Worship

by Alice Winn

A dazzlingly inventive new novel from the bestselling author of In Arthurian legend cracked open.

Princess Isode is happy with life in medieval Ireland. Her hair is as shiny as thread of pure gold, every knight she heals with her medicinal powers falls madly in love with her, and she will become a great queen once she marries Sir Palomides, the second-best knight in all the world--the moment he converts to Christianity. Her plans, however, are shattered when a mysterious newcomer defeats her beloved in a tournament.

Handsome, unfriendly Sir Tristram is fast becoming the strongest knight--yet has no interest in marrying Isode. He wants only to win approval--worship--from his idol, Palomides, and a seat at the Round Table. Palomides is too preoccupied with whatever is going on with him and God. Meanwhile, civil war is brewing in Camelot. As Princess Isode tries to regain control of her once glittering future, she and Tristram set out on a perilous voyage, and begin to see each other in a new light. 

Worship is the stuff of legend, a wickedly funny, endlessly surprising novel about hope in the face of uncertainty--how far we might go, and what we're willing to lose, for the ones we love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Adult, Historical Fantasy, Arthurian

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 23, 2027

About the author

Alice Mary Felicity Winn is an Irish and American novelist and screenwriter, born in France and educated in England. Early life and education Winn was born and raised in Paris, the daughter of Irish and American parents. She holds Irish citizenship. She has dyslexia and did not learn to read until she was nine years old. Winn was educated at Marlborough College in England. She graduated with a degree in English literature from St Peter's College, Oxford. She has described having a "tenuous grasp" of her identity. After graduating, Winn set a goal of writing "a novel a year until I wrote one that was good." Before writing In Memoriam, Winn wrote three unpublished novels, worked on screenplays, and taught homeschooled children. In 2019, Winn started writing In Memoriam after reading student newspapers published 1913–1919 from her alma mater, Marlborough College. The protagonists, Gaunt and Ellwood, were inspired by her readings of and about Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, respectively. She won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize in 2023 for her novel In Memoriam.

Reviews

[Amy Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

thys booke slappeth

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s going to take me a while to come up with the proper words to encompass all that this novel was. My soul was so invested in every single moment of this story I felt physically ill at times, my heart aching.

The title Worship could not be more perfect to epitomize all that we watch unfold in the arcs of our characters and every decision that drives them. What does it mean for someone to have worship? Is it fame and glory? Ethical honor? Christianity & piety? Love and devotion? Each character goes on a journey to uncover what matters the most. Readers will be left wondering - are you happy with the things you chose to take precedence in your life? Did you do it right?

How Alice Winn is able to so thoroughly take the history and legends that we know and create such dimensional characters that make them so truly humanly flawed, relatable and vulnerable is nothing short of a masterpiece. I felt like I lived 100 lifetimes reading this.

The YEARN. My heart was pulled over all over the place between Isode and her FOUR love interests. (Bisexuals make some noise!). Romantic in the most devastating of ways.
But of course, it is also nothing short of a tragedy. Gory. Raw. Emotional. Violent.
But surprisingly so, and a complete tone shift from Winn’s previous work, it is also so charming, funny, comical and larger-than-life.
I highlighted quite a bit of quotes. I’m floored.

I was curious how, on Earth, she would possibly wrap everything up and the ending stole the literal breath clean out of my lungs. I immediately went back and started rereading the introduction again and my heart shattered in a whole new light. The more I sit with it the more devastated I become.

I do think fans of Winn’s previous work might have conflicting feelings regarding this, but as someone who loves folklore, mythology, and fantasy and only loosely knows of Arthurian legends; this was everything to me. A sensational author note: “because I was not trying to depict a historically accurate moment in time: I was trying to create the version of Arthuriana that I like best.” And guess what? If nobody gets it, I got it. I felt it with my entire being.

Fans of Madeline Miller and Alix. E Harrow would love this.

Thank you to the angelic employee of Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for blessing me with this eARC. Let me go preorder my entire friend group this story.

