SamoaPhoenix Compare and Contrast: Cursed Novel vs. Netflix Show

As promised last fall, now that the Netflix show has dropped I will be doing a compare/contrast between the book and at least episode one of the show.

Spoilers for both book and show; I suggest you go back and read my review of the book if you want to know my thoughts on it as a standalone work.

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: The Guinevere Deception

Title: The Guinevere Deception Author: Kiersten White Publisher: Delacorte Press Pages: 352 Synopsis:  (Courtesy of goodreads) From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes a new fantasy series reimagining the Arthurian legend, set in the magical world of Camelot. There was nothing in the world as magical and terrifying as a girl. Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom's borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution--send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere's real name--and her true identity--is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot. To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old--including Arthur's own family--demand things continue as they have been, and the new--those drawn by the dream of Camelot--fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land. Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free. Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

I needed something to clear out the bad taste Cursed left in my mouth. This one has been on my to-read list, and when I heard Story was reading it too, I eagerly got it out of the library.

Spoilers, etc…

Review: The Guinevere Deception

Title: The Guinevere Deception Author: Kiersten White   Publisher: Delacorte Press Pages: 340  Synopsis: (from the publisher) Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur.  With magic clawing at the kingdom's boarders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution: send in Guinevere to be Arthur's wife...and his protector from those who want to see the young king's idyllic city fall. The catch?  Guinevere's real name - and her true identity - is a secret.  She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot. The keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old - including Arthur's own family - demand that things continue as they have been, and the new - those drawn by the dream of Camelot - fight for a better way to live.  And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.  Arthur's knights believe they are strong enough to face any threat, but Guinevere knows it will take more than swords to keep Camelot free. Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long, knotted black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods towards Arthur.  Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

All right.  Back in the saddle.  Let's see if I remember how to write one of these.  It's only been... (checks notes) five years.  Yeah, okay.  Hi everyone, I'm back.

This is probably the most conflicted I've been about a book in a long time.  There are parts of it I love.  I love them so much.  They are so original and engaging and smartly done.  And then there's, well, the ending.  But we will get to that!

Warning for Spoilers

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Cursed

Title: Cursed Author: Thomas Wheeler & Frank Miller Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Pages: 416 Synopsis: (courtesy of goodreads) The Lady of the Lake finds her voice in this cinematic twist on the tale of King Arthur created by Tom Wheeler and legendary artist, producer, and director Frank Miller (300, Batman: The Dark Night Returns, Sin City). Whosoever wields the Sword of Power shall be the one true King. But what if the Sword has chosen a Queen? Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave… That is, until her entire village is slaughtered by Red Paladins, and Nimue’s fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people’s only hope. Her mission leaves little room for revenge, but the growing power within her can think of little else. Nimue teams up with a charming mercenary named Arthur and refugee Fey Folk from across England. She wields a sword meant for the one true king, battling paladins and the armies of a corrupt king. She struggles to unite her people, avenge her family, and discover the truth about her destiny. But perhaps the one thing that can change Destiny itself is found at the edge of a blade.

Just out this month, and soon to be a Netflix TV series, I was at first excited to hear there was a new book centered on a teenage Lady of the Lake who wields Excalibur herself instead of giving it to Arthur. Does it deserve the hype?
Spoilers under the cut.

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Knights of the Round Table: Geraint

Title: Geraint Author: Gwen Rowley Publisher: Berkley Pages: 352  Synopsis: (courtesy of Amazon) Powerful warriors of nobility and honor, the Knights of the Round Table fought for king and country, rescued damsels, and went on dangerous quests. But true love may be the most perilous quest of all… Sir Geraint is one of King Arthur’s ablest knights but is considered impulsive by his father, the king of Cornwall. When he rashly marries Enid, a beautiful and mysterious swordswoman, Geraint’s decision sparks questions about whether the love that’s captured his heart so suddenly is a blessing—or a curse… Used to the gentle ladies of Camelot, Geraint is at once infatuated with and suspicious of his bride, a strong and independent warrior woman, gifted with magic powers by the Lady of the Lake. Enid has come to Camelot to secretly learn the fighting techniques that may help her small, peaceful tribe resist a rumored invasion. When she realizes that Geraint may not trust her, Enid is torn between fierce loyalty to her people and a powerful love for her husband that no magic can cure. Fearing that Enid has been deceiving him, Geraint takes her on a dangerous journey that will not only test her true feelings but determine whether the differences that attracted them will fuse into a real, long-lasting love—or tear them apart and ignite a senseless war between their two kingdoms…

At this point I figured I’d already done the other two books in this sort-of trilogy (still not sure whether it’s a shared universe between books or if they’re each meant to be standalone) so I might as well finish it off. These books are pretty good vacation reads so I took a digital copy along to a family reunion.

