Review of Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
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Laura Iunghuhn
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- Latest Review: Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition) by Ayn Cates Sullivan
Review of Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
[Following is a volunteer review of "Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)" by Ayn Cates Sullivan.]
Ayn Cates Sullivan has a PhD in Anglo-Irish Literature and that knowledge is the star of the show in Nimue: Freeing Merlin. So, if you’re looking for a traditional-style myth, then this is for you, but if you’re hoping for a fantasy epic, stay away. Mismarketed and disappointing, I rate this book two stars out of five.
The premise is good: 21st-century teenager Nina discovers she’s a reincarnation of Nimue, an overlooked and often forgotten character in Arthurian legend. She must travel back in time to free Merlin and find the Holy Grail as the first step to restoring balance to the human world. However, Sullivan struggles to balance this narrative.
The synopsis claims that this three-part narrative is Nina-dominant and that parts one and two focus on the 21st-century timeline. This is misleading. Part I (only about 50 pages) is the 21st century, and we don’t return to Nina’s mind until the last 3-5 pages. Everything in between, minus about six pages where the consciousnesses overlap, is from Nimue’s perspective (without an awareness that she also exists as Nina). So there is no actual time travel and readers are essentially “watching a movie” of the past life. As a result, there is a huge disconnect between the narratives; as a reader, it’s easy to lose the plot. Who’s the antagonist? Who’s the hero? What is the goal of the story? What was achieved? At the end of the story, I can only answer one of these questions.
In addition to a strong plot, a good fantasy is built on an author’s ability to world-build. This is not Sullivan’s strength and is something that immediately makes it hard for a reader to be immersed in the story. Sullivan is too descriptive when it isn’t necessary (I don’t need to know that a red pillow fell on the floor when Nina got out of bed) and not descriptive enough when it matters (“the narrow streets were lined with a variety of shops…bookstores, cheese shops, coffee bars, pubs and restaurants” — is that all I get?).
Descriptions like these are believable because they can’t be wrong, but they’re so simple, that readers struggle to imagine themselves there. However, this becomes somewhat forgivable when the story switches to Nimue’s point of view. This part of the story reads quickly because it reads like a myth; descriptions evoke spirituality rather than place, a key marker of myths written in an older style. Many of these descriptions are telling of Sullivan’s MFA in poetry. I just wish that language shone throughout, and not only at certain moments.
As a strong reader and one who loves fantasy, the faults of this book are hard to overlook. So, I tried to enter into the mindset of the intended audience, but I couldn’t determine that either. Readers with some background knowledge of Arthurian legend? Readers new to myth or fantasy? Based on the writing style, I’d estimate the book at a 4th-6th grade reading level, but I wouldn’t recommend it to that age group based on the content (some references to sex) and a lack of familiarity with British and Celtic myths. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
******
Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Ayn Cates Sullivan has a PhD in Anglo-Irish Literature and that knowledge is the star of the show in Nimue: Freeing Merlin. So, if you’re looking for a traditional-style myth, then this is for you, but if you’re hoping for a fantasy epic, stay away. Mismarketed and disappointing, I rate this book two stars out of five.
The premise is good: 21st-century teenager Nina discovers she’s a reincarnation of Nimue, an overlooked and often forgotten character in Arthurian legend. She must travel back in time to free Merlin and find the Holy Grail as the first step to restoring balance to the human world. However, Sullivan struggles to balance this narrative.
The synopsis claims that this three-part narrative is Nina-dominant and that parts one and two focus on the 21st-century timeline. This is misleading. Part I (only about 50 pages) is the 21st century, and we don’t return to Nina’s mind until the last 3-5 pages. Everything in between, minus about six pages where the consciousnesses overlap, is from Nimue’s perspective (without an awareness that she also exists as Nina). So there is no actual time travel and readers are essentially “watching a movie” of the past life. As a result, there is a huge disconnect between the narratives; as a reader, it’s easy to lose the plot. Who’s the antagonist? Who’s the hero? What is the goal of the story? What was achieved? At the end of the story, I can only answer one of these questions.
In addition to a strong plot, a good fantasy is built on an author’s ability to world-build. This is not Sullivan’s strength and is something that immediately makes it hard for a reader to be immersed in the story. Sullivan is too descriptive when it isn’t necessary (I don’t need to know that a red pillow fell on the floor when Nina got out of bed) and not descriptive enough when it matters (“the narrow streets were lined with a variety of shops…bookstores, cheese shops, coffee bars, pubs and restaurants” — is that all I get?).
Descriptions like these are believable because they can’t be wrong, but they’re so simple, that readers struggle to imagine themselves there. However, this becomes somewhat forgivable when the story switches to Nimue’s point of view. This part of the story reads quickly because it reads like a myth; descriptions evoke spirituality rather than place, a key marker of myths written in an older style. Many of these descriptions are telling of Sullivan’s MFA in poetry. I just wish that language shone throughout, and not only at certain moments.
As a strong reader and one who loves fantasy, the faults of this book are hard to overlook. So, I tried to enter into the mindset of the intended audience, but I couldn’t determine that either. Readers with some background knowledge of Arthurian legend? Readers new to myth or fantasy? Based on the writing style, I’d estimate the book at a 4th-6th grade reading level, but I wouldn’t recommend it to that age group based on the content (some references to sex) and a lack of familiarity with British and Celtic myths. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
******
Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
