★★★★★
This story is billed as a retelling of the legend of Tristan and Isolde, which I have always found fascinating.
However, I have yet to find a retelling that is truly satisfying.
A recent film version proved disappointing and boring, despite starring James Franco as Tristan. Still, I had high hopes for this book. A modern retelling of the legend that portrays the lead characters as high school students and is chock full of danger and magic? What’s not to love?
Unfortunately, there were a few things that dragged this story down, but not enough to prevent me from finishing it. Despite the flaws, I was still captivated by the idea of the story.
The thing that drew me out of the story more than once was the way it was written. I can forgive many things – like an unsympathetic character who’s too into her own looks to notice that her best friend has the hots for her boyfriend – but I can’t forgive writing that makes me too aware of the fact that I’m reading a book.
When I read, I like to get so totally lost in the story that I’m completely focused on the characters and the action and forget about the author and the fact that it’s a book and not a fantasy that I’m having. Unfortunately, I kept getting reminders of this throughout the story. Those only served to pull me out of it.
I know this is a young adult book and is aimed at a specific audience, but young adults are pretty sophisticated these days and might find that this is meant for someone younger. It comes off as somewhat juvenile and perhaps it’s due to the fact that it’s written in the first person. If so, then Izzie is more self-involved than I originally thought.
This wouldn’t be a problem if she learned from her mistakes and matured throughout the story, but she’s just as self-involved at the end as she was in the beginning. And Tristan, though completely heroic and drool-worthy, is never really developed to his full potential.
Still, the concept of the story was enough to carry me through and there were several scenes throughout that made it worth reading. But although the situation is resolved in a somewhat unique manner, it might not be satisfying enough for readers looking for the thrill of the climax in other books of magic, such as any of the Harry Potter books. But if you’re looking for a quick, light read, then this may be the book for you.
(Copy provided by NetGalley)
Descended from the same bloodline that spawned the likes of James Russell, Amy and Robert Lowell, Margay Leah Justice was fated to be a writer herself from a young age. But even before she knew that there was a name for what she was doing, she knew one thing: She had a deep and unconditional love for the written word. A love that would challenge her in times of need, abandon her in times of distress, and rediscover her in times of hope. Through her writing, Margay has learned to cope with every curve ball life has thrown her, including the challenges of single parenting, the harsh realities of living in a shelter, coping with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, and the roller coaster ride of dealing with a child who suffers from bipolar disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome. But along the way she has rediscovered the amazing power of words.
Margay currently lives in Massachusetts with her two daughters, two cats, and a myriad of characters who vie for her attention and demand that their own stories be told.
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