens to Kerrigan too. The most beautiful thing to me was, as Seren lies in Kerrigan's arms, shaking from the violence of her new power, she looks at him and tells him she knows what his eye color was when he was human; it was a pure, crystal blue. Kerrigan tells her it was a long time ago. It was a beautiful yet such a melancholy scene!
Seren's mother visits Seren in her dreams, telling her she must look into her heart to figure out her destiny and things regarding Kerrigan. She gives Seren another star emblemmed medal, one just like Kerrigan's which is a token for anyone possessing Merlin blood. This interaction between mother and daughter was sad yet beautiful, too. Seren's mother also tells her that she's going to have a daughter. Next day, with the help of Garafyn, they escape to the 21st century, knowing in this century Morgen will have problem opening portals. Kerrigan conjures up a mobile home and calls out to Brea again. He tells Seren she must go to Avalon with Brea, which is the safest place for her and the baby. In private, he makes a bargain with Brea; Seren and his child's safety in exchange for Caliburn. Brea is totally speechless! But, it was done. Seren asks Kerrigan to come back to her soon and he promises with a lie about going to Avalon, to her. Very reluctantly but with his promise, Seren leaves with Brea for Avalon.
There she's fine but afterwards she understood Kerrigan lied to him about coming back to Avalon. The Merlin tells her its not possible since Kerrigan doesn't belong here anymore. In the meantime, Kerrigan goes to the shop where Seren worked and retrieves her loom and her scanty belongings. He was humbled seeing the way she lived. Then, he sends Blaise with those to Avalon, even gave away the star amulet, which can open portals. Blaise understood what Kerrigan wants. He also asks Blaise to make sure that Seren marries a knight and their child isn't born a bastard. After that, Kerrigan summons Morgen and surrenders .... Me, I was screaming, oh God, why???? :(
Seren was already beginning to balance her dark and good powers in Avalon, also kept Caliburn with her, always thinking of Kerrigan. The communication between Seren and Kerrigan through their thoughts and the longing it held was so good, I can't explain in words. Just thinking of them bring tears to my eyes. An archer of Avalon tells Seren that Kerrigan lied to her about traveling around the world and seeing places while dodging Morgen. Seren couldn't believe him. She calls out to Kerrigan, who remained silent. Seren realizes it might be the truth after all and that she has to do something, anything to save her love. Resolved in the plan to rescue him from that b*tch, Seren asks for Blaise and Garafyn's help and was granted. Even Elaine, a female knight of Avalon agrees to help her on this journey.
Kerrigan was being severely tortured by Morgen which was pretty hard for me to read. That b*tch, wish I could get my paws on her! Queen of the fey, my arse! I was thinking, once upon a time Kerrigan slept with this nasty harpy?! Ugh. Days of torture leaves Kerrigan almost dead and without Caliburn, he's become mortal once again. He also knows for a fact that he loves Seren with all his being. Then Morgen takes him to the center hall to had him killed by one of her knights. Kerrigan fought but knew in his state, he doesn't stand a chance. This is when Seren intervenes and the rest of it was a blast! I was impressed by the way she talks to the b*tch. The scenes that follow and the fights, they were great.... Then the epilogue, another beautiful part of the book. I adored it, simply adored it. Ohhhhh Kerrigan! To hear him call Seren "Lady Mouse" or "Little Mouse" ... *more sighs*
In the end, Morgen finds Kerrigan's successor and ... bla bla bla, as if I care about that b*tch!
[note: You have to forgive my really long review but this book was worth it! I had to talk about it all and LOVED Kerrigan.]
Alright, I'll try my best to keep the information in this book straight, which are a bit convulated for me wee brain! Otherwise, it's a marvelous book. I'm loving the story and the h/h, Kerrigan and Seren. There are things and terms sometimes seem a bit confusing but after reading the glossary of words once, somehow I can remember them enough to relate.
The story takes place about 600yrs after king Arthur/Arthur Pendragon's death. Camelot is under the rule of demons. Kerrigan (not his real name, he never had one; this is his title from the fey) is the demon king of the fallen Camelot, while Arthur's sister Morgen is the queen. Kerrigan's been alive for couple of centuries and lived among pure chaos and evil. He's never cared for another, always took what he wanted. But, he's hasn't always been like this. He'd been a human once with an awful childhood; his mother was a whore who abused him constantly. Kerrigan murdered her while she was trying to sale him to a few men for you-know-what. There was a scene where he thought about how hungry he'd go for days and the kind of treatment he got from people around him, was really tough to read. How he come to be with Morgen, a bit of it is described in the prologue and then throughout the story. But, ever since he's been in this dark world, he served and ultimately his power grew stronger.
Morgen is the queen of the fey, a sex-crazed demon harpy, who's truly malicious and pure evil. She's as ugly on the inside as she's fair on the outside. Her court is full of sex-crazed demon whores like her (most of them are m/f Adoni and former humans like Kerrigan) and it's all they do, apart from planning to rule the world and do evil things. Kerrigan's been one of her I-don't-know-how-many thousand lovers (but has stopped being that a longtime ago) over the centuries. Her son, Mordred has died many centuries ago but she wants to bring him back from the dead. So, she's hatched this plan, which involves Kerrigan and Seren.
Seren is a peasant girl, who loves to weave. The day she got rejected from a guild of the weavers, which has been a long time dream for her, she met two knights of the legendary Avalon, Gawain and Agravain. She couldn't believe them when they said she's the future mother of the next Penmerlin and ran from them, thinking they wanted to have 'fun' with her. On the way, a dark knight saves her and then, she's taken to a dark and gloomy place. She falls asleep and when she woke, she meets Kerrigan, the said dark night and realizes she made the mistake of willingly going into the clutches of the evil. Kerrigan knows the plan the knights of Avalon and the Penmerlin have for her. He and Morgen planned to take the Round Table from them, bartering Seren for it but their ultimate plan is to kill her. But as the days go by, somehow Kerrigan is beguiled by her gentleness, innocence and honesty. Seren also doesn't believe that Kerrigan is pure evil, she senses something different in him, something almost kind and utterly human. Kerrigan even defied Morgen for Seren (not that he was ever scared of her, just broke the 'truce' they lived with), not knowing Morgen's real plan, which is to keep them together as much as possible so that Seren's child is fathered by him, who would hold the power to revive Mordred. After a few so-called attacks from Morgen, Kerrigan takes Seren to Joyous Gard, Lancelot's resting place and keeps her there.
