The Fifth Knight

Knights of Caerleon, Book 1

By: Jesikah Sundin, Claire Luana

Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker, Cornell Collins

Four cursed knights. One Warrior Princess. A faerie sword that binds their lives together...

Fionna's only hope to save her family lies across the Irish Sea. As a warrior princess of Ulster, the rival clan holding her father and sister for ransom knows she'll pay any price to get them back. But even she couldn't predict the task set before her - to steal a faerie sword from a king.

The Kingdom of Caerleon is dying under Morgan le Fay's dark magic. Her vengeful curse has locked Excalibur in its scabbard, placing Arthur Pendragon's kingship in jeopardy. Now Arthur and his sword brothers - Lancelot, Galahad, and Percival - have but one hope. The fifth knight. The one foretold by Merlin who will break the curse and heal the land.

But Arthur and his sword brothers didn't expect the warrior to be a fierce and captivating woman. Or the legendary White Fay, prophesied by Morgan la Fay to destroy Caerleon by claiming the heart of a king and three sworn knights.

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Claire Luana and Jesikah Sundin (P)2019 Tantor

so good

King Arthur and his Knights with a twist! Very interesting story can't wait to listen to the rest series

Great story! Excellent narration!

I'm an RH lover for sure and the idea of this story was interesting to me as someone that also enjoys kings, knights, castles, princesses, and fae. The story is quite unique and the characters are fantastic. The narrators are top notch and that makes all the difference in the world when the different accents play a role in the individual characters. There is some steam but not a whole lot. It's more romance without being too mushy. So if you're hoping for lots of sex then this isn't what your looking for. Fionna is a badass warrior that isn't afraid to show a bit of weakness around the men in her life. I'm kind of burnt out on the whole "I'm a badass that can't show my feelings" characters and Fionna definitely has more depth than that. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

Enjoyable, well-written

Likes:
*Characters: Each of the main protagonists are well-fleshed out enough that you get a good sense about what they're all about and care about them. Some of the antagonists (e.g. Morgana) are also fleshed out enough that she gains some sympathy. The main protagonist--Fiona--is left a bit mysterious but also get a feel for her in some chapters in first-person narration. I also liked Merlin--powerful but not over-powerful, wise but not omniscient, magical but human.
--Each character has their unique flaws as well as virtues and this makes them relatable.
--Being a fan of Arthurian Knight tales from medieval literature to present, I like the choices of the authors in what they took of some of the original characters definitions and what they changed.
*Feel of the Writing: The authors have great agility and depth to communicate the changing feelings of the characters, their verbal and non-verbal expression. I found this beautiful.
*This story balances action, adventure, and romance
*Brave, fighting, strong yet sensitive, heroine in Fiona

Dislikes:
*I like a bit more humor in my fantasy books. While this one had some humor, it is mostly written in a heavy and serious manner. Just my personal preference.
*Pick your favorite ship. Fiona is found amazingly compelling by each Knight & by Arthur himself, she also finds her fellow Knights quite attractive, each in their own unique way; she gets together with multiple of them; I wouldn't be surprised if she became intimate with the others as well in the sequels. I didn't need all the details of the 10-Shades of Gray (but cue forward was useful), but I understand that some really like that stuff.

I want more

The Fifth Knight has a unique take on King Arthur and his Knights. The story also includes Merlin & Morganah the Fae. Fiona is a tough, highly skilled fighter, and irresistible princess given a task to save her family only to find her heart and morals getting in the way. This story is interesting, entertaining, and memorable. It does end on a small cliffhanger but I’m looking forward to the next book! The narrators did a good job! I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Surprisingly Excellent

I had low expectations but the series surprised me!

Pros:
- Fiona isn't an insecure blushing flower. She's a confident, a competent fighter, and not blushing virgin. She knows what she wants and goes for it. She has no qualms about her body, and she speaks her mind/ emotions. She doesn't let being tough stop her from telling them her feelings.
- Normalized polyamory! The two Gaelic characters have no issues with it, and it takes the Welsh characters a moment. The authors also pay attention to cultural differences between the Fae, Welsh, and Gaelic characters.
- Normalized queerness! Two of the men get together, and nobody bats an eye.
- Excellent consent. Excellent, hot, steamy smut. And very sex positive. I think I moaned while listening at least twice.
- Every man felt individual and different. It was clear why she liked all of them, even though they are all very different people. They don't feel interchangeable.
- Lots of action and plot, especially in the 3rd book, so I never got bored.
- Excellent narration, the male voice is swoon-worthy.
- No contrived "I love her but I can't tell her" idiot plots! They're all pretty rational, mature adults that grow as people.

Cons:
- The "eastern mystics" in book 2 are super racist. Also, the only people of color in the entire series.
- The readers do have strong accents, so I missed a few sentences because I couldn't understand the accent. Overall not a huge problem and is more on me than the reader.

Neutral:
- VERY fast burn. BUT it's more a horny burn? All of the men are pretty instantly horny for her, and magic plays a part in the love, so it doesn't feel too terribly unrealistic, but it is a pretty quick burn. Usually I hate a fast burn, but I think it was done well here.
- Pretty vanilla smut, but quite passionate and well written.

Overall, if you like reverse harem (especially when some of the men get together) with a strong, confident female lead and lots of plot, I would absolutely recommend this one.

Interesting take on the king Arthur lore

I always been fan of king Arthur lore and retellings and this one is Verry well done and I look forward to getting my hands on the full collection when it comes out in ebook form but as for this audio book it was Verry well done with great quality and good choice of narrators

Excellent

I absolutely love this take on Arthur and his knights. Fionna sets out on a quest to rescue her sister and father. This was a very good book.

couldn't finish it

I thought I would read a tale about a baddass female warrior knight. Instead, all I got was blood rushing to everyone's nether regions. I prefer less kissing more fighting. Performance was good if you prefer all the annoying romance nonsense.

Interesting storyline!

I loved the storyline. It was a fun story but I would have liked to read it before listening. The narrator was not my favorite. I did not think the gentleman narrating worked the voices well enough and the female voices were nasally so it was hard to follow along while doing other things like working or cleaning. The female narrating didn’t convey emotions through her voice either.

Overall a great story. I would like to read it to see if I missed anything while trying to follow along. Fiona is awesome and kickass.

twist

a twist on King Arthur and his Knights that was a enjoyable listen. Can't wait to read and/or listen to the rest of the series.