I really enjoyed reading this reimagining of the Arthurian myth. Some readers will likely object to some of the changes made in this novel that break away from what they believe to be the "true" story. This was not an issue for me as I didn't remember a lot of the details written in earlier books and I felt like the changes made worked well in this story.

I like that this story was told in a non-linear manner since Elaine sees the world this way and I enjoyed getting glimpses of the past, present, and future and having them mixed into the story.

Laura Sebastian did a fantastic job of showing me who these characters were. The exceptions were Mordred and Morgause. They felt a bit one-dimensional to me. I would have loved to know a bit more about them. Were they truly just evil?

I feel that despite the jumping chronology the story flowed well. This was a very enjoyable read overall. I will be keeping and eye out for future books written by Laura Sebastian!

I found the narrative confusing and slow moving, as it jumped from the past, to the future as seen in Elaine’s visions, to the present. There were changes to some of the traditional Arthurian characters, too, making Morgana and Morgause twins, and Morgause the wife of Mordred. I’m familiar with the Arthurian legends and the Tennyson poem, but I never really got the sense of that time period. I found myself questioning the author’s research when she mentioned someone drinking cocoa, which was unknown in Europe before the 16th century, and a child was said to be wearing a taffeta dress, even though that fabric wasn’t around back then. The group, Elaine, Arthur, Lancelot, Morgana, and Gwen, seemed more like they belonged in an episode of “Friends” set in an alternate universe, with knights, magic, and patricide. I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I got about 20% into it but I was so bored I had to stop. I did not like the time frame jumps/tense changes and I found Elaine completely dull and void of a personality. I did not care a bit about her and Lancelot and I thought her being an advisor to Arthur was laughable. I also didn't get a sense of Camelot, Avalon, etc. This could have taken place anywhere. This is supposed to be an adult novel but it reads very YA to me. I love Arthurian legend and I thought this would be an exciting book but I could tell from the pacing that it was going to take me forever to read it and when it became too much of a slog I knew it was time to abandon it.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group/Ace for providing me with a review copy of Half Sick of Shadows.
Actual Rating: 1.5 stars

As a really big fan of Arthurian legend, I’ve been loving that there are so many new retellings of the legend, like The Guinevere Deception and Half Sick of Shadows, releasing recently. I had to snap up Half Sick of Shadows, as soon as I read the synopsis. Half Sick of Shadows is a retelling of The Lady of Shalott and claims to be a bold, feminist retelling where the Lady of Shalott, Elaine, reclaims her story. Honestly, I found that the novel was not very feminist at all, despite its claims to the contrary, and that I did not care for a lot of the twists on Arthurian legend, and that I just didn’t like the characters or the writing style of Half Sick of Shadows.

"Nimue's words come back to me. You will always be safe here, but you were not raised to be safe, you were raised to be heroes.

I really do admire that the author, Laura Sebastian committed so fully to writing such a different take on Arthurian legend. I thought it was pretty interesting how a lot of Half Sick of Shadows took place on the island of Avalon. It was interesting seeing the lives that the main group of characters, Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Morgana, and Elaine had there, even if it wasn't extremely well-fleshed out and was told to us from Elaine's memories of the past. However, I never really understood fully why all of these characters were growing up on Avalon, except for some vague and cheesy references to literally being heroes in training. Arthur is supposed to be raised there as part of a peace agreement between the fay and Camelot, since he is prophesied to bring peace to the formerly warring fay and humans with his future reign. Lancelot grows up there with his full fay mother, and Morgana we know, loves it on Avalion, but not why exactly she is there, and not at Camelot, in the first place. I also have no idea why Guinevere was on Avalon at all, but we do find out why Elaine comes to leave her mother's tower and to enter Avalon.

While this take of having such legendary characters growing up together was quite intriguing, I personally struggled with a lot of the aspects of Arthurian legend in Half Sick of Shadows. I was really shocked when Mordred was not, in fact, the son of Arthur. As those familiar with Arthurian legend know, Mordred being Arthur’s son is a very big part of the tragedy of King Arthur. Instead, Mordred is a rival contender for the throne for Arthur, ( the bastard son of Uther, Arthur's father, and also Morgause's husband and stepbrother ), and a pretty basic, run of the mill villainous and conniving character. There wasn’t a whole lot of depth to him. I was similarly surprised by the fact that the major Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot love triangle, which one could argue is the most famous part of the Arthurian legend, and even takes down the entire kingdom of Camelot, was not really a thing in this novel.

