As the only child of the widowed king of Ireland, twelve-year-old Princess Issylte’s idyllic life goes astray when her father marries a cold, calculating princess from another kingdom. After the new queen orders Issylte killed, the girl escapes and goes on a journey of self-discovery all the while the need for vengeance grows in her heart.
Eighteen-year-old Tristan serves his uncle Marke, King of Cornwall, and soon becomes a Knight of the Round Table in service to Arthur, High King of Britain. His only drive in life is to fight and protect others from the same evil that had once befallen his family. When he and Issylte meet as adults, their lives become intertwined.
I’m not very familiar with the Tristan and Isolde legend, so I was eager to read this retelling. It begins with both main characters as children, but they don’t meet until the end of the book, at 84% on my Kindle. Each of their backstories and character arcs are vivid and detailed. Ms. Walker continues their journey in two other books, so I’m sure their mutual attraction will flourish into love later on.
There were several wonderful secondary characters, including Tristan’s friend and fellow knight Lancelot as well as Issylte’s lover, Ronan the blacksmith elf, who’s my preferred hero of the story.
For readers who want a good fantasy read that’s full of fairies, elves, magic, Medieval and Celtic history, and Arthurian legends, you’ll love this book.
4 Stars ( )

A retelling mixed with a little extra magic, some amazing characters, and descriptions that will transport you into a magical medieval world. The plot moves along smoothly and fairly quickly, you never get a moment to be bored. You'll fall in love with Issylte and Tristan immediately, they're amazing characters with great depth, and you'd swear they're real people. (You may notice their names sound somewhat familiar, if you're at all familiar with the tale of Tristan and Iseult/Isolde). Even if you aren't very aware of the original tales this was inspired by, you won't have any problems enjoying the story if you enjoy magical historical romances that will steal your breath and your heart. ( )

Jennifer is a new to me author. I really enjoyed this book a lot. What I enjoyed the most was the world that she built for this story. Instantly, I was captivated by the story because of the world. It was nice to visit Avalon. Instantly, I could see everything as clear as day in my head. This book had elements of other fairy tales, but I picked up on. Yet, this book was different enough to have a new twist to it.

This book does feature a famous character, Lancelot but he is not the main focal character. In fact, his presence in the story is to enhance it. None of the characters felt like third string. They all had parts in the story. Another person that I liked is Viviane. She was like an aunt to Issylte. She cared for her and helped her as she learned to be a healer.

Tristan is so endearing. Instantly, i was a fan of his. There is some romance that transpires between Issylte and Tristan but it is not prominent. Which i really liked a lot. It seems most fantasy books have to have romance as a main focal point. Yet, Jennifer shows that does not have to be the case to write a really good book. I look forward to reading book two and continuing this journey with Issylte and Tristan. ( )

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This book took me by surprise (in a good way)! It’s a retelling of the Tristan and Issylte tale. I first became acquainted with this tale from another series and immediately became a fan of their story, so I was very excited to see it redone by another author. Not only is this book a Tristan and Issyle retelling, but it also weaves in Arthurian myth and has everything you want in a fairy tale: an evil stepmother, a princess in disguise, lots of magic, and a plethora of fantasy creatures.

I loved how fast paced the book was. There was never a dull moment. Sometimes fantasy books can take a while to get into the story, but this book dove right in. I was flipping through the pages just wanting to know what would happen next.

I was also impressed with how easy the book was to follow. The book does not have a map, glossary, or a list of characters that you sometimes see in fantasy books. I was able to understand everything that was happening and the world effortlessly.

Lastly, this book is written in dual POVs (Issylte and Tristan), which was the perfect choice. I loved knowing what both of them were thinking and the dual POVs helped illustrate their development well.

Overall, this was an amazing start to the trilogy. I cannot wait to read the next book. If you’re looking for an easy fantasy read, check this book out! ( )