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Friday, March 31, 2017

Book Review: Grail (Le Fay #3) by Realm Lovejoy


My Rating:
Book: Grail (Le Fay #3)
Author:  Realm Lovejoy
Pages: 124
Release date: December 7th 2016
Synopsis:
A hero has fallen, and darkness threatens a splintered Camelot. In the midst of turmoil, the last hope for the kingdom is Morgan le Fay. Morgan is both feared and revered . . . and currently in prison for treason.
 In the wake of King Uther’s tragic death, the wicked Mordred is closing in on young King Arthur, and the boy king turns to Morgan for help. Freed from her imprisonment through his order, Morgan searches for a way to protect him. But she is still an outcast, and no one believes her suspicions about Mordred. To save King Arthur, Morgan must reach the greatest Royal Relic in the world—the Grail—before Mordred does. It’s a journey that will challenge her in ways she’s never been challenged before. Traveling deep into a land of darkness, she will need to overcome the ghosts of her past to find her true power. Can Morgan defeat Mordred and save King Arthur? And this time, can she defend Camelot without destroying herself?
In this third book in the Le Fay series, author Realm Lovejoy reveals secrets from the past as Morgan’s epic journey unfolds.


My Review:

Yes! It's finally time to make my come back again! Not only am I excited about this, but today I am also excited to share with you my review on Grail, the third book of the Le Fay series written by Realm Lovejoy. Ring any bells, perhaps? Well if you have been following me for a while, you know that I am completely obsessed with this series. I overcame with joy when Ms. Lovejoy agreed to send me a copy of this book, and couldn't wait to dive right in!

It's been a while since I had read the second book, Sword, but Ms. Lovejoy perfectly succeeded in taking the reader headfirst straight back in the story, cleverly laying out small hints of what happened in the previous book and reminding the reader of what happened previously (I LOVE it when authors do this, it saves me so much time!).

Despite Morgan's brave actions in saving Arthur in the previous book, she is still being persecuted for treason. Before the guards take her to prison to await her hopeless trial, Arthur shows up and demands that she will work as a maintenance employee for the school. I find it amazing how Ms. Lovejoy was able to set this opening chapter so realistically you could literally feel the raw emotions going through Morgan. The readeris very familiar with what Morgan and Arthur went through in the previous books, and yet despite Arthur's (new) status, this is the best he can arrange for Morgan.  As the reader you feel that brick in your stomach as Morgan accepts her fate.

While Morgan's enemies try to befriend her and her friends start avoiding her like the plague, it is clear that the close connection she had with some of her old classmates, such as with Merlin, completely evaporated, along with the trust and loyalty they had for her. Lancelot is the only person who still sees her for who she truly is and genuinely pities her. He is convinced that he can improve her situation, and start turning this around for the better. Lancelot is by far my most favorite male character in this entire series. I knew from the get go that there was so much more to this character than what we primarily get to know, and in this book you really do get to discover more about his background and who he really is. On the surface Lancelot comes off comical, almost cunning, sarcastic and a lightweight through life; but I discovered that even "Confident Lancelot" wears a mask in life to hide his deepest concerns and secrets.



So Merlin and Morgan are off on another imperative and dangerous adventure to save little King Arthur. They know the surroundings which they are going into will be morbid and dangerous, but for the King they will do anything. I love this genuine dedications they have for Arthur and it is so believable. Merlin has a true bond and devotion for Arthur as his Maven, and seeing Morgan's new found relation with Arthur, it is inevitable she would feel such strong protective feelings over him.

The relationship between Merlin and Morgan is not so similar unfortunately. He is distant and furious with her, still not accepting and understanding Morgan's action's in the previous book.

Despite my love for this series (which vibrantly still exist, I swear!), I felt that Grail was a little more predictable than the first two installments. I felt that I almost knew how things were going to unfold and that I was not given enough time by Ms. Lovejoy to truly in the diverse scenes. I loved where the book was heading to, however I would have liked to have read more in depth developments (characters and scenes alike), more turn of events on their adventurous and dangerous journey, and I would've loved to feel the atmosphere even more than what was already portrayed (and which was done exceptionally well in the previous books). Perhaps it was because I literally inhaled the story, or that the book was solely 124 pages long... or perhaps it was that I am simply royally spoiled my Ms. Lovejoy's writing talents! 

Nonetheless, I still love Morgan and her story. We really get to witness her personal development as she slowly seems to retrieve her bad ass attitude and even change in a way we have never seen her before. The suspense of the story had its classic and traditional build up, which true fans Ms. Lovejoy know very well of. I was hooked by page one (I literally read this book in 2 days, within 4 hours!!), dying to know what would happen to the characters next.

I am extremely happy and honored that I am being taken along this journey of the Le Fay series as reviewer. We have a lot of promising work to expect from Ms. Lovejoy, and I simply can't wait for it to unfold!