Instead the main romance is between protagonist Elaine and Lancelot, who is part fay. So already, two of the biggest tragedies and components from Arthurian legend are missing, and instead we are stuck with an insecure "will-they-won't-they" first love where Elaine is repeatedly going back and forth on her feelings for Lancelot due to her visions. I also didn’t care for the portrayal of Merlin, who seemed to be Mordred’s champion over Arthur’s, which struck me as Arthurian blasphemy. I also didn’t like how little Merlin seemed to care about events in Camelot and the world at large. He was not at all the typical portrayal of Merlin, who usually appears like a magical genius and calculating mastermind, and instead seemed more like a quirky, lazy uncle, who throws in his unwanted two cents every once in awhile. 

Though I most certainly didn’t care for the portrayal of Merlin in Half Sick of Shadows, I found I didn’t really care for most of the other characters either, unfortunately. Arthur was completely bland, pure-hearted, and guileless, as he is often portrayed. In Half Sick of Shadows, he is more of a figurehead for the throne, where important decisions are made by his group of friends, and is also a puppet for the legend of Arthur, rather than a fully fleshed out character. He has to be there in order for it be the King Arthur legend, but he doesn't feel integral to the story at all. I don’t find it believable that such an innocent and naïve person is able to be a legendary king and to make or in his case, even handle, the difficult decisions required. Lancelot was similarly bland to me, despite attempts to add spice to his character by making him part fay, it really didn’t have much bearing on his relationship with Elaine or any of the other characters. Half Sick of Shadows does give Guinevere, who is often portrayed as a damsel in distress or a similarly weak-minded woman, an interesting background, but the fact that she was actually [spoiler] a werewolf[/spoiler] really undermined her character, in my opinion.

In fact, I don’t think I can overstate how much I did not like that twist in her character and thought it not only completely unnecessary, but also as a blanket excuse for why she was more wild than her legendary character, rather than actual character development. I’d really like to see a feral, warrior Guinevere that just had that personality, period. [spoiler] Why did she have to be a werewolf in order to have a backbone or to be good in battle? Why couldn't she have just stood as an equal to Arthur as the heir to her throne back home, perhaps of a warrior people? Why did she have to be supernatural to be able to best him in battle?[/spoiler] There is already so much inherent drama in Arthurian legend, why is it necessary to add these kinds of overdone tropes? 

I didn’t care much for main character Elaine, either, sadly.  She is so caught up in the possibilities of the future and who might betray her that she is truly unable to live. Whenever she hits a bump in the road, she runs crying for help from the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, or to Merlin, who doesn't even really support her same cause. When Elaine does finally decide to ignore a couple of visions, it doesn’t feel empowering, but an act of pure desperation, as nothing else has worked or turned out well. The only character I truly had any positive feelings for in Half Sick of Shadows was, in fact, Morgana aka Morgan Le Fay. I truly found her to be a sympathetic character, loving Avalon, her magic, and wishing to remain on the island forever. It was a pretty big problem for me that though Elaine had [spoiler] foreseen that Morgana would betray her brother, Arthur and his kingdom, if she left Avalon, that she still went. Even Elaine practically broke the fourth wall and says she doesn’t get why Morgana was forced to leave Avalon against her will when it would only lead to Arthur’s inevitable downfall. [/spoiler] And it’s never really explained why this was necessary other than to say that the future is only made up of many different possibilities. 

"Especially knowing what Nimue and I do about [Morgana] and Arthur's relationship, how everything we've seen shows it being the first to fracture, how it leads to everything else. I don't know why Nimue is so insistent on sending her back to Camelot. She could keep her here, happy and out of trouble."

These many possibilities are frequently recounted to us by Elaine, which was honestly not my favorite part of Half Sick of Shadows. As an oracle, Elaine constantly sees visions of the future. That means readers, like Elaine, are constantly reliving the same visions, or different versions of them over and over again, which got quite tedious. Also as a result of these visions, and the fact that Elaine has a foot in the door of the future, Half Sick of Shadows is told in a non-linear fashion. Sometimes, the time setting jumps to past, present, and future all in the same chapter. This really didn’t work for me, especially because the jumping didn’t seem all that well planned, with readers not finding out important parts about characters and events either ever or not until way later after an explanation would have been useful. Plus, this novel is really just one big “tell” and not “show.” Unfortunately, Elaine really tells readers everything, and the story itself does not show us. This made for a less enjoyable read for me personally. 

"Don't you know who you're talking to? Lady Elaine of Shalott--Arthur's closest adviser. He trusts her judgement implicitly, and should you try to go over her head...well, I wouldn't recommend it."

