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alexandra_medley1995's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thecaseofbooks's review
4.0
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to @netgalley , @jemckoxon and @angryrobotbooks for allowing this.
I really enjoyed The Green Man books by Juliet E McKenna so when I saw she’d written a retelling of Arthurian legend from the lens of the female characters, it was a must read for me. I would advise checking content warnings as there is content that could be distressing.
We primarily follow Nimue who has wild magic. The book is set over many years, starting with Ygraine and the birth of Arthur, and going right up to the end of his story. Nimue is present for the stories of Ygraine, Morgana and Guinevere.
A core theme in this book is the way women are treated as property by men, and the consequences they face if they try to rebel, or take agency over their own lives. It’s brutal and cruel. Also the sheer amount of unappreciated labour women do to take care of all of the unseen details needed to keep men fed, organised and happy. Very few men come off well in this book. They’re largely bossy, self-interested and arrogant.
I did thoroughly enjoy this, I was invested throughout. I was a tiny bit confused by some of the earlier time jumps but when I realised what was happening it was fine from that point onwards.
This was one of the better retellings I’ve read. It keeps core details from the legend, preferring instead to relay the tale from the perspective of other, less seen characters. It wasn’t trying to change the narrative too much, or villainise the male characters just for being men. It treats them as products of the culture at the time, rather than all bad. This allowed you to separate out the really malicious characters. Nimue often succeeds against perilous odds because of her ability and her respect for others and because she uses her magic responsibly. This is in stark contrast to Merlin who uses his recklessly and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process, earning him enemies amongst his own folk.
I enjoyed this and I’d gladly read more from this author.
I really enjoyed The Green Man books by Juliet E McKenna so when I saw she’d written a retelling of Arthurian legend from the lens of the female characters, it was a must read for me. I would advise checking content warnings as there is content that could be distressing.
We primarily follow Nimue who has wild magic. The book is set over many years, starting with Ygraine and the birth of Arthur, and going right up to the end of his story. Nimue is present for the stories of Ygraine, Morgana and Guinevere.
A core theme in this book is the way women are treated as property by men, and the consequences they face if they try to rebel, or take agency over their own lives. It’s brutal and cruel. Also the sheer amount of unappreciated labour women do to take care of all of the unseen details needed to keep men fed, organised and happy. Very few men come off well in this book. They’re largely bossy, self-interested and arrogant.
I did thoroughly enjoy this, I was invested throughout. I was a tiny bit confused by some of the earlier time jumps but when I realised what was happening it was fine from that point onwards.
This was one of the better retellings I’ve read. It keeps core details from the legend, preferring instead to relay the tale from the perspective of other, less seen characters. It wasn’t trying to change the narrative too much, or villainise the male characters just for being men. It treats them as products of the culture at the time, rather than all bad. This allowed you to separate out the really malicious characters. Nimue often succeeds against perilous odds because of her ability and her respect for others and because she uses her magic responsibly. This is in stark contrast to Merlin who uses his recklessly and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process, earning him enemies amongst his own folk.
I enjoyed this and I’d gladly read more from this author.
tealbrigade's review
I’m really intrigued by the premise and nay revisit later, but something about the narration puts me off.
heathers_reads's review
3.0
The cleaving is a fantasy / historical fiction novel set in the Arthurian era and loosely based on King Arthur and Camelot. The story is retold from Nimues POV and follows the interconnected lives of three other strong female leads: Guinevere, Morgana and Ygraine.
The book starts before Arthur’s birth and has several time jumps throughout bringing us further into the future. The Cleaving sets out to shine a light on the Violence and oppression caused by the patriarchy, and the women who try to survive in a time where their safety is constantly at stake.
I love fantasy and mythology retellings. I have somehow never been exposed to an Arthurian retelling where King Arthur is shone in a negative light, so this was definitely a new experience for me!
