The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein

Let's be frank. I really didn't care for this book. The only reason I am reviewing it is because it was supposedly one of my reads for the Once Upon a Time III challenge. It also means that I hardly remember it, so not sure how this review will go!

Medraut is the eldest son of Artos, high king of Britain and, but for an accident of birth, would be heir to the throne. Instead, his younger half-brother, Lleu, fragile and inexperienced, is chosen. Medraut cannot bear to be commanded and contradicted by this weakling brother who he feels has usurped both his birthright and his father's favor. Torn and bitter, he joins Morgause, the high king's treacherous sister, in a plot to force Artos to forfeit his power and kingdom in exchange for Lleu's life. But this plot soon proves to be much more-a battlefield on which Medraut is forced to decide, for good or evil, where his own allegiance truly lies.

Title and author of book: The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Young Adult Fiction. Fantasy; Arthurian Retelling.

What led you to pick up this book? I saw it on a blog. I can't remember which blog now, but the fact that it was an Arthurian retelling drew me to it. I think I had too high of an expectation.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending! See above...

What did you like most about the book? The fact that it was an Arthurian retelling that was a bit different than the regular ones. I liked that it was a fresh take on an old story.

What did you like least? Everything. I couldn't get wrapped up in this story. It took me a few days to read it and it is a really short book! I don't like Wein's writing style. I found myself skimming a lot of the time because I just didn't care to read everything that she had written. I also didn't really feel a connection with the characters. When you write such a short book you need to include things that catch the readers attention very quickly, but really I wanted to stop reading every step of the way. I just stuck with it because I thought it was just me and that if I kept at it she might start to grow on me, but that never happened.

Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? Nope! I had the sequel out from the library, but I brought it back unread. I find there are lots of other books that are calling to me more than trying to figure out what happens next in this series.

What did you think of the main character? The characters were not memorable. If I really like a book, I will remember the characters even if I cannot remember their names. With this book, I only have vague memories about who the characters were and what their purpose to the story was. Wein did not write characters that stuck with me at all.

What about the ending? I was happy to get to the ending and be finished with it! You know there is going to be a sequel, but I do not find myself rushing out to read it. It just ended and I moved on to the next and better book.