Review of The Cleaving by Juliet E McKenna

 The Cleaving is another brilliant book from one of the UK's top fantasy writers.  The book is a feminist retelling of the legend of King Arthur.  Five Stars.

The story is told from a female perspective, and the women around King Arthur are strong and resilient, even when they don't have agency.

The narrative places the reader right in the heart of a fully-realised Arthurian world.  The places and people are richly-described, and come across as real people.

The author doesn't shy away from necessary brutality, but there is a constant thread of women's solidarity to counter it, which runs right through the book.

I was transported into the heart of the world, and swept up by this powerful story.  This retelling of an eternal legend will itself be remembered for a long time.