Guinevere's Gift
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2.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
On the night of Guinevere’s birth, there was a prophecy that foretold she would one day be highest lady in the land and wed to a great king. But 13 years have passed, and the prophecy couldn’t be further off. Guinevere is now an orphan and a ward of her aunt and uncle, the king and queen of Gwynedd. Tomboyish and awkward, Gwen is no great beauty, and nobody takes the prophecy seriously–especially not Gwen.
But then one day Gwen meets a strange young man in the woods who claims to be part of an ancient tribe whose mission is to guard and protect her. Then she stumbles across a sinister plot brewing within the castle walls–one she alone might be able to prevent. Guinevere is beginning to realize her destiny is more complex than it seems–and this is only the beginning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mining the same vein as Marion Zimmer Bradley's genre classic The Mists of Avalon, Arthurian aficionado McKenzie focuses on the feminine and the pagan in this prequel to The Child Queen. Initially, 12-year-old Guinevere is the dutiful ward of her wily Aunt Alyse and a timid companion to her cousin Princess Elaine. Guinevere is fearful of the prophecy hanging over her since birth that she will wed a great king, but betray him and then be betrayed, and that her name would be remembered for a thousand years. She shows her fiery spirit only when riding alone. She learns her solitude is illusory when she is confronted by a pagan hill man one of the "Old Ones" sworn to protect her because of the prophecy. When the hill men are implicated in a treacherous plot, Elaine kidnapped and Alyse's throne endangered, Guinevere discovers her own courage and finds a "gift for doing the right thing." McKenzie uses excellent period details (Guinevere feels overwhelmed by a gift of lace, "costlier than jewels, being so rare"). Her female characters are strong and give advice relevant to contemporary readers; as Alyse says, "Beauty is a fleeting weapon. It's the use of your wits that will carve you a place in life." Ages 10-14.
