Alfred begins a quest to search for a magical item that belonged to King Arthur, whose history he is an expert, that legend says it can cure anything. He is determined to find it, to save his wife, who is dying slowly. He is willing to find it for this mysterious man called Nigel that seems can perform magic, but can he be trusted? 
 I loved this book in the beginning. I loved the setting, the descriptions, Alfred, Stephen, Benjamin. And the intrigue... I thought I was in for a trip full of mystery and intrigue. But as the story progressed, I started to lose interest. The narration is in third person, and we get to know most of the plot and the lies and betrayals way before the characters, making it irritating most of the time. There were no surprises, nothing really to make me jump or keep me hooked. 
 The ending was really sad, and I was left feeling like there were no wins, only loss. (view spoiler)[ Alfred's fate would have been a better one if he just burned the book. Him not getting to say goodbye to his wife... that was too much. (hide spoiler)] 
 Overall, I liked it, but I expected more, and was left with a bitter aftertaste.