What I would loved to see more of: I would have loved to see more world building and magical elements. I would have loved Nimue to be less passive and use her powers and resources for the good of the people, regardless of the consequences. However I did note the growth of our four women going from naive brutalized young women to strong resourceful and independent heroines.
The ending was extremely climatic with lots of blood, gore, magic and spells. The author spent a lot of time researching for this book and you can feel that through the attention to detail, accuracy of events and visceral descriptions.
I would recommend to those who like to hear tales from a woman’s perspective, dark fantasy retellings, or the Arthurian legend in general. Just don’t expect to read a fairytale, this book dives into some deep, potentially sensitive subject matter, and doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life from a time long past.
The book starts before Arthur’s birth and has several time jumps throughout bringing us further into the future. The Cleaving sets out to shine a light on the Violence and oppression caused by the patriarchy, and the women who try to survive in a time where their safety is constantly at stake.
I love fantasy and mythology retellings. I have somehow never been exposed to an Arthurian retelling where King Arthur is shone in a negative light, so this was definitely a new experience for me!
What I would loved to see more of: I would have loved to see more world building and magical elements. I would have loved Nimue to be less passive and use her powers and resources for the good of the people, regardless of the consequences. However I did note the growth of our four women going from naive brutalized young women to strong resourceful and independent heroines.
The ending was extremely climatic with lots of blood, gore, magic and spells. The author spent a lot of time researching for this book and you can feel that through the attention to detail, accuracy of events and visceral descriptions.
I would recommend to those who like to hear tales from a woman’s perspective, dark fantasy retellings, or the Arthurian legend in general. Just don’t expect to read a fairytale, this book dives into some deep, potentially sensitive subject matter, and doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life from a time long past.
roll6d20's review
3.0
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC given in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, what a spectacular cover! It reminds me of art noveau tarot decks, love it.
I have a bunch of things to say but I'd like to preface with this: I would actually recommend this book specifically to people who likes fantasy and want to start exploring arthurian legends, and even buy it as a gift for someone else (& buy it for my shelves because LOOK AT THAT COVER). It was well written and I did enjoy most of it.
If you're interested in this book, TW for rape and sexual violence.
Now, onto the spoilers:
Re. the character building: Nimue's current persona is well established and developed but we know almost nothing of her background except for a few lines that explain how she got to serve Ygraine. Her conections to the women she serves feel too thin and disspasionate, too surface level to actually engage the reader - for instance, I would have loved to know why she chose to serve instead of wieilding her power, and why as a maid and not a companion or advisor. Other characters are developed well enough for their roles, although some of them could be removed completely and the story wouldn't change a bit (i.e. Melyas, king Gorlois' squire, and the king himself for that matter) but they do feel alive and complex, especially the women Nimue serves.
Re. the world building: I think someone with a bit more knowledge of Arthurian legends and the general land layout of the area would have been in a better position than me. I still have no clue what the distance was between kingdoms, so Nimue teleporting from point A to point B had zero impact - is it a 100km or a 1000km trip? Who knows! I also would have loved to read more details on the fantasy side of the story - all I know is that there's 'hidden people' that live... somewhere away from mortals, that they wield magic and that they don't like to meddle in mortal affairs. Of the two later magical antagonists, the Lady of the Lake, the Lady of the River, I know nothing except that they're powerful, and located somewhere in the vicinity of a lake and a river respectively. I feel there was so much to expand yet we got so little. Like, who is really Merlin? What does he want, except to save the isles from some vague threat that never fully comes? I know this story is about Nimue and not Merlin, but we're not getting her backstory either!
Lastly, re. the pacing, it didn't give me time to connect with any of the ladies Nimue seems to be attached to. Ygraine went through a terribly traumatic experience and less than a hundred pages later we're ditching her to follow Morgana. Right when I'm warming up to her BAM, we ditch Morgana (who's also a victim of sexual violence) and welcome Guinevere.
My final thoughts are that this story could have been told in two or three parts and the universe expanded on, and we'd have gotten a much better result.
