Dark Moon of Avalon (Twilight of Avalon, #2)

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Dark Moon of Avalon (Twilight of Avalon #2)

by Anna Elliott (Goodreads Author)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 135 ratings · 34 reviews

She is a healer, a storyteller, and a warrior. She has fought to preserve Britain’s throne. Now she faces her greatest challenge in turning bitter enemies into allies, saving the life of the man she loves . . . and mending her own wounded heart. The young former High Queen, Isolde, and her friend and protector, Trystan, are reunited in a new and dangerous quest to keep the...more

Paperback, 448 pages

Published September 14th 2010 by Touchstone

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Oct 04, 2011 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I advise all who read this version of the legendary lovers to throw everything they ever read about them out the window. This is much more than a romance; this has the feel of an epic tale and saga, filled with rich details of history and lore combined.

Isolde, accompanied by Trystan, is on a mission to persuade some of Britain's kingdoms to ally themselves with King Madoc in a fight against Lord Marche. Tr...more I reviewed this book for Romance Reader At Heart website.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I advise all who read this version of the legendary lovers to throw everything they ever read about them out the window. This is much more than a romance; this has the feel of an epic tale and saga, filled with rich details of history and lore combined.

Isolde, accompanied by Trystan, is on a mission to persuade some of Britain's kingdoms to ally themselves with King Madoc in a fight against Lord Marche. Trystan and Isolde have grown up together, but now she is wife to Trystan's father, Lord Marche. Neither is willing to voice their true feelings for the other--Trystan, because of his deep feelings of guilt, and Isolde, from her own fear and self-reasoning. Their journey is fraught with danger, while both struggle to come to terms with their hidden desires. Their journey toward admitting and accepting the love they feel for each other is so poignant and real that the reader aches and rejoices as the story develops. And while some might think the pacing of this book is slow, I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed the initiation into a world filled with magic and danger; despair and sacrifice; passion and love.

I'm in awe of how real this book felt. The author has given so much care to every detail and aspect of it. Her characters were perfectly drawn then filled with colorful brush strokes, so that everything just jumps of the pages and magically draws the reader in. There is no escaping the pain that our hero and heroine feel at hiding their love and pain from each other, and there is no shortage of joy on the part of the reader when they finally confront their deep love for one another.

I have to admit that reading the second book in this series had me lost (and I don't like to be lost), so I bought and read the first one in this series as well. I also went to the author's website and downloaded (free of charge in a PDF file) DAWN OF AVALON, a prequel to TWILIGHT OF AVALON, and THE WITCH QUEEN'S SECRET, a TWILIGHT OF AVALON short story. In doing so, I thoroughly got to enjoy this beautiful tale of secret love and friendship; war and betrayal; magic and legend. I would also recommend the stories be read in order, especially now that she'll have the third book, SUNRISE OF AVALON, out shortly.

Melanie
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Feb 20, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

4****

Dark Moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott is a quite good read. Set in the time period shortly after King Arthur’s death, “Dark Moon of Avalon” tells the tale of Isolde, a healer who has clear visions of the past, present and future.

In a land filled with tumultuous chaos, with wars being waged quite regularly for kingdoms, Isolde suddenly finds herself being offered for marriage - and knows that she really has no say in such matters. If King Madoc decides Isolde is part of the bargain - then she...more

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Jan 06, 2011 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-medieval-myths-legends-mag

DARK MOON OF AVALON by Anna Elliott is a historical fiction/fantasy set in sixth century in a land far far away in Britain,and Ireland. It is well written with depth,details and some historical facts. It has magic,myths,legends, war, fear, romance,betrayal, Arthurian legend,medieval tales,danger,bitter enemies,healing,political,military,honor,trust, wounded hearts and love that last throughout time. This is a story that will last the test of time of love,honor and hope. The hero, Tristian, most...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Bird rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, historical-fiction, read-in-2010, war-fiction, touch-of-magic

This was a tough read for me to get through. I won it through First Reads, and it arrived within a week(!), and I started it right away. Then proceeded to set it down the next day and went onto a different book. If it weren't for the fact that I won it in a giveaway and thus felt compelled to read and review it, I'm not sure I would have gone back to it.

Part of the difficulty lay in my not having read the first book in the trilogy. For about the first quarter of the novel, I floundered around a...more This was a tough read for me to get through. I won it through First Reads, and it arrived within a week(!), and I started it right away. Then proceeded to set it down the next day and went onto a different book. If it weren't for the fact that I won it in a giveaway and thus felt compelled to read and review it, I'm not sure I would have gone back to it.

