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akswhy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love a mythology retelling, and this Welsh-Arthurian-Celtic extravaganza is no exception. Glad I listened rather than read in print (because Welsh names).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Kidnapping and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
bluedilly's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, Infertility, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, War, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Animal cruelty, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, and Rape
madzie's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A nice queer retelling of a classic Arthurian myth. Griffith's research into the legend certainly comes through and makes an immersive world. Unfortunately, the characters often come across as a little bland. Although Per is interesting, most of the other characters do not seem to have any real purpose. Additionally, I longed for more chemistry between Per and her main love interest. Although Griffith twisted the well-known legend a little, I personally would have liked more of a twist with a plot that is not just about a bad guy who wants something and those noble enough to stop him. Nothing very shocking occurred in this book. Overall, the writing style was nice and easy to follow, and the themes were mainly well-developed, but nothing felt particularly awe-inspiring.
Perhaps my biggest gripe is that Griffith retells this legend from a queer perspective, and yet she is acephobic. This does not mean that Griffith had to include ace characters, but she should have ensured her language was inclusive. Unfortunately, this is not unusual for queer books. However, I think it speaks to a lack of development in her queer theme. You cannot write about accepting yourself and finding where you belong as a queer person while also noting only some queer people get that; that is contradictory.
Overall, I think this book was not for me (I prefer fantasy with a little more oomph, drama, and stakes). Perfect for someone who likes and is looking for an easy, plot-driven, and atmospheric fantasy.
Perhaps my biggest gripe is that Griffith retells this legend from a queer perspective, and yet she is acephobic. This does not mean that Griffith had to include ace characters, but she should have ensured her language was inclusive. Unfortunately, this is not unusual for queer books. However, I think it speaks to a lack of development in her queer theme. You cannot write about accepting yourself and finding where you belong as a queer person while also noting only some queer people get that; that is contradictory.
Overall, I think this book was not for me (I prefer fantasy with a little more oomph, drama, and stakes). Perfect for someone who likes and is looking for an easy, plot-driven, and atmospheric fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault, Infertility, Sexual content, and Animal death
quinnyquinnquinn's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual content
bluejayreads's review against another edition
This is a weird DNF book to review, as there really isn't anything particularly wrong with it. If you'd asked me while I was reading, I would have told you it was perfectly good. If I had read it in a different situation, i.e. if I still had the job where I could read audiobooks while I worked, I absolutely would have finished it and enjoyed it. And I did enjoy it while reading. The story was weird and interesting - a more realistic retelling of Arthurian myth, twisted with magic, steeped in a genuine pre-middle-ages historical feel, and told in a stark, almost minimalist style that throws out all the rules of "show don't tell" but somehow works. There's a lot to like here. But somehow I found myself always choosing to listen to something else. In the car, I turned on the radio. On Saturday mornings, when I usually put on an audiobook while I clean my apartment, I instead chose a podcast. I can't even put my finger on why I really don't want to go back to reading this book. By all rights, it's pretty good, and I did enjoy it while reading. (I can't emphasize that enough, despite how much I've avoided reading it after the fact, I genuinely really enjoyed the parts that I did read.) I don't see much of a point of forcing myself to finish a book I'm avoiding picking up, so I'm not going to. I just still can't explain why.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
millibear's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A beautifully-written queer retelling of Percival, of Arthurian myth. The writing has that lofty, old-timey feel in parts, but it never drags. It's a quick read, and Peretur's steadfast sense of right and wrong and of what's good left me feeling recharged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
miss_vonnegut's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is such a beautiful, queer, inclusive retelling of Arthurian legend. Books about women coming into their strength and power are always high up on my to-read list, and always deeply enjoyed. I also love the ease with which sapphic romance happens in this book, without any qualms or uncertainty, full of life, love, and lust. If you like Arthurian legend, powerful women, and sapphic romance, this is a book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
More info about the suicide:bitterseason's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Child death
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved Spear, a queer feminist retelling of Peretur's entry into King Arthur's court. Here, Peretur is a young queer woman as well as the spear, one of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann. I found this to be a wonderfully paced novella, which is hard to do -- it felt neither rushed nor drawn out -- and I appreciate Griffith's inclusion of a detailed Author's Note elaborating her source material, inspirations, and her approach to writing fantasy incorporating historical and mythical elements. I can't wait to read more from Griffith! Absolutely recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Death, Sexual assault, and Animal death
sapphicshark's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
A queer Arthurian retelling that delivers beautiful
The premise of the story was solid but what really sold me was Griffith’s beautiful writing style. The world felt lush and alive, and each passage flowed seamlessly into the next. I couldn’t put this one down until I was done!
The premise of the story was solid but what really sold me was Griffith’s beautiful writing style. The world felt lush and alive, and each passage flowed seamlessly into the next. I couldn’t put this one down until I was done!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual assault