Seren is confused. She even planned to escape this dreaded place. She even got some tips from a so-called friend (sent by Morgen, of course), who told her that taking Kerrigan's star medal and the sword of immortality Caliburn and it's magical scabbard, will help her. For that she has to seduce Kerrigan. But, Seren is already enchanted by her dark knight. She wants to know him better; soothe his hurt, anger and the darkness she senses within him. No matter how he tries to tell her how evil he is and wants to stay away, Kerrigan has only been kind to her. He could've raped her but kept the promise he gave to her the first day. After coming to Joyous Gard with him and Blaise, his mandrake servant, Seren realizes she wants to be with him. Knowing that Kerrigan never recieved a gift ever in his life, she uses her only treasure, a scarlet cloth she weaved and embroidered for the guild and makes a tunic for him.
I loved many scenes in this book; one was seeing Seren crying for the cloth, Kerrigan goes back to Camelot and retrieves it for her. Also, the way he yearns for her innocent touch and words were amazing to read. But, when Seren takes the cloth to give it to Kerrigan, she got stabbed by him. It was some scene! Kerrigan was napping and she startled him. Blaise, who masquerades in his human form most of the times, saves Seren with his magic. Kerrigan felt helpless for the first time in his damned life, knowing his evil power is useless in this regard. After that, when Seren wakes up and finds herself alright, hot scenes follow and they give into the temptation. Even knowing he's got no tender feelings for her, Seren decides that her virginity would be her gift to Kerrigan.
Morgen comes back with her dragon and gargoyle troups knowing (though her demonic power of course) that Seren is pregnant already and attacks Kerrigan's castle. Kerrigan tries his best to save them using his own power but knows it's not gonna hold them much longer. In between, the ghost of Lancelot comes to Seren, tells her she's already pregnant and that Kerrigan will kill her and the baby once he finds out. Seren doesn't believe him and later realizes Kerrigan means to hold her baby for the power it'll be born with to help him rule the world. Seren is appalled. She promises Kerrigan that she'll do anything to save her son (yah, they all know the gender) from this atrocity.
Blaise is a very wise character. He gives both Kerrigan and Seren really worthwhile advices. He also senses something in Seren and after seeing the way she can weave and sew so effortlessly as she worked on Kerrigan's tunic, Blaise is sure she's got something magic in her. But, what it is, I'm not sure yet.
*************
WOW! I mean really, so so beautiful. This book, the last few chapters just took my breath away. Oh, Kerrigan! You're a sweet pea and I wanna hug you tight. And, Seren did prove herself. Even with all those 21st century head banging stuffs, it was a worthwhile read. I'm giving it a 5 stars with a wistful heart. *sigh*
As the story progressed, Morgen tried to break through Kerrigan's shield, the one he put with his powers to protect Seren and their unborn child. Though he repeatedly said he wants the child because he wants to rule the world, in truth, Kerrigan was confused of the feeling that Seren invokes in him and also, the dreams of a family that keep flashing through his mind. Then, at one point, it was revealed that Seren is actually a Merlin herself. Blaise and Kerrigan both tells her that though at first she doesn't believe it, later on, a few things about her mother and the loom she gave to her when Seren was young, convinces her that it might be true. The loom is magical, it's called the the Loom of Caswallan. In between, Lancelot's ghost, again, tries to convince Seren to kill Kerrigan and take Caliburn from him. When she doesn't give him, he puts a spell on her and then she tries to kill him but Kerrigan thwarts the attempt. Seren gets her first taste of dark power after touching the sword and begins understanding Kerrigan's state of being even more. Brea, a Celtic God, who is on the side of the good and been fighting with Kerrigan for Caliburn, visits them then and asks Seren to give up the sword. He was probably who was masquerading as Lancelot's ghost. Seren denies his command. Afterwards, Kerrigan and Seren talk and make love. Morgen sends a gargoyle (former human, cursed by Morgen) named Garafyn to talk with him but the gargoyle tells Kerrigan that he'll help him escape if Kerrigan takes him and his stone legions with him. Kerrigan had no other option but to trust him, though reluctantly.
Later, Seren then asks Kerrigan to help her use her magic powers so that together they can fight Morgen. Kerrigan was weakening. Kerrigan tells Seren that he also possesses Merlin blood, he unknown father must've had it but didn't even know and that's why when he found Caliburn, it worked and Morgen took him in. Then, even though all his being revolted to take her innocence (in a way), Kerrigan does the ancient ritual of power sharing and gives Seren a portion of his dark magic. It was a crazy ceremony with blood taking/sucking and Seren sees a lot of Kerrigan's past through flashes; the same happens to Kerrigan too. The most beautiful thing to me was, as Seren lies in Kerrigan's arms, shaking from the violence of her new power, she looks at him and tells him she knows what his eye color was when he was human; it was a pure, crystal blue. Kerrigan tells her it was a long time ago. It was a beautiful yet such a melancholy scene!
Seren's mother visits Seren in her dreams, telling her she must look into her heart to figure out her destiny and things regarding Kerrigan. She gives Seren another star emblemmed medal, one just like Kerrigan's which is a token for anyone possessing Merlin blood. This interaction between mother and daughter was sad yet beautiful, too. Seren's mother also tells her that she's going to have a daughter. Next day, with the help of Garafyn, they escape to the 21st century, knowing in this century Morgen will have problem opening portals. Kerrigan conjures up a mobile home and calls out to Brea again. He tells Seren she must go to Avalon with Brea, which is the safest place for her and the baby. In private, he makes a bargain with Brea; Seren and his child's safety in exchange for Caliburn. Brea is totally speechless! But, it was done. Seren asks Kerrigan to come back to her soon and he promises with a lie about going to Avalon, to her. Very reluctantly but with his promise, Seren leaves with Brea for Avalon.
