Rise of Knight and Sword (Miriam Wade) REVIEW

I received this novel via netgalley with thanks in return for an unbiased review. UGH. My style of reviewing typically commences with a quote I have found interesting or intriguing. The lack thereof should be somewhat indicative of my personal thoughts towards this book. Disclaimers: I am an honours holder in ancient history (inclusive of archaeology) I am a totally myth nutcase, so please understand that I may come off as somewhat critical. Let's get started. my iteration of the plot: Guinevere was a normal girl. With a normal job. With a normal life. and then she found a document, a document whose worth and value could cause immense danger in the hands of the wrong person. The quest to find Excalibur. The sword of power. So she ran. As fast as she could. Fate had a different plan for her as she landed in a space she never fought she would and met people she never saw coming into her life. Okay, even I know my iteration was bad. GUYS, this book was ughhhhhh! I didn't like it. at all. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm open-minded to readaptations of mythological histories that are so near and dear to my heart. BUT....pterodactyls...ichthysaur? really? And other assorted dinosaurs in an otherwise, kinda steampunkish-modern...convenience stores, I-don't-even-know-how-to-describe-it setting? no thanks. The setting blew my mind (not in a great way, I could barely visualize and mentally engage in it). it was so left field for me. The entire time, I had one resonating thought in my mind, "just what the heck is happening here?!" This book felt like a chore. I'm sorry to be harsh but it was an effort to even read 15% of it. I also don't know how I felt about a meek and naive sky pirate/art thief Arthur. A cyborg-sounding Mordred. And a somewhat sexualized-taro card reading female merlin. Not my cup of tea. And the characters themselves? UGHHH! No, no no. The end. Do I recommend it? No. Do I think that my word is the law and therefore you shouldn't give this a try? Nope! Do I want to read the follow-up book of this saga? probably not. Did I like anything in it? The writing was good, I think this author has great potential. Stay awesome, Emmeline The Book Herald