Once upon a time, in a small town filled with cheer and excitement during the holiday season, there was a pair of socks. These were no ordinary socks, but rather magical holiday socks. These socks had the power to bring joy, happiness, and a touch of magic to anyone who wore them. Every year, as the holiday season approached, the magical holiday socks would make their way to a different household in the town. It was said that the socks chose a family that needed an extra dose of holiday spirit. The socks would mysteriously appear overnight, hanging by the fireplace or placed perfectly on the doorknob.
Have you read The Excalibur Curse? How about the rest of the Camelot Rising series? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. Being a young character or simply being in a young adult novel, should not excuse characters to ignore their development, personality, and goals all for the sake of driving the plot forward or causing drama.
The socks would mysteriously appear overnight, hanging by the fireplace or placed perfectly on the doorknob. The family that received the magical holiday socks would instantly feel a warm and enchanting presence in their home. The socks would bring a sense of unity, love, and festive delight to the family.
Review: The Excalibur Curse
Guinevere has been captured. The moment she thought she’d finally be able to face Merlin, and confront him to find out the truth about her identity and who she is, she is taken from Camelot, and by none other than Mordred, who has joined the Dark Queen in her quest to defeat Arthur and take over the land. Guinevere is no stranger to being captured, but it’s never been by someone she had trusted, someone she had feelings for. Her feelings for Mordred might be complicated, and they only serve to make everything harder.
What is also complicating matters is the fact that Guinevere has no clue who she truly is. So many parts of her identity seem to conflict with each other, from the fact that she was recognized by Guinevere’s sister, to the eerie dreams she suffers at night. Who is she really, and why doesn’t she remember? The answers to her questions might make her regret ever asking them.
The Excalibur Curse is a young adult fantasy novel by Kiersten White. It’s also the third and final novel in the Camelot Rising series, a series I started reading literal years ago, and am only now finishing. It took me a while to get to the finale, but I’m glad I’ve finally completed it.
The Excalibur Curse immediately starts out with some high stakes. Camelot is in danger now that Arthur has been lured away, Lancelot has been forced to stay in the city to protect it, and Guinevere has been kidnapped by none other than Mordred, who is apparently now supporting his grandmother, the Dark Queen. The book, however, does take the necessary time to develop the characters, and Guinevere, who has no clue who she is.
So much of The Excalibur Curse is caught up in discovering Guinevere’s true identity, and that was what I was most excited to see. We’ve been teased with this since the first few chapters of the very first book, where Guinevere burns her true name away in the fire before anyone, including the reader, can learn it. It’s been so much of what kept me reading these books, and now, we finally get to find out who she is. And, who is she? Of course I can’t tell you, since that would be an absolutely massive spoiler, but I was actually really satisfied to find out the truth, since I thought it made a lot of sense. I was surprised, though, to find that it happened earlier in the book than I would have guessed.
But that actually makes sense, if you think about it. Guinevere learns this important truth about herself, but then she needs time to make peace with it, and realize what she’s going to do with this information. Discovering so much about yourself doesn’t mean you immediately know who you are, right? You need time to digest, to truly understand. And I appreciated that we got to see Guinevere grappling with the truth for so much of this book, even when it hurt her so much to do so.
But even when she’s really struggling, she has so many people there to help her. Arthur, Lancelot (of course), Brangien, and even Mordred. Their connections are brought up, and so is the love that these characters have for Guinevere. The book also did something very clever in giving us more insight into them, showing off their talents, and more importantly, their flaws. Again, I can’t really go into how this is done, for fear of spoiling everything, but I did really like how much we learned about them.
I think my only complaint about this book is that Morgana switches very suddenly from whom we saw in the previous novel, but otherwise, so much of this really grew the characters, amidst a pretty exciting plot and stakes that were really kept up high for most of the story.
