I've never been attracted to Camelot. King Arthur? He doesn't inspire my trust. Maybe it's because I've always believed medieval times were more about men than women? Didn't look like much fun either way: And I'm not only talking about the smells and lack of hygiene - those times were bloody, and if you didn't fight back, you were killed by an axe or some other torture device. Barbaric, it's impossible for me to identify with these people, whether they made history or not - I don't even want to imagine myself without a computer.
Then, I came across Circle Cast written by Alex Epstein. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of fight scenes, and the heroine faces death more than once (torture devices, check), but the story... it lured me in. I'd even say the Young-Adult crowd will get their fix with this book, since we follow Morgan le Fay from a very young age, up until Arthur and his sword come into the picture.
It's tough to see such a young Morgan going through this ordeal, but she becomes a warrior, a magician, making every Girl Power adept proud, one of our own. By the end of the book, Morgan's story is relatable - I know, even without any bathrooms or perfume - and we care for her, we understand the hard choices she makes, she feels like a friend. Epstein makes her come alive on the page, and with some great poetic prose, at times. One can hope for a sequel...