Blog Tour: Henge by Realm Lovejoy

Le Fay #1. Self-Published (Nov. 2014) Xpresso Book Tours

Modern-day Camelot. Where knights no longer carry swords. Magic is dangerous. And those who seek control are not to be trusted.
Sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is a fire user. An ordinary girl with an extraordinary skill, she has the ability to create and command fire at will. Her dream is to become the Maven—the right hand of the future King Arthur. In the chance of a lifetime, Morgan is selected to join Arthur’s Round, an elite group of young magic users from which the new Maven will be chosen.
Along with the other fire, water, and wind users in Arthur’s Round, Morgan is rigorously trained and tested. The handsome Merlin, a brilliant water user, takes a particular interest in her. Is his friendship to be trusted, or is Merlin simply trying to win the position of Maven for himself? Among the many rivals Morgan faces is the current Maven, Mordred, who seems determined to see her fail.
But Morgan has a secret—years ago, her mother was executed for using fire magic, and Morgan’s desire for justice makes her more than ready to take on the challenge before her. Can she prevail in Camelot’s tests of survival and magic? Only time—and Morgan’s powerful fire—will tell.

Folklore has always been fascinating to me. Diving into the world of Camelot, I quickly recognized the names of knights and wizards. Reading about King Arthur when he was a prince, Merlin as a mysterious yet caring figure, and the first real introduction of Morgan Le Fay I've had made the inner nerd in me glow with delight. Following around Morgan and seeing her pain and passion completely had me transfixed. Morgan's relationship with Merlin was always very intriguing and complex. This world that I've read about came to life in a more modern world but where magic users are rarely seen as good. They are seen as dangerous and Morgan wants to change all this by becoming the Maven.

Morgan is a fire user and as the story progressed I really got to see how she used her pain to become stronger while she was competing to become Maven. The Maven basically runs the show behind the scenes. The Maven for Prince Arthur is being chosen. Their goal is to lead Arthur to Excalibur. Morgan has had a vision of becoming the Maven so she is determined throughout the competition even when it is clear that she is being targeted by an unknown source. I loved her personality and how her emotions got away from her only because I could see her as a character with depth more clearly. She lost her mother when she was a child. Her mother was executed for killing even if it was self-defense. The Maven of this day, Mordred, killed her. Morgan believes he has made it difficult on magic users to use their magic freely. Many, like her mother, have been killed even for helping others. There is a fog of mystery concerning Mordred and the whole competition. There is something sinister going on but you aren't sure what.

There's so many secrets and questions in this story. Merlin is a bit of a mystery. His real emotions are masked often but it seems that he cares for Morgan. I'd like to get to know his character more and what secrets he hides. I was always filled with questions about Morgan and her parents as well as if she herself is going to be contradictory to what she believes in the future. I don't know really much about her but she can be volatile yet you can tell she is a good person. I just don't know where the series will take her and that excites me. I really want to know what happens in this reinvented world and with Morgan. Morgan is such a wonderful character because you can feel her emotions through the pages. Wherever this series takes me I plan on enjoying the ride.

Thanks to the author and Xpresso Book Tours for letting me read and review Henge in exchange for an honest review!