A new take on the tale of Camelot and King Arthur that delves into lore and reinvents it.

Laura Sebastian’s Half Sick of Shadows is an entirely new take on the tale, subverting the expectation and creating something that catches the reader off guard.

Storytelling

Half Sick of Shadows is a far cry from her Ash Princess trilogy, in a good way. This novel has a classic feel, is more serious and mature, and captures the medieval atmosphere that usually goes with reading about King Arthur and his court.

I loved how the story progressed and how Elaine, Morgana, and Gweneviere were given strong voices while honoring their femininity.

They were given stronger personalities, stronger relationships with one another, and more than just women attached to men.

But that doesn’t mean Sebastian forgot about the male characters such as Arthur and Lancelot.

While slow-moving, the pacing is very intentional and thoughtful. Sebastian is building and restructuring the mythos to create a new story resembling King Arthur’s retelling.

And given that Elaine can see the future, rebuilding the past before the events all readers are familiar with makes the story stronger.

It’s more than just thoughtful pacing. It’s also about the characters. Sebastian makes sure that they come alive here. There is minimal action to drive the story forward. Still, the tension, the knowing of the bits of the future that Elaine sees, and the secrets she keeps, we see how it fractures her and resonates with her friends, Morgana and Gwen, and love interest Lancelot.

They are complex dynamics and relationships that give the story the depth it needs to retell it in a new light.

Final Thoughts

There are so many moving moments in Half Sick of Shadows. As a reader, you already know the end. Still, the journey of glimpses of what-ifs creates an atmospheric and emotional read that will hook the reader.

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian is a perfect fit for readers who crave a rich, atmospheric, and thought-provoking fantasy adventure that delves into the complexities of female empowerment, the power of prophecy, and the struggle for self-discovery within the mystical world of Arthurian legend.

This was the Arthurian retelling I didn’t know I needed. It’s what The Mists of Avalon was trying to do- tell the story from the women’s perspective - but didn’t. This story actually gives the woken their own agency, and makes several female characters into amazing characters who are smart and strong.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

Laura Sebastian (https://laurasebastianwrites.com) is the author of nearly 10 novels. Half Sick of Shadows was published in 2021. It is the 4th book I attempted to read in 2024.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own!

The story is about young, soon-to-be King Arthur and the cast of characters usually associated with him. The new character is Elaine of Shalott. She can foresee the future.

The young people have been living on the mystical isle of Avalon. King Uther Pendragon has just died. Arthur and his retinue of friends, will soon be headed to his coronation in Camelot.

I spent 2.5 hours reading this 443-page fantasy. With that, I had read almost 15% of the novel. At that point, I called a Rule of 50 and gave up on it. No plot had emerged to me, and the novel was not holding my interest. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 2 out of 5.

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This felt like it was trying to do "girl power" but in a way that gave me a little bit of second hand embarassment. Im not familiar with The Lady of Shalot so all of that is lost on me. If you're a fan maybe this will appeal to you more? But I just found this very mid range. I think Laura Sebastian is just not the author for me.

A dark curious retelling! I love Laura Sebastian’s writing and this did not disappoint! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review.

Half Sick of Shadows had a promising premise but unfortunately, not a lot happened and I found myself very bored throughout.

I really enjoyed this retelling. I was in the mood for an Arthurian tale and Half Sick of Shadows gave me quests, magic, intrigue, and romance. Elaine’s voice gave a whole new perspective to the rise of King Arthur. The past, present and possible future intwine for a unique read. Guinevere, Lancelot, Arthur and Morgana are friends here and we can’t but hope Elaine’s tragic visions are but one reality.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you know one thing about me, it is that I love a good Arthurian legend retelling, and this was definitely one of the best that I have ever read.

This was the fourth book by Laura Sebastian that I have read, and I will definitely read any book that she publishes because they are all amazing.

I feel like a lot of Arthurian legend stories focus on Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, and Morgana so even though they still played a large part in this story I loved that we were able to focus more on Elaine's story.

I wish that we were getting more books with these characters because I loved them all so much.

If you love King Arthur retellings as much as I do this book is definitely worth a read. I can't wait to read it again!

Magical world? Check. Arthurian legend? Check. Female viewpoint? Check. A lot of boxes have been checked off by Laura Sebastian’s Half Sick Of Shadows. Elaine Astolat, Lady of Shalott, was born with the ability to see the future — or rather, futures. Through weaving at her loom, Elaine must find a way to come to terms with the many different paths that lay ahead of herself and her legendary friends, Morgana, Lancelot, Arthur, and Gwen. I’ve always been a sucker for Arthurian legends, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this adult debut of Laura Sebastian, and it did not disappoint.

In addition to loving Arthurian legends, I have a soft spot for retellings of classic tales from a distinctly feminist point of view — as most of these legends, no matter the culture, are often male-centric with women filling the roles of particular caricatures, with no real substance behind them. Laura Sebastian’s Half Sick of Shadows does a great job of turning these legends on their head and giving important attention to the lives of these legendary women.

Something I really enjoyed about Laura Sebastian’s writing was the way she made these stories come alive in a new way. Most people know at least the basics of the story of King Arthur — his knights, the betrayal by his lover and best friend, but she utilizes the nature of Elaine’s Sight to take a familiar tale and still have you questioning how it will end. As a part of what Elaine Sees, there are multiple different versions of future events each with a multitude of possible endings, both good and bad. So as a reader, you are unsure of how things will turn out no matter how much you know about King Arthur. As with the Arthurian legends themselves, there are already so many iterations it seems that Laura Sebastian is paying homage to that as well. Even smaller details, such as the different versions of the villain’s name as Morgana, Morgan, or Morgause, are rectified in Half Sick of Shadows as twin sisters, Morgana and Morguase.

