I went to Amazon here ready to give this book five stars because I so adored it in high school, reading it over and over--even crying at some parts. But, then I was so stunned at all of the mixed reviews there, nearly equal in complimentary and unsavory. O_o

Even more confusing, if you look at the reviews for "Queen of Camelot," which is basically "The Child Queen" and "The High Queen" combined, the reviews are nearly 100% positive with no mention of apparently how awful the latter half of the book is (at least according to the reviews here)! So, I'm not sure what is going on.

Thus, until I reread it and when/if my opinion changes after, I am going with my original feeling, and giving it five stars. I don't remember ever feeling dissatisfied with it or that McKenzie was off the mark, and felt it was just as beautifully written as "The Child Queen" with follow-through that was not disappointing.

I still have my copy of this from so long ago and hope to return to them once I've beaten down my growing pile of new books that are waiting for me to explore them. It is an old, familiar favorite that I always return to when I feel the need to curl up and lose myself. ( )