A big thing that I would have liked one of these explanations on was how exactly Elaine ended up as being Arthur’s advisor. To me, it seems like a no-brainer not to pick someone who is known as “Elaine the Mad” back in Camelot to be an advisor.  But Arthur is completely unabashed about Elaine’s reputation and how it might reflect on him, even though it seems like something that could have an effect on his bid for the throne. To put it simply, it’s just bad campaign politics. Plus, I did not see Elaine getting any kind of political training at all in Avalon. Yes, she is an oracle, but I fail to see how knowing certain versions of the future makes you suitable to be the sole advisor to the future king. What’s worse, is she was virtually a shut in in her mother’s tower back in Camelot, so I really don’t see how she was at all qualified or experienced enough for this important position. 

"Nimue would be awfully proud, wouldn't she?" she asks, her voice brittle as frozen glass. "Arthur before all."

One of the biggest issues I had was with the claim that Half Sick of Shadows is the feminist and bold marketing claims. The entire novel revolves around Elaine, the protagonist, Morgana, Lancelot and Guinevere doing whatever it takes to put Arthur on the throne. This usually means sacrificing their own personal well-being, whether it’s emotional, mental, physical, or involves their homelands, families, goals, and dreams. It’s rather depressing, as is the ending of the novel. Yes, Elaine manipulates Guinevere into giving up her own happiness and marrying Arthur on the promise of being able to change Camelot with its typical societal pressures on women, but they both quickly realize this is never going to happen in their own lifetimes. That’s pretty disheartening and not at all feminist to me. 

I guess Half Sick of Shadows likes to portray itself as feminist because of the time the main characters spent on the fay island of Avalon, where woman can wear revealing clothing, sleep with men of their choosing and before marriage. But does it truly count to be a feminist when you’re living somewhere where women have more rights? Isn’t a true feminist someone who fights for the rights of women where and when there are none? It really didn’t translate well to me how easily the woman gave up their rights from Avalon and then gave up on changing things in Camelot for the better. Plus, they were all constantly willing to give up anything for Arthur, a man. There’s a pretty big disconnect here in what the novel wanted to do and what it actually did, which was making its heroine seem unqualified, uncertain, and easily giving up. 

Unfortunately, Half Sick of Shadows, with its non-linear timelines, unlikeable characters, strange takes on Arthurian legend, and constant telling and not showing, which was highlighted by Elaine telling us the same visions repeatedly, was not the most enjoyable read for me. I think the premise of retelling the rather dark tale of The Lady of Shalott as a feminist, modern tale was a really interesting and promising, but sadly, the novel just didn’t stick the landing. For me, I was more than half sick of this novel and considered DNF-ing at several points. If you are not bothered by different takes on Arthurian legend that aren’t really true to the core of it, you might still like this novel. I personally enjoyed another retelling of Arthurian legend, The Guinevere Deception, which also has a focus on the female characters and several unconventional twists on the legend, more.

I was absolutely transfixed and ensorcelled. This is the legend of Camelot reimagined from the perspective of Elaine du Lac, who has the gift of prophecy and connections to Avalon in this version.

Lauren Sebastian sets Elaine free. She's not the powerless, lovesick girl in the tower but a woman with the destiny of all she holds dear haunting her dreams and making her fear for her sanity. Ms. Sebastian's swirling prose makes you feel every bit of it, truly understanding Elaine when she says "Sometimes it feels like the scrying is the only thing keeping me sane." The pacing of the book ebbs and flows giving the reader the same sense of foreboding and dread that dogs Elaine even as she experiences the bloom of first love and the joy ans pain of deep, abiding friendship. Ms Sebastian shows us the weight of Elaine's burden of knowing and the strength she summons to carry it all, transforming her from a footnote to Arthur and Lancelot's story to the axis around which the destiny of Camelot revolves.

It's beautiful, moody book and a heartbreaking meditation on leadership and friendship and the support and sacrifice they require.

Consider this me shoving this book into your hands. You need to read this is you love new feminine perspectives on masculine mythologies or long for the mists of Avalon. If you loved Sierra Simone's New Camelot or Circe you need to scoop this baby up!!!