[Margo Laurie]

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC 💖💖💖

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this could hardly be more different from Winn's debut, In Memoriam: where that was written in a realist style, this is modelled on medieval romance, with Le Morte D'Arthur, Chrétien de Troyes, Gottfried von Strassburg, Béroul and Wolfram von Eschenbach all name-checked, amongst others, as sources and inspiration in the afterword; where Memoriam was an intimate exploration of love and desire between two young men, this is a modern retelling of the Arthurian tales, especially the romance of Tristan and Isolde, here given as Tristram and Isode, triangulated with Palomides, and the tone has a similar mythic detachment: events happen in a kind of destined way (the poisoned goblet, the secret love, the intersection with the fall of Camelot) replete with fate, magic and and foretold tragedy. There's that kind of fairytale aura where terrible things happen but the violence feels almost cartoonish, with swords broken in people's heads, 'Isode tried to sew his brain back together' - very different from the physical and psychological carnage of WW1 in Memoriam.

Winn is quite self-aware and playfully conscious of her belatedness in relation to this long-established material which is itself full of alternatives and variations, and she allows her characters to make their awareness of the various traditions known through asides and re-wordings: the 'worship' of the title, for example, is a modern elucidation of the chivalric 'honour' that underpinned the medieval courtly romance, with an especial interest here in how it centralised relationships between men; and there is a kind of running commentary that explores the meeting of modern and medieval: '(And, in fact, they were wrong. Palomides was Egyptian. But to the writers of the romances, all heathen countries were the same.)'

This sense of literary reception and intertextuality is made ever more clear as we reach the end: the Great Beast draws explicit attention to all the previous literary lives of Isode and asks her whether this version we've just read is the one she's happy with or whether she wants to go back to the beginning, re-live her life again and choose a different path through all her precedents: 'And so they went back and tried again.'

This reminded me somewhat of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh without being as rambunctious and iconoclastic as that book: maybe think of Chaucer's The Knight's Tale via Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, brought up to date via a 21st century consciousness.

Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley

[Nusz]

Will this book become my whole personality just like in memorium did? Yes, yes I think it will

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you, like me, desperately needed this book because you loved In Memoriam too much and didn't even bother to check what Worship was about beforehand I would advise you to not do that. Worship is nothing like In Memoriam, and to me that wasn't a good thing.
We follow Isode, Palomides and Tristram, their lives are entwined and they keep coming back to each other. I'm not very knowledgeable about Arthurian mythology, most of the things I know I picked up from other books, Legendborn probably gave me most of it. While I wouldn't say it's necessary to know any of it I will say I think it would improve the reading experience, because if like me you have no wish no know about it that can become dull quickly.
Alice Winn’s writing is still great, the style is easy to read while still not being too simplistic. I don't feel like I connected to these characters nowhere near how I connected to the In Memoriam characters, and the same can be said about the story itself, I just wasn't as engaged with it.
I think it bears saying I am not a fan of historical fiction normally, In Memoriam was a brilliant exception, and I thought Winn could replicate it so that's why I decided to step out of my comfort zone to try Worship, unfortunately that didn't happen.
If you like Arthurian stories, historical fiction and grand adventures you will perhaps like this, but that's just not me.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Marie]

Yes 🙌

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You'll never win worship if you slaughter everyone who challenges you, "said Palomides
"He had won worship, technically, but it was not the meaningful kind. Not kind the kind of worship Palomides had,where he was loved."

Worship: honour and fame- the measure of respect a knight holds in society.

Following the incredible 2023 'In Memoriam ', Alice Winn returns with a 180 degree turn of a novel; a dive into the world of Arthurian Legends and the story of Isolde and Tristan based upon events from a 15th century book- Le Morte D'Arthur

A love story or should that be a love triangle as Isolde is torn between the loyal Palomides ( who has not been christened but has stood by her side but is disgraced in battle) and the man who killed her uncle Marholt- Tristan ( the man who removes the worship from Palomides) and the love and need for respect between the two men.

This is a tale of knights and maidens; of magic and mysticism; of names you know well from the stories of The Round table- Lancelot, Galahad, Gawain; of swords and fights and blood and guts galore; of loyalty, survival and betrayal.

The sensitivity and melancholic subtlety of a moving love story within ' In Memoriam' is stripped away for something very different- raw, direct and with a contemporary twist.
Not being somebody who watched Game of Thrones or usually reads 'fantasy/legend' based tales, this was a book that didn't grip as I hoped but I know it will for many.

The ceaseless killing which seemed to be the norm left me feeling desensitised which is never a good thing as none of the principal characters seemed to display enough emotional response- perhaps that was the recognised behaviour within these legends. Often the dialogue was contemporary in style which seemed at odds with the setting and events .

