fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsfantasy book reviews Persia Woolley Guinevere Trilogy 1. Child of the Northern SpringChild of the Northern Spring by Persia Woolley

Child of the Northern Spring is not, strictly speaking, a retelling of the Arthurian legend. I discovered it on a used-bookstore shelf and didn’t realize that it was the first book in a trilogy, and that it only dealt with Guinevere’s early life, up until her marriage to Arthur.

Persia Woolley’s Guinevere isn’t the annoying, preachy character you might recall from Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, but neither is she the fascinating character readers might be hoping for. She’s like many other young romance heroines: a sweet, tomboyish girl who loves horses.

I was looking forward to seeing how she developed, though, as she grew older and took on the mantle of Queen. Readers should be advised that this doesn’t happen in Child of the Northern Spring. The book ends just as the age of glory and pageantry begins. As it turned out, I did read and enjoy the two later books, but was left a little disappointed by this installment.

Child of the Northern Spring has now been reprinted, and I’m quite pleased with the new edition; not only is the cover beautiful, but it clearly states that this is book one in a trilogy. If the edition I read had made that clear, my experience might have been a happier one.

Author

  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.

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