Bryce D. Gibby

The Princess of Selgovae and the High King

Shelby Goodwin

Thanks so very much to the author for sending me a copy of the book! All thoughts expressed in my review below are entirely my own!!

When I was earning my undergraduate degree in English Literature, I designed my own concentration in Medieval and Renaissance studies by choosing literally all of the courses in this category that FSU had to offer. My favorite among these was my Middle English Romance course. I even named my child Saxon for crying out loud...Needless to say, the scholar in me felt SO very at home in this brilliant historical fiction novel! 

This rich, historical narrative is very reminiscent of other greats in the Arthurian tradition, especially Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, one of my all time favorite literary works. While listening to this epic story on audiobook, I appreciated so much the author’s inclusion of tropes from the classic romance genre, such as religious turmoil betwixt Christians and Pagans, as well as the chivalric codes. I was super excited to meet several familiar faces of Arthurian tales, such as Morgana le Fey, who happens to be my personal favorite.

The Princess of Selgovae and the High King is extremely well researched and well written, with a style that reminded me of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, in that it was apparent throughout just how studied the author is on his craft and subject matter. The best part about this first installment in this Tetralogy of Tales is that the story imagines and explores a multifaceted storyline and character arc for the Princess of Selgovae whose story has been marginalized for millennia. I’m absolutely interested in continuing this series!

Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, mythology retellings, and epic romances.

The Princess of Selgovae and the High King

Reviews