There is no denying the originality and the volte face of Alice Winn as she creates a whole different style of writing (which must liberating for an author) and goes from a factually linked novel to fantasy based but by the end of the book I wasn't sure I cared for Isolde or Tristan and poor Palomides went through so much for so little.

3.5 out 5 - rounded to 4 stars for the sheer curious originality

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the advance copy for an honest and unbiased review.

[nicole · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

thank you SO MUCH to knopf and netgalley for the arc!! i am eternally grateful for the chance to read this book before publication! :")

i don't know if i was ever going to be able to rate this fairly, seeing as i'm truly actually insane about in memoriam. i tried my best to go into worship with an open mind and with the knowledge that it was going to be very different, but i think that even still i had super high expectations about what this book was going to be like. it's a really solid retelling- alice winn can absolutely write, there's no doubt about that- but it just didn't hit in the same way for me! i recognize i'm reviewing with a bias but i'm curious to see how others will react to this book.

let's get into the good stuff first: alice's talents are on full display here with her character work. isode, tristram, brangwayne and palomides jump right of the page and feel so very alive. palomides was my favorite especially... oh my god did i care about that poor guy so much!! in that same way that she makes her characters feel so vibrant, alice has such a knack for taking old history and translating it/recontextualizing it to a modern audience so that it's never boring and never inaccessible. their struggles are timeless, and the whole world of worship was surprisingly funny and surprisingly devastating in equal measure. the last chapter was especially wonderful too. it recontextualized everything to the point that it made me bump up my initial rating and cinched the whole thing for me. i look forward to the many discussions that i think it will prompt when people get to it!

that all being said, my biggest critique of this book is that some aspects of tristram and isode's romance did not really work for me.  and the romance is the basis of this whole thing! i found it hard to buy into the development of their love based on the conditions it started from. the love potion trope is not one of my favorites and even though i think that alice did her best to make it as believable and grounded as possible, i couldn't get behind it. and for a lot of this book i kept wondering when there was going to be something More- something like in memoriam, where i knew exactly why alice wanted to tell this story and had a reason to tell it this way. worship absolutely felt like a passion project but there wasn't as much for me to chew on thematically until i got to the very end part. so it was a fun read but not as engaging as i've seen her write before- and that is the biggest reason for my (harsh, i know) rating.

all in all, this is a pretty solid retelling... granted however by the fact that i have next to no knowledge of its origins. i don't believe that you need to have read the original romances to enjoy this book, but maybe i would have enjoyed it a bit more if i had extra context going in for me to analyze. my last thoughts and the tldr of this all is to say that i'll still eagerly await alice's next novel, but this is not something i can see myself returning to 5+ times and making my whole personality. take that as you will!

[charlotte, · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

On my blog.

Galley provided by publisher

There are books where it’s best not to know very much about them before you start reading, which I realise is a strange thing to say about a book that’s a retelling of an Arthurian legend, but true. I think Worship is better for not knowing how exactly Alice Winn makes the story her own.

I will, however, offer two comps that I feel thematically relevant to the discussion at hand: Alix Harrow’s The Everlasting and Tasha Suri’s The Isle in the Silver Sea. Do with that what you will.

In the interests of keeping readers in the dark about the exact direction Worship takes, this will necessarily be a bit of a vague review, but I do want to start by saying this is a very different book to In Memoriam. Personally, I enjoy when authors show they have range and write very distinctive books. It’s nice to have the variety! But if you’re expecting something like Winn’s debut, you might find it lets you down.

But anyway, back to Worship, central to which is the theme of ‘worship’, here used in a sense that’s a bit like honour, and chivalry, but also a bit like love, and faith. Although worship is only really described as such explicitly when it comes to the knights, I think it applies to all of the characters, and the idea of it pervades the entire novel. It’s so very subtly woven in as well, in a way that invites you to draw the parallels - Isode and Brangwayne, Palomides and Tristram, for example - without whacking you over the head with them. This is a book where I can tell I will be thinking about it for a while after reading it.

I also feel that you could call this book a capital-t Tragedy. This is where I must tread carefully for fear of spoiling things. Obviously, the original Tristan & Isolde mythos does not have a happy ending, and it’s clear from the first page that this book isn’t about to deviate from it that wildly. However. This is a book that very much invites you to go back and read from page one again, once you’ve reached the end, and the end doesn’t quite rewrite the book, but it recontextualises it. But rereading the book clearly won’t change the ending: it is, after all, just one single, standalone novel. There are no secret pages or alternative finales. All you have is the tragedy, over and over (and can we compare this to Palomides’ journey? Palomides and the growing awareness that Something Is Up, while not knowing what and being unable to halt it).

