A review by bookwyrmsam
Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian

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.