I quite enjoyed this author's Ash Princess trilogy, and was excited to see her debut into adult fantasy. While I didn't find there was anything particularly wrong with the writing or storytelling, I didn't quite connect with it, and for that reason, I ended up having to put the book down. I look forward to seeing what she does next, though!

HALF SICK OF SHADOWS was plain old sublime. I always know when I have found a new favorite book whenever a book just grabs me and engages all of my emotions and HALF SICK OF SHADOWS did exactly that. Sebastian breathes new feminist life into not just the story of Elaine of Shallot, but into Arthurian mythology in general, one that gives women agency and control over their own destinies. I really felt like I could relate to Elaine as an MC as she reconciles her duty as an oracle with her love of her friends. I loved the dichotomy and relationship between Elaine, Gwen and Morgana, three complicated women who each are as different as can be but who you can't help but love and root for. Sebastian's choice of writing this book in different tenses and interwoven timelines was a bold and risky choice that I thought added a lovely level of depth and refinement to this book and paid off in spades. As always, Sebastian's writing style was absolutely gorgeous and engaging. To date, this is my favorite book that she has ever written and solidifies her as one my favorite authors. I was almost to tears with this book which is a really big deal because I rarely get so immersed and invested. HALF SICK OF SHADOWS is a story about agency and destiny, and choosing both of those things for ourselves.

Elaine is a seer and she is friends with Arthur, Gwen (Guinevere), Lancelot and Morgana. Arthur’s father, the king, dies. So, Arthur has to return home to take over the reign of the kingdom. Morgana has a cruel twin sister, Morgause. None of the friends want to return to Camelot but they have to nonetheless. Elaine sees a vision that horrifies her to the point of being terrified of what’s to come.

The group arrives at Camelot just as Mordred is about to be named king. Since Arthur has shown up, he’s set to go to Lyonesse to procure a treaty. He has little support from Camelot with only a handful of knights willing to go with him and his group of friends. Lyonesse is supposed to be extremely violent and dangerous and most people never return. When they arrive, they sense something ominous but don’t understand it. That night they hear screams and feral howls and are terrified. The next morning Gwen explains the true nature of her kingdom. Somehow, the king offers up his daughter Gwen to duel with Arthur and what follows astounds everyone. This is a wonderfully told Camelot tale. Elaine deals with the curse of being able to see into the future but none of her visions are guaranteed to come to pass. For every outcome, she sees many possibilities and in the meantime, she struggles to prevent bad ones from becoming true. I love the five main characters and wanted their lives to work out well. I’m sad that I finished it because it’s such an engrossing and enjoyable read. Fresh Camelot tale, 5 stars!

A solid adult fantasy debut from Laura Sebastian! I'm not always into Arthurian retellings but I enjoyed this take, as it's a POV we don't usually see. Not as plot oriented as her other books, but enchantingly written.

A thrilling feminist retelling of the King Arthur story. It's about time the Lady of the Lake got a book all about her! Reminded me of the graphic novel "Cursed" by Tom Wheeler.

4.5 stars

TW: mental health, suicide, cheating, betrayal, death, war and pain.
Myths are full of tragedy and pain, but Half sick of Shadow added a fresh wave of hope and hopelessness that only the Lady of Shalott could offer.

A retelling of the King Arthur legend told from the eyes of Elaine, the Seer. I have loved the legend since I watched BBC merlin and read the myths. God, this book was done so well; it gave a fresh take to the legend but stayed true to the legend.
Even knowing how things turned out, I still felt so hurt, and I felt the pain and betrayal for each character, and I could see their side. I felt like a seer myself knowing what was to come but knowing I had to let it play out.

The book also (the author noted it at the beginning) dealt with mental health and suicide and how emotions and your mind can destroy you, and I think it was handled very well as best as it could.

I thought that I would really love this book as I love Arthurian legends. Did not finish this book.

Very much enjoyed this new twist on the Arthurian legend. There hasn't been a good female POV retelling since Mists of Avalon and with many wanting to avoid that particular author's work, I think Half Sick of Shadows is definitely a worth successor and adding Elaine into the core group upon which most of the stories focus gave the story some new life.

I do think it could have done with some editing paring - 75 to 100 pages less would have kept the plot moving at a little bit better pace and cut out some of the repetition. The ending also felt a bit abrupt; while I understand that the story itself was about Elaine's journey and her part in Arthur's rise and then her part in preserving his legacy for the future, I think it might have been a little bit more effective to have either moved some of the visions to actual action in a chapter of their own at the end (as most people know the story of Arthur's death) or perhaps written a duology with the first book being Arthur's rise and the second his fall.

Overall, however, this was a really solid read. I enjoyed it immensely and have already recommended it to several friends to either read themselves or pass along to family members who I know like Arthur-based fantasy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Great writing and I loved Ash Princess but I wasn't a fan of this one. I've never been much into Arthurian retellings and the jumping around timelines irritated me.

