Review of Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
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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.]
Nimue: Freeing Merlin by Ayn Cates Sullivan is one of several books that comprise her Legends of the Grail series. While the description of this book states that this novel can be read separately without reading the other novels, there did seem to be a lack of context in some instances that might have helped the reader, context that might be found in the other novels of this series.
The novel has a good opening with the protagonist, Nina, in a dream sequence. There is suspense and hints at the magic to come. But the story falters afterward as it starts with Nina preparing to leave modern-day New York for England. Here, the reader is introduced to several details about Nina: both she and her mother are recovering from the grief after the passing of her father, Nina has a longing for the natural world that foreshadows the adventure into her past life that she will embark on, and she is having recurring magical dreams.
The beginning of the novel was the most difficult part for me because it wasn’t that interesting. The author seemed less invested in Nina’s modern-day life and more interested in hurrying through it as an obligatory setting of the stage before diving into Nina’s past as Nimue. For example, Nina states that she has been dating Owen for the past two years and this relationship makes her reluctant to travel. But then she goes on to state that she hasn’t heard from him in a while and just sends him a text that she is leaving the country. These two details don’t seem to match up and left me confused about whether this was a truly serious relationship that was even worth mentioning. Owen does reappear at later, important points in the novel, which leads me to think that he is meant to be an additional anchor to Nina’s present. However, this relationship just isn’t fully developed for the reader and makes Owen come across as a disposable character. Other relationships from Nina’s modern-day life also felt rushed through and weren’t given a lot of effort, like the relationship with Nina’s mother, Diana, and the healer named Ganeida.
The author’s strengths in writing were more developed in Nina/Nimue’s past. There were more descriptions of the world in which Nina/Nimue resided and better developments of the relationships between characters. I found this large part of the novel more enjoyable because it was reminiscent of other magical novels by other fantasy writers that I have personally enjoyed.
While Nimue does find Merlin, there is an unexpected twist in the story. I don’t dislike the twist, but the ending was disappointing. The story felt incomplete. The tie-in between this journey into the past and the present was vague. Perhaps this is where the other novels and the overall grander story would come in to support this ending with additional context.
I rate this book four out of five stars. The editing team for this book had excellent attention to detail; I did not note any errors. One star was deducted for the beginning and the ending of the book but the journey of Nina’s past as Nimue outweighs the drawbacks.
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Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Nimue: Freeing Merlin by Ayn Cates Sullivan is one of several books that comprise her Legends of the Grail series. While the description of this book states that this novel can be read separately without reading the other novels, there did seem to be a lack of context in some instances that might have helped the reader, context that might be found in the other novels of this series.
The novel has a good opening with the protagonist, Nina, in a dream sequence. There is suspense and hints at the magic to come. But the story falters afterward as it starts with Nina preparing to leave modern-day New York for England. Here, the reader is introduced to several details about Nina: both she and her mother are recovering from the grief after the passing of her father, Nina has a longing for the natural world that foreshadows the adventure into her past life that she will embark on, and she is having recurring magical dreams.
The beginning of the novel was the most difficult part for me because it wasn’t that interesting. The author seemed less invested in Nina’s modern-day life and more interested in hurrying through it as an obligatory setting of the stage before diving into Nina’s past as Nimue. For example, Nina states that she has been dating Owen for the past two years and this relationship makes her reluctant to travel. But then she goes on to state that she hasn’t heard from him in a while and just sends him a text that she is leaving the country. These two details don’t seem to match up and left me confused about whether this was a truly serious relationship that was even worth mentioning. Owen does reappear at later, important points in the novel, which leads me to think that he is meant to be an additional anchor to Nina’s present. However, this relationship just isn’t fully developed for the reader and makes Owen come across as a disposable character. Other relationships from Nina’s modern-day life also felt rushed through and weren’t given a lot of effort, like the relationship with Nina’s mother, Diana, and the healer named Ganeida.
The author’s strengths in writing were more developed in Nina/Nimue’s past. There were more descriptions of the world in which Nina/Nimue resided and better developments of the relationships between characters. I found this large part of the novel more enjoyable because it was reminiscent of other magical novels by other fantasy writers that I have personally enjoyed.
While Nimue does find Merlin, there is an unexpected twist in the story. I don’t dislike the twist, but the ending was disappointing. The story felt incomplete. The tie-in between this journey into the past and the present was vague. Perhaps this is where the other novels and the overall grander story would come in to support this ending with additional context.
I rate this book four out of five stars. The editing team for this book had excellent attention to detail; I did not note any errors. One star was deducted for the beginning and the ending of the book but the journey of Nina’s past as Nimue outweighs the drawbacks.
******
Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
