Review: Lady of the Lake by Jennifer Wherrett

There are countless stories of King Arthur and the Age of Camelot, and with Lady of the Lake, author Jennifer Wherrett adds a wonderful new chapter to this long and rich tradition. Taking a much more feminine perspective on this particular element of our collective culture, this book does away with the notion that women in Arthurian legend were merely love interests. Instead, in this world, they are holy accomplices to the epic tales we have known since childhood.

The story of how Arthur came to be the King of the Britons has taken many forms, as has the role of Merlin. In this version, figures like Galahad and Gawain are fleshed out far beyond the typical descriptions of their noble nature. Adding complexity to both Arthur and his knights, and doing it through the eyes of a priestess, is a clever twist that holds the reader’s attention from the very start.

The majority of the story circulates around Niniane, who was rescued as an infant by the High Priestess, Vivienne. As we see her grow up and come into both her power and femininity, it becomes clear that she will play a key role in the rise of Arthur. With Niniane’s life tangled so closely to one of the greatest legends in the world, she is instantly a fascinating and inspiring protagonist.

There are the classic Arthurian elements of love, lust, and knightly quests, but the King of the Britons is not always the perfect, shining example of nobility; there is a harder edge to these characters, which makes them more relatable and vulnerable to the weakness of human nature. Despite the magical nature of this fiction, Wherrett’s book seems far more real and accessible than standard myths. By removing some of the romanticized aspects of this subject matter, the book says something far more powerful about leadership, personal origins, and the concept of destiny.

While the plot of the book is unpredictable and highly creative, there are some technical issues with the writing that mar the effectiveness of the book overall. There are many points where the descriptions become sloppy or flat – certain words are repeated far too frequently, and the syntax isn’t always clear, so scenes come off as awkward when the action is not. Some of the erotic scenes are also a bit clunky, and lack the passion taken with the writing in the first two parts of the book.

More crucially, for such a feminine-empowered novel, Niniane and other female characters often fall into gendered tropes, which undercuts some of the strength that they hold within this version of Arthur’s story. This doesn’t overwhelm the novel’s overall theme, but Wherrett could have gone even further with the book’s unique focus.

For a novel with such an exciting cast of characters, it seems a shame that the execution holds the story back from being great. Wherret does a marvelous job adding to the basic bones of the ancient tale, but the finer details and the writing itself could use some improvement. These issues aside, Lady of the Lake is a highly original take on Arthurian legend, and this sense of originality makes the book a compelling read from start to finish.