Book Review: The Winter Prince

 Summary: Medraut is the eldest son of Artos, high king of Britain; and, but for an accident of birth, would-be heir to the throne. Instead, his younger half-brother, Lleu, is chosen to be prince of Britain. Lleu is fragile, often ill, unskilled in weaponry and statesmanship, and childishly afraid of the dark. Even Lleu's twin sister, Goewin, seems more suited to rule the kingdom.
 Medraut cannot bear to be commanded and contradicted by this weakling brother who he feels has usurped his birthright and his father's favor. Torn and bitter, haunted by jealousy, self-doubt, and thwarted ambition, he joins Morgause, the high king's treacherous sister, in a plot to force Artos to forfeit his power and kingdom in exchange for Lleu's life. But this plot soon proves to be much more - a battlefield on which Medraut is forced to decide, for good or evil, where his own allegiance truly lies...

Thoughts: This was a good retelling of the classical tale of King Arthur. Or rather, the beginning of a retelling. Focusing on Arthur's (Artos's) children. I really did love this book, the relationship between the three siblings is actually really good, especially Medraut and Goewin. The story is simple with little action and a slow pace. It's written similar to to harder classics such as Earthsea or Lord of the Rings and first person as well. Despite the harder format of the story, the characters are developed really well and you get to know them intimately through Medraut's eyes. Overall I really enjoyed this small tale and plan to read at least the sequel.

Content: Ok, despite my actually really liking the story there are...problems. A tiny bit of language (just D*** if i remember correctly). Now, Artos, the king, ended up having a child with his sister. He did not know, at the time, who she was and she was hoping to gain power from his position through their child (while it never produced a child this is an original part of the King Arthur story). Medraut, the child, is also said to have spent 'nights' with his mother. None of this is shown, only mentioned and tactfully at that but it's still a big problem. During certain scenes, Medraut is trying to make a point to his sister and cups his hands under her breasts. And, another time, he kisses his brother on the mouth. This was not done romantically but as a form of torture. Even so, it wasn't right and isn't easily overlooked. This book has some major problems and comes with more warnings than recommendations but it was still a good story. The problems were handled discreetly for the most part and i will be trying to finish the series.