There she's fine but afterwards she understood Kerrigan lied to him about coming back to Avalon. The Merlin tells her its not possible since Kerrigan doesn't belong here anymore. In the meantime, Kerrigan goes to the shop where Seren worked and retrieves her loom and her scanty belongings. He was humbled seeing the way she lived. Then, he sends Blaise with those to Avalon, even gave away the star amulet, which can open portals. Blaise understood what Kerrigan wants. He also asks Blaise to make sure that Seren marries a knight and their child isn't born a bastard. After that, Kerrigan summons Morgen and surrenders .... Me, I was screaming, oh God, why???? :(
Seren was already beginning to balance her dark and good powers in Avalon, also kept Caliburn with her, always thinking of Kerrigan. The communication between Seren and Kerrigan through their thoughts and the longing it held was so good, I can't explain in words. Just thinking of them bring tears to my eyes. An archer of Avalon tells Seren that Kerrigan lied to her about traveling around the world and seeing places while dodging Morgen. Seren couldn't believe him. She calls out to Kerrigan, who remained silent. Seren realizes it might be the truth after all and that she has to do something, anything to save her love. Resolved in the plan to rescue him from that b*tch, Seren asks for Blaise and Garafyn's help and was granted. Even Elaine, a female knight of Avalon agrees to help her on this journey.
Kerrigan was being severely tortured by Morgen which was pretty hard for me to read. That b*tch, wish I could get my paws on her! Queen of the fey, my arse! I was thinking, once upon a time Kerrigan slept with this nasty harpy?! Ugh. Days of torture leaves Kerrigan almost dead and without Caliburn, he's become mortal once again. He also knows for a fact that he loves Seren with all his being. Then Morgen takes him to the center hall to had him killed by one of her knights. Kerrigan fought but knew in his state, he doesn't stand a chance. This is when Seren intervenes and the rest of it was a blast! I was impressed by the way she talks to the b*tch. The scenes that follow and the fights, they were great.... Then the epilogue, another beautiful part of the book. I adored it, simply adored it. Ohhhhh Kerrigan! To hear him call Seren "Lady Mouse" or "Little Mouse" ... *more sighs*
In the end, Morgen finds Kerrigan's successor and ... bla bla bla, as if I care about that b*tch!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2009
Sword of Darkness was OK. Seren was wholesomely good, but, thankfully, I didn't find her annoying. I actually really liked her. She had a spine and stood up for what she believed in. Kerrigan was supposed to be the Big Bad, but he wasn't. We were told he did all of these horrible things, had no compassion, blah, blah,blah, but he was a big softy where Seren was concerned and it was a bit disappointing. The plot was decent, but the story dragged in places. I kept me interested enough to want to read the next books though. 3.5 stars
July 11, 2025
4.5 Stars
One of those books where actions speak louder than words. It’s endearing to read about an H willing to sacrifice it all including his life to protect the h. Truly enjoyable read.
One of those books where actions speak louder than words. It’s endearing to read about an H willing to sacrifice it all including his life to protect the h. Truly enjoyable read.
March 28, 2011
Ugh, unfortunately this book incorporates some of my biggest pet peeves.
Lets start with the first problem. If you read the description of the book it says that it's a Arthurian Legend: knights, helpless maidens & magical destinies. Ok, sounds good. I start to read it and oh, well looks like it's really part fantasy romance and part urban fantasy. There's a whole slew of these characters that can travel by popping in and out of existence, can heal any wound and they can go forward and backwards in time too. (with this in mind apparently they have access to all the music ever written decides that INXS is the end all be all. WTF? really?!?). Throw in a whole bunch of modern phrases and items that don't fit with the storyline or characters and all and you've got one hot mess. I don’t mind mixing genres up, but to hide it from the book description? It’s almost as if the publisher had no idea how to begin and just gave up.
I thought for fun, I’d give it a try…
So, there’s an evil queen who likes her woowoo unwilling while listening to INXS 24/7. She has a Dark and Broody immortal knight who used to be a nobody child thief who she abducted and corrupted into her big baddie enforcer dude. Then there’s the heroine, a peasant weaver girl whose innocence peaks the interest of Mr. D & B. Luckily it just happens that she’s the magical key to the kingdom’s future. He decides to play hide the salami. Smoochie smoochie. Oh no! Evil queen is gonna get us….and you can figure the rest.
ok, not the easiest thing to do….but still not impossible. I guess my point is that I felt misled in my expectations. I expect a book description to be accurate. It’s the only way I have to know what the book is about without actually reading it. It’s a simple thing.
Problem #2. I've never had difficulty reading books with similar themes. I couldn't even begin to count how many books I've read that were the same basic concepts. What gets my goat is when it seems that one author just grabs a big chunk of another author's work and plops it in their own. That just tells me that the author is too lazy to come up with their own ideas. Sex crazed evil queens who have a stable of man slaves, omnipotent power/feared by all and an unbridled rage against all who disobey her. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's Queen Andise from Laurell Hamilton's Merry Gentry series. This is a popular series folks, so lets try a little bit harder to make your characters a little more original next time, eh?
So in the end, I did not finish the book. I couldn’t like the story nor the characters that much. I have way too many other books to read that I’m pretty sure are quite a bit better. I’ll just move on to those and do my best to forget this one.
Lets start with the first problem. If you read the description of the book it says that it's a Arthurian Legend: knights, helpless maidens & magical destinies. Ok, sounds good. I start to read it and oh, well looks like it's really part fantasy romance and part urban fantasy. There's a whole slew of these characters that can travel by popping in and out of existence, can heal any wound and they can go forward and backwards in time too. (with this in mind apparently they have access to all the music ever written decides that INXS is the end all be all. WTF? really?!?). Throw in a whole bunch of modern phrases and items that don't fit with the storyline or characters and all and you've got one hot mess. I don’t mind mixing genres up, but to hide it from the book description? It’s almost as if the publisher had no idea how to begin and just gave up.
I thought for fun, I’d give it a try…
So, there’s an evil queen who likes her woowoo unwilling while listening to INXS 24/7. She has a Dark and Broody immortal knight who used to be a nobody child thief who she abducted and corrupted into her big baddie enforcer dude. Then there’s the heroine, a peasant weaver girl whose innocence peaks the interest of Mr. D & B. Luckily it just happens that she’s the magical key to the kingdom’s future. He decides to play hide the salami. Smoochie smoochie. Oh no! Evil queen is gonna get us….and you can figure the rest.
ok, not the easiest thing to do….but still not impossible. I guess my point is that I felt misled in my expectations. I expect a book description to be accurate. It’s the only way I have to know what the book is about without actually reading it. It’s a simple thing.
Problem #2. I've never had difficulty reading books with similar themes. I couldn't even begin to count how many books I've read that were the same basic concepts. What gets my goat is when it seems that one author just grabs a big chunk of another author's work and plops it in their own. That just tells me that the author is too lazy to come up with their own ideas. Sex crazed evil queens who have a stable of man slaves, omnipotent power/feared by all and an unbridled rage against all who disobey her. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's Queen Andise from Laurell Hamilton's Merry Gentry series. This is a popular series folks, so lets try a little bit harder to make your characters a little more original next time, eh?
So in the end, I did not finish the book. I couldn’t like the story nor the characters that much. I have way too many other books to read that I’m pretty sure are quite a bit better. I’ll just move on to those and do my best to forget this one.
July 31, 2019
This is an interesting read to read now knowing it's considered part of the Dark Hunter universe but not really seeing how it ties in yet. Going back and re-reading the Dark Hunter series, I know this is put in where it was published, but it's going to sit in my mind awhile to see how it ties in later down the line.
Gotta say I liked Seren. Her entire life is in upheaval and she's been thrown to the wolves essentially. No idea where she is, who to trust, and with no understanding of the world she now finds herself in. Yet she's a kickass, stand up to the fear sort, who with no knowledge of her own powers refuses to back down and is going to do what's right. I found myself liking her a lot.
Kerrigan's had it rough. He's made terrible choices and reveled in those choices for hundreds of years. And yet you feel for him a bit as you know he really knew nothing else. How do you know to choose good if you've never really experienced it? Seren is the first person to open his eyes to the possibility of something else through her sheer stubborn instance that no one is all bad.
Gotta admit though my favorite character in the whole thing might just have to be Blaise. Love me the snarky mandrake!
Again, I'm curious to see where this series goes in relation to the greater Dark Hunter world. I can't quite figure out the tie in with all the characters I already know and love. But then again I'm way behind in the second arc. ;)
Gotta say I liked Seren. Her entire life is in upheaval and she's been thrown to the wolves essentially. No idea where she is, who to trust, and with no understanding of the world she now finds herself in. Yet she's a kickass, stand up to the fear sort, who with no knowledge of her own powers refuses to back down and is going to do what's right. I found myself liking her a lot.
Kerrigan's had it rough. He's made terrible choices and reveled in those choices for hundreds of years. And yet you feel for him a bit as you know he really knew nothing else. How do you know to choose good if you've never really experienced it? Seren is the first person to open his eyes to the possibility of something else through her sheer stubborn instance that no one is all bad.
Gotta admit though my favorite character in the whole thing might just have to be Blaise. Love me the snarky mandrake!
Again, I'm curious to see where this series goes in relation to the greater Dark Hunter world. I can't quite figure out the tie in with all the characters I already know and love. But then again I'm way behind in the second arc. ;)
September 22, 2015
The first book in the Lords of Avalon series by Kinley MacGregor. Seren is just a poor peasant with aspirations of being a weaver. After being denied by the Guild she heads home when she is approached by men who claim she is destined to give birth to the next merlin. She runs away and is "rescued" by another man. This man is The Kerrigan, king of Camelot, the owner of Caliburn, a sword of the fey. Caliburn is the evil sword that balances out Excalibur. He takes her to Camelot where Morgen le Fey has plans to use her for her own evil purpose.
The story is based around the legend of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This is long after Arthur's defeat and Camelot is now ruled by evil. It was pretty good. I've read Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League and Dark-Hunter series and this one follows the basic formula with the dark, tortured hero and the woman who "saves" him. But it's a formula I love and I will continue to read.
The story is based around the legend of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This is long after Arthur's defeat and Camelot is now ruled by evil. It was pretty good. I've read Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League and Dark-Hunter series and this one follows the basic formula with the dark, tortured hero and the woman who "saves" him. But it's a formula I love and I will continue to read.
June 22, 2014
un libro con una trama romántica fantástica erótica dónde la historia esta ambientada en Camelot y la historia amorosa se asemeja mucho a la historia de la Bella y la Bestia. El ritmo aunque se hace un poco pesado en algunos capítulos del medio por lo general es muy ligero. La pluma de la autora me ha gustado mucho. Tiene un par de aspectos que pueden ser predecibles y el final deja con muchas ganas de leer la segunda parte. Los personajes han estado bien creados.
Reseña completa: http://un-gran-mundo-imperfecto.blogs...
Reseña completa: http://un-gran-mundo-imperfecto.blogs...
February 5, 2017
A mí me encantan los libros de Sherrilyn Kenyon pero jamás me había animado a leer esta serie, sin embargo, compré este libro hace tiempo y lo guardé, por si se me antojaba leerlo después. Al final me animé a leerlo porque supe que alguien de esta serie aparecerá en Son of No One, el siguiente libro de los Dark Hunters y honestamente, me llevé una gratísima sorpresa con esta novela.
Kerrigan es un ladronzuelo que mientras está huyendo de sus captores se encuentra con la espada Calibur y al agarrarla, permite que todo el poder y todo el mal anide en su interior. Él ya era un chico con mucho dolor emocional, con una madre que no lo quería, un padre ausente y habiendo sido humillado por mucho tiempo, su rencor es enorme, así que es fácil de dejarse seducir por el lado oscuro. Así vive muchos años hasta el momento en que descubre a Seren.
Seren es aprendiz de tejedora y su máximo sueño en la vida es independizarse y tener una familia. Invierte todos sus pocos ahorros en hacer una tela tan fina para que el gremio pueda verificarla y aceptar que se independice. Para su mala suerte, el gremio no la acepta y ella tiene que regresar a su anterior vida. En su camino de regreso se topa con dos hombres que no hacen bien su trabajo al explicarle lo importante que es ella para Los Señores de Avalon y Seren se asusta. Mientras huye, se topa con Kerrigan y en un intento de alejarse de los hombres que creen que quieren abusar de ella, se escapa con el malvado del cuento.
Así es como empieza la historia de estos dos seres mágicos. Kerrigan intenta por todos los medios que ella no le guste, que no sienta lo que ella le provoca, pero es inútil, termina enamorado de ella. Mientras que Seren empieza a ver que él no es lo que parece o dice ser y que debajo de toda esa maldad, hay un chico asustado y dolido que sólo usa su maldad como una coraza para protegerse del mundo entero.
A mí me encantó el personaje de Kerrigan porque era un héroe torturado, pero con un gran sentido del honor y por más que desea a Seren no la trata mal ni abusa de ella, y eso que de querer hacerlo, nadie se lo habría podido impedir. Por su parte, Seren fue un personaje muy fuerte e independiente, me encantaba cómo se enfrentaba a Kerrigan y eso es lo que le gustaba a él también, pues ella no le tenía miedo. Poco a poco van construyendo una relación muy fuerte y tierna y yo los adoré a ambos.
Cuando las cosas se complican y Kerrigan se ve forzado a tomar una decisión, me dolió como no se imaginan. Yo leía la manera en que él sufría y cómo le hacía creer a ella lo contrario y eso me hizo llorar, se los juro. Me conmovió mucho. Por suerte, no pasó mucho tiempo hasta que las cosas se solucionan. El final fue de lo mejor porque hubo mucha acción y fue de lo más divertido ver ese lado de Kerrigan.
Una historia más de Sherrilyn Kenyon que vale la pena comenzar :)
April 18, 2017
4.25 Stars
May 3, 2015
Kerrigan, once a scared, defenceless young peasant, is now king and ruler of Camelot.
Thinking he would have all he most desired at his disposal - riches, respect, power and women - he chose to follow Morgen le Fey, King Arthur's evil sorceress of a sister, to her desolate world.
There he found the bitter truth. He was lord and master of everything that surrounded him, commanding an army of powerful creatures, such as dark fey, dragons and gargoyles, but only darkness surrounded him and not even all the power bestowed to him could stop him from wanting.
On the contrary. He was ever hungry. Food couldn't sustain him, the beautiful women couldn't end his lust and he was always watchful, waiting for the next person wanting to stab him in the back.
He has long given up on his soul and lost all his humanity.
Until Seren, a simple peasant whose dream is to be a weaver, thus gaining her independence and freedom, crosses his path.
Her destiny is to be the mother of the next Penmerlin, the leader of all Merlins, sorcerers tasked with the protection of the world and the relics used by King Arthur to rule in peace.
Her child will have the power to bring either peace or darkness to the world.
Kerrigan's goal is simply: use Seren to claim Arthur's Round Table and kill her once that is done. If only she didn't spark feelings in him he had thought long dead and made him long for things he always thought weren't for him.
I loved Kerrigan and how tortured he was.
He suffered terribly at the hands of everybody, especially his mother, who should have protected and loved him, so when he found himself in a position where he wouldn't be helpless, he chose the wrong path, thinking it was what would make him happy.
There was a terribly price to pay, though. He lost himself and his chance to truly experience everything that makes life worth living.
I'm so glad Seren appeared and was able to touch him deep inside. It's so sad when someone is so used to pain and rejection, that that person thinks they don't need love.
And don't get me wrong. Kerrigan had evil inside him. He was fundamentally changed when he chose to follow Morgen.
However, he had the potential for good inside him and that was something Seren saw from the beginning.
I'm so glad they found each other. She also needed someone to love and protect her. She was so alone in the world.
They were both alone. No more.
September 22, 2010
Simple, sort of interesting, but not recommended. It felt like a cinderella-type fairy tale.
Downtrodden peasant girl is taken by a prince of darkness, but he turns into a prince of goodness due to her influence. In the beginning, she stood up to him, did not fear him, this intriqued him, and he then fell for her. Their falling for each other seemed a little too quick and unexplained for me. I also did not like the many references to 20th century living. This story takes place in the middle ages, yet some of the characters would use words from the 20th century as if they lived in the 20th century. For example, she loves her Starbucks coffee, this is not a suicide hotline, I saw that happen on an episode of X-Files. Since some of the characters had the ability to time travel, I don't understand why they would choose to stay in the middle ages. Time-travel was not necessary to the plot. The only time it was connected to the plot was when they were running away from the evil queen for a short while before they returned to the safe place of Avalon (in the middle ages). The time-travel comments were a disconnect. They interrupted the flow of the story. I felt that the author was trying to be "cute," but I found it annoying rather than funny. The only redeeming quality in this story was that there were a few interesting plot developments.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: middle ages, London, Camelot and Avalon. Genre: historical, paranormal romance.
For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 3 star review of “Night Pleasures” by Sherrilyn Kenyon (aka Kinley MacGregor) posted 6/19/08.
