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.

An imaginative retelling of the Arthurian legend from the perspective of The Lady of Shallot.

Magic, friendship, betrayal, intrigue, and the power of choice are the main themes found in this story, which I would recommend for fans of YA fairy tale retellings.

This was such a cool, fascinating read! I'm a huge fan of Arthurian legends, so when I saw a book about Arthur, Morgana, and all of the others, I knew I had to check it out. And this book did not disappoint!

The only problem I had was occasionally with the switching back and forward in time. Sometimes it was hard to figure out whether I was reading about something that happened in the past, or present. But for the most part I didn't have any trouble. And I did enjoy the flashbacks, as they gave some good insight into the characters.

Speaking of characters, that's where this book really shone. I loved how developed, unique, and relatable they all were. I felt so invested in all of their lives that I found myself genuinely worried as they faced the various dangers in the story.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy books, especially if you have a soft spot for Arthurian inspired stories.

“You are different and it terrifies them, so they try to push you down and keep you small and manageable. They know that if they keep you huddling in your corner, you will never stand to your full height. They know that if you ever do, you'll be great enough to ruin them.”

⭐⭐⭐

Content warnings: parental abuse, emotional abuse, death, blood, suicide?, drowning, sexism

Thank you to NetGalley and Ace Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Half Sick of Shadows is an Arthurian retelling that follows Elaine of Shalott in both the past, present, and future as she follows a twisted path with her friends Morgana, Guinevere, and Lancelot on their quest to secure Arthur his throne in Camelot.

The original Lady of Astolat story follows a woman with no personal agency who spends her life alone in a tower and eventually dies of heartbreak. Sebastian did an absolutely wonderful job of writing a retelling of this that gave Elaine her own personality and wants. The found family tropes and platonic relationships here were lovely. All five main characters of sorts had such distinct personalities that it was pleasant to read about them all as well.

I actually really enjoyed the past, present, and future sections all being written in different tenses. Unfortunately, what I struggled with the most in the book is what took me over two months to read it: the plot and the logic of it. While I loved the unique take on the characters and collected a plethora of relatable quotes, I never felt a desire to actually pick this book up and continue it.

As spoiler-free as possible, Elaine has visions of terrible endings for her friends and herself in an unstated amount of time, and she spends the entire book trying to find a way to stop them. The conclusion, and then.... post-conclusion of sorts, left me wondering why we had to go through this entire book for almost no satisfaction in terms of plot.

I still found Sebastian's writing to be very well-done, and will absolutely check out another book of hers in the future! This plot may have just not been for me, and I would still recommend it to fans of Arthurian retellings and multiple timelines written beautifully.