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quinnyquinnquinn's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
Minor: Drug abuse
maddox22's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Death
daffodildyke's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
firstly, it is important we all know that i adore hamlet. i know it by heart more or less and got 100% in my a level exam on it. i have a hamlet tattoo and was literally nicknamed hanlet in school. i threatened to write my homophobic english teacher a cited essay on why hamlet is queer. all of these things are important context for this review, because everything about this book should have been a gift, and i wanted to love it so much… but i just didn’t. i didn’t dislike it, but i simply feel content that i have finished it and not largely affected by it.
i love the lia storyline ending, in the sense it is the perfect tribute to ophelia and the way she is written out of the original play. her continued presence throughout this retelling is lovely in that sense and her link with flowers could have felt forced but doesn’t.
queer hamlet and horatio is so important to me, my entire teenage personality was basically based on it, so don’t get wrong, i am so glad to have read it there as clear as day, but it didn’t feel fleshed out enough, it didn’t feel like it does their complexities justice.
parts of this retelling felt arduous and unnecessary and these really detracted from the strong parts.
i think there is obvious love and care in this book, from the approach to addiction and suicide, to a love of hamlet. but i feel disappointed that all i have ever wanted is a queer, neurodiverse hamlet… and i don’t want to devour this book again and again.
i think partly, the issue will always be that i have my own hamlet retellings that live rent free in my head and will never make it to paper, so nobody else’s can live up to those, and it isn’t fair for me to expect them to.
i didn’t dislike this book, but i didn’t love it as much as i hoped and that feels worse in some ways. but i am grateful to the author for putting her hamlet retelling out into the world and confirming what we all know: hamlet is queer and neurodiverse and mentally ill, deeply in love with both ophelia and horatio, and at times, an insufferable pain in the ass!
i love the lia storyline ending, in the sense it is the perfect tribute to ophelia and the way she is written out of the original play. her continued presence throughout this retelling is lovely in that sense and her link with flowers could have felt forced but doesn’t.
queer hamlet and horatio is so important to me, my entire teenage personality was basically based on it, so don’t get wrong, i am so glad to have read it there as clear as day, but it didn’t feel fleshed out enough, it didn’t feel like it does their complexities justice.
parts of this retelling felt arduous and unnecessary and these really detracted from the strong parts.
i think there is obvious love and care in this book, from the approach to addiction and suicide, to a love of hamlet. but i feel disappointed that all i have ever wanted is a queer, neurodiverse hamlet… and i don’t want to devour this book again and again.
i think partly, the issue will always be that i have my own hamlet retellings that live rent free in my head and will never make it to paper, so nobody else’s can live up to those, and it isn’t fair for me to expect them to.
i didn’t dislike this book, but i didn’t love it as much as i hoped and that feels worse in some ways. but i am grateful to the author for putting her hamlet retelling out into the world and confirming what we all know: hamlet is queer and neurodiverse and mentally ill, deeply in love with both ophelia and horatio, and at times, an insufferable pain in the ass!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Suicide, and Death
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