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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Realm Lovejoy:

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{Blog Tour} Review: Clan by Realm Lovejoy

Hey guys! Today, I am excited to be part of the blog tour for Clan by Realm Lovejoy. I'll be sharing my review of this book, so keep reading!

Title: Clan

Author: Realm Lovejoy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon 

No variation. No deviation.
On Clades, to be a Clan is to be an exact copy. A perfect society cloning themselves to survive, even as the zombielike Frags threaten to overrun them on an unforgiving planet. 
Clan 1672 (privately known as Twain) was never supposed to survive the Incubation Tank. But he did. Illegally. He is different from the other Clans. 
A secret that could destroy him.

Wow. What an interesting book. I was pleasantly blown away by it. I am always wary of futuristic novels, because it has to be well done. Well, I am pleased to announce that this one was very well done.

Twain is a Clan. Except, not really. He is hidden away, never allowed out of the house, to see another Clan, or to even look out the window. The only person he has is his sponsor ("father"), Twigg, and the computer. All Twain wants is to be out there, with the other Clans, doing what other Clans do. Except he can't, because he isn't even supposed to be alive. When he is discovered by the leader of the Clans, he is allowed to live, and finally be like other Clans, like he's always wanted. Except, he soon finds out that not everything on Clades is like he has been taught.

Even though everyone is a clone of the same person, the author did a really good job with characterization. Each of the main characters are different, distinctive. Twain is a bit different character. Since he's been hidden away for all of his life, he is very naive, like a child instead of the teenager (I think) he is. I also loved the other characters. Each one has the difficult issue of trying to separate themselves, be an individual. It was a hard task, but one Lovejoy pulled off quite well.

I did not know what to expect going into this, but it surprised me at every turn. Just when I thought I had it figured out...I didn't. There were definite plot twists, and Lovejoy kept it interesting the whole time. And that end? I thought I knew how it would end. But it didn't end that way. What. 

Oh, and Twain's real secret? The one that even he didn't know about? Without spoiling anything...

I would definitely recommend this book. It was such a refreshing, interesting take on sci-fi and I loved it. It will definitely keep you guessing and entertained. Not to mention, Lovejoy touches on some really tough, deep issues that are more prevalent in our society than we would think. And I hear the paperback even has illustrations. You can't beat that.

I received an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion for this blog tour. This does not affect my opinions in any way, except that maybe I need a physical copy to see these illustrations.

Trailer:

About the Author:

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Realm Lovejoy is a writer and an artist. She was raised in Washington State and the alps of Nagano, Japan. Her father is a Japanese ex-monk and her mother an English teacher from Rhode Island. Her art is influenced by both the East and the West.

Realm aspires to tell stories through her writing and art.
She is agented by Jessica Regel.

1 Signed Paperback + CLAN Button + Signed Illustration from Paperback (US only)

6 Paperbacks (US only)

10 eBooks (INT)

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