SYNOPSIS:
Twelve-year-old Ellie can’t help that she’s a witch, the most hated member of society. Determined to prove her worth and eschew her heritage, Ellie applies to the Fairy Godmother Academy—her golden ticket to societal acceptance. But Ellie’s dreams are squashed when she receives the dreaded draft letter to serve as a knight of King Arthur’s legendary Round Table. She can get out of the draft—but only if she saves a lost cause.
Enter Caedmon, a boy from Wisconsin struggling with the death of his best friend. He first dismisses the draft as ridiculous; magic can’t possibly exist. But when Merlin’s ancient magic foretells his family’s death if he doesn’t follow through, he travels to the knights’ castle, where he learns of a wicked curse leeching the knights of their power.
To break the curse, Ellie and Caedmon must pass a series of deathly trials and reforge the lost, shattered sword of Excalibur. And unless Ellie accepts her witch magic and Caedmon rises to become the knight he’s meant to be, they will both fail—and the world will fall to the same darkness that brought King Arthur and Camelot to ruin.
Review:
To say I loved this book would be a huge understatement. It was a COMPLETELY enjoyable read from start to finish. Ellie is the most ridiculous, hopeful, charming heroine who just wants to be loved and be a fairy (not a witch!). Ellie is hopeless and hopeful all in one, and her voice is pitch-perfect as a young girl trying to come into her own and find her way in the world. Especially when her world is suddenly as a mythical Knight of the Roundtable…if only she can beat the trials, hide her magic, and hope for the best. Oh, and her beautiful sister is getting married, her mom wants to hide her from the world, and there always seem to be an abundance of toads…
Caedmon is still in mourning for the loss of his best friend back in the “real” world when he gets chosen to be a Knight – knights that shouldn’t exist in realms he’s never heard of. Caedmon is also written perfectly – angry and confused and scared and wanting things to be normal even as he’s thrust into the weirdest world imaginable.
I read this book in about two sittings on my way to vacation, and it was the PERFECT book to get my mind of the world and get immersed in something fun and fantastical. It’s older middle grade with just enough action and mystery to keep even reluctant readers entertained.
MY RATING: 4.5/5 Stars!
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About the Author:
After receiving her master’s degree at City, University of London for her non-fiction book on the romantic mythology of Paris, she acted, modeled, and wrote in Los Angeles. Eventually, she discovered she preferred drizzly days to eternal sunshine, and that she didn’t want anything to divert her time from writing.
Now the Wisconsin native lives in Edinburgh with her husband and dog, in eternal search of excuses to visit Paris.