First of all, what a spectacular cover! It reminds me of art noveau tarot decks, love it.
I have a bunch of things to say but I'd like to preface with this: I would actually recommend this book specifically to people who likes fantasy and want to start exploring arthurian legends, and even buy it as a gift for someone else (& buy it for my shelves because LOOK AT THAT COVER). It was well written and I did enjoy most of it.
If you're interested in this book, TW for rape and sexual violence.
Now, onto the spoilers:
Spoiler
Asides from some children's books and Disney movies I think this is my actual introduction to Arthurian legends, and it was an okay one. The story is engaging but it did feel lacking in some areas, like world and character building. The pacing is also strange, rushing from episode to episode through actual generations at the side of a seemingly immortal character. More on this later.Re. the character building: Nimue's current persona is well established and developed but we know almost nothing of her background except for a few lines that explain how she got to serve Ygraine. Her conections to the women she serves feel too thin and disspasionate, too surface level to actually engage the reader - for instance, I would have loved to know why she chose to serve instead of wieilding her power, and why as a maid and not a companion or advisor. Other characters are developed well enough for their roles, although some of them could be removed completely and the story wouldn't change a bit (i.e. Melyas, king Gorlois' squire, and the king himself for that matter) but they do feel alive and complex, especially the women Nimue serves.
Re. the world building: I think someone with a bit more knowledge of Arthurian legends and the general land layout of the area would have been in a better position than me. I still have no clue what the distance was between kingdoms, so Nimue teleporting from point A to point B had zero impact - is it a 100km or a 1000km trip? Who knows! I also would have loved to read more details on the fantasy side of the story - all I know is that there's 'hidden people' that live... somewhere away from mortals, that they wield magic and that they don't like to meddle in mortal affairs. Of the two later magical antagonists, the Lady of the Lake, the Lady of the River, I know nothing except that they're powerful, and located somewhere in the vicinity of a lake and a river respectively. I feel there was so much to expand yet we got so little. Like, who is really Merlin? What does he want, except to save the isles from some vague threat that never fully comes? I know this story is about Nimue and not Merlin, but we're not getting her backstory either!
Lastly, re. the pacing, it didn't give me time to connect with any of the ladies Nimue seems to be attached to. Ygraine went through a terribly traumatic experience and less than a hundred pages later we're ditching her to follow Morgana. Right when I'm warming up to her BAM, we ditch Morgana (who's also a victim of sexual violence) and welcome Guinevere.
My final thoughts are that this story could have been told in two or three parts and the universe expanded on, and we'd have gotten a much better result.
dryden's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
plume_de_renarde's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape
Moderate: Misogyny
elmolibrary's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Political rating 3 ⭐️
Arthur x Excalibur story based on Nimue perspective? 2.5 ⭐️
Moral of the story and the ending? 4⭐️
3⭐️— The idea of the story from Nimue’s perspective in this book captured my curious heart immediately. I do expect that it would be some sort of sisterhood and woman empowerment in the historical and fantasy sense. Even though it was not as good as I thought but the political movement in this book deserves applause!
The story began a long way before Arthur is a King. The beginning of this story starts with Ygraine and her husband (I already forgot the name) having a regular marriage as King and Queen, however, when it comes to making the Uther itself, some political sense comes to mind, and threatened each other. Merlin, the greatest sorcerer at that time who also can see the future, holds dear the plan of making that certain man “The Great King”. However, Nimue knew about that and tried her best to help Ygraine and stop Arthur. The interesting story began when Nimue comes back from the exiled and showed up on Arthur’s doorstep knowing that Morgana has a magical sense in her blood.
The Issues:
①Clothes and appearance as symbols, mostly clothes known as fashion symbols as well as the status of wealth. In this book, the clothes also define as the emotion and the status of people but not as a fashion. For example, as pointed out mainly in this book; showing up your hair without anything covering your head, will label you as a whore.