It’s clear that Winn has put a lot of research and thought into creating something that echoes the chivalric era that it’s trying to evoke. This feels not just like a retelling, but something that could sit alongside the ‘original’ Arthurian canon of Malory and earlier writers. Perhaps, then, less a retelling and more an homage to Arthuriana, making the stories its own, and even embellishing with other elements. I think this is how I want my retellings from now on, in conversation with the stories they’re riffing off, rather than slamming them out, scene by scene.

Lastly, it would be remiss of me not to talk about the characters because obviously this Arthurian legend in particular is a very character-driven one. I love how Alice Winn’s characters, be they from In Memoriam or Worship are always very messy and human, full of emotions and allowed to feel them in their full complexity on page. By the end of the first chapter, I was entirely won over by them (and therefore proceeded to do my usual thing of failing to read a book I knew I would love).

Worship is, then, a book that I would highly recommend, even to readers who perhaps didn’t get along well with In Memoriam. This is a big departure from Winn’s debut, but it resulted in a book that feels fresh and thought-provoking.

[maria cho]

WDYM NEW ALICE WINN BOOK??? i need this rn because i still haven't recovered from in memoriam (i doubt i ever will)

[megs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew immediately I would adore this book. It is funny, emotional, heartfelt, heart-breaking. I laughed, I cried, and I can't wait to reread this one.
A beautiful story of love and of friendship, with magic, adventures, battles, and beasts. I did not want it end.
The characters were so well-written - they were complex and imperfect, but still you are rooting for them despite the impending disaster you know is going to happen from page one.
I'll be thinking about this novel for a while, and will be recommending it to everyone.

[Emily Goulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually what the hell I need to speak to someone immediately oh my one of the best books ever

[tegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

well that was insane. considered dnfing at the 100 page mark and then the rest was so stupendous. the word worship means So much here. byatt’s possession came to mind while reading - i love when an author takes a single theme and wrings it dry. my favorite of those angles has to be the wanting power over people by being stronger or better than them but realizing actually you have power because they give it to you. echoing other readers to say that the ending really cracked my head open in a fun way and i went straight back to the beginning. these characters are all so real and dear!!!! palomides you would’ve loved being diagnosed with ocd and i can’t even get INTO my thoughts and feelings towards tristram.

[Rebekah W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw early reviews of Worship saying "Arthurian retelling but make it Monty Python." To which I responded "say less" and downloaded immediately. And while Worship by Alice Winn was actually an Arthurian retelling with Monty Python-esque jokes, it was so much more than that. I have actually never read anything quite like this story. It felt contextually accurate while also being incredibly modern. Modern folklore? I am not sure. Regardless of where you shelve it Worship was incredibly heartfelt, tragic, and beautiful while also being hilariously stupid. I found myself giggling, scoffing, GASPING, and wanting to cry.

I love a story that is trying to ask "how far would you go for the people you love." I don't want to give anything away, because the ending really shocked me, but these characters would go a damn far way for the people they love. I went through a journey with each and every character, but especially Isolde. I did not love her for a significant portion of this book, but the character growth was incredible.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you've ever wanted a more modern, character driven Tristan and Isolde but make it funny and bisexual and heart-wrenching? Worship is for you. I immediately purchased a copy of In Memoriam, because I was unfamiliar with Alice Winn's game!

[michelle (magical reads) · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

rep: sapphic side character
cw: rape, sexual assault

tristram’s and Isolde’s chapters: tragic love story
palomides’s chapters: [spongebob in hell meme]

but fr I’m sitting here in silence like what did I just read. I did just come fresh off a reread of the everlasting and I would def recommend this if you’re a fan of that book. I loved how the author would make side references to what would happen in the future (or perhaps another time) and how it emphasized the cyclical nature of a tragic love story; of knowing how the tale ends and desperately wishing the outcome will change (I think of that one tumblr post all the time). def one of my fave reads of the year, one that i will probably reread almost immediately.

rtc

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ★

This book will not be for everyone, but it was absolutely for me. Alice Winn, I love you.

