Ok

I liked the first book in the series but really didn’t like where the plot at the end of the series went. ( )

Originally Reviewed At:Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers, Royalty Award
Review Source: Blog Tour
Reviewer: Heather


I’ve had the lovely and honorable opportunity to follow along with the Merlin stories Priya Ardis has written from the beginning. I’ve fallen into the abyss, and i drank the kool-aid, but in the end i came out unscathed, but still wanting more with each book she has written. If you have not had this chance, please start with My Boyfriend Merlin, followed by My Merlin Awakening.


Ryan continues her inner struggles as well as those within her own heart. She knows that her heart can only belong to one: Merlin or his brother Vane. But what will happen when the choice she makes sacrifices the other?


Merlin is older than dirt, and his been there done that attitude will do absolutely nothing for him when he awakes to no magic. Ryan had made a choice on his behalf, and he boy was he livid. Yet no matter what she says or does, he still loves her deeper than she will ever know.

Vane, now the Fisher King, took the power in order to save the world, his brother, and the only woman he will ever love. Ryan refuses to give up on Vane so easily, but she quickly falls into his devilish games where people she loves and respects die. Yet no matter how evil the beast within seems, she knows her Vane is still in there, he is not lost forever, and she will fight to get him back.


It is a pure race against time (really the end of the world is approaching quickly), and Ryan, Vane and Merlin must work together, or watch their world be torn asunder, disappearing into oblivion forever. Even when it becomes clear that they could save a few, Ryan knows it is not enough.


Can the bearer of Excalibur, the wise and powerful Merlin, and the newly crowned Fisher King pull through?



I felt powerful emotions as I read Ever My Merlin. Part of it was knowing that the story was winding down, and when we fall in love with characters, it is like saying goodbye to a close friend. Yet even knowing the My Merlin series is done, I found myself wanting more.



A love story, an old mythical fairy tale, an adventure, and modern times walked into a “pub” and came out the other side as the My Merlin series.



This is how I like to describe it, but really this only scratches the surface. Priya Ardis also writes wonderful, suspense filled scenes where the characters duel, fight, and get into all kinds of normal teenage trouble. I love the realism of each and everyone, even the wizards and gargoyles. You won’t find fake emotions in My Merlin, just everyday feelings we all go/went through as a teen.

Ever My Merlin is written for the older YA audience, but as i have said before, this book is also written for us adults too. I love anything related to Merlin, Camelot, and I could go on and on. Yet this was my first real series that I have had the pleasure to read that brings this lovely tale to a younger crowd. I look forward with sharing it with my own children, so that they too may grow to love the story of the sword bearer, and find their own hope.
( )

Ok, right out of the gate I’m going to break my spoiler policy (namely: try not to give too much away, if at all possible) and answer the question I KNOW my readers have been dying ask – does Ryan make it to Prom? As a matter of fact, she does. I will say no more about it and refuse to disclose who her date is; you’ll just have to read Priya Ardis’s Ever My Merlin to find out for yourself! Now that the most burning question is out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the final book in the My Merlin series.

Picking up where things left off in My Merlin Awakening, champion Arriane (aka Ryan) and wizard Merlin (aka Matt) have met up with multiple wizards to try to minimize damage from the earthquakes and tsunamis ripping across Earth as a result of Vane (Matt’s brother and Ryan’s ex) becoming The Fisher King. The day of reckoning is at hand and the fate of Earth itself lies in the balance. As Ryan uncovers more of Matt’s secrets and learns more about Vane’s past, she finds herself torn between the brothers and has to decide which one to trust…and which must be sacrificed.

As I started reading Ever My Merlin I had no idea where the story would lead. I knew Ryan, as the wielder of Excalibur, was going to need to make a choice but I was amazed at how everything played out. The twists and turns were everywhere, with action and heartbreak scattered throughout. At the center of everything was the love triangle of Ryan, Matt and Vane. I was shocked, I was surprised, and I was moved by this story and the choice that Ryan ultimately made. When the dust settled, Ryan was with the brother she truly loved – and the other was left watching regretfully from the shadows as he prepared to move on. Nothing happened the way I expected and yet it all seemed right – the right choice was made and the right brother was matched with Ryan.