#MustReadof2021

I know a lot of people are loving this book, but it was just not for me. I thoroughly enjoy Arthurian legend and retellings of the familiar stories, so I was really looking forward to reading this, but I had a very hard time getting through it. The storytelling style of jumping back and forth through time, from the past to the present, with glimpses of the future thrown in, just made me frustrated and impatient. Others may enjoy the feeling of impending doom that this created, and find that it contributes to the pacing and way the story unfolds, but I just did not. Knowing what was going to happen to the characters in the future just made me want to hurry up and get there, so I could see how the characters were going to deal with the events and circumstances that were to come. But constantly flashing back to the past made me keep thinking, "Ugh. Let's move on!" The characters were compelling, and I am sure not very many will agree with me on my feelings about the book, but to me, knowing that awful things were going to happen and having everything drawn out so much really made me not enjoy the book.

DNF at chapter 10.

Unfortunately, this book failed to really grab me. I was wholly uninterested in any of the characters, many of whom I feel are not properly introduced and require you to have a working knowledge of the Arthurian players. I was also not fond of the first person narration; I think it's too obviously used here to build intrigue and mystique around Elaine. I also feel that the writing is lacking the sophistication of an adult novel, which I understood this to be. I know this author previously wrote a successful YA series, so maybe the transition is not as smooth as I was expecting.

Thanks to Ace for approving my request.

As much as I've always been intrigued by Arthurian legends, the one thing that has always bothered me is how the mythos depicts its women. Without except, they are weak in some way: morally corrupt, seductresses, adulteresses, faithless, or, in the case of Elaine of Astolat, most famous for dying of a curse in order to glimpse a man she barely knew. HALF SICK OF SHADOWS flips this on its head, and it couldn't be a more welcome change.

Here, Elaine is part of a group of young people destined to be legends. Her best friend is Morgana, half-sister to Arthur and the woman who encourages her to embrace the magic in her veins rather than hide it away to seem "normal." The complex bonds and loyalties between Arthur, Guinevere, Morgana, Lancelot, and Elaine form the heart of this story, but its spine comes from its women. Here, these women are the powerful ones, full of questions and conflicts and dilemmas. They have real agency, rather than being obstacles in the stories of "great" men.

There are parts of the story that seem oddly paced; at times too slow, at times seeming to miss something, and the often-unmarked time jumps back and forth can take some getting used to, especially at the beginning. This kind of female-centric epic, though, can overcome those structural imperfections to be the kind of story that reminds us of how powerful women can be - and all the ways the world will work to keep that power locked away.

Ever since I learned about it Arthurian legend has been a really interesting topic to me. So naturally I jumped at the chance to read this book. And boy was I glad I did. Half Sick of Shadows takes what is already know about the legends and put a spin on it, making the Lady of Shalott a key character and giving us insight into her story. I really liked this because it kept me from already knowing what would happen. Though a lot of the broad strokes were there I was still kept guessing until the very end. I won't spoil what happens for anyone so you'll have to get the book for yourself and see! The characters were also written very well and I had no trouble reading their personalities. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the old legends and wants to see a fresh take such as this. A huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian is a feminist take on Arthurian legend centered on Elaine, the Lady of Shalott. It wrestles with themes of fate, power, and love. First off, I was so excited to see Tamora Pierce's blurb in the description. Tamora Pierce is my absolute favorite fantasy author, and I own every single one of her books. When I saw that she recommended this book, I knew that I definitely want to read it. Thank you again to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book ahead of its release date!

In this book, Elaine lives in the mystical land of Avalon, the land of the fey. She has visions of the future, foreseeing even her own death, and knows the endings of the tales of her friends Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana - the usual heroes in Arthurian legends. They all moved to Avalon from Camelot when Arthur was a child, after his father King Uther entrusted him to the care of the fey. After King Uther's death, they all move back to the land of Camelot, which has banned magic, to help Arthur fulfill his destiny of becoming King. Suddenly, there are threats to their lives coming from all over.

Here is an excerpt from an opening chapter after the group of five arrive in Camelot:

"Merlin holds up a hand and the room falls silent.
“This boy may indeed be the lost prince,” he says, and though his voice is quiet, it carries throughout the room so that even the peasants gathered outside can hear. “But then, he may not be. The letter is indeed from Uther—I was present when it was signed. The ring, too, is genuine, and I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the letter from the Lady of the Lake as well.”
Relief surges through me, but before it takes too firm a hold of me, Merlin continues.
“However,” he says. “The fey are tricksters. It is known. And it may be that they have sent us an imposter in the place of the prince.”
...
I understand that Merlin could declare Arthur king, but to do so would leave many unconvinced, that the crown would pass to him with uncertainty that could fester and spread.
“I propose a series of three tests,” Merlin says, louder now, to everyone gathered."