Part of the difficulty lay in my not having read the first book in the trilogy. For about the first quarter of the novel, I floundered around a bit, trying to keep characters and their relationships/alliances straight, and figure out the timeline of events that happened in the previous book. While a bit frustrating, I can hardly fault the author for that. And while it hampered me in the beginning, I soon got into the swing of things.

I admit that I like my historical fiction to tend toward the romance end of the spectrum. While there is a love story running throughout the book, it is a (very minor) subplot rather than the main focus. There are many dark, depressing parts of the story, and without a strong romantic storyline to bolster me up, I found my interest waning at times.

***SPOILERS***
The ending bothered me a bit. I realize that it was necessary to setup the final book, but I didn't agree with Isolde's decision not to tell Trystan she was pregnant. Characters withholding information from one another because they think the other can't handle it always irks me, and this was no exception. And how could Trystan leave? I don't care if he felt honor-bound to Fidach. You just married Isolde after both of you almost died, and now you're leaving her to track down some former leader who might (and probably is) already dead? Where's the honor in that?! Yes, I wanted a happily ever after ending, but we didn't even get a happy-for-now one!

And I also didn't like them not being able to admit their feelings for one another, especially how Isolde wouldn't even admit it to herself. It felt childish, even though it was because she had lost others she loved before. And why was Trystan so sure he wasn't good enough for her? There were points near the end of the novel where it seemed like he was considering leaving her because it would be "better for her in the long run." If that had happened, I would have been furious.(less)

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Oct 11, 2010 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

i won this on first-reads. I haven't read the first book of the series, and I was completely confused after the first 30 pages. Thankfully, I found a character guide, but it still didn't answer all of my questions. It took me about 100-150 pages for me to actually get into the book and want to finish it. There are a lot of introspective moments for Isolde and they got a little old. Sometimes, Elliot's writing was repetitive but sometimes it's like she left out entire sentences and jumps from one...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Marie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

In May of 2009, I read Anna Elliott's debut novel (which was a favorite of the year for me) Twilight of Avalon and I found myself immersed in Arthurian legend that was told with intoxicating ease that drew me into Dark Ages Britain. I was eager to read book two, Dark Moon of Avalon, but once I finally received it I had to put it aside in the priorities list. Which was unfortunate because upon opening Dark Moon I was struggling to see where we were in the time line, as over a year had passed sinc...more In May of 2009, I read Anna Elliott's debut novel (which was a favorite of the year for me) Twilight of Avalon and I found myself immersed in Arthurian legend that was told with intoxicating ease that drew me into Dark Ages Britain. I was eager to read book two, Dark Moon of Avalon, but once I finally received it I had to put it aside in the priorities list. Which was unfortunate because upon opening Dark Moon I was struggling to see where we were in the time line, as over a year had passed since I read the first book in the trilogy. Soon enough I was beguiled by the storytelling and I was once again falling in love with Anna Elliott's story of the two star-crossed lovers. Anna's writing is deeply and thickly rooted within its story that you have to pace yourself with her writing so that you do not miss anything. This is not the love story you would think it would be at first glance, it is the author's reimagined history of a very early Britain as it struggles to become the kingdom that its leaders know it can be.

Dark Moon of Avalon begins as Isolde is asked by King Madoc to go to the council meeting to visit with the Irish King Goram, with hopes of uniting certain leaders with those that would be beneficial for the salvation of Britain. What follows is a long journey to meet with these leaders which is fraught with peril along the path. Lord Marche is the enemy that Isolde was once married to from Book one who now haunts her dreams with visions of Marche and Trystan locked in a fierce sword fight. Isolde is lucky to have trustworthy allies at her side as she makes her journey, and she finally meets up with Trystan who agrees to guide her towards a meeting King Cerdic, someone who is of doubtful character, but can help turn the tide of war in a positive turn for Britain if he agrees to her courageous plan.

Not a story that is told to be an action-packed adventure, this is a character-driven heroic tale of good vs. evil, with strong tones of true love and honor. Enchanting, intriguing and powerful writing makes this a story to be savored as we get into Isolde's head and heart along her journey, making us thoroughly respect and admire Isolde's strength of character and bravery. We witness Isolde struggling with romantic feelings for her childhood friend as she keeps the distance between them just enough to be laced with tension. The reader is treated to the author's reimagined Dark Ages setting that evokes the magical Arthurian theme but also offers a whole new twist to the traditional Tristan and Iseult tale. Anna Elliott's love story of Trystan and Isolde is virtuous and sweet,with the wonderful ending in book two which leaves us on tenterhooks awaiting the final installment in the trilogy.
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Dec 18, 2010 mari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I am a big fan of English Historical Fiction, so I was very excited to get a copy Dark Moon of Avalon. This was not a book I had heard of before but it sounded like a book I would enjoy.

