Review: The Castle of Llyr

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

In this chronicle of Prydain, following The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron, what befalls the heroine is as important, and perilous, as the hero’s own quest. Princess Eilonwy of the red-gold hair does much more than face the unavoidable (and, in her view, absolutely unnecessary) ordeal of becoming a real lady. As Dallben, the old enchanter warns: “For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.” And this holds true for Princesses as well as Assistant Pig-Keepers.“

The summary for this one is both pretty upfront and extremely misleading. I mean, given the phrasing, you’d expect to spend a book following Eilonwy’s working at being a lady—alright, maybe if you remember the book is from the 60s you’d expect something sort of stereotypical and a little cringe-worthy but, you know. Something that centers on Eilonwy.

You’d be disappointed—like I was.

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