Reviews

This was hard to get into. Chapters alternating between present, past and future made things feel disconnected. For a while, I didn’t think I would read till the end. I put it down and read other books instead. At the halfway point it began to get better. Reading between memories and visions became easier. I fell into the groove. Besides I wanted to know why Elaine would drown. That first line was a gut punch.

The end really made up for all the struggle. Elaine, the new lady of the lake. I’m pretty sure I gasped out loud. I didn’t even expect it. I was blindsided in a great way.

Glad I didn’t give up on this one.

saradf7's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Love the way that the author wrote about Elaine’s gift and mental health

bookwyrmsam's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this one! I'm always drawn to Arthurian retellings that focus on the women of the mythos and I've once again found one I really enjoyed (though happily, it's quite different from my other favorites). The exploration of fate and fearing things that haven't happened yet is something I usually enjoy in fiction, and it was discussed in a really interesting way here. I loved the way the relationships between the characters were woven and how we saw Elaine fight against changes and rifts she knew were approaching. I especially loved the way Morgana was depicted in this telling of the story (she actually reminded me a fair amount of Morgana in the BBC Merlin show if she'd had an arc that was more slow burn). I was a fan of the writing style, though I know the way Sebastian jumps between past, present, and future has confused other readers. I also did not mind the historical inaccuracies/anachronisms as much as other reviewers seemed to. I am usually coming to Arthurian stories for the fantasy elements and the character explorations more than I am invested in the time period. Although the use of corsets as imagery for constraining women did get a little annoying overtime because of how popular of a misconception that is.

emmakate_3's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

angeld's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Giving this 4.25 stars because I genuinely had a good time despite minor flaws and an unsatisfying ending. While this may as well be due to a severe reading slump (that I hadn’t been able to get out of for months) I won’t discredit the book for being entertaining! Admittedly I am not at all familiar with the Arthurian legend and have only heard bits and pieces about the story, so I went into this book with 0 expectations and I guess that went in my favor. I loved the different characters and their personalities; I enjoyed their banter and reading about their relationships. The plot itself felt like a high-stake one that was super gripping to read about. Despite being confused about the alternating timelines I was able to get used to that rather quickly so that wasn’t a problem. Overall, this was one of the most entertaining books I’ve read this year!

Content Warnings

katzuyas's review against another edition

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4.0

I’m not a fan of the ending, but this book was entertaining from start to finish.

the writing style, not to hoot my own horn, reminded me a lot of my own and that spoke to me so much that reading this was a true pleasure and I’m so, so happy I picked this up. this story spoke to me on all levels, and I’ve had a great time reading it.

I enjoyed the characters, their different motivations and goals. the conflicts were written in a very engaging way, and there wasn’t a single moment I was bored reading this, which is a++ the romance was also just the right amount of angst and sweetness that I enjoy.

overall, I have nothing bad to say about this book. if there’s one thing I wish we got more of, it would be that gap between arthur’s crowning and the ending, how things have turned out after elaine left. still, even as it is, it was a super fun read and I’m definitely keeping an eye on the author’s other titles now

abauer's review against another edition

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4.0

An Arthurian retelling centered around Lady Elaine of Shalott, Half Sick of Shadows spends as much time in the past and future as it does in the present. I would not normally be a fan of this writing style but I feel like it was essential to character development in this case because it mimicked Elaine's mind as an oracle, creating a sense of impending doom that the character must surely have felt her entire life. Despite Elaine's struggles, I do feel like the book gave the power back to the women of the story, allowing them to forge new paths and offering a fresh take on a familiar tale.

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