"The young former High Queen, Isolde, and her friend and protector, Trystan, are reunited in a new and dangerous quest to keep the usurper, Lord Marche, and his Saxon allies from the throne of Britain."

My only knowledge of Trystan and Isolde comes from listening to the music by Wagner and the movie with James Fr...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who like Arthurian times/legends

I liked this book better than the first one although it kind of got off to a slow start for me. The books are a different twist on the Arthur legend (they take place after Arthur's death) and different than the Tristan and Isolde legend I have read and that is in the movie (which is a favorite of mine and thus I pictured Trystan as James Franco throughout the books- nice). I rated the first book four stars but really had rounded it up from a 3.5 to a four. This one I will give a four to more wil...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, historical-fiction, read-in-2010

The resplendent world of Anna Elliott’s Trystan and Isolde continues in Dark Moon of Avalon, book two of the phenomenal Twilight of Avalon trilogy.

As book two opens we find Isolde and Britain’s High King Madoc, long-time enemies, now allies plotting a way to defend Britain from Lord Marche and his Saxon collaborators. Trystan has returned to Dinas Emyre in search of Isolde’s help and together they set out to save their friend and gather support for the fight against Lord Marche, all easier said...more The resplendent world of Anna Elliott’s Trystan and Isolde continues in Dark Moon of Avalon, book two of the phenomenal Twilight of Avalon trilogy.

As book two opens we find Isolde and Britain’s High King Madoc, long-time enemies, now allies plotting a way to defend Britain from Lord Marche and his Saxon collaborators. Trystan has returned to Dinas Emyre in search of Isolde’s help and together they set out to save their friend and gather support for the fight against Lord Marche, all easier said than done. Isolde’s gift of sight has also returned though it proves more often a curse than a blessing and only gives her the vaguest of visions. And just as in TOA, their mettle and tenacity will be tested relentlessly against some pretty nasty foes.

While on their journey, Trystan and Isolde will also have to confront the emotions that they have been feeling for each other, ones that they’ve been suppressing for so long and for this reader it was a total “YES!” moment. Their love is so much like my own with my husband. A relationship started from a strong friendship and built with trust, understanding and unconditional love. Able to know each other’s minds better than their own, they are like two broken halves making one complete person. Now that’s true love!!

Anna Elliott’s wonderful menagerie of characters are all accounted for, along with some new faces that you will either loath or love. My personal fave is still Kian, though sadly we didn’t get to spend too much time with him in book two, but Anna has said he will be back for the final book so I’m stoked about that. I guess I have a thing for the “old gruff” as Anna refers to him and love this quote of his:

“Don’t mind for me lass. I’ve been a sight closer to death than I am now. I’m not that easy to kill.”

In conclusion, I loved, loved, loved this book equally as much as I loved the first book, Twilight of Avalon and while I can’t wait to read the final book I know I will be super sad to leave the lovely world that Anna Elliott has brilliantly brought to life.

The final and third book in the trilogy is titled Sunrise of Avalon will be released in 2011. One enemy has been weakened but the final battle for Britain and Trystan and Isolde against Lord Marche is yet to fight.
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Oct 20, 2010 Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dark Moon of Avalon picks up where the first book in the series, Twilight of Avalon, left off. Trystan and Isolde plan on doing whatever it takes to make sure Lord Marche doesn't end up on the throne. Isolde has become somewhat of a diplomat and and tries to gain support from other leaders so they can fight Lord Marche. Of course, Trystan comes along for this adventure and their strong friendship blossoms into something more. Dark Moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott is a must read for fans of Arthuri...more Dark Moon of Avalon picks up where the first book in the series, Twilight of Avalon, left off. Trystan and Isolde plan on doing whatever it takes to make sure Lord Marche doesn't end up on the throne. Isolde has become somewhat of a diplomat and and tries to gain support from other leaders so they can fight Lord Marche. Of course, Trystan comes along for this adventure and their strong friendship blossoms into something more. Dark Moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott is a must read for fans of Arthurian legend as well as historical fiction; readers will come to love this version of Trystan and Isolde.

