Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

This is a well-written book about a descendant of Arthur and one of the best Arthurian books on the market.

It is the story of a girl named Lin and her brother Dafydd and the courage she gives to all the slave she lives with. She and her brother were left alone after their mother died one night. Their mother was a slave of Arthur’s half-sister Morgause and thus they, too, were her possessions. Lin had seen a life of hard work, beatings, rape, famine and disease since she was old enough to notice.

The slaves’ treatment by all the members of the castle staff was worse than a dog, for dogs were well-fed and the slaves were not. Lin’s luck runs out when she sees the four older sons of Morgause torturing their much younger sibling. She feels pity for him and opens the door of the place where his brothers had jailed him. Instead of thanks, the younger prince, Modred, in his fury beat the girl and she became his personal hatred from that day forward.

Things worsen when Morgause gives Lin to Modred as a gift, and he brands her with a iron as his personal whore. He goes out of his way to single out the stubborn, by then twelve-year-old. She won’t lower her head to him, spat on him, drips dirty water on his boots, and knees him in his privates which results not only in her being whipped within inches of her death but also raped by the so-called prince. She almost gives up when the prince starts to persecute her soft spoken and gentle brother. Somehow something occurs to rekindle her hatred for Modred. Tired of her, the prince sends her and her brother to be sold to slavers and this action leads to happiness and freedom for the poor kids.

This enthralling tale had me glued to the pages with its struggles, fast paced writing, and great characterization.