The Legend of Lady Ilena
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Ilena, daughter of Moren and Grenna, has lived in the Vale of Enfert for all of her 15 years, but it is not her true home. Her parents refused to speak about the place they came from or their lineage. After the deaths of both of her parents, her questions remain unanswered. Her father’s final words to her provide the single clue: “Go to Dun Alyn. Find Ryamen.”
Ilena sets out alone on the dangerous trip across Britain, certain only that Dun Alyn
is a fortress somewhere in the East. Her skills as a warrior are tested against raiders from the West and Painted Ones from the Far North, but her most formidable challenge awaits her at Dun Alyn. Will she be able to accept her true identity and fulfill her destiny?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This quick-moving feminist adventure from first-time novelist Malone will captivate fans of Arthurian lore. Set in A.D. 500, in what is now Scotland, the story follows 15-year-old Ilena as she searches for the truth about her family after the death of her father: "I've always known that we belonged somewhere else, that we had come, for reasons I was never told, from a home-place near the eastern sea." Ilena's quest soon leads her to meet a man "pledged to Arthur's table" as well as to her destiny in the land of Dun Alyn: she is heir to a throne. The current ruler's evil henchman wants the throne for his granddaughter and tries to have Ilena killed. Ilena perseveres with the help of a mysterious healer and a smart-talking dwarf, and she finds true love. Despite the expected finish, the suspenseful first-person narration keeps the pages turning. Malone creates an ominous mood and vigorous fight scenes; the heroine's conduct proves continually resourceful. Trained by her father in military arts, Ilena makes a courageous soldier, but remains an innocent in the ways of the world. The juxtaposition makes her a magnetic character; readers will warm to her hardy spirit and rejoice in the happy ending. Ages 12-up.
