Shadow of the King (Pendragon's Banner Series #3) Book

The third and final installment of Helen Hollick's Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, Shadow of the King, finds Arthur and Gwen at Caer Caden, their kingdom in Britain. Arthur has been king for 11 years and though they are both still grieving over the deaths of their sons, they are basking in the love of their baby daughter.

Arthur is sent on a fool's errand to Gaul under the pretext of war, but this turns out to be a ploy to get him away from his kingdom, leaving it vulnerable to invaders. Namely, his uncle Ambrosius, whose ultimate goal is to bring Britain back under the fold of Rome. But, Ambrosius is not the only one gunning for Arthur's downfall and he again must prove that he is the Pendragon.

It's rare that you find a trilogy where all 3 books hold up against each other. There's bound to be one that's not quite as good as the others ….not so with this trilogy. I loved every one of them and I can tell you right now that I will be re-reading them again.

What I liked most about Shadow of the King was how we saw Arthur dealing with defeat for the first time and how he comes to terms with it. Hollick has a talent with bringing her characters to life - no one-dimensional people here - but I feel like I really got to know Arthur, faults and all and it made me love him even more. And who could not like Arthur's queen, Gwen, who is the quintessential heroine …strong, courageous and fierce! And Arthur's band of Artoriani are brave, loyal men who live to serve their King with everything they have. With their help, Arthur is able to shed his cloak of self doubt and return to Britain, to fight for his kingdom.

We meet up again with Winifred, Arthur's first wife who he set aside to marry Gwen. Still calling herself Lady Pendragon, she will do anything in her power to get the crown for their son Cerdic. This tenacious ambition of hers will ultimately lead to her downfall. Cerdic, who loathes his father, the Pendragon and who has made it his lifelong mission to kill Arthur and take his lands has teamed up with the Saxons and invades Britain.

There isn't one thing about this book that I didn't like. Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across and her descriptions are so vivid that it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes as you're reading. The characters emotions are very real and so relatable that you feel yourself empathize with them even if they are one of the villains! How I would love to see this novel on the big screen, but then again, I don't think anyone could do it justice. (besides your own imagination).

Now, for those of you that may be put off by the size of this book…don't be! It may seem huge, but with the chapters at 2-3 pages each it flows really quickly. I know I was so enthralled that I didn't even look at the page numbers. Well, that is until the end when I knew I only had a few left and then I was like NOOOOOOO and read really slowly until the last page, savoring every word like a priest savors meat before lent.
Oh, and let me warn you - make sure you have some Kleenex handy and also, make sure your loved one isn't in the room with you, so that they can't make fun of you for crying about people you didn't even know! Heehee.

Highly Recommended!