In Memoriam is probably my favorite book of all time (depends on the day you ask, but it’s always in the top 3), so to say I was excited about this book would be an understatement. And while this story couldn’t be more different from In Memoriam, which I think has far more mass appeal, it still has a distinct Winn-ness to it that I loved.

There is so much to unpack in this story about love, friendship, fame, power, belonging, fate, glory, morality, and more, but the way this book discussed religion was probably the highlight for me. As someone with OCD who grew up in a high-demand religion, Palomides’ religious scrupulosity was so interesting and something I have rarely seen represented in books, and never in fantasy. The way each of the three main characters had a different relationship to religion was so well done, and it really helped bring parts of the story together for me.

I also loved the miscommunication. Sue me. It reminded me how great it can be when it’s done with a purpose: to show how blind people can be to their own biases and how little they understand each other, even when they’re trying. Not to mention that all great fables hinge on a good amount of miscommunication and the problems that ensue.

I was hit with an unfortunately timed reading slump about halfway through this, and while I do think it has a bit of a lull in the middle, there was never a moment where I wasn’t personally invested in our queer love pentagram.. thing. The way Winn constantly teased the lines of platonic and romantic was fantastic and only made me more invested.

I can’t even talk about the ending because it’s too raw, but it really sealed the deal as a very reread-able book for me. I highlighted so many parts as I read, but I just know I’ll get something new out of it on each reread.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worship bears little resemblance to Alice Winn’s debut, In Memoriam, and there’s certainly no guarantee that loving the first will make you love her sophomore novel, or vice versa. They’re very different books. Still, I think they reveal a consistent interest of hers. It was precisely those chivalric stories about knights in shining armor that fascinated young men eager to fight in the First World War. Exploring one of these ideas naturally led her back to the other.

But moving to the point, I did like this book. It didn’t completely steal my heart, but objectively, I think it’s a very well done reinterpretation of the Tristan and Isolde story, clearly well researched and written with a lot of heart. I liked that, despite its modern and accessible prose, it still captures the spirit of chivalric romance and Arthurian legend. At the same time, the novel does a really good job of subverting what we expect from such iconic characters as Tristan and Isolde. Alice Winn moves away from the one dimensional archetypes of perfect knights and ladies, instead making her characters much more complex and human. That makes it easier to become genuinely invested in their journeys, even though we know from the very beginning just how tragic and doomed this story is.

The dynamic between Tristram, Isolde, and Palomides was so deliciously love hate that it deserves a whole separate review. There’s so much tension, resentment, affection, and complicated loyalty between the three of them, and I loved how messy and unpredictable their relationships could be.

Of the three main characters, I was most impressed by Isolde, mainly because she was so different from how I’d always imagined her. The same could be said for Tristram to be honest. He’s such a wonderfully conflicted character! I’d never really considered that either of them could be portrayed as flawed and not necessarily likeable or noble, so I really liked Winn moving away from the traditional image of them as idealized protagonists.

As I mentioned, the book’s really well written. It’s engaging, occasionally funny, and easy to get through. I also really liked the balance between the more serious, tragic elements and the lighter, more humorous moments. I flew through it and was hooked from the very beginning.

I also thought the ending worked really well. Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that it felt very fitting given that we’re dealing with a legendary story. And legends, after all, don’t really have just one version.

Overall, I don’t think this’ll be a book for everyone, and it won’t appeal to all fans of Alice Winn’s previous work either. But for anyone longing for classic Arthurian legends with a more modern and relatable feel, I think it’ll be a real treat. I’d give it 4/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Joules · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read anything like this, and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed anything this much. Hilarious, rollicking, full of humour and heart, this book is drenched in the vividness of Alice Winn's inner world. I didn't want this work to end, I didn't want to leave Winn's vision of Arthuriana or say goodbye to her characters, people from so far away, transported through black ink on a brittle page, but who are nonetheless realer than real. The more I think about the characters and their world, how they were drawn to each other and why, the more I marvel at Winn's ability to articulate emotional truths and create intricate bonds with such adeptness and light, regardless of the time or place. Please please read this book when it comes out in February. I don't care who you are, you'll find something in it.