Characters, the Sight, and the Ending
In addition to Elaine’s Sight creating an interesting avenue of the unknown for a reader knowledgeable in Arthurian legends, it also is a very well-used narrative technique. Within chapters, you will be thrust into the past or one of the possible futures with no real warning. At first, it is jarring as a reader, but I think that is the point. Elaine from a young age has had to endure the challenges on her mentally and physically from her visions. She does not necessarily have control over when these appear and what they might tell her. As a reader, you are getting just a piece of that disjointedness that Elaine must live within her daily life.

The world, which is already a rich world with hundreds of years of background material, gains new vitality through Half Sick of Shadows. Within her book, Laura Sebastian spends more attention on the mystical aspects of the legends of Camelot and Avalon, specifically, and even adding new depth to the Arthurian legend’s world. We learn more about the fey-people; the relationship of Albion with other territories; the heritage and background of characters like Lancelot and Gwen; and other characters often only referenced, such as the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, even Elaine herself. I enjoyed reading these new additions to freshen up this world.

One aspect that left me hanging was the ending, which is ironic considering the idea of multiple futures. I guess I’m just unsure of what actually happened in the end. Certain parts are clear, but there are others that seem not entirely answered or fleshed out. Perhaps I just need to go back and reread the last couple of chapters to get that clarity and closure. In addition, it felt slightly rushed in the end considering the pace of most of the book.

Overall,
I thoroughly enjoyed Half Sick of Shadows and Laura Sebastian’s new feminist take on some of the Arthurian legends and would easily recommend this to anyone who loves a unique or previously unexplored point of view of a traditional legend.

I really wanted to love this one because it's King Arthur but I just got bored. I read about 50% of it and lost interest because at that point, nothing had happened. I don't think Elaine was a very interesting protagonist.

Simply perfection. Sebastian created a story that both honors the Arthurian legend and develops something so unique. Reading Elaine's tale was a gift from the author to her readers. Brilliant.

I love all things Arthurian and this gender bent retelling didnt disappoint. I can't wait to own a physical copy.

Creative twist on Arthurian Legend

Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come--for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.

On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends--countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.

When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.

As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change destiny--and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.

I am an aficionado of Arthurian legend. I’ve read many versions of the story through the years but this was genuinely a creative and different version, focused on Elaine of Shalott, someone who is typically considered a minor character in the tales of Arthur. In “Half Sick of Shadows”, Laura Sebastian has re-focused the entire legend around Elaine and that is absolutely brilliant. 

Not only are all the characters, from Arthur to Guinevere, to Lancelot and Morgana, and Elaine herself, all three dimensional, less than perfect and flawed characters, but they feel like real people rather than the stuff of legends. Each of them has their motivations, their abilities, and they all fit into the story in beautiful and amazing ways, ways that change the typical legend that we know. Laura Sebastian has rewritten destiny, creating a new dynamic and a story that readers won’t be able to get enough of. 

Elaine’s abilities give Laura a way to weave different possibilities throughout the novel but also allows her to weave in snippets of the past events in the character’s lives in a realistic fashion without bogging down the main narrative. It allows the reader to see bits of possible futures, including what Elaine is able to do with her abilities to reweave her destiny along with her friends. It is compelling and it is engaging. It is brilliant. 

If you love Arthurian legend and are interested in the female perspective, this is the novel for you. It is well thought out, it is creative, and it is unique. The characters are intriguing and the story is emotional. The character arches are powerful and the twist at the ending makes me want to not only reread the novel time and again but also want more of the world. It is a wonderful version of the legend. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 visions.

I loved reading this book so much! I really enjoy King Arthur retellings, and I really enjoyed the idea of a feminist reimaging! I really enjoyed getting to know Elaine, and her story, though I'm not the most familiar with her role in the original.

These four have been friends and living on Avalon for a good portion of their lives, between the fact that most of them have some sort of magical ability. But the mainland has a deep distrust of magic, and that leads to this gang to make some hard choices. I felt so badly for them!

Elaine has the ability to see the future, and she knows she's going to die by drowning. So that was just lurking at the back of mind, when and how was that going to happen? And oh, when Elaine made that decision, wow, I wasn't expecting that!

That ending, oh, did it hurt! I mean, of all that Elaine saw, things could've been much, much worse, and the choices that she made made it easier, but it still hurt, of all that was lost, all the good that could've happened but didn't, yeah, it was a heartbreaking ending, but it was the right one in the end. Made this story all the better!

This was a really fantastic read, and I enjoyed it so much!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

we love a good Arthurian retelling but not necessarily this one. as i went to write this review, i found out there weren't going to be more books and this is a standalone and that really explains a lot for me. i had issues with the pacing and it got incredibly repetitive at some points.

Half Sick of Shadows in my opinion was a solid reimagining of Arthurian legend, more so the Lady of the Lake. If any readers out there have this on their radar then I urge you to give this one chance. I will throw a disclaimer out there that at moments in the beginning it may be unclear to the reader whether the timeline is past or present. I for one didn't have that issue but that may not be the case for all readers. Third, the plot once again is very character driven then it is plot. It's also not very action heavy. However, Sebastian is excellent at executing a more character-court driven story. I was never once bored while I was reading. In fact I found myself wanting to read any chance I got.