So after whining and complaining for awhile about how it was so hard to find decent YA books with a male protagonist I got the mother of all gifts a couple of weeks ago when the first two books in Amanda Hemingway's Sangreal Trilogy showed up.

Wow.

The Greenstone Grail and The Sword of Straw (due out next month) follow Nathan and his family and friends in the modern day English village of Eade as they find themselves embroiled in a Grail legend - but it's a Grail legend that you have never heard before. Not only are their alternate worlds and parallel universes, but the Grail is mixed up in both Arthurian mythology and some interesting twists on stories from Christianity as well (the betrayer's sword - the crown of thorns). It's all lush and rich and deep and full of some bits from faery and some possession issues (of the Church kind) and so much cool stuff! There is so much story in these books - not complicated crazy to keep track of story - but good deep reading kind of story that I blew through both of them and barely came up for air (or to take care of the child - eep!)

I loved these books, flat out loved them.

I get books all the time and lots of them are good (and I write about those good books all the time here), but to find a fantasy trilogy that is this good - well, it's been since His Dark Materials that I've been this excited. I'm impressed, I'm in awe, I'm desperate for the third book (which will probably be a year from now - groan....) There's just so much greatness to these books, from Nathan and his Mom to his "uncle", his best friend Hazel, (who has a ton of great story in the 2nd book that is completely separate from Nathan) and then the alternate world characters - wow. Just wow.

Remember this name people: Amanda Hemingway. She is the real deal, and her books rock.

And for finding her and publishing her - well Del Rey rocks too!