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A review by ally_red_ink_reads
The Cleaving by Juliet E. McKenna
3.0
[Thank you to Angry Robot for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.]
I love a good Arthurian story, so I was excited to get my hands on The Cleaving. Unfortunately, it fell flat and I was left disappointed. Nimue was a good choice for the PoV character, as she could reasonably follow the other main characters in ways that the story demanded, but she didn't feel as well-developed as she should've been. She and Ygraine both felt a bit lacklustre, while Morgana and Guinevere were the stars of the show. And Guinevere didn't even get introduced until 200 pages in.
The book is advertised as a 'vivid reimagining of the Arthurian Legends', and while I may not be incredibly well-versed in every avenue of said legend, even I know that most of this book didn't really diverge from the usual tales. I was hoping for something more. In fact, the story was so familiar that the first half of the book felt unnecessary. It didn't really get interesting until Arthur became king, and while I know the first half was there to 'set the stage', it wasn't really needed as the tale is so well-known. The first 100 pages didn't offer much; the story could've picked up after the first time skip, and just used anecdotes or throwaway lines to fill in backstory when needed.
That said, this review isn't entirely negative! Again, I think Nimue was the best choice for PoV, and I really enjoyed Morgana and Guinevere's characters. The second half of the book was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad I stuck with it through the bits that (IMO) missed the mark.
I love a good Arthurian story, so I was excited to get my hands on The Cleaving. Unfortunately, it fell flat and I was left disappointed. Nimue was a good choice for the PoV character, as she could reasonably follow the other main characters in ways that the story demanded, but she didn't feel as well-developed as she should've been. She and Ygraine both felt a bit lacklustre, while Morgana and Guinevere were the stars of the show. And Guinevere didn't even get introduced until 200 pages in.
The book is advertised as a 'vivid reimagining of the Arthurian Legends', and while I may not be incredibly well-versed in every avenue of said legend, even I know that most of this book didn't really diverge from the usual tales. I was hoping for something more. In fact, the story was so familiar that the first half of the book felt unnecessary. It didn't really get interesting until Arthur became king, and while I know the first half was there to 'set the stage', it wasn't really needed as the tale is so well-known. The first 100 pages didn't offer much; the story could've picked up after the first time skip, and just used anecdotes or throwaway lines to fill in backstory when needed.
That said, this review isn't entirely negative! Again, I think Nimue was the best choice for PoV, and I really enjoyed Morgana and Guinevere's characters. The second half of the book was an enjoyable read, and I'm glad I stuck with it through the bits that (IMO) missed the mark.