One of my favorite things about this novel was the romance between Isolde and Trystan. It wasn't overdone, because at this point in their relationship, it was mostly longing glances and unspoken feelings. In other words, there was a lot of tension; however, readers will be happy to hear that there are a few moments of realization for both characters towards the end of the novel. I also love the fact that Isolde and Tristan's relationship is based on their mutual respect for one another, a long lasting friendship and trust. This isn't a relationship that they have simply jumped into head first; in fact, it is quite the opposite. And for me, that is what makes a captivating and believable love story.

When I reviewed Twilight of Avalon, I professed my love for Elliott's version of Isolde. She is daring, bold, independent, knowledgeable, and determined. She's everything you could want in a leading lady; I know that even modern readers will appreciate her. She's definitely before her time. Just like in Twilight of Avalon, I also was fascinated by her gift of the Sight and her talent to heal. Lastly, Isolde dealt with a lot of emotions and left over feelings from dealing with Lord Marche and Con's death. She had to work through all of her emotions as she dealt with a lot in book one. I thought it was pretty realistic how she slowly transformed and essentially mended her broken heart.

The end of Dark Moon of Avalon had me hooked right up until the last line; I cannot wait to see what happens as Elliot leaves us with a cliffhanger. Thankfully Sunrise of Avalon comes out in 2011 and I know the inevitable must happen, which makes me very nervous.....Lord Marche and Trystan must meet once again. All in all, I highly recommend this series for fans of historical fiction and readers who want to be swept away.(less)

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Aug 01, 2011 Ohthatspinster added it

While I loved the first novel, I think this one very much surpassed it. Trystan and Isolde's stories continue with a bunch of old characters, but also many new. The plot is more complicated and the characters better developed. The plot focuses much on surviving, not, I felt... the love story about Trystan and Isolde. Of course it is always an underlying factor, but it didn't seem to really get lovey-dovey until the last chapter or two and even then, it was subtly done and still somehow as an und...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Meagan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arthurian, historical-fiction, medieval, read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 19, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

"You train for it - day in, day out, snow or sleet or pouring rain. How to fight with a sword. Handle a shield. Throw a knife. Ride a horse into battle. You practice every day until you can barely stand up you're so tired at the end of it all. But you keep going. You get better. Better able to aim a spear, wield a sword. And then you actually fight a battle one day. And you realize that all of it - your whole life - has been directed at just one thing: teaching you how to kill. And that's all yo...more "You train for it - day in, day out, snow or sleet or pouring rain. How to fight with a sword. Handle a shield. Throw a knife. Ride a horse into battle. You practice every day until you can barely stand up you're so tired at the end of it all. But you keep going. You get better. Better able to aim a spear, wield a sword. And then you actually fight a battle one day. And you realize that all of it - your whole life - has been directed at just one thing: teaching you how to kill. And that's all you know. How to fight to the death and win." Dark Moon of Avalon by Anna Elliott

Dark Moon of Avalon is the second book in Anna Elliott's trilogy based on the legend of Trystan and Isolde.

Free from her forced marriage to the nasty King Marche, Isolde once again takes up the role of healer in the infirmary at Dinas Emrys, under the watchful eye of new High King Madoc and the Council. Skirmishes are taking place daily between Britain and the Saxons, and with British Kings having turned their coats to side with the Saxons, Britain is in desperate need of reliable allies.

Isolde decides that their only hope of beating the Saxon forces lies in King Cerdic, a Saxon king who was once allied with her long-deceased father, Modred. Enlisting Trystan as her guide and guard, she persuades King Madoc to let her make the dangerous treck through Saxon territory in order to meet with King Cerdic.

In love with Isolde but haunted by past battles and time spent as a slave, Trystan believes himself unworthy of her, although to the reader it is clear that Isolde feels the same way about him as he does of her. However, Isolde carries deep scars from her marriage to Marche, and fears that events in her past would diminish any affection that Trystan might hold for her. The journey they take together to find King Cerdic and secure his support for their cause becomes a journey of righting past wrongs and learning how to mend old wounds so they can start to face a possible future together.

Aside from a little repetition, Dark Moon of Avalon is an otherwise well-researched and beautifully written story that the author pieces together almost perfectly. Elliott's characters are wonderfully developed and impeccably brought to life, so much so that my favourite happens to be Cabal the war hound. For me these characters became so familiar that I needed to spend every waking hour with them, and then when I slept they joined me in my dreams. By the time I'd finished the book I felt I knew them inside-out, as if they were old friends! It was impossible not to dive straight into the final book...

