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olivia_godfrey 's review for:
Laertes
by Carly Stevens
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Rounded to 4 ⭐️
This could be read without knowing anything about Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but I’m glad I was familiar with it. I will make comparisons.
I loved the setting and how, in contrast to the medieval, it really gave the retelling of the story a unique tone: the 20’s fit so well! I loved the dark academia, turn of the century vibes!
It was interesting to me the light in which Hamlet was cast. He usually is seen as more a victim in the original but I did read once that we are each the villain from someone else’s story and even from the original it does seem Laertes thought so. I think Hamlet could’ve been developed better (and I was expecting more between him and Ophelia) towards the end but with Laertes as lead it does make more sense that we wouldn’t really get that insight.
I enjoyed Laertes’ pov. In the original it doesn’t seem as if he and Hamlet are friends at all, but this explores what their attitudes might have been having grown up together and then which directions they went.
I liked Laertes’ time in Paris and his friends(except for Julien’s use of strong language)! I kind of envied the life at The Battlements: studying, French cafés all around, having their own little rituals. The addition of Josephine was… frustrating, even as I liked how her character made Laertes have more consideration for his sister. You could see how it was going to go, though I wasn’t expecting what exactly happened. I appreciated Henri and Julien very much in the end though. That was very pivotal for Laertes and I wish there’d been more to the dynamic of their friendship later. I think it was a good indication of Laertes’ character and why it ended how it did: strong feelings and after stewing about things explosive impulsiveness.
I liked how Ophelia was portrayed much much better than the original, but again, I really wish her role would’ve been more developed.
I guess you can tell I mostly wish it had been longer.
A couple more things though:
Hamlet’s arrival back from Italy seemed random and the last chapters rushed...
I wish there had been more to what happened to Laertes’ mother.
As I mentioned, Julien’s language. It was given as an amusing thing he did intentionally as a societal faux pas, to rub people wrong, and I guess it worked on me because I could’ve done without it.
Other content warnings: drinking, visiting a burlesque show(though not graphic and afterwards was a moment with Laertes and a grieving Hamlet I appreciated), clearly indicated but non detailed sexual indiscretions at the beginning and towards the last 1/4, mental health deterioration, depression and mentions of suicide, murder
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for a review as part of the books promotional team. These opinions are my own.
This could be read without knowing anything about Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but I’m glad I was familiar with it. I will make comparisons.
I loved the setting and how, in contrast to the medieval, it really gave the retelling of the story a unique tone: the 20’s fit so well! I loved the dark academia, turn of the century vibes!
It was interesting to me the light in which Hamlet was cast. He usually is seen as more a victim in the original but I did read once that we are each the villain from someone else’s story and even from the original it does seem Laertes thought so. I think Hamlet could’ve been developed better (and I was expecting more between him and Ophelia) towards the end but with Laertes as lead it does make more sense that we wouldn’t really get that insight.
I enjoyed Laertes’ pov. In the original it doesn’t seem as if he and Hamlet are friends at all, but this explores what their attitudes might have been having grown up together and then which directions they went.
I liked Laertes’ time in Paris and his friends(except for Julien’s use of strong language)! I kind of envied the life at The Battlements: studying, French cafés all around, having their own little rituals. The addition of Josephine was… frustrating, even as I liked how her character made Laertes have more consideration for his sister. You could see how it was going to go, though I wasn’t expecting what exactly happened. I appreciated Henri and Julien very much in the end though. That was very pivotal for Laertes and I wish there’d been more to the dynamic of their friendship later. I think it was a good indication of Laertes’ character and why it ended how it did: strong feelings and after stewing about things explosive impulsiveness.
I liked how Ophelia was portrayed much much better than the original, but again, I really wish her role would’ve been more developed.
I guess you can tell I mostly wish it had been longer.
A couple more things though:
Hamlet’s arrival back from Italy seemed random and the last chapters rushed...
I wish there had been more to what happened to Laertes’ mother.
As I mentioned, Julien’s language. It was given as an amusing thing he did intentionally as a societal faux pas, to rub people wrong, and I guess it worked on me because I could’ve done without it.
Other content warnings: drinking, visiting a burlesque show(though not graphic and afterwards was a moment with Laertes and a grieving Hamlet I appreciated), clearly indicated but non detailed sexual indiscretions at the beginning and towards the last 1/4, mental health deterioration, depression and mentions of suicide, murder
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for a review as part of the books promotional team. These opinions are my own.