Skip to main content

Priestess of Avalon (Avalon #4) by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson: A Book Review

 

Priestess of Avalon (Avalon #4)

Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson 

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Publisher: Ace

Release Date: 2008

Pages: 418

Source: Personal Collection

Synopsis: In the long-awaited return to Avalon by the beloved author of The Mists of Avalon and her collaborator, bestselling author Diana L. Paxson, Marion Zimmer Bradley fuses myth, magic and romance in a spectacular unfolding of one woman's role in the making of history and spirit... 


     My Review: Priestess of Avalon is the prequel to The Mists of Avalon. It follows the life of Helena Augusta, the mother of Emperor Constantine. In Priestess of Avalon, Helena is a British princess called Eilan. She trains to be a priestess of Avalon. Eilan eventually learns that she is destined to give birth to a child who will change the world. Therefore, Eilan walks a journey that no priestess of Avalon has ever walked before.


     Eilan is a wonderful character. I love how she grew over the course of the novel! She is very strong-willed and outspoken. She makes her own choices and creates her own path in life. She always strives to do the will of the Goddess. Throughout the novel, she searches for happiness and belonging. Eilan was very relatable, and I was mesmerized by her story. 


     Priestess of Avalon mainly focused on Eilan’s relationship with her son, Constantine. I thought their relationship was the most fascinating aspect of the novel. When Constantine becomes emperor, he makes his mother the Empress. While she assists Constantine and gains more power, she slowly loses her own identity and her freedom. Therefore, Eilan embarks on a journey of self-discovery.


     Overall, this novel is about family, choices, and sacrifice. The lesson of the novel is that power does not make a person happy. All of the characters were very compelling. They were all flawed and made many mistakes. I did think the romance was undeveloped and instantaneous. However, it was only a minor detail in the story. I also thought the Priestess of Avalon was beautifully written and evocative! I love how the authors made the setting of the Roman Empire come alive! Therefore, Priestess of Avalon was a very engrossing novel, and I could not put it down! I can’t wait to read Mists of Avalon next! I recommend this novel for fans of The Twilight Empress, I Am Livia, and Mistress of Rome!


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview With Gabriella Saab

        Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing author, Gabriella Saab. She is the author of The Last Checkmate  and Daughters of Victory . She has recently published  Survivor's Guild , which tells the story about of two Titanic survivors. One of them is a wealthy heiress, and the other is a Lebanese immigrant. They are tasked with finding the mother of a baby boy whom they have saved. In this interview, we discussed the Titanic as well as the events that were going on in Lebanon during that time. Thank you, Mrs. Saab! What inspired you to write The Survivor’s Guild? I’m half Lebanese, and while attending a conference through the Southern Federation of Syrian Lebanese American Clubs, I learned about the Lebanese aboard the Titanic . I never knew there were Lebanese aboard the ship, so it was the perfect opportunity to explore a lesser-known side of the story we all know. But I didn’t want to tell a story of only the Titanic ; I wanted to know what li...
1 comment
Read more

Eleanor of Castile: Queen and Society in Thirteenth Century England by John Carmi Parsons: A Book Review

Eleanor of Castile: Queen and Society in Thirteenth Century England Author: John Carmi Parsons  Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan  Book Release Date: 1998 Pages: 388 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Medievalist feminist studies' early concentration on the lives of prominent women has more recently given way to an interest in their less exalted sisters. Historians have seemingly avoided the careers of medieval queens, creatures of romance and legend, women who enjoyed rank and wealth merely as a consequence of birth or marriage. A renewed interest in such women has, however, followed the opening of new avenues to the study of women and power in the Middle Ages. That the lives of these women will reward reconsideration has been amply proven in the works of such historians as Pauline Stafford and Janet Nelson. Eleanor of Castile studies the wife of Edward I of England, a woman eulogized since the sixteenth century as a model of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blog Tour: Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter: A Book Review

Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter Fairy Tale Retellings, #1 Publication Date: March 15, 2017 Genres: Historical Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling, Gothic Romance, Adult 🌹 Buy 🌹 Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA B&N Kobo iBooks 🌹 Book Blurb 🌹       Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.      A BEAST LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF HIS PAST      Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.      A BEAUTY IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER FUTURE      Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle ...
Post a Comment
Read more