The authors passion for her characters and the story being told is evident, and to quote my review of Twilight of Avalon - an opinion I wholeheartedly share for Dark Moon...: "Anna Elliott has pulled Trystan and Isolde out of the depths of legend and placed them in an historical context that makes the characters and events of this story appear real, tangible and believable, weaving through it just enough magic to maintain the element of mystique and intrigue that brought about the legend in the first place".

I highly recommend this book, but please note that it should only be read in its correct order (after Twilight of Avalon and before Sunrise of Avalon), otherwise it will likely end up being confusing and the emotional effect of the story as a whole will be lost.(less)

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Feb 27, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arthurian, historical-fiction-alternatehistory, based-on-myth-saga-etc, fantasy

I was given this by a friend who really loves Anna Elliott's work, at the same time as I got the first book, Twilight of Avalon. I'm glad I got round to reading them. It's a retelling of the Tristan and Isolde story, but one that inclines toward something that is at least basically plausible historically (though there's fantasy elements as well). As such, it doesn't have all the trappings of the usual Tristan and Isolde stories: for example, Isolde is only briefly married to Mark, and Mark is Tr...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ni moi sans vous, ni vous sans moi
Neither me without you, nor you without me
-Marie de France

Anna, you have me completely spellbound by your beautifully written, enchanting Arthurian world of Trystan and Isolde. Dark Moon of Avalon more or less plunges us straight back into Britan’s political instability, Isolde and the High King Madoc seemingly reach a point of mutual understanding, and religious beliefs (as past tensions) set aside, in order to plot against Britains enemies including Lord March...more Ni moi sans vous, ni vous sans moi
Neither me without you, nor you without me
-Marie de France

Anna, you have me completely spellbound by your beautifully written, enchanting Arthurian world of Trystan and Isolde. Dark Moon of Avalon more or less plunges us straight back into Britan’s political instability, Isolde and the High King Madoc seemingly reach a point of mutual understanding, and religious beliefs (as past tensions) set aside, in order to plot against Britains enemies including Lord Marche, who continues to haunt Isolde’s dreams.

Book Two sees Trystan returning to Dinas Emrys to seek out Isolde, as Hereric has been mortally wounded and Trystan believes his only chance of survival is with Isolde’s knowledge and understanding in the herb craft of healer. Like pieces of a puzzle fitting into place, Isolde convinces the High King to allow her to travel through the Saxon lands in order to seek out King Cerdic, an ally of her deceased father Modred, to win his armies over to support Britain’s war against Lord Marche and Octa of Kent.

This novel, like the original legend, sees Trystan and Isolde taking a boat on a long journey together with Hereric and Cabal; they are forced to confront their fear and built up emotions including their love for one another. Their love began as children, a friendship; together with mutual understanding, trust and unconditional love; when this realisation is admitted to the reader, you can’t help but feel all warm and gooey inside; this is the kind of love that makes your heart skip a beat, you want to close your eyes and make the moment last forever, and to know that kind of love, to have a soul mate who knows your mind better than yourself, a person who completes your other half, it’s a true and rare thing.

Anna’s Arthurian world is always a treat to read and I forced myself to read this novel as S-L-O-W-L-Y as possible so I could live in her world just that little bit longer. Her characters are wholesome, whether hero or villain, you can empathise with them and picture them as though standing right on the battlefield or inside Dinas Emrys. I have a few personal favourites which include Kian and Cabal (yes, he is the war hound, a much loved war hound and more human than dog emotionally it seems in any case); and I also found myself quite taken by the chivalry of Trystan’s comrades at arms and loyal followers including a quirky pair of twins.

I loved this book every bit as much as I loved the first book, Twilight of Avalon. In fact, I probably loved reading this book a little bit more because it gave the main characters an extra depth to their already strong character. The historical content, combined with the Prologue told by Morgan make this an absolute Arthurian treat. If you haven’t already read the first novel, please do along with the two short companion stories Anna has written you won’t be disappointed!

To note: The French exerpt by Marie de France was taken from her Lais ”Chevrefoil” which included twelve short stories which centred around Medieval Courtly love. I thought it best summed up the love between Trystan and Isolde.
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Dec 22, 2010 Jayme rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, historical-fiction

I won this one off of Goodreads FirstReads. I must say that this book got to me insanely fast (5 days) and that I have really enjoyed reading it.

