Book: Gwen Iver & Pendragon's Puzzle by Mark Piggott
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 3.25/5
✨ Book Review (Review Copy) ✨
"Hugh, is there magic here and in Japan?"
"Of course...the pyramids of Egypt, the Black Forest in Germany, Stonehenge and Glastonbury Tor in Great Britain, the Azores, Intikancha in Peru, Easter Island, and more."
In this Arthurian YA retelling, we meet Gwen. She's 15 and her life's about to change. Every day she's given a puzzle box to try to open. Every day she fails. Then, she decides to bring her friends into the fold to open this stupid puzzle box. What could possibly be inside that's worth all of this trouble? Well, more than Gwen could ever have imagined.
This is a really fun YA retelling. Way back in the day, I read Le Morte d'Arthur, so I'm familiar with the characters. So, this was such a fun interpretation to read, being very digestible for teens.
Actually, I felt like this was written for an even younger crown. Apart from a since 'heck' (not heck, of course), the language was clean. The feeling was very Percy Jackson for me. So, apart from that single word usage, I think this book stretches into the middle school realm.
I enjoyed both the crew and how the story unfolded - literally how everyone was brought into the storyline itself. The theme and moral of the family-esque crew was definitely in line with what you'd expect for this age group.
The included chapter art was a highlight! seeing the thank you at the beginning and how it was collected, it made it so special to see the differences from the various artists.
the character of Morgan Moor was really interesting. She lived a completely different life than the others, but was also living in their same time period. I was trying to mold that into my mind because there wasn't a big explanation of the lore to a point where I could understand how she could be two things at once. But, I just went with suspension of disbelief and moved on.
Triggers: Violence (Mild)
You may like this book if you enjoy...
🧩 Younger YA Fantasy
🧩 British Mythology
🧩 A Cozy Fantasy