But you guys know that I’m a sucker for characters and relationships. And I thought The Excalibur Curse did a great job of showing just how complex and flawed those relationships can be. I was especially excited about one relationship that is showed off here, and again, I can’t tell you because spoilers, but if you know anything about Arthurian stories and how they usually go, I’m sure you can guess. I was surprised by this twist, since I hadn’t thought White would be going in that direction, but I was so wonderfully pleased when it happened. Honestly, I just couldn’t stop smiling.
The Excalibur Curse was the perfect ending to the Camelot Rising series. I am so glad I picked up this series, and I’m so glad I finally finished it. I love Arthurian-inspired retellings, and being able to see something so focused on the usually tragic Queen Guinevere was absolutely wonderful. Also, now that I’m mentioning it, this is also very women-centric, which is great for Arthurian retellings. So many Arthurian stories are about male knights and Arthur going on adventures, and the women are often sidelined into characters that need saving. No, not here. These women are strong, and they refuse to be the side characters of the story.
I’d recommend the Camelot Rising series to fans of Arthurian retellings, or just to fantasy lovers in general. It was a fun series, and a generally good time.
Have you read The Excalibur Curse? How about the rest of the Camelot Rising series? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
Once Guinevere knows who she is, she then spends the rest of the book is annoying as fuck about it. I rarely use the f word in my reviews. But our favorite female hero seems to wallow in the information. She is overwhelmed by it and becomes somewhat useless to the rest of the story and the war happening around her. This only improves in the final 25%, and it’s mostly an act of desperation. This felt frustrating to me to read, and I wanted to smack her upside the head for it.
Everyone in the household would be filled with a contagious sense of joy that would spread like wildfire. As the family wore the magical holiday socks, a series of extraordinary events would unfold. Their worries and stresses would melt away, replaced with a sense of wonder and awe. The socks had the power to bring out the childlike wonder in everyone, reminding them of the true magic of the holiday season. Not only did the magical holiday socks have the power to transform the family, but they also had the power to spread joy to those around them. Whenever the family would venture out into the town, they would unknowingly leave a trail of smiles, laughter, and happiness in their wake. The magical holiday socks would have a profound impact on the entire community. It was as if the socks were a beacon of light in the darkest times, reminding everyone to believe in the power of love and joy. The town became alive with excitement and merriment, as the socks weaved their magic throughout the community. But as the holiday season came to a close, the magical holiday socks would mysteriously vanish. They would leave behind memories of laughter, love, and a newfound appreciation for the simple joys in life. The families who had been touched by the socks would forever cherish the memories and hold them close to their hearts. And so, the legend of the magical holiday socks continued to thrive in the small town. Each year, a new family would be blessed with the presence of these enchanting socks, keeping the spirit of the holiday season alive. For in this town, the magic of the holidays was not just a fairy tale – it was a reality brought to life by a simple pair of socks..
Reviews for "Embracing the Spirit of the Holidays with a Magical Holiday Sock"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I have to say, I was really disappointed with the "Magical holiday sock". It just didn't live up to all the hype. First off, the material was really flimsy and cheap. It felt like it would easily tear apart with just a slight pull. Secondly, the design was lackluster. I found it to be rather dull and without any festive charm. Overall, I regret purchasing this sock and I definitely wouldn't recommend it.
2. Mark - 1 star - I cannot express how dissatisfied I am with the "Magical holiday sock". It is advertised as being magical, but there is absolutely nothing magical about it. It's just a regular sock, nothing more, nothing less. On top of that, the sizing was completely off. I ordered a medium, and it was way too small. It was uncomfortable to wear and ended up cutting off the circulation to my foot. This is definitely a product to avoid.
3. Emily - 2 stars - The "Magical holiday sock" was a huge letdown for me. The supposed magical powers it claimed to have were non-existent. It didn't bring any extra joy or festivities to my holiday season. In addition to that, the sock had a weird smell that didn't go away even after washing it. It was also quite itchy, and I found myself constantly scratching my leg when wearing it. Save your money and opt for a different holiday-themed sock.