Thursday, August 25, 2011

Sunrise of Avalon by Anna Elliott

Sunrise of AvalonSunrise of Avalon by Anna Elliott


My rating: 5 of 5 stars







"Whether she was here because she’d known, somehow, that he would be coming, or whether this was some mission of the king’s council. It didn’t matter. She’d have walked straight into any den of wolves, without flinching, without hesitation, if that was what had to be done."
- Sunrise of Avalon



Sunrise of Avalon is the third novel in Anna Elliott's Trystan and Isolde trilogy.

The novel begins where Dark Moon of Avalon left us: Britain is still in need of powerful allies to fight back against the threat of the traitor King Marche and his alliance with the Saxon king, Octa of Kent. Trystan has left Isolde in the relative safety of the abbey of Saint Eucherius whilst he attempts to rescue his friend Fidach, who is being held prisoner by the nasty Octa of Kent.

However, a new, more dangerous threat has risen from within the British alliance that must first be quelled in order for them to stand a chance against the combined armies of Marche and Octa. Trystan continues to be plagued by his past and his fear that he will never be good enough for the lovely Isolde, whilst Isolde holds a secret that could put them in even greater danger than what they already are. Miles apart yet seemingly always together, Trystan and Isolde once again risk their lives and their happiness for the greater good: The freedom of Britain and its people.

The legend of Trystan and Isolde has always been a story of love unfulfilled, and Sunrise of Avalon is, at the heart of it, a true love story. Anna Elliott has brilliantly fused the history of Britain with Arthurian legend and created, in my opinion, one of the greatest love stories ever told: At the root of it all - of everything Trystan and Isolde do and are forced to suffer - is an unrelenting desire to be together.

As with all of Elliott's work, Sunrise of Avalon is a beautifully written, well-researched novel that breathes new life into the Arthurian legend of Trystan and Isolde. The ending is so wonderfully poetic it brought tears to my eyes, and makes this novel my favourite of the three.

I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys a perfectly constructed story, but especially to those who like historical fiction, fantasy and romance.



(Thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for allowing me to read and review this novel prior to publication date).



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