HISTORICAL: Promised to the Goddess by her parents, fifteen-year-old Rhiannon is sent to Avalon to train as a priestess to the Goddess, whom she will serve for the rest of her life. Rhiannon’s powers are already developed far beyond what they should be, and things get off to a rocky start for her. She is immediately drawn to Caius, Druid to Merlin, feared by some as being evil because of his mastery of the Dark Arts. Rhiannon sees past all that to the man he is underneath. Outside forces and tragedies interfere to pull them apart. Though Rhiannon and Caius both face difficulties beyond their wildest dreams, no matter what happens, some loves are just meant to be.
Although on the darker side of Arthurian tales, Linnea Fletcher has nonetheless managed to craft a tale full of magic, love, intrigue… and of course, an epic fight of good against evil. Rhiannon is an interesting, strong heroine, and Caius, with his tragic past and willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good, makes for a fascinating hero. As a villain, Mordred really takes the cake. Evil fairly oozes from him. As a word of caution, this book does contain a rape scene, and other sexual content that may make the reader uncomfortable. There are also typos throughout the story. Even with that, “Obsidian Hearts” is a thoroughly engaging story, pulling the reader in and leaving them to wonder what will happen in the next installment of what promises to be a fascinating series.
Katy Nielsen