Review of Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)

[Kailey Ackermann]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)" by Ayn Cates Sullivan.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Nimue: Freeing Merlin by Ayn Cates Sullivan is a fantasy fiction book based heavily on myths and legends of old. The book begins with a 17-year-old named Nina Liber in the modern 21st century. She lives in New York with her mother, who is a widow. Her mother is from England and wants to travel back to her homeland to visit her twin brother for a change of scenery after the passing of her husband. Nina feels like there is a missing part of her past life and she must explore it. It is told from Nina’s perspective about her self-discovery and the mystery and intrigue of her previous lives.
Sullivan throws the reader right into the Arthurian and Celtic Mythos of King Arthur, Merlin, and Nimue. Sullivan is very versed and knowledgeable in Arthurian, Celtic, and Roman mythology. It is very apparent in her writing that she is passionate about the topic. Her introduction to characters and who they are/were in a past life is mostly thorough. However, I think a few characters are given introductions as if they will be integral parts of the book's plotline but then are not brought back up at all or given a quick resolution. The book jumps between different plotlines very quickly. I wish some plotlines were expanded upon because I was itching to know more.
Sullivan provided a glossary of characters and places with pronunciations for the reader that I felt was extremely necessary to help the reader distinguish what is happening in some parts of the book. The main storyline was intriguing, but the dialogue was one-dimensional and I wish there was more perspective from other characters.
There are a few scenes of mature content in the book so I would recommend the book be read by 18 and older. The writing was free of grammatical and spelling errors.
I’d rate this book a 4 out of 4. The only thing I’d change i for the story to expand more on the plot/characters that were introduced but never given a resolution.
The lack of resolution, however, did not affect my rating of the book.

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Nimue: Freeing Merlin (Barnes & Noble Edition)
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