Triquetra Reviews: Review: Henge by Realm Lovejoy

Henge (La Fay #1) by Realm Lovejoy
Publishers: Self Published
Published: November 11th, 2014
Pages: 322

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.

Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.

But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

"Camelot meets Hogwarts meets Panem in this intriguing, well-written beginning to a planned YA series."--Kirkus Reviews

Thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions for putting this together and for giving me a paperback copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Hi everyone! First, as usual I'm going to be going over the cover. The cover is awesome - I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the author illustrated the cover and all the art that's in the pages as well. It's always nice to see that.

The paperback format itself is nice. It is larger print and there are images throughout the book which makes for a really easy read.

I liked this book well enough to give it three Triquetras which is that I liked it, but it's not something I would run out an buy right now. It is an interesting take on Camelot and I appreciate the creativity, but my mind just couldn't click with a modern day Camelot for whatever reason. The writing is good, the characters are interesting and well rounded and the plot is lovely,
I guess this just came down to personal preference.

There was a lot of action, though - check out this excerpt!

EXCERPT

The water is at my waist. My heart thunders in my ears. This is fast-moving—definitely magic-
caused. How is it possible for a magic user to produce this much water? It’s icy, violent—it
wants me dead.

Panting, I drop my book and start swimming. I have to reach the stairs. With each stroke,
the water rises a foot higher. Light fixtures flash, then strobe for a second before fizzling out
completely, darkening the room. Quickly, I swim over a bookshelf. I am getting closer and closer
to the ceiling. As I swim past a chandelier, I hit into the crystals. Panic seizes me, and my body
becomes heavier as my muscles tighten. The water user is flooding the library up to the ceiling
so that I can’t make it out. There’s nothing I can do with fire magic when there’s this much
water. Soon the water will reach the ceiling, and I won’t be able to breathe.

I’ve got to take a deep breath while I can and swim to the stairs.
There are only several centimeters of space between the ceiling and me. Fear takes hold of me,
making my whole body taut and harder to stay afloat, but the instinct to live kicks into gear, and
I focus on my goal: getting to safety. I have swum in the icy, rough waters of the Celtic Sea. The
water user will have to work much harder to drown me. I exhale and inhale to oxygenate my
bloodstream and then take my final gulp of air just before the water rises past my head. I plunge
beneath the cold water.

So, as you see there isn't a lack of action in the book either! Give it a read and let me know what you think.