Published By: Quercus
Pages: 400
Released On: 27/02/2025
Born of the sun and moon, shaped by fire and malady, comes a young woman whose story has never been told . . .
They call her Sycorax. Seer. Sage. Sorceress.
Outcast by society and all alone in the world, Sycorax must find a way to understand her true nature. But as her powers begin to grow, so too do the suspicions of the local townspeople. For knowledge can be dangerous, and a woman’s knowledge is the most dangerous of all . . .
With a great storm brewing on the horizon, Sycorax finds herself in increasing peril – but will her powers save her, or will they spell the end for them all?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This has been on my wishlist ever since I first read about it and I am thrilled to have been given an early digital copy.
I loved the cover of this book. I know we don’t judge books by their covers (we totally do) but this one stood out.
I also loved the dedication to those who suffer from chronic illness. I knew there was this chronic illness representation from a tweet I’d seen, so when it came, it was really touching. It’s very hard for someone who is in pain to explain in words what that pain is like, and it was really refreshing to see it written down so clearly.
It has been a very long time since I last read The Tempest, and so I admit the name Sycorax didn’t mean much to me.
It wasn’t a genre I was particularly interested in before, but in the last few years I have read some epic adaptations – from Greek and Roman myths to Shakespeare – and it’s a genre I am here for, every day of the week.
It is very prose heavy, very narrative heavy, which I like. I tend to write in more narrative than dialogue. It helps set up the environment, and we get to know our characters. It’s narrated by Sycorax herself which was an immediate plus for me. Nydia has given this invisible character her voice back. There is some dialogue in it but it’s worked within the prose itself which I quite liked.
I loved Nydia’s use of the natural world – the ocean, fire, animals. It helps us chart Sycorax’s journey, but reminds us of the importance of the balance between human and nature.
I did enjoy it, it has a lot going for it, great narration and scene building and interesting characters. But I must admit, I felt it was just a tad slow to get going. It’s a very well written character exploration, which I loved. It was written well, interesting, entertaining, and I’d highly recommend it. But yeah, I was waiting for the BIG things to happen just a smidgen earlier, but that’s my one criticism, and it’s not really a criticism but personal taste, because what IS there is fabulous.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that at times in this, Sycorax has her eyes covered. I don’t know how much of that is true to the original play, but I liked it in this. It’s like Nydia appreciates and acknowledges that Sycorax is not visible in the play, and though she has made her very visible in this, the covering of the eyes is almost a subtle nod to this invisibility.
I thought it was an interesting idea to adapt the story of an ‘unknown’ woman. I’ve read a lot of retellings recently and they’re usually about the big names – Persephone, Medusa, Lady Macbeth etc. and so to pick someone who 1) doesn’t even appear in her own play, and 2) who I imagine is unknown to those who don’t study Shakespeare, is a brave but interesting choice.
I’m not sure if we’re meant to be feel empathy towards Sycorax or not. At times I didn’t, but overall I really did feel for her. She didn’t start life in the most ‘normal’ or easiest of ways, and it only got worse and more complicated as it went on. And I really did feel she deserved so much better than her lot.
It is a heavy story. Whether you know about Sycorax going into it or not, it’s not always an easy thing to read. There is death and illness, injuries, deformities, rumours, hatred, anger, loneliness, witchcraft, and lots of other things I think you need to read for yourself. So yes, whilst I think you will enjoy it very much, just be aware it is not a light read. It really gets your mind and your emotions running.
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