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undersea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Do yourself a favor and read a summary of Beowulf before reading this. You will get so much more out of some of the themes & points in the book.
I first read this in 2019 & I remember being fired up by the feminist themes & enamored with the prose. On rereading, I am still enamored with Headley’s writing, but the themes were a lot more complex & layered. I mostly felt a sad kind of rage for the women in the story & for women everywhere.
As opposed to the original story, no character is purely a hero or purely a monster and the exploration of that is expertly done. In the original the threat was real & here it’s imagined. Both by Dana & Willa. The damage that the imagined threats cause is completely catastrophic. This book touches on identity, history, toxic masculinity, generational trauma, racism, patriarchy, mental health, & PTSD.
The writing can get a little repetitive in some spots when you’re eager for the plot to advance but ultimately I think it benefits the complexity of the characters inner lives.
I first read this in 2019 & I remember being fired up by the feminist themes & enamored with the prose. On rereading, I am still enamored with Headley’s writing, but the themes were a lot more complex & layered. I mostly felt a sad kind of rage for the women in the story & for women everywhere.
As opposed to the original story, no character is purely a hero or purely a monster and the exploration of that is expertly done. In the original the threat was real & here it’s imagined. Both by Dana & Willa. The damage that the imagined threats cause is completely catastrophic. This book touches on identity, history, toxic masculinity, generational trauma, racism, patriarchy, mental health, & PTSD.
The writing can get a little repetitive in some spots when you’re eager for the plot to advance but ultimately I think it benefits the complexity of the characters inner lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: War, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Rape
12dejamoo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I don't know how to begin to explain how much I loved this. The writing style, the characterisations, the settings! The changing POV was done so well! Some voices spoke in first person, whilst others were told in third. It wasn't always a character talking - sometimes a dog or a cave. The split into the three parts and within that the parts with different meanings of hwæt!! You're kidding me I'm obsessed. This is 100% a book for people who have not only read Beowulf, but have also studied it (Pride & Prodigies). The references to specific themes in the original text, the references to other texts in the Beowulf manuscript, the nuance and the choice of language that so perfectly reflects the original tone of the text. I would, to be fair, say anyone can enjoy this, regardless of whether you've read Beowulf or not, but obviously some details you won't get the references for (but getting the reference is not at all necessary to understand the details in the context of this story). I might be talking about this book forever I am seriously in love. Even as a text divorced from the original story, this book is perfection. I can't wait to read it again
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence and Miscarriage
Minor: Rape, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Sexual content
sebrittainclark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Abortion, Infidelity, Rape, and Torture
audree's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Death
Moderate: Rape
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