The Forest of Adventures (Knight Trilogy #1) by Katie M. John - Review by Rissa

For seventeen year old Mina Singer, falling in love with an Arthurian Knight on a white horse was never part of the plan - especially being that she's an ordinary college girl living in the twenty first century.
As Mina finds herself catapulted into a land she believed only existed in the bedtime stories of her childhood, she soon discovers that Fairyland is not quite as innocent as she imagined.

The question is...who will come out alive?

Haunting, beautiful and sexy, The Forest of Adventures, is a dark romantic quest into the land of true and forbidden love.




The Forest of Adventures by Katie M. John is a beautiful story of an ordinary girl, Mina Singer, finds out that the life she once thought to be perfect is severely lacking. She realized this when she comes face to face with the handsome Blake Beldevier whose mysterious persona sweeps her off her feet, much to her dismay. What starts off as a hormonal/emotional struggle between right and wrong (can she choose this alluring new man over her faithful, loving boyfriend?), turns into a crisis in which Mina must step into a role she is totally unprepared for, and have to make choices that will break hearts, and shake up her destiny.


Originality


In reading this I found that Ms. John took a fairly well known plot, and added just enough details to make it come alive once more. Let's face it, there's only so many times one can read a story about a girl who realizes that her life is not what she wants it to be, but once you throw in a knight, Arthurian legend, a life-or-death major dramatic question, and Morgan Le Fay, you've got yourself an amazing story! I especially loved how Ms. John put so much detail and depth into Mina's thoughts about her boyfriend Sammy. As I was reading I felt like I was right there with Mina, experiencing her guilt, her indecision, and her sacrifice.


Cover


The cover of this book is alluring, and instantly made me wonder what it was about, and want to read more into it. The girl, who I presume to be Mina, is standing in a forest surrounded by trees, beautiful flowers, and a starry sky. It gives off a magical feeling, and sets the mood for the story. It is also a plot device for an important setting in the book.


Characters


I very much enjoyed Mina's character, and especially her dedication to Sammy, her boyfriend who she obviously cares for, even when she finds herself falling for Blake. Perhaps it's due to guilt, but I found it impressive that she openly admitted that she still cared for Sammy, and was willing to risk it all to save him, even though she truly loved Blake. I sometimes find female lead characters to be complely vapid, and I am happy to report that Mina broke the mold. I also loved her ability to verbally spar with Blake, she never gave into him too quickly and many times I found myself laughing at her antics.

Now, for Blake. Oh, dear Blake, how I love you. Handsome, honorable, romantic, brooding, how can one not be completely enchanted by him? With the character of Blake I particularly loved how Ms. John made the knight-in-shining-armor persona into the actual character of a knight. I also appreciated that he was far from being the perfect man, expecially given the "brooding" aspect of his character. There were several places where Mina is greatly frustrated/annoyed/ by this, as was I, but it made him all the more alive. After all, what's a handsome guy without a tragic backstory?

I'm grouping the last two characters together in this part, because I found that they were perfect foils to one another; these two characters would be Vivian and Morgan. I absolutely loved the character of Vivan; mysterious, selfless, motherly- and Morgan; evil, manipulative, and scheming. I really loved the author's take on these recognizable literary names, because it made them both more relatable.


Plot


The mysterious prologue is the first thing the reader will encounter upon opening the book (at least, I would hope it is!). I found it to be alluring and a perfect draw in, because one cannot help but wonder, 'what in the world is going on?' Well, you won't know for a while, but you'll definitely keep reading because you will want to find out!

"The pain is exquisite, the pain is love."
See?? Aren't you dying to read more??

I was so impressed by the way that Ms. John wove key plot points together, in a way that was entirely unexpected. For example, with the character of Sammy, in a million years I did not expect him to play the part he did. In the beginning he was the rather stereotypical and safe boyfriend but, in ways I can't explain for fear of ruining the surprise, his is the role that will test Mina's resolve...and her love.

As I have said in the past, I adore stories about knights, kings, chivalry, and magic. If you find yourself in loving the same themes, Forest of Adventures is the book for you! And, if it's not, check it out anyway, because you may find a new genre to love!

I found that the story had the perfect balance of Arthurian and modern themes, as well as msytery, plot twists and, as you may have guessed, adventure. Katie M. John has written into existance a world that the reader can easily get drawn into and will not want to leave.


Conclusion


Let me say this, the ending leave you absolutely breathless, in shock, and dying for more. I was stunned because the biggest plot twist in the book happens in the last few pages, so I will warn...don't get too comfortable because you will be blown away, and wanting more!


In conclusion, I truly enjoyed this book and I give it a rating of ♥♥♥♥