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Claiming Excalibur (Legendary Saga #2)
by L.H. Nicole
Release Date: 12/16/14
Omnific Publishing
300 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
Aliana Fagan has done what many thought impossible: she’s awakened King Arthur from his fifteen-hundred-year sleep, reunited the Knights of the Round Table, and even beaten Mordrid and Morgana LeFay in battle.
But the Destined One’s quest has only begun.
Before the knights can "unearth and reclaim their lost relics" they must survive the trip to Charleston, South Carolina and meet the newest member of the Round Table. If King Arthur’s men thought Aliana and Lacy were tenacious, they'll be even more surprised by Dawn, the third member of the fem-trio.
Deadly secrets, unexpected allies, and a traitor lurking in the shadows await Aliana and the new Round Table as they continue their search for Excalibur. Their only clue is a beyond confusing poem from a mysterious book that speaks of a terrifying creature guarding the legendary sword. Trying to build a somewhat normal relationship with Sir Galahad adds a whole new level of complexity to Aliana’s task, especially when several among them suspect the White Knight may not be wholly himself. Her friendship with King Arthur grows closer, and when circumstances become intense, he may finally get the chance with Aliana that he’s been pining for.
Mysteries, legendary quests, and haunting memories will either unite the members of the New Round Table or fracture their bonds. Aliana and her crew only have seven months before the planets align and Mordrid can seize the power he needs to conquer the seven realms. Can the Destined One keep her new family together and lead Arthur to his destiny of saving the realms? Or will a centuries-old plot for revenge finally spell the king’s end?
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My Review
Well... YES!! Thank you for this one. The sequel is just as good, if not better, than the first. We pick up right where we left off in book and and the joy ride is even more adventurous. There's a smooth sailing without a bunch of info dumps to reiterate what happened in book one, and it starts out with a BOOM. And thought that might hurt you if you pick this one up first, I don't think it would be terrible for you to jump in, but I would probably suggest reading book one first.
We get our favorite characters from the last book back, and we get some new ones introduced. The round table of knights and King Arthur are assembled. But now, we need Excalibur. So, she's off from London to go back to her friends to help her save Camelot. She's the Destined One, but she's still human and has a lot on her plate. And back home, she is reminded of all she lost. And in the drama of that, one side of that love triangle causes her to go one way instead of the other. I am still not read to pick a side yet LOL And the ending, with the knights and Queen Titania, I was shocked. I can't wait to see how that's going to play out. I have anxieties, but I also have excitement. It's such a well created fantasy world this author has made. I'm a fan and I can't wait for the next book!! 5 PAWS!!
Legendary (Legendary Saga #1) blurb
Before the darkest hour strikes the Destined One shall come forth
Avalon’s lost daughter must thrice and alone prove her worth
Then can she fully possess the power to awaken the King
It shall become her destiny to reunite the Round Table
Unearth and reclaim their lost relics
Become the key to undoing the evil Mordrid has wrought
Only with her can the Once and Future King prevail
Aliana Fagan spent her childhood traveling the world, dreaming of legendary heroes and mythical lands. But after the sudden death of her parents, she hides behind the safety of her camera and her art until a vivid recurring dream compels her to dig into her father’s research about Avalon and Camelot. When she is hurled into a magical realm by forces she thought were only the stuff of fairy tales, she finds herself thrown into an adventure she could never have imagined. Nearly everything she thought she knew about Arthurian legend was wrong.
The independent eighteen-year-old is shocked to find that the people of Avalon think that she is the Destined One, the only person who can summon King Arthur back to life from his hidden chamber. Most surprising of all is that it’s up to her to lead the Knights of the Round Table on an epic quest–an adventure that will transport them across the seven magic realms to reclaim all that has been lost so they can defeat the evil Mordrid for good. But first, she must bring the ancient warriors into her world and reunite them with their lost brothers. Chaperoning the legendary knights-with-a-chivalry-complex as they navigate the modern world is a constant challenge, and she certainly never thought she’d be caught between her intense feelings for the noble Sir Galahad and her growing friendship with the King.
To fulfill the prophecy, Aliana will have to discover the meaning of friendship, bravery, loyalty, true love, and forgiveness. But can she do it all in time to save the realms from Mordrid’s impending Armageddon?
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My Review
What a really cool book! I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one, but I totally loved it. It's definitely a great fantasy novel and I know book two is going to be awesome. So, we start with Aliana, who is supposed to wake up King Arthur. Yep that one, from Camelot. She's being called the "destined one" when she is dropped into a mythical world and her own world turns up side down. Oh, wait, she also has to find Excalibur after waking him up, because you know, he needs his sword. He needs to save Avalon from Mordred and Morgana. And Aliana must do this, so she does, because he father would have given anything to live this dream, so she wants to live it for him. She lost him and this is her way to recover.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like a Camelot retelling, but seriously, it's so cool. There's of course the general basics, but the author has definitely put her own spins on it and it made it better. There's a few differences that I thought were cool, and Aliana trying to learn magic, being everything she needs to be, learn to fight. Poor girl had her work cut out for her. I won't lie, some of the characters got passed over me, because when you are trying to build a fantasy world and introduce a lot of new characters, I mean the Knights of the Round table weren't like 3 of them, so some of that was a little rushed, but the story was too good to put down. And of course there's the romance. I don't know what's going to happen here, as there's kinda a love triangle with Aliana, Arthur, and Galahad. I'm keeping some of that to myself for now, but I look forward to seeing who she is going to chose. And it's complicated because they need to do the saving in modern times, but Arthur still needs a queen, and I'm a little torn.
I really liked the writing and I really, REALLY liked the world building and the background lore based on this whole plot. I loved the modern meets the past, and it was done so well. I really can't wait to see where book two is going to go with this story. There's too many things I wanna know, like who will Aliana chose, where's Excalibur, what's going on with Lancelot and Merlin, and there's just too much goodness going on here. So, with that, gimme book two and I give you 5 PAWS!!!
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AUTHOR BIO:
I am a seasoned Pastry Chef in our nation’s capital and a lifelong fairytale (Disney and Grimm) lover, believes in love at first sight, is addicted to 80’s & 90’s cartoons and anything that can capture my ADD-way-to-overactive-imagination. Joan Lowery Nixon and L.J. Smith were the first authors I became addicted to and who inspired me to steal away whenever I could to read and write.
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