Mel's Reviews > Priestess of Avalon

I'd give this book three and a half stars. I liked it well enough and it was well written but for me, it lacked some of the magic that made The Mists of Avalon such a fantastic book. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this book is bad, it is not. It simply didn't enage and inspire me the same way as Mists did.
Here we follow the live story of Eilan, the daughter of one of the tribe's king's daughter, who is send to Avalon but later will become the mother of Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. The book spans more than 70 years, so some passages are only skimmed over, some people only fleetingly mentioned. Constantine remains a distant figure, which I found a bit sad, as so much of the action resolves around him. You could say, this it only understandable as Eilean - his other - doesn't really know her son, who was sent away to be trained at the Emperor's court when he was still a boy.
Maybe I didn't like this book as much as Mists, because so little of the adventure actually takes place in Avalon. Of course this is not the author's fault but still I was left feeling a little disappointed. Talking about reader's expectations and all that.
I enjoyed the debades between the pagan/heathen people in this book and those of the newly emerin Christian faith, some of it was really food for thoughts. And yes, there is a love story but it is not the main plot line.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to all, who like either Histotical novels or fantasy.