②Male or Men always feel inferior, not a surprise or shocking event because male always has their own pride to behold. And in this book, the egoism and pride they had to have their own cruel way to the world. Simultaneously known as a man’s word was law. Therefore, even though when the ruler itself is a woman, they are still seen as a lower standard-the woman. Even then, when the negotiation comes, the woman cannot have their own voices.
③Don’t send a man to do a woman’s job.
④The Motherhood, whether likes it or not, motherhood feeling on a woman always comes up when it comes to their own child. In this case, even though Ygraine holds a grudge about how she got Arthur as her son in the first place, she still wanted to keep Arthur safe at all cost.
⑤Fame vs the Unknown, well, I know this was a shocking event when it comes to Merlin and Nimue. As I know so far, Nimue is much more powerful than Merlin, but I have no idea she is that powerful. Even Merlin can be beaten up by Nimue itself when Nimue barely uses her own magic threads. However, it was indeed odd because Merlin, the greatest sorcerer of all time can even be defeated by so me mere sorcerer.
⑥The Opposite Ruler, Uther known as “The Dictator” to my liking, Arthur has his own way to rule the Kingdom, he would like to make the other person in the round table he had as equal. It is also proof that sometimes, the apples fall a bit far from the trees.
⑦The Different ways of Death, hanged or burned. When it comes to someone who had magic and is a woman, it must be sure to be burned. Because in this book clearly mentioned that if a woman hanged, male could see something under the skirt. It was also proof of which point of view this book wanted to be. Because it showed up that male is a perverted human but it doesn’t mean that female is not either.
⑧Siblings different treatment and Jealousy. Every parent will always have their own favorite child even though they always denied upfront but deep down, they would know which one is their favorite. It makes the siblings feel of jealous on each other and makes the crumble of household sometimes.
The Characters, I do not have any favorite or some well-known character that piqued my interest. They have their own unique way of certain storylines but they were not out of place or some sort. Then the shocking part is some character has an eye-opener on me while reading it and gave me the vibes of “Holy, I had no idea that he/ she is that disgraceful” or something. The writing is not quite making me bored even though some part does confuse me because of the words chosen. However, for the historical genre, this book is quite relaxing to read. Also, since it was picked from Nimue's point of view, many things I had no knowledge of because mostly, the book or the story about Arthur and the Great Table or whatever the title is, always has Arthur and Merlin's point of view. Then, this book has its own plus point from me. The Storyline, is damn well written because it just goes with the flow and the claimed feminist retelling did a great job of delivering in its own way! Also, the magic in this book is well known as everything comes with a price which not many authors can deliver this well. GOOD JOB! The main moral of the story and the main meaning of Excalibur. It has me hooked on the last story in this book. It was a great and laughing matter to me because I did not expect these at all. The reason behind it, was those three women or I could say four of them
To conclude, I like this book even though it took me long enough to read it because I have a few times a day when my work wasn’t on the way. This book has delivered in its own style about feminism Arthur retelling as well as from different points of view that we knew. It is refreshing and relaxing despite some unfamiliar words, too many characters' names to be remembered, and the political sense that has my brain wrecked sometimes. However, this book if it was compared to the other historical about Arthur and Excalibur, I like this one better because it hits differently and it got varian of emotional feelings on the surface.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me e-arc of this book and giving me the privilege to read it before the publication date. Also, I would like to apologize to give the full review one month after the publication.
Arthur x Excalibur story based on Nimue perspective? 2.5 ⭐️
Moral of the story and the ending? 4⭐️
3⭐️— The idea of the story from Nimue’s perspective in this book captured my curious heart immediately. I do expect that it would be some sort of sisterhood and woman empowerment in the historical and fantasy sense. Even though it was not as good as I thought but the political movement in this book deserves applause!
