sialia95 's review for:

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

2.25

adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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By all signs I should have lovrd this, but it was an absolute slog to finish. Books 1 & 2 are generally a silly tale randomly interrupted by disturbing acts of violence or startlingly thoughtful insights. It's as if White had one idea to retell the legend of King Arthur as a children's story and another to retell it as a dark novel, then haphazardly plaited them into one disorienting book. The characters become exceptionally well-formed in Books 3 & 4, yet I still wasn't compelled by most of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism