A review by tichwi
The Book of Mordred by Vivian Vande Velde
Cover: I’ve admired this cover for a long time. The illustration is beautiful, and while I don’t always like faces on my covers (I am of the type who like to picture the characters for myself), these ones really worked. The front cover goes perfectly with the book and I feel it captured the characters and mood well. (I believe it is Mordred and Keira on the front cover.)
Characters: I knew most of the characters in this book already, as I enjoy reading Arthurian stories. Vivian kept true to their natures, while exploring different sides of their personalities. The biggest difference I saw was in Mordred, and I loved him in this book. Instead of causing all the problems intentionally, he is swept away by events outside of his control and is dealing with them the best way he knows how to. Kiera and her mother Alayna are new to the story, and both characters were well developed and believable. Their addition also made other characters feel more 3-dimensional, as the reader sees them through a fresh set of eyes. Finally, this is the first time I have read anything told through Nimue’s point of view, and it was refreshing to see her take on events.
Plot: The plot of this story is one that has been around for centuries, but Vivian still manages to make it feel fresh. All of the main components of the Arthurian legend are there, but it is the in the details where Vivian’s contributions to the story shine. Even though I already knew how the story would end, I kept reading to see just what path the characters would take to get there. I kept finding myself thinking “So that’s what really happened,” as though I was reading a first hand account and the other stories had been hearsay. There weren’t any slow parts of this book for me and I was always reluctant to close it in order to take care of life.
More reviews at sschpagepals.blogspot.com
Characters: I knew most of the characters in this book already, as I enjoy reading Arthurian stories. Vivian kept true to their natures, while exploring different sides of their personalities. The biggest difference I saw was in Mordred, and I loved him in this book. Instead of causing all the problems intentionally, he is swept away by events outside of his control and is dealing with them the best way he knows how to. Kiera and her mother Alayna are new to the story, and both characters were well developed and believable. Their addition also made other characters feel more 3-dimensional, as the reader sees them through a fresh set of eyes. Finally, this is the first time I have read anything told through Nimue’s point of view, and it was refreshing to see her take on events.
Plot: The plot of this story is one that has been around for centuries, but Vivian still manages to make it feel fresh. All of the main components of the Arthurian legend are there, but it is the in the details where Vivian’s contributions to the story shine. Even though I already knew how the story would end, I kept reading to see just what path the characters would take to get there. I kept finding myself thinking “So that’s what really happened,” as though I was reading a first hand account and the other stories had been hearsay. There weren’t any slow parts of this book for me and I was always reluctant to close it in order to take care of life.
More reviews at sschpagepals.blogspot.com