HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: King Arthur: The Bloody Cup - MK Hume

BOOK BLURB:

The third book in an exciting, brand-new Arthurian trilogy For many years, the people of Briton have enjoyed peace and prosperity under the reign of King Artor and the Union of Kings. Having spurned the despotism of his predecessor, Uther Pendragon, Arthur has ruled with a strong sense of duty, goodness and honour. Artor is now weakening with age, however, and the seeds of discontent are being sown. Seeking to cleanse the land of Christian belief, dissenters need a symbol with which to legitimise their pagan claim and gather malcontents together into a cohesive weapon. These shadowy, subversive elements seize upon the ancient cup of Bishop Lucius of Glastonbury as a way of fragmenting Artor's hard-fought-for kingdom. But first, they must lay their hands on the relic and, in doing so, unleash a force for evil from which murder and violent mayhem ensue. But it emerges that the ultimate threat to Artor's rule lies far closer to home; Artor is betrayed by kin. Celt will slay Celt and the river will run with blood.


REVIEW:

As a huge fan of MK’s writing it was a with bated breath that I had to wait to see if the third part in the series would live up to my expectations. Whilst I severely hoped that it would, there’s always a nagging doubt in the back of the readers mind that it really will flop and do it badly especially when you feel that you’ve already been spoilt with the first two.

What occurs within is not only a fitting tribute to perhaps the reality of Arthur (as MK Hume sets the tale in Roman times) but perhaps a great example of an author who loves her work so much that she’ll go the extra mile to make sure that it will please the reader. The prose are ideal, the writing crisp and above all the characters feel real enough for the reader to greet in person. Not only are they likeable but they also have issues that need dealing with emotionally as well as physically. It’s a great offering and whilst some will think that this sees the end of the road, remember that MK has the first novel in her Merlin series out in October for readers to travel a more unfamiliar road. A truly great series in the historical fiction world and one that I really can’t recommend enough.