By Camelot’s Blood

By Camelot’s Blood (2008) Sarah Zettel

I’ve been waiting for this book since before Luna lost it’s collective mind and dropped Sarah Zettel and this series. (And if anyone from Luna reads this, it’s made me more reluctant to buy books in the Luna line, wondering if another series I like will be summarily dropped.) But finally Camelot’s Blood was published–in Britain.

So I put it on my wishlist kept hoping it’d be published in the US soon. But I got lucky while waiting, because my brother found this book and ordered it for my birthday, which is fantastically awesome. Of course as soon as I opened the package, I had to fend off my grandmother, who also wants to read the book, and was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to be published.

The fourth and last book in the series follows Laurel Carnbrea who has made an alliance with Camelot. She will cede her kingdom to her sister Lynet and her husband Gareth, and in turn marry Agravain, the last single son of Lot and Morgause. Because this alliance will protect Cambryn and her people, she enters into blind, knowing nothing of the man she is to marry.

Unlike the previous books in the series, the marriage in Camelot’s Blood takes place at the start of the series, and what we witness is a couple who has married for politics coming to know and love each other. Of course since this is a fantasy, the story is much more complex than that. Morgaine and Mordred continue to threaten Arthur, and with Lot’s continued decline, are moving on Gododdin in an attempt to enact revenge on the husband of Morgaine’s twin sister.

As with the other books, we see Camelot from the periphery. Laural is there briefly before leaving for Gododdin with Agravain, but despite the brief time spent there, Arthur and his knights fill the entire book, for it is his kingdom Morgaine and Mordred threaten.

Also as with the previous books, the story sucked me in quick quickly, and I had a very hard time putting the book down to do things like eat and sleep. Although I wasn’t sure how I truly felt about Laurel’s battles with Morgaine, I was so eager to find out what happened it didn’t seem to matter one way or another.

And although this cover was very different from the previous three, I think it was still gorgeous and perfect for the book (despite the fact the chopped the top of Laurel’s head off.) All the important elements are there, the woman is beautiful and looks like Laurel is described, and the background is absolutely lovely. Despite shifting publishers, Sarah Zettel has been incredibly lucky to have ad gorgeous covers for all four books in this series.

Was this book as good as the previous three? It isn’t my favorite. However, there were threads that had to be tied up, so there was a great deal to do in this book, so we didn’t get to spend quite as much time seeing Laurel grow into herself and accept her life–things were a bit rushed. But despite that, it was a strong and fitting ending to the series, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
Rating: 7/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• A Noble Radiance » »
• « « House of Cards