Queen of the Summer Stars
Persia Wooley
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN 9781402246401
In a country swarming with unrest, Guinevere teams up with her husband King Arthur to gain control of Britain's warring knights. Guinevere is no beauty and is not elegant; but she is a lively outspoken partner who shares Arthur's dream to create an elegant court.
Standing at Arthur's side, she presides over fabled heroes and villains, many of whom dabble in witchcraft. Her greatest battles are one's that Arthur cannot or will not see. Morgan le Fey, the evil beauty and sister of Arthur is determined to usurp his throne and the famous Lancelot who captures Guinevere's heart. Will she remain loyal to Arthur or will she give herself over to a passionate romance?
Queen of the Summer Stars is the second book in the Arthurian trilogy based on a decade of research. This is a recreation of the tale of Arthur and Guinevere seen through the eyes of a very realistically portrayed Guinevere. The story is a very human portrayal of the Queen as she goes through her daily life, attempts at conception and subsequent loss of her child through rape, and the falling in love with Lancelot and betrayal of Arthur's sister.
Generally speaking this is a well written book; but I had some difficulty maintaining interest. There are so many characters that I had to continually refer to the provided index to keep them straight. For me this takes away from the story. There were also instances where time moved quickly and I was not exactly sure how we went from point A to point B. There was such massive amounts of material that only the surface could be touched. I was extremely disappointed in the covering of the relationship of Lancelot and Guinevere. It seemed like the relationship happened all of a sudden and really no idea how it blossomed.
I wish to thank Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated in any way except for receiving a copy of the book.
I give Queen of the Summer Stars 3 out of 5 stars
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