Blog Tour: Merlin's Harp by Anne Eliot Crompton

Merlin's Harp by Anne Eliot Crompton

Publication Date/Version: March 2010/Paperback

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Age Group: Young Adult

Received From: Publisher (Thanks!)

When I was yet a very young woman I threw my heart away. Ever since then I have lived heartless, or almost heartless, the way Humans think all Fey live.

Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Nivienne, daughter of the Lady of the Lake. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and greed of man. But the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even the peace of Avalon. And while Merlin the mage has been training Nivienne as his apprentice, he now needs her help to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. Nivienne's special talents must help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love...

Nivienne is Fey, living just outside the Human realm. She lives a fairly normal life with her mother and brother. She has the added power of reading auras. All is well until a young woman stumbles into their forest. She is King Arthur's wife, the one of legends. Nivienne's brother sets off to the Human kingdom to return her to where she belongs. The whole family community, though, soon becomes involved in this Arthurian legend.

Let me first start off by saying, Merlin's Harp fits into a very specific genre - Arthurian legend. I have little knowledge of Arthur and all of those legends, and because of this, I was utterly lost. I caution this with a similar lack of this knowledge, as I found the plot hard to grasp.

I found the writing to be choppy and stale. It instantly turned me away. Nivienne was a cold character whom I could find no connection with. I didn't enjoy any of the characters to be frank. They all felt distant. The plot was rocky - when there was any to be found. I often found myself wondering where this story was going, as many times there was no recognizable story line. Time jumped through years in a matter of pages. At one page Nivienne was 15. Turn the page and she was 20. This jumping of ages prevented the reader from connecting with her and her struggles.

Merlin's Harp was not for me. I was unable to finish it. Maybe people who enjoy Arthurian legend will get more out of this than I did.

Overall: Confusing. Choppy. Poor characters. Not worth the time.

My Advice: Skip it. I can honestly say that this was a waste of a couple days.

Cover: I really like the top half of the cover with the branches and leaves. The color combinations are beautiful as well. The girl, however, scares me. On my copy her lips are super pale and it makes her look like the living dead.