Daughter of Destiny (Guinevere's Tale #1)

Nicole
Evelina
Genre: 
Historical

The years leading up to Guinevere’s reign with Arthur are part mystical, part political, and part irreversible. Sent to Avalon at the age of eleven, she is tutored in the powers of nature and the Goddess. At fifteen she gives her heart and virginity to Aggrivane. After being caught in a lover’s encounter, her father, spurred by a Christian priest, sends her to another noble family to be cleansed of her mystical beliefs. As “Daughter of Destiny” reveals, Guinevere’s hope of marrying Aggrivane are stolen when the king of Britain makes her his queen.

Guinevere is not raised in spun gold nor catered to by servants as many Arthurian enthusiasts may expect. Merely a child, she is given to the mists of Avalon and the Lady of the Lake to connect with her magic. Yet, once she leaves her mystical boarding school, there is never a hint of magic other than one vision. At fifteen, she loses her virginity on graduation day. Many historical readers will accept this, others may find a child having sex offensive. There is a large disconnect near the end of the novel. Arthur surprisingly selects Guinevere as his queen, but never speaks to her once prior to making a public proposal. Especially hard to digest, since he’d been living at the same nobleman’s home as Guinevere for months. 

Ms. Evelina has a very distinctive voice. Filled with beautiful prose and detailed descriptions of Guinevere's experiences during her childhood, "Daughter of Destiny" is an imaginative start to a series about one of history’s most favored queens.

Sloane Austen