Enthroned by K. M. Shea
Myths & Legends. 103 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
After posing with a rusty sword for a photo in a British graveyard, Britt Arthurs is pulled through time all the way back to the age of King Arthur where the shockingly young and handsome Merlin is waiting for her. The wizard has some bad news: the real Arthur has run off with a shepherdess, and whoever pulls the sword from the stone is to become the King of England. Unfortunately for Britt, the sword slides out like butter when she pulls it after fighting with Merlin. Long Live King Arthurs!
My Review:
For those who don’t know, I’m a huge fan of Arthurian legends. The themes of nobility, loyalty, valor, and honor speak to my heart like few other stories do. So, I’m always up for seeing how someone handles the epic legends, and I was intrigued by Shea’s premise of a time-traveling, female King Arthur.
This was a fun, cute, short read. When I picked them up, I didn’t realize the books in this series were closer to novella length (except the last one, which is a full novel length book), but it worked out fine because I consequently binged all 7 books in just over a week XD Also, as a total side-note, each of these books are so perfectly titled—definitely had to appreciate the titles.
Some bits in this first book felt a tad repetitive, especially pre-crowning, but Shea follows the lore pretty closely in many regards (throughout the series), so I can see why she made the choice that she did. She really tackled the stories by seeing how she could best explain or flesh out the beloved stories, rather than looking for ways to change things and make them all new or different. Perhaps that’s why these books carry such nostalgia and charm.
I loved Britt’s skill with the sword. Watching her both enjoy and be excellent with her swordsmanship was a delight, as well as seeing how surprised everyone else was by it. Haha! I loved how she distinguished between the Sword in the Stone and Excalibur and Britt’s absolute in-character attitude about getting Excalibur was definitely comical. The Lady of the Lake is traditionally one of my very favorite characters and it was fun to see Shea’s iteration of the character. Naming Camelot and seeing the beginning of so many beloved pieces of the legends made this a quaint, fun little read that still managed to turn things upside down. (Merlin’s meddling definitely left questions and threads I wanted to see more of in the subsequent books!)
Shea balances gravity with such a delicate, and still reverent light-handedness. She has a true gift for lighthearted fun that doesn’t ignore the depth of our broken reality, but neither does she dwell in the darkness. She’s comical and fun and leaves you feeling lighter than you have in days. I admire how she didn’t neglect the loss Britt wrestled with or the weight of war and battles, but neither was she gritty and gory and graphic. It was age-appropriate and yet still had an element of reality that satisfied me.
Content: no swearing, not really any romance, and some fantasy violence (a battle, but no graphic depictions). I’d feel fine giving this to a preteen for sure.
More:
Book 1 in the King Arthur and Her Knights series is Enthroned (4 Stars)
Book 2 is Enchanted (4 Stars)
Book 3 is Embittered (4 Stars)
Book 4 is Embark (3 Stars)
Book 5 is Enlighten (5 Stars)
Book 6 is Endeavor (4 Stars)
Book 7 is Endings (5 Stars)
This series must be read in order. You can check out the links for more info on GR!
On Gracebought
Check out my thoughts on the next book in the series below!
Enchanted