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Fall of Knight

Title: Fall of Knight Author: Peter David Publisher: Ace Pages: 347 Synopsis: (courtesy of goodreads) In Knight Life, King Arthur was elected mayor of New York City. In One Knight Only, Arthur was voted President of the United States. Now, Arthur has become head of his very own church as Arthur Penn reveals his true identity, and the existence of the Holy Grail, to the world.

I finally got around to finishing the trilogy! Happy New Year to all!

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: One Knight Only

Title: One Knight Only Author: Peter David Publisher: Ace Pages: 373 Synopsis: (courtesy of goodreads) King Arthur--in his modern incarnation as Arthur Penn--has been elected President of the United States. But with political power comes powerful enemies. An assassination attempt against Arthur puts his beloved wife Gwen in a coma--and her only hope lies in the lost Holy Grail.

I read Story’s copy of the first book in Peter David’s Modern Arthur trilogy (Knight Life) back in college. I remember the basic outline and characters, and that it was entertaining and creative. However in the time since I hadn’t been able to get ahold of books 2 and 3 because they’re out of print and only book 1 is available in ebook form. Story has copies but we live far apart and usually when we see each other we’re busy doing other things. But during my most recent visit to her place (I was there to see her community theater production of Beauty and the Beast because if Arthurian stuff is her jam, Beauty and the Beast is solidly mine) we had some downtime. I had also found a copy of book 3, Fall of Knight, in a used bookstore. Thus, I had the time and inclination to burn through this in a few days. I’ll do Fall of Knight too once I’ve read it.

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Knights of the Round Table: Lancelot

Title: Knights of the Round Table: Lancelot Author: Gwen Rowley Publisher: Berkley (Kindle edition) Pages: 362 Synopsis: (courtesy of Amazon) Strong and powerful warriors of nobility and honor, the Knights of the Round Table fought for kings, rescued damsels, and undertook dangerous quests. But true love may be the most perilous quest of all… Sir Lancelot, First Knight of King Arthur’s realm and the Queen’s champion, cannot be defeated by any earthly man—as long as he keeps his oaths to Arthur and Guinevere. Though arrogant and supremely confident, he will be brought to his knees by a mere maiden: Elaine of Corbenic. Together, they will have a son, Galahad—the knight destined to find the Holy Grail. Lancelot du Lac is the greatest knight of a peerless age, blessed by the Lady of the Lake with extraordinary military prowess. His fighting ability has earned him a place at King Arthur's side, but the powers the Lady has given him come with a terrible price. Elaine of Corbenic is struggling to hold her impoverished family together. The keep is a wreck and the peasants, starving, are on the brink of rebellion. Elaine's father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, and her older brother, maimed by Lancelot in a joust, is a bitter drunkard. Without a dowry, she has little hope for the future. Incognito, Lancelot rides into Corbenic on his way to the king's tournament. He finds the practical Elaine irresistible. Thoroughly dismayed when she reveals her contempt for "Lancelot," he must face his own arrogance to win her hand. For only with Elaine at his side will Lancelot have the strength to free himself from the enchantments that bind him…

I swore I would never read this book. I liked Rowley’s Gawain a lot, sure, but her Lancelot was such an ass that I didn’t think I’d ever want to read about him in this universe. But it was always niggling at the back of my mind, wondering whether Rowley actually redeemed Lancelot, since some of his douchiness appeared to be not his fault. Thus when I found this book for $2.99 as an ebook and I had some time, I gave in. It should be noted that when I was reading the second half of this book I had a severe concussion; whether or not that impacted my impressions I don't know for absolute certainty but I don't think it did.

Spoilers, etc…

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Endings (King Arthur and Her Knights, Part III)

Title: Endings Author: K.M. Shea Publisher: Take Out the Trash Synopsis: (from Goodreads) The thrilling conclusion to the King Arthurs and Her Knights series! Britt has finally settled into her life as King Arthur. Her knights know who she really is, her lands are peaceful, and she has friends and family who she loves. But all of this is threatened when Rome, led by Emperor Lucius, invades. In order to repel the Romans and ascertain Camelot's survival, Britt must achieve Merlin's greatest dream: to unite all of Britain.

The Twist: See my earlier review of the first five books in this series. A young woman is pulled back from the 21^st century to take the place of a vanished King Arthur and begins to build a unique, and ultimately legendary, kingdom.

Spoilers, etc…

SamoaPhoenix Guest Review: Endeavor (King Arthur and Her Knights, Part II)

Title: Endeavor Author: K.M. Shea  Publisher: Take Out the Trash Pages: 112 Synopsis: (from goodreads) Only a few weeks have passed since Britt—or, as most know her, King Arthur—was outed as a girl. Britt’s relationship with her knights is strained and precarious, Lancelot is mucking up everything from tournaments to questing, and Merlin starts to act strangely when a beautiful girl named Lady Vivien comes to Camelot. Can Britt reclaim her knights’ loyalty? Will Merlin finally realize how much Britt means to him?

Spoilers, etc…