What a terrific fast paced read. I didn't even realize I was reaching the end until it happened.

Half Sick of Shadows is a King Arthur legend retelling from the perspective of Elaine Astolat. Elaine grows up in Albion, and is an oracle, in a country where magic is outlawed. She meets Morgana who takes her to Avalon, where she grows up with Morgana, Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwen. Elaine does her best to try and avoid the doomed future she sees for all her friends.

I did not know a whole lot about this character other than she was married to Lancelot. I really enjoyed this retelling. The characters were all compelling and their relationships real. There is enough changes to the story to make it a worthwhile retelling. There are some confusing bits of jumping back and forth between visions and time, but Sebastian does a great job of denoting when things are changing with lovely language and flow changes that make this a pleasure to read.

Would recommend to any fans of King Arthur legend retellings.

Honestly I had heard a lot of good things about this book. The prose is beautiful, but ultimately this just wasn’t for me. I am looking forward to reading the authors forthcoming books though.

This book was a bit slower paced than I thought it would be, however it was well written. I found myself getting some of the characters mixed up. In the end it was definitely a good story, but nothing overly unique to me. I kept wanting to care more about the characters and found myself being driven by the story. This is not necessarily a bad thing but I’m definitely a character development lover.

This book is truly enchanting and I absolutely loved it. This is my favorite Arthurian retelling. It is beautifully written and I can't wait to go read more of Laura Sebastian's work now. Highly recommend! Rounding up from 4.5 stars because at times the time jumps were clunky/confusing and the prophecies got repetitive.

Beautiful writing and wonderful story. Hooked from the start. I recommend it if you are looking for something unique!

I always loved the imagery of Arthurian stories. This has become a fast favorite for me! Laura Sebastian has taken the sad tragic tale of the Lady of Shallot and turned it into a lush fantasy adventure story! As much as I wish it could have had a happier ending, I have to say it was written and handled beautifully with a bittersweet realism that is not easily achieved. I loved all the fantasy elements brought to the story! The Lily maid was a real heroine in this tale.

I really enjoyed Laura Sebastian's take on the Arthurian legend of the Lady of the Lake. I personally love Arthurian legend, but haven't read to many books that tackle the subject. Once I heard about this book though I just knew I had to read it.

Half Sick of Shadows is told a couple different ways. First things first, the story follows a first person POV narrative. Elaine Shallot is your leading lady for the entirety of the story. I for one thought this was a fantastic move on Sebastian's part because Elaine is never one you really hear about when talking about Arthurian legend. Secondly, the story is delivered to the reader in present timeline, past timeline, and also occasionally visions of the future. The visions are because Elaine is an Oracle and has the power of Sight. 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. 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.

A powerful addition to the Arthurian canon and a great exploration into a psyche under significant emotional strain. If you can handle a heartbreaking ending and have a box of tissue ready, I highly recommend this one.

Half Sick of Shadows was a fun read and a compelling, feminist take centered on Elaine of Shalott. I loved that she was the heroine, especially since she is not usually the main character. Elaine had a big heart, but she was also complex. I'm the biggest sucker for found family, and Half Sick of Shadows radiates that trope. The storyline was not what I expected, in a good way. I rated it four stars for two reasons, the first being the novel's pace. I found that the slow pace at the beginning did not work well. The second reason is I thought the placement of some flashback scenes threw the story off balance. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book very much, and I definitely recommend it!

I really Love Laura Sebastian's writing, and Half Sick of Shadows was great. I do love Arthurian retellings and this was definitely interesting. It did start at an awkward spot, however. It felt like there needed to have way more backstory than where we started. I did love the author's note at the end of the book. It really tied everything together.

I remember studying the painting of the Lady of Shalott and reading the poem by Tennyson in school. Her story was endlessly fascinating and sad. I've found that I am more and more intrigued with Authorian stories and retellings, and this one was really good. I am so excited that more books are being published from the point of view of the women in these famous stories (i.e. Circe, The Silence of Girls, Ariadne, etc,...) I am not completely fluent in Arthurian lore, but I did not find that knowing this legend was required for enjoying the book.

The women in this novel are strong, fierce, and actually interesting compared to many books written about these legends in the past. I highly recommend for those who enjoyed mythology and lore that they learned about in school. The book is written beautifully and I hope to read similar adult fiction/fantasy from Laura Sebastian in the future.

Meh. I'm sorry but I found this book a bit of a struggle to read. It was slow moving and a bit convoluted. I usually love Arthurian legend, but this one did not grab me. This is the story of Elaine who learns of ancient prophecies on the mythical isle of Avalon. It struggles to be a feminist reimagining of the old tales.