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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I recieved an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This DID awaken something in me!
I never read Hamlet but I had to study it intensively in uni. Yeah, not reading it. That was the intended way to study it. Don't think about the quality of my education too much. So I was familiar with the story, but in a weird over-analyzing way, and I started this book with very low expectations because I thought the Hamlet themes were too many, too deep and too broad to tackle them all in a retelling. But somehow I liked them best how they were presented here!
I'm not a very big mystery/thriller/suspense/etc reader, and I admit the ones I read were for a target audience way younger than me or straight up bad. So I don't really have anything to compare this book to in terms of genre, but either way it felt extremely well-executed. The tension was built up not only from not knowing what would happen next (even if it's a retelling, because it pulled me in so hard that sometimes I forgot I already knew the basic plot outline lol), but also from being inside the character's heads and following their erratic thoughts and their mad plans, without knowing if they were going to execute them or not. Will this relationship change anything? Will this event change everything? And so on.
From the first time I didn't read Hamlet, the character that interested me the most was Ophelia, and I was really excited to see what the author did with her character. And I absolutely loved Felicia, and loved that she got many POV chapters. Being inside her head was really interesting, specially towards the end where she could've gone a totally different route based on everything that had happened to her. Hayden I liked the least, but I think he carried the story well. It's one of those examples for characters that are perfect for the story they're in, even if they're not the most compelling. Horatio was absolutely fantastic, hats off. I think he embodies the best out of everything else in the story what changes were made to make it an amazing retelling.
The queer aspect I loved. Hayden and Felicia's relationship was heart wrenching in a whole different way than Hayden and Horatio's was. They both added depth to the story and the characters' motivation. I loved reading them both immensely, and couldn't choose one over the other. With Felicia, even if we don't get any flashbacks to their previous relationship or anything, you are made to feel the nostalgia of once-lovers being reunited in very weird circumstances and against their wish, but knowing how important they are to each other, both in the emotional and the survival aspect. And with Horatio it was the complete opposite, testing the limits of a new relationship while also wanting to go super fast because there's no telling how much it will last. The contrast and the overlap between the two is what made them both the queerest, in my opinion. Small tangent but with these kinds of stories there's usually the vision that there's the queer relationship (Hayden and Horatio) and the straight relationship (Hayden and Felicia), so they end up being treated like the good one vs the bad one, sometimes by the author and mostly by the readers. I'm glad they were both given the time and depth they deserved.
This DID awaken something in me!
I never read Hamlet but I had to study it intensively in uni. Yeah, not reading it. That was the intended way to study it. Don't think about the quality of my education too much. So I was familiar with the story, but in a weird over-analyzing way, and I started this book with very low expectations because I thought the Hamlet themes were too many, too deep and too broad to tackle them all in a retelling. But somehow I liked them best how they were presented here!
I'm not a very big mystery/thriller/suspense/etc reader, and I admit the ones I read were for a target audience way younger than me or straight up bad. So I don't really have anything to compare this book to in terms of genre, but either way it felt extremely well-executed. The tension was built up not only from not knowing what would happen next (even if it's a retelling, because it pulled me in so hard that sometimes I forgot I already knew the basic plot outline lol), but also from being inside the character's heads and following their erratic thoughts and their mad plans, without knowing if they were going to execute them or not. Will this relationship change anything? Will this event change everything? And so on.
From the first time I didn't read Hamlet, the character that interested me the most was Ophelia, and I was really excited to see what the author did with her character. And I absolutely loved Felicia, and loved that she got many POV chapters. Being inside her head was really interesting, specially towards the end where she could've gone a totally different route based on everything that had happened to her. Hayden I liked the least, but I think he carried the story well. It's one of those examples for characters that are perfect for the story they're in, even if they're not the most compelling. Horatio was absolutely fantastic, hats off. I think he embodies the best out of everything else in the story what changes were made to make it an amazing retelling.
The queer aspect I loved. Hayden and Felicia's relationship was heart wrenching in a whole different way than Hayden and Horatio's was. They both added depth to the story and the characters' motivation. I loved reading them both immensely, and couldn't choose one over the other. With Felicia, even if we don't get any flashbacks to their previous relationship or anything, you are made to feel the nostalgia of once-lovers being reunited in very weird circumstances and against their wish, but knowing how important they are to each other, both in the emotional and the survival aspect. And with Horatio it was the complete opposite, testing the limits of a new relationship while also wanting to go super fast because there's no telling how much it will last. The contrast and the overlap between the two is what made them both the queerest, in my opinion. Small tangent but with these kinds of stories there's usually the vision that there's the queer relationship (Hayden and Horatio) and the straight relationship (Hayden and Felicia), so they end up being treated like the good one vs the bad one, sometimes by the author and mostly by the readers. I'm glad they were both given the time and depth they deserved.
dark
emotional
tense
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the premise and the format and the opening sections, but it ultimately veered away from the original text too fiercely without putting enough material in to fill the gaps. It’s a remarkably short text for its page length, and I just wanted more of everything. Hamlet shines in its winding twists and drawn out march to tragedy, and this book has a super truncated timeline and squarely refuses to condemn its Hamlet. Or it’s Ophelia.
Or it’s Claudius.
My favorite parts were the alien consciousness of Horatio and his tender and heartbreaking dynamic with Hayden, and the little moments that so closely echo the play, but I wish there had been more adherence to the conventions of tragedy, or a grander world to explore.
My favorite parts were the alien consciousness of Horatio and his tender and heartbreaking dynamic with Hayden, and the little moments that so closely echo the play, but I wish there had been more adherence to the conventions of tragedy, or a grander world to explore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.1 ☆
This was not well written, and the characters were awful.
slow-paced
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced