That day has now come.
It is hard to make friends when you’re constantly on the move. Seventeen-year-old Natasha Roth’s father is a diplomat, and so her mother – who is paranoid about terrorists – has moved Natasha and her brother, Arthur, to their eighteenth house in seventeen years: Avalon Cottage, deep in the heart of a Welsh forest.
Yet the terrorists are closer than they realize.
While out running, Natasha falls into a hidden tomb and awakens the legendary knights of Camelot: young warriors who have been in an enchanted sleep for a thousand years. All have been waiting patiently for the return of Arthur from the mysterious land of Avalon.
And now the knights are awake, they intend to reclaim their king.
When Arthur goes missing, Natasha joins forces with his girlfriend, “Slurpy” Samantha, in order to look for him. Natasha believes Samantha has fewer brain cells than an amoeba; Samantha believes Natasha is a freak. Retracing Natasha’s original steps to the hidden tomb, they bicker their way into a Welsh mountain and beyond, to the realm of Logres where the Knights of the Round Table are rallying once more.
Natasha falls in love with Sir Bedivere, the most loyal of knights to Arthur. He may be in dire need of a 21st Century razor, but he still possesses a set of lime-green eyes that can melt the soul. Yet just as Natasha starts to find confidence in this mystical land, Samantha deserts her. People who play by the rules are of no use to “Slurpy”. Samantha will take her own path to Arthur, aided and abetted by the dark arts which she willingly absorbs from a hot young stranger called Mordred.
A race across magical yet deadly lands is on. Natasha battles dwarf-riders, dragons, and eventually “Slurpy” to reach Camelot, where Arthur is held captive by the barbarian Saxon, Balvidore.
Natasha’s woes become numerous. What will happen to her and Arthur when the knights realise the eighteen-year-old boy they thought was their king, is in fact a math student with appalling taste in girls? Can two people with a one thousand year age gap really have a relationship? And for the love of all things holy, how is a girl supposed to ride bareback in a pair of skinny jeans?
My take: I've always been a big fan of King Arthur. Read as much Camelot as I could get my hands on when I was younger. This was an interesting twist on the story and I found it difficult to put down. I will be checking out the next book in the series to see what happens. What I didn't like: the profanity and the teenage sex, and while it wasn't descriptive or necessary, I'm not OK with it. Also had some difficulty with mistaking the bad guy, Balvidore, for the amazing Knight in Shining Armor, Bedivere (liked him a lot). The names were just too close in spelling and so a few times I had to stop until I realized my mistake. I also thought Ms. Hosie did a nice job with Natasha's character growth. Would have liked to have seen the parents a little more sympathetic and am still confused by the reference to 'terrorists'. The modern term didn't fit for me.
Disclaimer: a copy of this book was provided for review, no other compensation was given.
You always give the info I want in your reviews.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of my reading via audio books these days and two names as close as Balvidore and Bedivere would definitely be confused while doing the dishes, changing the laundry, etc.