Pacing was excellent; there was so much going on that the story moved swiftly and engagingly. A nice touch this time around were the detailed flashbacks to Vane’s life, which showed how much he loved his brother Merlin and the events that led to their separation and reunion during the rise of King Arthur. Some extremely important points were covered in the flashbacks and when those were mixed with the actions of Vane and Matt/Merlin in the present I found my allegiances shifting. Like Ryan I was torn between the brothers, and when she made her final choice between them I couldn’t disagree with it. This was a well-balanced love triangle that was handled expertly by Ardis.

The emphasis on myths and legends that are such a part of the My Merlin series continues to build in Ever My Merlin, such as Ryan stowing away on Matt’s quest for the Healing Cup – mirroring the Knights of the Round Table and their Grail quest. Camelot, Elysium and the battle of Carthage all make an appearance and become turning points for various characters. Even the Roman gods and goddesses play their part and set Merlin and Vane on the paths that lead to Ryan and the destruction – or survival – of Earth. All of this is woven seamlessly through the narrative and propels the story along.

I had just a couple nitpicks with the book. First was the sudden death of a secondary character I loved, which felt like it was more for the shock value than integral to the story. Ardis has never shied from killing off characters quickly (as demonstrated by the very first death in book one, My Boyfriend Merlin), but for some reason this one felt like it was almost too much. Secondly, the explosive finale – while very exciting – seemed cluttered and confusing. I’m still a bit unclear about the physics/magic behind the choice Ryan made and the sudden side-trip to Elysium she made with Vane and Matt, but at least the results of both were nice and clear. None of this was enough to knock my rating any lower than 4 stars, however.

In the exciting conclusion to Priya Ardis’s My Merlin series, destiny and love collide in a story that pits brother against brother and leaves an 18-year-old girl to determine the fate of Earth itself. Filled with action, romance, magic and legend, Ever My Merlin ends the trilogy on a high note as Camelot is found, Excalibur continues its journey, and we are left to wonder what fantastical quest Priya Ardis will take us on next. ( )

GoodReads Synopsis: The end of the world. The day of reckoning. The final battle.

In the last chapter of the My Merlin Series, it is a time of great strife for Arriane (aka Ryan) and Merlin (aka Matt) as they struggle to stem the flood of destruction unleashed upon the world. Their only hope rests in the one object that can restore their greatest ally: the Healing Cup.

With every scrap of life hanging in the balance, Ryan must convince both friends and enemies that the key to survival rests in the plans of a sword-toting girl of only eighteen. She must reconcile a fifteen-hundred-year rivalry between two brothers, and be ruthless enough to break a heart—and a life—in the process. And at some point, she really needs to get herself to Prom.

My Thoughts: WOW! What a roller coaster ride!

This installment is a total and complete race against time to save the world as we know it. Matt, as usual, thinks he has all the answers. But his judgement is clouded by his jealousy and anger. Ryan, thankfully, is the voice of reason, and is able to perceive things that Matt just can’t bring himself to see. Vane, meanwhile, remains his rather arrogant self…arrogant or not, his love has no bounds where Ryan is concerned.

Priya Ardis has written a very satisfying conclusion to a wonderful story that had something for everyone! Yes, there is an element of romance, but there is so much more. Global, cataclysmic events, duels, history, mythology, at one time I felt like I was reading an episode of “The Amazing Race”, and the prize at the end was saving the world and it’s inhabitants. Ardis has a wonderful voice and her attention to detail as well as history is amazing! I can’t recommend this story enough to everyone, but especially to those who love anything having to do with magic, Camelot, fantasy, history, and mythology! I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Priya Ardis for a wonderful series that is now an all-time favorite! I look forward to re-visiting Matt, Ryan, and Vane many times in the years to come…and I will be anxiously awaiting whatever you choose to write in the future…Yours Truly, a Forever Fan! ( )