First off, I must say that I adore how Elliot portrays Isolde and that I really enjoyed getting inside Trystan's head in this book. There were several parts in this book that dragged a bit but mostly I found myself turning page after page wanting to see what was going to happen next. One of the small things that kind of got of my nerves though was the f...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, it's a good story, but I am so tired of the repetitive character descriptions. Basically everyone's nose is broken and inexpertly set and all the Celts have beady eyes, and everyone is basically unattrative unless they are the main characters or bad, and how much poppy juice CAN one woman carry around with her? Seriously, i could go on...Beyond that, it's a good story, but the character descriptions are extremely repetitive and thus bothersome.

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Feb 19, 2013 Carina rated it 2 of 5 stars

This second book is better than the first one. I felt enough emotional connection to the characters to read it. Honestly though, after reading the first book I would NOT have bought this second one... but I made the mistake of buying the entire trilogy before starting it.

Again, this book is also unnecessarily long. So many boooooooring scenes and so many misunderstandings.

I found it hard to like any character, really.

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Oct 10, 2010 Lorie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arthurian, celtic-myth, historical-fiction, medieval-renaissance

Liked this one even a little more than the first one. The action seems a bit smoother, and I like the character development. Looking forward to the third.

This is an interesting twist on the Arthur, Mordred, Morgan mythology.

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Oct 01, 2010 DH marked it as to-read

Shelves: gr-str

ohh i can't wait to start this series. i love reading historical fiction and i just recently ran across this book. i didn't even know it was part of a series so i need to hunt down the first book before starting this one.

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Nov 05, 2010 Shawna rated it 1 of 5 stars

I could not get into this book -the writing style was repetitive, circular, and overall not enjoyable. I loved the premise and the idea, but after trying really hard for 70 pages, it was not worth it for me to continue.

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Jun 13, 2011 Allie rated it 2 of 5 stars

The writing seemed overly sappy and melodramatic. The story was good, though it was hard to follow at times. Might have been because it was the second in a trilogy, which I did not realize until I finished it :) It was the first time I'd read a Tristan and Isolde story and I thought it was a good, enjoyable light read.

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Sep 23, 2010 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mythology, arthurian, fantasy

I really like Twilight of Avalon, but this second book in the series was boring. The characters, who are recreations of Tristan and Isolde, are still interesting and the minor players are well fleshed out. However, the constant redundancy in this book was painful. Elliot repeated the same ideas over and over again, as if I hadn't read them a few chapters or sometimes even a few pages ago. It was like a bad college paper where you have to fill out the page requirements, but you really have nothin...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Ally rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even better than the last one, that leave you desperate to finish the trilogy.

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Jan 10, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good story about Isolde and Trystan. Fun adventure and love story.

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May 22, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This book is a very adult rendition of the Tristan and Isolde/Camalot story. I loved the gritty, realistic details, and how feminine (but not useless) Isolde came across as.

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Sep 27, 2011 Marci rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am really enjoying this different take on the King Arthur/Trystan & Isolde tale. Alot of tortured feelings finally come to fruition in this second book of three. I enjoy the characters. Sad that we all know how this love story turns out, but maybe Ms. Elliott will throw us a curve ball, and surprise us! Can't wait for last book!

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Feb 18, 2011 Chloe rated it 3 of 5 stars

Compelling story, but took me a long time to get into it. Also, because these books are so complex I had a hard time remembering what happened in Twilight of Avalon. Good, but know your Arthurian history going in, it will help out a lot. Also sightly unfortunate how similar the titles are to another, very famous series.

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Jun 03, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beautifully written. A little more of a romantic aspect to it than I normally like, but it's balanced out by some good adventure. Isolde is also an impressive character for a woman of that time period. If you're looking for a historical fiction novel with a strong female lead, this trilogy is a good choice.

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Nov 07, 2011 Tamra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although I didn't like this sequel book as well as the first and it did drag a bit in the middle, I still loved the story. It was definitely a middle book of a trilogy and middle books are always hard to write and are usually a bit dark. But I'm looking forward to the third book!

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Historical Fiction

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Fantasy

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Mythology > Arthurian

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Fantasy > Mythology

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Historical Fiction > Medieval

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About Anna Elliott

A longtime devotee of historical fiction and Arthurian legend, Anna Elliott was expecting her first child when she woke up from a very vivid dream of telling her mother that she was going to write a book about Modred's daughter, Isolde. She was very grateful to her daughter for being an excellent sleeper even as a newborn and allowing her the time to turn her dream into a finished book! She now li...more

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Dark Moon of Avalon (Twilight of Avalon #2)

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