Overall, Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian is an entertaining historical fantasy that will appeal to readers of Tamora Pierce's book or watchers of the TV show Merlin. I was pleasantly surprised to see the magical powers of the female characters trump that of the male characters. This is truly a feminist retelling of Arthurian legend., where women are powerful despite the patriarchal society that they live in. A highlight of this book is the relationship-building and break-ups between the five main characters as they hurtle toward their destinies. If the excerpts above seem intriguing to you, or if you're a reader of the fantasy genre, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

I was lucky enough to win an eARC of HALF SICK OF SHADOWS by Laura Sebastian in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks so much to the early look, and have a safe and happy weekend!

I loved the intriguing world and the unique back and forth between past, present, and possible futures. The complex friendships and romance was well written, and I enjoyed the writing style that felt to me like a nice compromise between lovely prose and page-turning fast-paced. Unfortunately the ending left me very unsatisfied and it's hard for me to love a book that does that. I wanted more at the end. It was too open-ended, sad, and vague for me. It left me feeling confused about exactly what was going on. If we'd just had one more chapter actually wrapping it up, and if that wrap-up had been an ending that I could feel happy about, I would have loved the book a lot more.

The writing is great but I really struggled with the pacing and sloppy transitions of time. Some scenes were wordy and long winded. Lack of action and plot progress also created disappointment. The story had a lot of potential but it was hindered by a lackluster execution.

I absolutely adored this book. I read anything and everything related to Arthurian legend, but Half Sick of Shadows is unlike any other Elaine story I've ever encountered. Reading about her and Gwen and Morgana taking back their stories filled my heart with happiness and made me fall in love with these characters from a whole new perspective. 4 shiny stars from me!

This book has such pretty riding and its perfect for anybody in a fantasy mood! I’m glad I was able to read this. :)

Avalon is a sanctuary for the fey and those with power and has been home to Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana for many years. It has also been home for one other, Elaine of Shalott, a powerful oracle who grew up with these heroes of myth in Laura Sebastian’s Half Sick of Shadows.

Elaine is our main character and a fascinating one at that. She wasn’t really a focus in the main King Arthur legend, but in Half Sick of Shadows, everything pins on her. Several prophecies relating to Arthur’s rule existed before, but Elaine’s arrival in Avalon cemented some and added to others. Elaine isn’t happy with her own visions into the future, but everything she does seems to play into them. To put Arthur on the throne, they need to overthrow Gwen’s kingdom, and to get out of there alive, Morgana must be seen as a monster. For the kingdom to accept Morgana, they must take away her powers, but to do so is to set Morgana on her path against the king they are trying to instill. And when they need to use Morgana’s powers to get the sword from the stone, that is yet another betrayal of the friend that power means so much to. Elaine is the orchestrator to so much of this, but even as she knows how it ends, the other choice is always far worse. She sees the future, but they are all trapped in it, even though it’s not set until the past. Eventually she chooses one final future—the one without her in it.

Half Sick of Shadows was a story I loved to read. It was a bit confusing as to what futures would happen after Elaine’s death (does Lancelot still betray Arthur?), but whatever possibilities come after it, this book was beautifully written and gives a new perspective not only on the King Arthur myth, but on the curse of premonition.

A retelling of The Lady Of Shallot where she leaves her tower. That was basically all I needed to know to be incredibly intrigued about this book. I knew it was going to be a feminist King Arthur retelling, and that is basically it. But that was enough for me to be ready and eager to see what this book was going to hold. <b>Trigger warnings: suicide, emotional abuse, blood, violence</b>

I have finished this book, and I am still sitting here slightly slack jawed. I am awed. Wow. Holy heck. A book. What a seriously, seriously good book.

Where do I even start with a book that left me staring like I was just smacked over the head with brilliance.

I guess I will start with the pacing, and the storytelling in general. It is told in the past, present, and future. Yes, three tenses, all intertwined throughout the entire book. And woah, does it work. It works so, so well. It creates this ache; this book hurts. But I think that is the beauty in it. The light that is experienced happens when it is known it will be snuffed out. Everything is barreling toward a future that only seems to end grief and heartbreak in betrayal. There is such love and happiness that is between the characters, and yet those are told in the past tense, when they were sheltered and away. Not in the present, when they are forced to make decisions that cut. And the future that seems like it will crush them under its weight. These tree pieces in time, all so different, but pieced and placed together in a way that makes them all coherent, that lends itself to the plot, the emotions, of the book. It makes it better. It is a big part of what makes this book so, so good.

