I adore Arthurian literature, but not all of it. Lancelot has especially never been a particular favorite, for much the same reason Simone explains in this book: He’s a fanfic self-insert by the French so they could play with chivalry in a set of tales too old for such a relatively modern social construct. I was prepared to be annoyed by Embry Moore, to possibly be annoyed by Greer, and to roll my eyes at Ash a lot. Precisely as I usually am with the love-triangle retellings of the sordid tale of Lancelot, Guinevere, and Arthur.
Except a good friend recommended this series to me, and she’s never steered me wrong. The pain between these three characters is near-magical because it all comes from love. Love that can’t exist in a modern world still limited by social constructs of relationships and heightened with the added burden of top-level American politics.
Fantasy infuses much of this text because so much of it shouldn’t necessarily be possible. Greer is a little too perfect, despite her state history with relationships. However, the fantasy that I adore is picking apart the modern allegories to Arthurian characters. Some are evident. Others are revealed in surprising ways. And through it all, the evolving relationship between Greer, Ash, and Embry hurtles toward an inevitable conclusion.
So, this might be the best retelling of this particular love-triangle I’ve read yet. Based on my knowledge of the legends, I see pain in the future, but for now, I’m happily along for the ride.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.
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