I am so excited to share my review of Kingfisher (The Kingfisher Series, Book One) By D. K. Marley. Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for your invite to take part in the tour.
Kingfisher
(The Kingfisher Series, Book One)
By D. K. Marley
Wales, 1914. Vala Penrys and her four sisters find solace in their spinster life by story-telling, escaping the chaos of war by dreaming of the romantic days of Camelot. When the war hits close to home, Vala finds love with Taliesin Wren, a mysterious young Welsh Lieutenant, who shows her another world within the tangled roots of a Rowan tree, known to the Druids as ‘the portal’.
One night she falls through, and suddenly she is Vivyane, Lady of the Lake – the Kingfisher – in a divided Britain clamoring for a High King. What begins as an innocent pastime becomes the ultimate quest for peace in two worlds full of secrets, and Vala finds herself torn between the love of her life and the salvation of not only her family but of Britain, itself.
"It is, at the heart of it, a love story – the love between a man and a woman, between a woman and her country, and between the characters and their fates – but its appeal goes far beyond romance. It is a tale of fate, of power, and, ultimately, of sacrifice for a greater good." - Riana Everly, author of Teaching Eliza and Death of a Clergyman.
Well, this book just blew me away!!!
I have to admit I haven't read that many Arthurian novels before, and I did hesitate before agreeing to read this book. Don't get me wrong, I know that story of Arthur and his knights, thanks considerably to Disney, but there is a part of me that was never really that interested in this mythical king. Nevertheless, the blurb of this book really intrigued me, and I could not wait to get stuck in!
The story is told in two parts by two very different times—it is a time-travel story after all! It is set in 1914, at the beginning of World War One, and it is in this era that we are introduced to the Penrys, five of which are spinster daughters. Vala Penrys, like her sisters, escape the bleak prospect of a future that has so far been denied her and allows her imagination to take her back to Camelot. A foolish young woman's fancy - one might think, but there is something not quite right about the Penrys.
This novel really did pull at my heartstrings on more than one occasion, but it is also a wonderful adventure, not only because of the time-travel element which takes the protagonists and members of her family back and forth to Avalon but also because of the people Vala meets along the way. Vala also discovers many things about herself and her family.
As one would expect there are a whole host of legendary characters in this book - from Uther to the Lady of the Lake, and each brings something to the story and enrich it. I really enjoyed getting to know both the good and the not so good characters in this novel!
The author has depicted the appalling and diabolical treatment of the mentally ill in this novel. I loathed the treatment of Vala's mother - the poor woman, as soon as she opened her mouth they were shoving laudanum down her throat. But as you read on you realises that her mother is not mad, she's just lost. So very sad.
If you love mythical fantasy with larger than life characters and an utterly divine story then this is the novel for you.
It has a big thumbs up from me!
I received my copy from The Coffee Pot Book Club but you can grab yours from Amazon. If you subscribe to #KindleUnlimited then you can read this novel for free - bargin!
D. K. Marley
When she is not writing, she is the founder and administrator of The Historical Fiction Club on Facebook, and the CEO of The Historical Fiction Company, a website dedicated to supporting the best in historical fiction for authors and readers. And for fun, she is an avid reader of the genre, loves to draw, is a conceptual photography hobbyist, and is passionate about spending time with her granddaughter. She lives in Middle Georgia U.S.A. with her husband of 35 years, an English Lab named Max, and an adorable Westie named Daisy.
Social Media Links:
Website, Blog, Podcast, Group, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon Author Page, Goodreads
Tour Schedule
No comments:
Post a Comment