Review Detail

I'm a huge fan of adaptations of Shakespeare. My favorite has to be Hamlet. A WOUNDED NAME is a modern day adaptation of Hamlet only told through the eyes of Ophelia.

From the very first sentence, I was hooked. Sixteen-year-old Ophelia is a student at Elsinore Academy. When her beloved headmaster dies, the whole school is in turmoil. Dane, the grieving headmaster's son, turns to Ophelia for strength. Only Ophelia is walking on the knife sharp edge of sanity. The dance Dane and Ophelia do between love and passion spiral into the tragedy we all know.

LOVED this novel. Seductive and equally haunting, reader is pulled into the madness. You want to savor each word, nuance of this story. Beautifully written, this novel is filled with awesomeness.

I loved Ophelia. Her pain is raw and painful at times. Her dance with madness is written in such a poetic way it had me gasping. Yes, I love novels like this that remind me of The Merry Sister's of Fate. Lush, haunting, and passionate.

The one character I also loved had to be the friend Horatio who loved both Ophelia and Dane. He's loyal even when the pain eats at him from seeing his friends suffer.

Dane was intriguing. There are some scenes with him and Ophelia that are totally awe-worthy. Loved lines like...

All can't be but madness of love

Also the passion between the two of them is so intense that you almost expect them to ignite.

I'm a huge fan of Carolrhoda books and A WOUNDED NAME is another one that shines!