I Am Mordred - Nancy Springer

I Am Mordred - Nancy Springer

The interest in reading this sprung mainly from my current Merlin kick. In all honesty, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I figured that it would play out as more of a children's book that wouldn't hardly scratch the surface of the pain and conflict that Mordred felt. Boy, was I ever wrong. I Am Mordred was a beautifully told story about a very conflicted and struggling boy. The characters were realistic as well as the dialogue and setting. 

Mordred's life has always been one full of pity and tragedy. When he was just a baby his father King Arthur tried to kill him. Without his knowing, he survived and was found by a fisherman who took him home. After so many years, Mordred finds himself being taken away from his adoptive family and being placed in another home, but this time with the nobility. Taunted and sometimes just ignored, Mordred grows up here knowing that his father is King Arthur. He also learns that it was foretold that he would be the one to kill his father in the future, and thus becomes so conflicted and worrisome that he yearns for more answers. At fifteen, he is sent to Camelot with his older adoptive brothers to become a part of Arthur's kingdom. It is here with his father that he hopes to find the answers that he's been looking for his entire life.

The writing was really wonderul. Nancy Springer did a fabulous job in detailing Mordred's inner struggles from child to young adult. We really got a feel as to what was swirling around in his head, and doing so made me feel so much for him. Also, she set the scene in such a realistic way that it was almost like watching a reenactment on the History channel. It was all done so beautifully as well, it was all just so very very good.

Pacing-wise, I had no problems with this book. The transitions are smooth and not rushed at all.

The characters were also written and developed in a nice way. We get to see Mordred's transformation in a smooth way, and how much more conflicted he becomes within himself. His thoughts and feelings are obvious and present and portrayed in a realistic manner. By the end of the book I just really wanted to give the boy a hug. 

We also got small backstories on Nyneve, who was a vital person in Mordred's growth and Morgan Le Faye. Truly, they were all done so very well that I don't have many complaints. Their dialogue was well done and fit the time and their actions just the same.

Overall, I Am Mordred was a nice and beautiful story of a boy coming to terms with who he is and will be. The writing as well as characters were spot on and truly fit the era of time. Nearly everything about this book was beautiful. If you're into Arthurian legend or anything of the sort then I do recommend that you pick up this book and let it move you as it did me.

☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you're into Arthurian legend and are curious.

If you want to read a nice story about a magical boy who finally finds himself.

Seven Tears Into the Sea - Terri Farley

I'm still not entirely sure how to feel about this one.

If anything, it was interesting. I really liked the folklore that kind of sprung from the sea atmosphere. There definitely isn't much of that in popular literature of today. So, the fact that the main male character of this story was a mythical selkie only made it that much more interesting. The book itself was a quick read. 

Gwen Cooke was sleepwalking at the age of ten when she came upon a boy whom she thought was drowning. Alas, this boy didn't drown and instead walked towards her and whispered four lines in her ear. Shortly after this encounter, Gwen and her family moved away. However, after seven years her Nana invites her back home to help at her Inn and Gwen remembers the weird happenstance that occurred just years before. Now, she meets the boy who whispered to her and discovers the secret behind the four lines that she's never forgotten.

I just don't know. The story was cool and different. The pacing wasn't difficult to keep up with or boring. I only felt that everything was going about 120mph in the last fifty or so pages, because it seemed like EVERYTHING was happening. It was like all of the loose ends were in a full out sprint to be completed by the last page. 

Another reason for the middle rating might be due to the fact that I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. Sure, Gwen was helpful and lucky, but I just didn't feel anything for her in all of the 279 pages that I read about her. When it came to Jesse, I was left wondering where the chemistry and getting to know each other was. Gwen even mentioned it herself when they first met (or the second time). But, maybe this is just how true love or love at first sight plays out? Eh.

I felt that Jesse was written pretty well. It was made very clear that he's a mythical creature for the majority of his life as he doesn't have humanity down to a science. Some of the things that he says are dated, but it works for him. Sure. I'd almost forgotten the fact that he's supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous.

I think that one thing that I would've enjoyed a bit more was heavier emphasis on the folklore aspect of the selkie. Yeah, we get a story about how they function and what not, but can't we delve a bit deeper into their lives instead of just witnessing the undying devotion traits?

Overall, I did enjoy this read more so because it was something different then the werewolves, vampires and zombies that plaque literature nowadays. 

☆☆☆/5 

Recommend?: If you're up for a different type of folklore then your average vamps or wolves.

If you want something quick that you don't necessarily have to attach yourself to.

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table - Roger Lancelyn Green

I've had this book for awhile and am not shamed to admit that watching Merlin had pushed me into finally reading it.

Before I read it I'd already had some background knowledge on the tales of King Arthur, in which I knew of a lot of the knights and some of the tales. I also knew that it would be nothing like the television show, so I wouldn't let that deter you, if that's what you're hoping for. The tales may be old and written in an old way, but they're still fun to read nonetheless.

Roger Lancelyn Green's version of King Arthur was based off of Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, as well as other sources of Arthurian legend, in the hopes that he could string the tales together in a way that more represented a story with a beginning, middle and end. In King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table we see Arthur's development from small boy having just pulled the sword from the stone to beloved man and king of Camelot. We also get to read about Arthur's knights, many of whom anybody with a touch of Arthurian legend would recognize; Lancelot, Gawain, Galahad, etc. Their quests are the main source of action and adventure in this book, and they don't leave room for disappointment.

Even before I started watching Merlin, I was always a fan of Arthurian legend. Really, I enjoy reading about any kind of legend, mythology or fairy tale. So, I wasn't surprised as to how easy it was to get into the stories and actually enjoy what I was reading. While I know that this book draws from other sources than just Malory, I will most probably still read Le Morte d'Arthur just to compare. 

The original stories were written down quite a long time ago, and this book reads with a lot of the old language that we're not so used to today. So, while it might read a bit slow and boring, it still does detail fantastic (while a bit repetitive) quests and characters. There was romance and a lot of killing, which I suppose are only to be expected in a time of knights. 

The characters, I believe, were really fleshed out in this book, and I give props to Green for being able to do so. The only thing that I was weary of was the fact that they all seemed to be very rash and quick to fight or kill. I'd hate to be one of the people who said one sore thing in their presence. 

Overall, I was completely enthralled with this book and really enjoyed reading the Arthurian legends all woven together as one story. I particularly enjoyed the Quest for the Holy Grail. The writing was a bit stiff and not easy flowing, but that didn't deter me too badly from the story. The characters were superb and made me want to see them all sitting at the round table. 

If anything, this book has caused me to look more in-depth into the life of Arthur and his knights, and especially eager to read Malory's version and of course finish Merlin.

☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you dig legends of any kind. Especially that of the Arthurian kind.

If knighthood and quests sound appeasing to you.