THE LAST GRAIL KEEPER

With a new twist on the Arthurian legend, this story incorporates old tales, a contemporary setting, and a mother and daughter pair who find themselves inexplicably interested in the lost world of Avalon. Just as strange occurrences are taking place at her mother’s archaeological dig, Felicity Jones is singled out, by Morgan Le Fay no less, as the last in a long line of women “grail keepers” who have been entrusted with protecting the sacred cauldron—the fountain of creativity, imagination, and art. Her reaction to the news, as well as her unwanted second sight, is typical teenage disbelief and annoyance, both of which cause a lot of trouble for her later. Hill (A Voice from the Border, 1998, etc.) has obviously studied the Avalon legends extensively, but sometimes has a difficult time translating her own wealth of knowledge to the reader. The beginning is muddied and somewhat confusing, too much bouncing between scenes and nonexistent transitions. However, the story sorts itself out by the end and readers will begin to understand how everything fits together and may even find themselves wanting to read it again. (Fiction. 11-14)