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A review by jenpaul13
Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian
3.0
The making of a king can be tremendous work, with much of it often overlooked as it takes place behind the scenes, as seen through the efforts undertaken, and foreseen, to get Arthur on his throne in Laura Sebastian’s Half Sick of Shadows.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Elaine of Shallott is an oracle, which has weighed heavy on her throughout her life, both in the things that she learns from what she Sees as well as in grappling with her power, especially as a child. On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine is able to freely learn about and hone her ability while making friends with the others living there, Seeing the possibilities of the directions their lives could take. Alongside Arthur, Morgana, Guinevere, and Lancelot, Elaine ventures back to the rule-laden and magic-fearing Camelot to aid Arthur in assuming his throne after his father’s death. But taking the throne comes with challenges as Arthur has not lived in Camelot and was thought to be a mere story, marking him as an outsider; set with quests to prove his worthiness to be king, the visions of the potential futures that Elaine has had seem to be getting closer and firming up the course the future will take. As their group begins to fracture from within, Elaine must decide whether to change their fate and if the sacrifices would be worth it.
Arthurian legend is a rich source to pull from and this reimagining had enjoyable moments with a glimpse in to the women of these stories who have typically not been provided much agency or depth in other tales inspired from these legends. The writing provides a palpable impression of the pull Elaine feels to do something to try to change the outcome of her visions, investing readers in her struggle; however, the narrative jumps around in time with recollections of their past on Avalon, their current quest, and Elaine’s visions of the future, making it difficult to maintain the flow of the story as it felt a bit detached from the overall narrative thread. Though the word shadow has relevance to the story and it’s part of the title, I did notice the use of the word quite frequently throughout the text where synonyms would have worked quite well and prevented a sense of heavy-handedness to the lurking and looming nature of the future as well as the secrecy and obscured nature of Elaine’s role. There’s a naiveté to the characters that would be fitting for teenagers, but the characters are in their mid-twenties, which provided a conflicting sense of maturity to their actions, as well as the intended audience for this story.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Elaine of Shallott is an oracle, which has weighed heavy on her throughout her life, both in the things that she learns from what she Sees as well as in grappling with her power, especially as a child. On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine is able to freely learn about and hone her ability while making friends with the others living there, Seeing the possibilities of the directions their lives could take. Alongside Arthur, Morgana, Guinevere, and Lancelot, Elaine ventures back to the rule-laden and magic-fearing Camelot to aid Arthur in assuming his throne after his father’s death. But taking the throne comes with challenges as Arthur has not lived in Camelot and was thought to be a mere story, marking him as an outsider; set with quests to prove his worthiness to be king, the visions of the potential futures that Elaine has had seem to be getting closer and firming up the course the future will take. As their group begins to fracture from within, Elaine must decide whether to change their fate and if the sacrifices would be worth it.
Arthurian legend is a rich source to pull from and this reimagining had enjoyable moments with a glimpse in to the women of these stories who have typically not been provided much agency or depth in other tales inspired from these legends. The writing provides a palpable impression of the pull Elaine feels to do something to try to change the outcome of her visions, investing readers in her struggle; however, the narrative jumps around in time with recollections of their past on Avalon, their current quest, and Elaine’s visions of the future, making it difficult to maintain the flow of the story as it felt a bit detached from the overall narrative thread. Though the word shadow has relevance to the story and it’s part of the title, I did notice the use of the word quite frequently throughout the text where synonyms would have worked quite well and prevented a sense of heavy-handedness to the lurking and looming nature of the future as well as the secrecy and obscured nature of Elaine’s role. There’s a naiveté to the characters that would be fitting for teenagers, but the characters are in their mid-twenties, which provided a conflicting sense of maturity to their actions, as well as the intended audience for this story.