The story began a long way before Arthur is a King. The beginning of this story starts with Ygraine and her husband (I already forgot the name) having a regular marriage as King and Queen, however, when it comes to making the Uther itself, some political sense comes to mind, and threatened each other. Merlin, the greatest sorcerer at that time who also can see the future, holds dear the plan of making that certain man “The Great King”. However, Nimue knew about that and tried her best to help Ygraine and stop Arthur. The interesting story began when Nimue comes back from the exiled and showed up on Arthur’s doorstep knowing that Morgana has a magical sense in her blood.
The Issues:
①Clothes and appearance as symbols, mostly clothes known as fashion symbols as well as the status of wealth. In this book, the clothes also define as the emotion and the status of people but not as a fashion. For example, as pointed out mainly in this book; showing up your hair without anything covering your head, will label you as a whore.
②Male or Men always feel inferior, not a surprise or shocking event because male always has their own pride to behold. And in this book, the egoism and pride they had to have their own cruel way to the world. Simultaneously known as a man’s word was law. Therefore, even though when the ruler itself is a woman, they are still seen as a lower standard-the woman. Even then, when the negotiation comes, the woman cannot have their own voices.
③Don’t send a man to do a woman’s job.
④The Motherhood, whether likes it or not, motherhood feeling on a woman always comes up when it comes to their own child. In this case, even though Ygraine holds a grudge about how she got Arthur as her son in the first place, she still wanted to keep Arthur safe at all cost.
⑤Fame vs the Unknown, well, I know this was a shocking event when it comes to Merlin and Nimue. As I know so far, Nimue is much more powerful than Merlin, but I have no idea she is that powerful. Even Merlin can be beaten up by Nimue itself when Nimue barely uses her own magic threads. However, it was indeed odd because Merlin, the greatest sorcerer of all time can even be defeated by so me mere sorcerer.
⑥The Opposite Ruler, Uther known as “The Dictator” to my liking, Arthur has his own way to rule the Kingdom, he would like to make the other person in the round table he had as equal. It is also proof that sometimes, the apples fall a bit far from the trees.
⑦The Different ways of Death, hanged or burned. When it comes to someone who had magic and is a woman, it must be sure to be burned. Because in this book clearly mentioned that if a woman hanged, male could see something under the skirt. It was also proof of which point of view this book wanted to be. Because it showed up that male is a perverted human but it doesn’t mean that female is not either.
⑧Siblings different treatment and Jealousy. Every parent will always have their own favorite child even though they always denied upfront but deep down, they would know which one is their favorite. It makes the siblings feel of jealous on each other and makes the crumble of household sometimes.
The Characters, I do not have any favorite or some well-known character that piqued my interest. They have their own unique way of certain storylines but they were not out of place or some sort. Then the shocking part is some character has an eye-opener on me while reading it and gave me the vibes of “Holy, I had no idea that he/ she is that disgraceful” or something. The writing is not quite making me bored even though some part does confuse me because of the words chosen. However, for the historical genre, this book is quite relaxing to read. Also, since it was picked from Nimue's point of view, many things I had no knowledge of because mostly, the book or the story about Arthur and the Great Table or whatever the title is, always has Arthur and Merlin's point of view. Then, this book has its own plus point from me. The Storyline, is damn well written because it just goes with the flow and the claimed feminist retelling did a great job of delivering in its own way! Also, the magic in this book is well known as everything comes with a price which not many authors can deliver this well. GOOD JOB! The main moral of the story and the main meaning of Excalibur. It has me hooked on the last story in this book. It was a great and laughing matter to me because I did not expect these at all. The reason behind it, was those three women or I could say four of them
To conclude, I like this book even though it took me long enough to read it because I have a few times a day when my work wasn’t on the way. This book has delivered in its own style about feminism Arthur retelling as well as from different points of view that we knew. It is refreshing and relaxing despite some unfamiliar words, too many characters' names to be remembered, and the political sense that has my brain wrecked sometimes. However, this book if it was compared to the other historical about Arthur and Excalibur, I like this one better because it hits differently and it got varian of emotional feelings on the surface.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me e-arc of this book and giving me the privilege to read it before the publication date. Also, I would like to apologize to give the full review one month after the publication.