Looking for a (Maybe) Young Adult Arthurian Retelling that was set in Wales and had Ambrosius, not Merlin!
(Repost from suggest a book cause Idk where to put questions on this site lol)
Back in highschool, I got a book from the library so I barely remember what it looked like and I have no reference for the author name or title. I think the first book's cover was... dark purple I with a spooky tower? I'm pretty sure it was just a duology, but it's been 10+ years, so you never know.
I remember it was set in medieval Wales (non-historical) and had this grungy, gross dark feeling throughout the series. The land felt infected and sick and it was a running theme throughout. There was a queen in charge of the kingdom and she was 100% an evil witch and I think there was an entire point about a welll and a mirror she used to scry?
Arthur (i think he had a different name??) was alone and working as like... a stable-boy or something before he was run out of town because I think they discovered who he was. He befriended Morgana (who might have also had another name) and after fleeing together, they ended up encountering Ambrosius (who was the book's Merlin, tho he could have been a reference to Merlin's father/teacher or whatever) who taught them both about magic, but Morgana was the one who could actually use it.
Overall, it was very grimy and gross feeling and I remember the queen had transitional chapters at the beginning of each part all to herself where the author would give us a glimpse into her evil magics and plans. It was interesting and I loved how much it felt like an 80s dark fantasy (what little I do remember reminds me a lot of Willow).
I've been in a million different boards, lists, and scrolled through roughly 10 pages of goodreads and I haven't found it yet. If anyone can help, I'd be super grateful!!!