Downtrodden peasant girl is taken by a prince of darkness, but he turns into a prince of goodness due to her influence. In the beginning, she stood up to him, did not fear him, this intriqued him, and he then fell for her. Their falling for each other seemed a little too quick and unexplained for me. I also did not like the many references to 20th century living. This story takes place in the middle ages, yet some of the characters would use words from the 20th century as if they lived in the 20th century. For example, she loves her Starbucks coffee, this is not a suicide hotline, I saw that happen on an episode of X-Files. Since some of the characters had the ability to time travel, I don't understand why they would choose to stay in the middle ages. Time-travel was not necessary to the plot. The only time it was connected to the plot was when they were running away from the evil queen for a short while before they returned to the safe place of Avalon (in the middle ages). The time-travel comments were a disconnect. They interrupted the flow of the story. I felt that the author was trying to be "cute," but I found it annoying rather than funny. The only redeeming quality in this story was that there were a few interesting plot developments.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: middle ages, London, Camelot and Avalon. Genre: historical, paranormal romance.
For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 3 star review of “Night Pleasures” by Sherrilyn Kenyon (aka Kinley MacGregor) posted 6/19/08.
March 4, 2017
I don't think I'm a fan of this series. Soren wasn't too bad as a heroine - she's got spine and she doesn't take crap from the Hero, Kerrigan. Which is good, because that's why he falls in love with her. I didn't care very much for Kerrigan. He was supposedly all bad and awful and I thought he was a bit of a dick in the beginning but his transformation is a bit over the top if he's supposedly been this bad all this time. Whatever, that I could get over as well. But honestly author, pick a setting already. I don't like how magic and time-travel get used here... It's not an integral part of the story truly...it could have been written without it. It felt to me like an excuse to include modern phrasing and to infuse humor with modern references, like Starbucks. But what we had was a world that didn't feel coherent. I would have preferred she stuck to a single setting - set it in Arthurian times and stick to it! If you must have one person time-travel, do it with purpose. This felt like a mess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2015
Es una historia bastante original, que combina magia y fantasía con una bonita historia de amor. Me han encantado los guiños referentes a los viajes en el tiempo, y la personalidad de Seren, la protagonista, que se va creciendo a lo largo de la historia y acaba siendo todo un descubrimiento, si bien su carácter franco, valiente y un poco testarudo me ganó desde el minuto cero. Kerrigan aún me ha gustado más, especialmente porque mantiene de principio a fin ese trasfondo oscuro que le da un atractivo especial. En ocasiones quise abofetearle, pero también confieso que caí rendida casi desde su aparición. Es un alma atormentada y, seamos realistas, eso engancha.
Mención especial para el puntazo que supone la reinterpretación del mito de Arturo desde el momento en que descubres que Morgana es mucho peor de lo que nunca la habían mostrado y Merlín es una mujer. Y punto extra por el personaje de la mandrágora (aunque el término resulta confuso), Blaise, que me ha encantado, y las gárgolas, con las que me he partido de risa.
Mención especial para el puntazo que supone la reinterpretación del mito de Arturo desde el momento en que descubres que Morgana es mucho peor de lo que nunca la habían mostrado y Merlín es una mujer. Y punto extra por el personaje de la mandrágora (aunque el término resulta confuso), Blaise, que me ha encantado, y las gárgolas, con las que me he partido de risa.
July 21, 2018
4,2 Stars
Něco tomu chybělo.....ale i tak to byla skvělá kniha, která se výjimečně obešla bez obvyklého Sherrilynovského znásilňování hlavního hrdiny.... :D
„Vypadám jako žena?" ptal se Blaise Kerrigana, který seděl na jednom z křesel před krbem.
„Ano"
Blaise vypadal uraženě jeho rychlou reakcí „Cože?"
„Co?" Kerrigan se na něj nevinně podíval. „Chtěls, abych lhal?"
Blaise si rozzlobeně založil ruce na prsou. „Nevypadám jako žena."
„Tak proč ses ptal?"
„Serena si myslela, že jsem její matka, když jsem jí šel probudit." Prohrábl si své dlouhé vlasy rukou. „Možná bych to měl ostříhat."
„To nepomůže, jen bys vypadal jako šeredná žena."
Blaise uvolnil své vlasy a zamračil se. „Ach, děkuji ti, Pane Temnoty. Udělej mi laskavost, nikdy se nenechej najmout jako pracovník na linkách pro sebevrahy."
Něco tomu chybělo.....ale i tak to byla skvělá kniha, která se výjimečně obešla bez obvyklého Sherrilynovského znásilňování hlavního hrdiny.... :D
„Vypadám jako žena?" ptal se Blaise Kerrigana, který seděl na jednom z křesel před krbem.
„Ano"
Blaise vypadal uraženě jeho rychlou reakcí „Cože?"
„Co?" Kerrigan se na něj nevinně podíval. „Chtěls, abych lhal?"
Blaise si rozzlobeně založil ruce na prsou. „Nevypadám jako žena."
„Tak proč ses ptal?"
„Serena si myslela, že jsem její matka, když jsem jí šel probudit." Prohrábl si své dlouhé vlasy rukou. „Možná bych to měl ostříhat."
„To nepomůže, jen bys vypadal jako šeredná žena."
Blaise uvolnil své vlasy a zamračil se. „Ach, děkuji ti, Pane Temnoty. Udělej mi laskavost, nikdy se nenechej najmout jako pracovník na linkách pro sebevrahy."
December 11, 2021
Villainous anti heroes with hearts three sizes too small are my catnip. In that this book didn't disappoint. Kerrigan was evil and not even a little bit sorry about it until he captured the mousy Seren for his evil queen for Reasons. The mouse was more like a dragon and she slayed the big bad. This is literally all I ask for in a romance with Hades and Persephone elements. That being said the plot was bonkers with a big ol helping of bananas. This was ostensibly a fantasy retelling of King Arthur's legend but also sci fi-ish with time travel and contemporary in that everyone could travel to the future? Like Gwen Stefani said, it's b-a-n-a-n-a-s. In the end though I can say I enjoyed reading it but I wished for more relationship development and less telling and more showing. I still loved Kerrigan's black little heart and for that it gets
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥/5
June 28, 2015
This book was so silly. The worldbuilding was laughable but I was mildly entertained. I was intrigued by how ridiculously evil the hero was.