I could spend so much time talking about the emotional response this book evoked from me. Because wow, did it evoke emotions. Gosh, it is a book that hurts, but gosh, is it amazing. It's not all about the pain and the suffering and the hurt. There's the happiness and the light and the loved and the friendship in between. And I think that makes everything ache more. This book is the definition of bittersweet, mixing the two together until they become one, until it becomes something that slides down the throat but warms the stomach. It knows how to play emotions to the perfect tune, plucking them until they sound just right.

I fell in love with Elaine, with Lance, with Gwen, with Arthur, with Morgana. I fell in love with them all. The friendship, the bond, they share is something special. They are something of a family. And seeing them face the future together, face the kingdom, their roles in stopping the ruin that is on the horizon, was heartbreaking and amazing and all kinds of wonderful. Seeing how they came to be, how they are, and what they could be, it's just, it's hard to describe. They all carry their own weights. They all carry their own pains. And things fracture, and some things break. But some flourish, and some come together. They have choices to make, and they want to make damn sure they make good ones. They are wrapped up in so much tragedy. But there is so much love between them. Just, wow.

I also completely loved Gawain. He was very sweet and very earnest and I loved him a whole lot.

The way Elaine Saw the future was a highlight for me. How the future in this book was presented was a highlight in general for me. This whole book is a fight against the future, against the versions of the future that would cause the most pain. There is such a effort to create a future that is happy, that is alright, but there are so many pitfalls, so many choices, so many things that could happen. There is the threat of the future hanging over every choice, every decision. There is the future that seems like it is going to come to pass no matter what. There is the heartbreak that is right around the corner, the ruin that seems to be inevitable. And the present that needs to be dealt with to keep that future from happening. It's just, something incredible. It's hurts and it aches, knowing how things will fracture, knowing how things might fall apart, watching the seeds to be sown that will lead to ruin. It hurts, knowing that things that were so happy, are now breaking in front of your eyes, and knowing that they could still break more.

The writing, holy heck, the writing. I wanted to highlight every single line, that's how talented Sebastian is. Seriously, this book written spectacularly, with lines that made me want to stop in awe and just, sentence after sentence that was beautifully crafted. Just, so, so, well written.

I love this book so, so much. Sebastian makes you fall in love with these characters, makes them feel fresh and incredibly their own, and then slames some kind of truth of the legend of King Arthur on you. You want to root for them, you want them to be alright. But you also know how the legend goes. And some legends don't end well. It is a spectacular book, and just, wow. I love it a whole lot.

Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian is Arthuriana told by a once unlikley character- The Lady Shallott. Sebastian crafts a tale that's as old as time while giving these characters a breath of freshness that befits today. Set in medieval United Kingdom, Half Sick of Shadows explores Elaine's story and how it fits into the stories of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgan Le Fey.

The Lady of Shalott is finally given a voice in this unique retelling of the Arthurian legends we all know & love 💖

What a ride! This sucker was dense, but I really enjoyed seeing Elaine’s point of view of this classic story. My inner Merlin fangirl was very happy while reading this, even though the legendary sorcerer himself had a very little role in the story.

While I enjoyed most aspects of it, I did find the writing style just a little lacking. Elaine and her friends were supposed to be in their early to mid-twenties, but the writing style read like YA. It also felt a bit sparse, and barren. When I read fantasy, I want it to feel like I’m walking through a luscious forest. Instead, it was more like: “There’s a tree. Here’s a tree. Oh, and another tree.” We didn't really get a lot of world-building in this one.

I did love, however, that struggle - that pull - that existed between Elaine and her magic. It was a constant give and take, and the only real villain in the story. In a way, Elaine is very much like the readers: she knows the tale already, she knows the outline of her life and the lives of her loved ones. And the heartache rips her apart, yet Elaine can’t help but read on.

So sad, but so interesting!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for sending me an ARC copy of this book!

Book Breakdown:

Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
World-Building: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Characterization: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Romance: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Dialogue: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Plot: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆」

*Review will be posted on Goodreads 1 week prior to publishing*

Half Sick of Shadows is an absolutely superb retelling of the Arthurian legend from the viewpoint of Elaine, the Lady of Shalott. We see as young adults the characters we thought we knew so well, and see Arthur's path to the throne through the eyes of the oracle, Elaine, who seeks always to find a way forward that doesn't lead to tragedy. It was a treat to find strong female characters who were principles, not secondary characters to the story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ace for the opportunity to read the eARC.