Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

6 reviews

nicosta_music's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Half Sick of Shadows was a really great retelling of Arthurian myth. It kept a lot of the adventure and magic that is typical of the genre, but added a few more modern sentiments like strong female characters and discussions of what it meant to be a strong female in that time period. I really enjoyed how the book was themed around how far one is willing to go to protect their friends or achieve a certain destiny. My only complaints are that knowing how the story was supposed to end made the book slog at times (especially with it jumping between past, present, and future), and I also wasn't a huge fan of
the trope where women have to give up their power in order to further a man, but I guess that was the whole point the book was making anyway.
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acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book! It's going on my list of top books of 2024. This is a feminist retelling of the King Arthur story from the perspective of The Lady of Shalott. I've been trying to find this again ever since I read Avalon High in high school. I loved this take on the story and I honestly loved the character of Elaine. I found her relatable, as someone with a tendency to not let others get too close. I can't recommend this enough to anyone who loves retellings!
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tc_booksandmore's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective sad 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

4.0

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truthaurdare's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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rosethorne_27's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book had some elements that provided interesting social commentary about issues in feminism, and how a society that doesn't treat women with respect can impact female friendships. The author did put some creative spins on the original myth, but unfortunately, her treatment of issues related to mental health as a plot element were extremely off-putting.
Any story where suicide is treated as a character defining moment of a woman choosing her own path, and where it is also a plot answer solution to the character's problems is a very dangerous message to be giving young women. I think the good elements of this book were ruined by this glaring oversight. I'm really not sure how it got by the sensitivity readers. I understand that the death of the original Lady Shalott was an unavoidable obstacle in the author's attempt to rehabilitate this character as a modern heroine, but maybe some characters should be left as they were. Elaine is not the model we need.
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readwithde's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this book, but maybe that's a good thing. 

Let me start with the good parts, the loyalty and camaraderie and love between the main characters, the difficult choices and grey areas of life, the weight of power and responsibility for the future, the interwoven fates of Gwen, Elaine, and Morgana... it was so rich with detail and life and possibly. 

As for the not-so-great parts, Elaine became a bit annoying to me.
She is constantly aware that knowing the future can have adverse effects, but she often finds herself steering the group into the wrong paths, the choices leading to a dark and painful ending. While I appreciate how she removed herself from the cycle, she still caused collateral damage, primarily to Lancelot.


I also felt like I needed 2 extra chapters, just to detangle what may have changed, if anything.
I would have loved to get a glimpse of how Arthur and Lancelot survived Camelot without the girls being there to counsel, heal, aid, and generally keep them safe and functioning.


Overall, I love this version of the story, and I love the focus on how the women of Camelot could not be themselves, how Gwen, Morgana, and Elaine spent their entire lives being trained to sacrifice themselves for Arthur's sake.
How they slowly eroded over time, and would have become even worse versions of themselves if not for choosing their own lives over Arthur's.
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