July 29, 2023
2.5 stars
Ok, in all transparency, while I had read the other series by this writer, I originally skipped this one b/c it deals w/Arthur & Camelot. I am so over that theme so I was going to skip it.
But then I did a buddy read.
I wasn't sure we'd have much to say b/c when choosing romances in the past in my book groups, the conversations were usually short.
My thanks to Millie, a GR pal, for enduring thru what was a nonsensical book. It was a fun, insightful discussion.
So let's begin the dissection:
Negatives:
1. What in the world was wrong with this editor??? Shame on them!!
the glossary & the legend (explaining a few things) were buried at the end of the book after the epilogue chapter. Uh...would of helped us if it was at the start of the book.
2. The prologue chapter didn't have much to do w/the ultimate story so what was the point?
3. The time travel...that was honestly the biggest issue with this story.
It was distracting, unnecessary and out of place. It was also confusing.
4. The writer threw in everything including the kitchen sink. There were witches, magic, elves, demons, ghosts, gargoyles, prophecies, etc..
It overloaded the reader.
5. Even though this was the first book in a series, it felt like it was the middle of another one. There were no explanations of what was going on. As a reader, I kept thinking I missed a book somewhere.
6. NO EXPLANATIONS!!! SERIOUSLY, how hard would it have been for the writer to add in a short paragraph so the reader would understand what/who things were. (Another bad mark on the editor!!!)
7. the epilogue chapter was also confusing. (apparently, book 2 doesn't have that character as the protagonist. it's new characters)
8. There was a lot of repetitious telling us how evil Kerrigan was or how horrible Camelot has become. Umm...if he's the King of all evil-how am I the reader supposed to root for him as my Hero?
9. Morgen is the Queen of All! Why did she need a man to be the King? Kerrigan supposedly came to the throne b/c of her yet he was in charge? Except she was supposed to be the most feared one? And then, if he left, why would she need another man if everyone deferred to her?
Positives:
1. The characters were good. There was a lot of chemistry b/w Kerrigan & Seren.
2. Seren was the fave character who was engaging.
3. We did want to know how it ended so we read the whole book.
4. There were a few points where I did smile at the humor-mostly when the magic creatures used phrases from the modern era (b/c they time traveled & learned them)and the reactions of the medieval era characters.
***it was steamy which isn't really my jam but I will say I wasn't expecting that.
I would recommend reading the other series by this writer but skipping this one. MacGregor is the penname for Sherilynn Kenyon who does write paranormal/fantasy series. I'm not sure if this one was supposed to be connected to those or it was published under the wrong name?
Ok, in all transparency, while I had read the other series by this writer, I originally skipped this one b/c it deals w/Arthur & Camelot. I am so over that theme so I was going to skip it.
But then I did a buddy read.
I wasn't sure we'd have much to say b/c when choosing romances in the past in my book groups, the conversations were usually short.
My thanks to Millie, a GR pal, for enduring thru what was a nonsensical book. It was a fun, insightful discussion.
So let's begin the dissection:
Negatives:
1. What in the world was wrong with this editor??? Shame on them!!
the glossary & the legend (explaining a few things) were buried at the end of the book after the epilogue chapter. Uh...would of helped us if it was at the start of the book.
2. The prologue chapter didn't have much to do w/the ultimate story so what was the point?
3. The time travel...that was honestly the biggest issue with this story.
It was distracting, unnecessary and out of place. It was also confusing.
4. The writer threw in everything including the kitchen sink. There were witches, magic, elves, demons, ghosts, gargoyles, prophecies, etc..
It overloaded the reader.
5. Even though this was the first book in a series, it felt like it was the middle of another one. There were no explanations of what was going on. As a reader, I kept thinking I missed a book somewhere.
6. NO EXPLANATIONS!!! SERIOUSLY, how hard would it have been for the writer to add in a short paragraph so the reader would understand what/who things were. (Another bad mark on the editor!!!)
7. the epilogue chapter was also confusing. (apparently, book 2 doesn't have that character as the protagonist. it's new characters)
8. There was a lot of repetitious telling us how evil Kerrigan was or how horrible Camelot has become. Umm...if he's the King of all evil-how am I the reader supposed to root for him as my Hero?
9. Morgen is the Queen of All! Why did she need a man to be the King? Kerrigan supposedly came to the throne b/c of her yet he was in charge? Except she was supposed to be the most feared one? And then, if he left, why would she need another man if everyone deferred to her?
Positives:
1. The characters were good. There was a lot of chemistry b/w Kerrigan & Seren.
2. Seren was the fave character who was engaging.
3. We did want to know how it ended so we read the whole book.
4. There were a few points where I did smile at the humor-mostly when the magic creatures used phrases from the modern era (b/c they time traveled & learned them)and the reactions of the medieval era characters.
***it was steamy which isn't really my jam but I will say I wasn't expecting that.
I would recommend reading the other series by this writer but skipping this one. MacGregor is the penname for Sherilynn Kenyon who does write paranormal/fantasy series. I'm not sure if this one was supposed to be connected to those or it was published under the wrong name?
June 30, 2015
4*5
Opinião em português em: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Ever since a friend of mine showed me the Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters Series I’ve decided that I would not lose sight of this author. I found on Goodreads this "Lord of Avalon" series that took me to Camelot- but this Camelot is not the one you know.
Kerrigan is the male lead and he’s the owner of the Caliburn sword, the “evil twin” of Excalibur – he carries the sword of Darkness. For those of you who may not know, these two swords were created by the Lady of the Lake, so that there would be balance in the world, with a Merlin of Light and a Merlin of Darkness – Kerrigan.
