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avispa's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
emilyh2606's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
abranina's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
harborwriter's review
I'm a longtime Arthuriana fan, so I loved the sound of a retelling from the perspective of the women, especially from a subject matter expert. I had a difficult time getting into this one, though--the pacing felt pretty slow at the beginning.
spikeabell's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
samkb's review
2.0
2.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“The Cleaving” retells Arthurian legend from the perspective of the sorceress Nimue as she serves first Ygraine, then Morgana, then Guinevere. The author is an expert on this era and thus the book is incredibly rich in historical detail. There are also some deeply beautiful passages amidst the rapidly moving plot.
However, Nimue’s role as a passive observer does not situate her well to be the narrator of the entire story; she mainly chooses not to engage in mortal affairs and instead tells the events in a bland, factual tone that along with the somewhat episodic nature of the plot caused me to rapidly lose emotional investment in the story and the characters. I may have preferred a multi-narrator setup where we also heard from Ygraine, Morgana, and Guinevere, all of whom are more interesting characters. Nimue’s inner world is not particularly robust or complex, and hearing from the other women may have enriched the experience of reading.
The story was also told in chunks, skipping large swaths of time in order to cover everything contained in the legend. This really prevented me from becoming invested because even while approaching the end, it didn’t ever feel like the story was leading to anything important. Everyone’s motivations were either unclear the entire time, confusing, or implausible (especially Merlin). At many points not a single character was behaving logically. Entire plot threads were introduced and then dropped partway through. This book had real potential, but there are so many other issues that really got in the way of being able to appreciate it.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“The Cleaving” retells Arthurian legend from the perspective of the sorceress Nimue as she serves first Ygraine, then Morgana, then Guinevere. The author is an expert on this era and thus the book is incredibly rich in historical detail. There are also some deeply beautiful passages amidst the rapidly moving plot.
However, Nimue’s role as a passive observer does not situate her well to be the narrator of the entire story; she mainly chooses not to engage in mortal affairs and instead tells the events in a bland, factual tone that along with the somewhat episodic nature of the plot caused me to rapidly lose emotional investment in the story and the characters. I may have preferred a multi-narrator setup where we also heard from Ygraine, Morgana, and Guinevere, all of whom are more interesting characters. Nimue’s inner world is not particularly robust or complex, and hearing from the other women may have enriched the experience of reading.
The story was also told in chunks, skipping large swaths of time in order to cover everything contained in the legend. This really prevented me from becoming invested because even while approaching the end, it didn’t ever feel like the story was leading to anything important. Everyone’s motivations were either unclear the entire time, confusing, or implausible (especially Merlin). At many points not a single character was behaving logically. Entire plot threads were introduced and then dropped partway through. This book had real potential, but there are so many other issues that really got in the way of being able to appreciate it.
paromita_m's review against another edition
3.0
The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna is described as a feminist retelling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view (POV) of four titular female main characters - Ygraine, Nimue, Morgana and Guinevere. I am very interested in the Arthurian mythos. Having enjoyed older works such as The Once and Future King by T. H. White, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley as well as more contemporary works such as The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell and Spear by Nicola Griffith, I was very much looking forward to reading this novel.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel though I disagreed with the "feminist" label in the description. I found the novel to be female-centric, certainly, especially giving us the POV of Nimue who is often neglected in Arthurian retellings. However, it fell short of tackling feminist themes for me and that was its main shortcoming, according to me.
Otherwise, The Cleaving is an Arthurian retelling with compelling storytelling, excellent pacing and a comprehensive coverage of the events that led to the fall of Camelot. The magical elements were blended nicely with the main narrative and I enjoyed reading about the power of women's magic and the far-reaching impact it had on destinies. Perhaps the characterisation could have been a more fleshed out.
I enjoyed reading The Cleaving and would recommend this to readers of the Arthurian mythos, historical fantasy and historical fiction, for a different, female-centric take on the Arthurian legend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Angry Robot Books for an electronic Advanced Reading Copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel though I disagreed with the "feminist" label in the description. I found the novel to be female-centric, certainly, especially giving us the POV of Nimue who is often neglected in Arthurian retellings. However, it fell short of tackling feminist themes for me and that was its main shortcoming, according to me.
Otherwise, The Cleaving is an Arthurian retelling with compelling storytelling, excellent pacing and a comprehensive coverage of the events that led to the fall of Camelot. The magical elements were blended nicely with the main narrative and I enjoyed reading about the power of women's magic and the far-reaching impact it had on destinies. Perhaps the characterisation could have been a more fleshed out.
I enjoyed reading The Cleaving and would recommend this to readers of the Arthurian mythos, historical fantasy and historical fiction, for a different, female-centric take on the Arthurian legend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Angry Robot Books for an electronic Advanced Reading Copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
thestainlesssteelrat's review against another edition
5.0
Familiar tales told from a new perspective could become my new favourite thing.
Here are the Arthurian legends told from the perspective of the women involved, so often just tokens in other tellings, here they shine a light on the less than heroic version we need to make the tales more rounded and fleshed out.
I highly recommend this new version, and am reminded I need to get back to McKenna's Green Man series as soon as possible.
Here are the Arthurian legends told from the perspective of the women involved, so often just tokens in other tellings, here they shine a light on the less than heroic version we need to make the tales more rounded and fleshed out.
I highly recommend this new version, and am reminded I need to get back to McKenna's Green Man series as soon as possible.
sarah_grey's review
2.0
There are a couple of elements of this that I really loved- but they were never fully realized or expanded on. Overall it is just fine. It's very surface level, no surprises.
booksforscee's review
2.0
The legend of King Arthur is one of violence at its core. The women in it are no more than puppets of masculine fears. Women with power are witches, women with children are forgotten. Women who refuse are meant to be conquered and women who are used are adulterers. This book gives a voice to them.
Going into this book I thought there would be more retelling. This book is true to source and you can tell how much research went into it. It gives these characters that are no more than names a true voice. But the horrible things still happen to them. We just get more of it.
This book is so well researched, the premise is super interesting, but ultimately was not for me.
There are so many trigger warnings in this book so I strongly recommend check those before picking this up !
Going into this book I thought there would be more retelling. This book is true to source and you can tell how much research went into it. It gives these characters that are no more than names a true voice. But the horrible things still happen to them. We just get more of it.
This book is so well researched, the premise is super interesting, but ultimately was not for me.
There are so many trigger warnings in this book so I strongly recommend check those before picking this up !