Henge {by Realm Lovejoy}

Title: Henge
Author: Realm Lovejoy

Series: Le Fay, #1

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Received via CBB Book Promotions

 

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.
Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.
Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.
But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

This was an interesting book. I love my King Arthur legends and retellings, but I think this was the first I've read that was modernized Arthur. The story doesn't actually revolve around Arthur, though, as it actually follows the story of Morgan Le Fay in her competiton to be Arthur's Maven. I wasn't sure how I felt about the book for the longest time, but then it completely sucked me in at the end.

Prince Arthur is thirteen, and it is time to find his Maven. Morgan's father has prohibited her from using her magic, so she sneaks away to enter the preliminary competition. To their surprise, she is chosen as one of the Round, who will go to Camelot to compete to become the Maven, and her father can't stop her. But there are more powers at play than Morgan ever could have imagined. 

This was an interesting concept of a world, as its a modern-day Camelot. Yes, there's a king, and Knights, but the Knights carry guns, and there's cars and computers and such. Then, add in the magic. There are four kinds of magic users, and Morgan is a fire user. I loved the explanation of magic, as well as the descriptions of them using it as it made it seem real yet, well, magical. It brought a different sort of mystical appeal to the story. 

Morgan is befriended by the charming and handsome Merlin, a water user. Except something about him doesn't quite add up. Morgan isn't sure who to trust, since it is a competition. I thought this was an interesting representation of Merlin. I also liked the appearance of other characters we know and love, such as the original Knights from mythology. Some have roles, like Lancelot, and others are only mentioned in passing, like Gwaine, but it was nice to see them. 

But there are a lot more things working than just a magic competition. The reason Mordred has it out for Morgan, what actually happened with her mother all those years ago. While the beginning lagged a little, to the point where I didn't even know if I would continue, once it picked up, it hooked me. I was so entranced by the things that were being revealed, and the things that weren't. There are a lot of little intricacies, and loose ends, and things Morgan discovers that kept this so interesting, that I found myself needing the next book. 

If you love the legends of King Arthur, or a magical world in general, this is a great story full of plot twists and turns that will keep you interested.

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