In this book, Merlin isn’t exactly the Merlin we know – that old man with white beard and infinite wisdom? Well…he doesn’t have any beard, he is not old, he does not have infinite wisdom and…he is not a he. One of the things I most liked in this book is that Merlin, a beautiful woman, admitted that in the age that Kerrigan had been proposed to choose between light and darkness, and considering the way the proposal had been made, maybe even she (the current Light Merlin) would have chosen darkness.
The book has a fast pace, it’s interesting and it’s romantic and adventurous at the same time. I’m definitely continuing to read this book series, I love Camelot, I like the author and the stories she creates. This book left me with a smile on my lips and wanting to know more about the other characters. Can’t wait to read the next one.
Opinião em português em: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Ever since a friend of mine showed me the Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters Series I’ve decided that I would not lose sight of this author. I found on Goodreads this "Lord of Avalon" series that took me to Camelot- but this Camelot is not the one you know.
Kerrigan is the male lead and he’s the owner of the Caliburn sword, the “evil twin” of Excalibur – he carries the sword of Darkness. For those of you who may not know, these two swords were created by the Lady of the Lake, so that there would be balance in the world, with a Merlin of Light and a Merlin of Darkness – Kerrigan.
In this book, Merlin isn’t exactly the Merlin we know – that old man with white beard and infinite wisdom? Well…he doesn’t have any beard, he is not old, he does not have infinite wisdom and…he is not a he. One of the things I most liked in this book is that Merlin, a beautiful woman, admitted that in the age that Kerrigan had been proposed to choose between light and darkness, and considering the way the proposal had been made, maybe even she (the current Light Merlin) would have chosen darkness.
The book has a fast pace, it’s interesting and it’s romantic and adventurous at the same time. I’m definitely continuing to read this book series, I love Camelot, I like the author and the stories she creates. This book left me with a smile on my lips and wanting to know more about the other characters. Can’t wait to read the next one.
August 26, 2016
Words that come to mind are; luscious, yummy, delicious, well you get the idea. This book is unlike anything I've read before and that was certainly part of it's appeal. Apart, from the one of the best hero's I've read about in quite some time.
The story is set in mythological Camelot and the King is Karrigan who is a very tortured soul, he lives a miserable existence alone in his hell. Along comes Serena an innocent girl who slowly breaks down the ice that surrounds him. It is an interesting story and I enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book. When you read a romance novel there isn't the same amount of depth that you find in other genres i.e. fantasy. The reader is expected to accept the information without deep explanations as to why things are the way they are, as is the case with this book. Kinley MacGregor created an unusual hero and a strong and endearing heroine who were both believable. For me my favourite part of all romance novels is the 'ahh' factor at the end and this book certainly had that. This is the first book I've read from this author and I will definitely read more.
The story is set in mythological Camelot and the King is Karrigan who is a very tortured soul, he lives a miserable existence alone in his hell. Along comes Serena an innocent girl who slowly breaks down the ice that surrounds him. It is an interesting story and I enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book. When you read a romance novel there isn't the same amount of depth that you find in other genres i.e. fantasy. The reader is expected to accept the information without deep explanations as to why things are the way they are, as is the case with this book. Kinley MacGregor created an unusual hero and a strong and endearing heroine who were both believable. For me my favourite part of all romance novels is the 'ahh' factor at the end and this book certainly had that. This is the first book I've read from this author and I will definitely read more.
April 21, 2008
I agree, Trina, that she did spend a lot of time on background info, but I believe it was necessary. I don't think the second book (which will be out in November 2006) will have as much, considering how much Sword of Darkness gave us about the past. She might recap, but not full out.
I adore Sherrilyn, love her writing style. She creates colourful characters that you love to love and love to hate. As any of the best authors that I love, she makes me laugh, cry, and get right down pissed, and I adore her for that.
LOL, what I found funny was the quote on the cover of the book. She explains that she had said it to her editor as a joke, and since the editor thought it was a brilliant idea, they put her quote on the cover. LMAO, I burst out laughing when I read it.
I adore every single one of Sherrilyn's books, whether she writes as Sherrilyn or Kinley, and I can't wait for the next installment of Lords of Avalon.
(My fave part is in the ending ~ the mischief Kerrigan causes Agravain. LOL, I loved it!)
I adore Sherrilyn, love her writing style. She creates colourful characters that you love to love and love to hate. As any of the best authors that I love, she makes me laugh, cry, and get right down pissed, and I adore her for that.
LOL, what I found funny was the quote on the cover of the book. She explains that she had said it to her editor as a joke, and since the editor thought it was a brilliant idea, they put her quote on the cover. LMAO, I burst out laughing when I read it.
I adore every single one of Sherrilyn's books, whether she writes as Sherrilyn or Kinley, and I can't wait for the next installment of Lords of Avalon.
(My fave part is in the ending ~ the mischief Kerrigan causes Agravain. LOL, I loved it!)
October 21, 2018
Overall liked it. However my feelings peaked about halfway through the book.
I loved the initial getting together phase, where you learned the characters backgrounds and Seren broke down Kerrigans barriers. So many sweet scenes with him wanting yet fighting, and his battle for control was heart wrenching to watch.
After that, the action carried the rest of the book through an interesting and unique story. But I felt like the romance fizzled. My heart did break towards the end when Kerrigan was telepathically sharing his escape adventures with Seren.
I’d consider continuing with the series if I came across them but they wouldn’t be a priority. I didn’t love all the futuristic references (well, to us, present time references I guess haha) Still I give ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved the initial getting together phase, where you learned the characters backgrounds and Seren broke down Kerrigans barriers. So many sweet scenes with him wanting yet fighting, and his battle for control was heart wrenching to watch.
After that, the action carried the rest of the book through an interesting and unique story. But I felt like the romance fizzled. My heart did break towards the end when Kerrigan was telepathically sharing his escape adventures with Seren.
I’d consider continuing with the series if I came across them but they wouldn’t be a priority. I didn’t love all the futuristic references (well, to us, present time references I guess haha) Still I give ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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