[alex]

HOLY SHIT nobody told me this was happening. i need this like water bitch

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Worship is a retelling of the myth of Tristan and Isode. In this book, Isode is an Irish princess who thinks she will marry Sir Palomides. In order for her to marry him, he must convert to Christianity but he refuses to until he has fought in seven noble battles. He has fought six noble battles but before he fights the seventh one, he is defeated by a knight in a tournament. The knight is named Tristram and he wanted to win worship from Sir Palomides who is his idol but he ends up becoming tied to Isode. Isode is set to marry King Mark of Cornwall and Tristam ends up taking her to him. Civil war brews in Camelot and with relationships fracturing, Isode tries to regain control of her future alongside Tristam as it seems her future is inexplicably intertwined with Tristam’s.

I’m not quite sure how to articulate my feelings about this book. The writing feels quite cold and at the start I felt quite removed from the story. It took me a while to get properly into this but once I did, I was so into this. I really love this book and this story just means so much to me. I didn’t know anything about the myth so this was a completely fresh story for me. I loved Isode as a character, she is complex and I like how she views the world and the circumstances she is in. Isode is religious and I like how she understands her faith. It was interesting to see how her faith changed as the story went on and as she did more objectively bad things to other people. Sir Palomides is an interesting character and his background is also complex in regard to his faith. His whole story is about his faith and if he will convert to Christianity after coming from a Muslim background. I loved Tristam and understood him as a character completely. He is a good knight and his character is all about following the code. He tries to do what is right but his actions aren’t always seen as right by other people.

I loved the romance in this book and felt it in my whole body. This book is something that you just have to experience. I would recommend this for fans of The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden and Innamorata by Ava Reid. Worship does have some fantasy elements and with it being based on a myth, there is no proof any of these characters existed in real life but it feels more historical than anything. I loved the historical setting and what this had to say about being a knight. I loved seeing the Knights of the Round Table like Lancelot and I just had such a good time reading this. I’m giving this 5 stars and I will be recommending this to everyone.

Favourite quote:
“Sir Palomides has never murdered anyone. Only bad knights murder,” she said. “Ah. Yes,” said Dinadan, as if Isode had said something clever. “That’s the crux of it. If Sir Marhalt, who was a good knight, killed someone—that was not murder. But if Sir Marhalt, who you loved, is killed—he has been murdered. You see the problem?” “No,” said Isode flatly. “When your loved ones are killed, it always feels like murder,” said Dinadan. “Regardless of the code.”

[Elena L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by The Arthurian Legend, WORSHIP is a love triangle in all its complexities between Princess Isode, the best knight of Ireland Sir Palomides and the handsome yet unfriendly Sir Tristam.

I read 'The romance of Tristan and Isolde' in high school and I have strong memories (in a good way) of that experience. So reading WORSHIP feels like revisiting an old friend, except that Winn takes liberty at delivering a medieval classic with an inventive approach, sharply examining obsession, religion, oppression, power, loyalty and betrayal in an enticing tale which characters need to prove their worth in both blatant and subtle ways.

Honor is written between the lines, highlighted by a satirical humor that I appreciate reading. As Winn expands the story through ramifications from the main plot line, one finds out that this is all about (wrong) devotion and how far one is willing to go to keep that. I personally loved the magical touch and the quite familiar (and unfamiliar) storyline of characters whose flaws (and mostly recklessness) will stir different reactions. My complaint is that the beginning and some parts dragged a bit and this book's boldness and sense of liberation might be a challenge for certain readers.

WORSHIP is both comedic and tragic, romantic and harsh. A modern retelling that will leave an impression regardless of whether one loved this piece or not.

[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Knopf publishing . All opinions are my own ]

[Abbie Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading and loving ‘In Memoriam’ last year, when I saw this become available as an arc I just had to read it. I applied without even reading the synopsis because I knew it would be amazing.

I must admit, when I received the copy I was apprehensive. I’ve loved historical books before but they can be tricky to get along with, and at around 500 pages, it wasn’t a small undertaking.

I needn’t have worried. Once I got started I couldn’t put it down. The matter of fact blended period writing had such an accessible tone I was hooked almost immediately. Every character is rich and vivid. You’re horrified one sentence, on edge the next, and laughing before the end of the page.

Alice crafts relationships so beautifully and so humanly. And that’s even before you consider the plot. There’s so much going on in this novel but every aspect is engaging and captivating, nothing feels like filler.

I loved it, the ending was wild. I can’t WAIT to see where Alice’s writing takes me next!

Thank you so much to the publishing teams and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in return for my unbiased review.

[Jami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah. ♥️

My heart has been broken and my life has been changed. I will be rereading this book until I die.

This story checked every box for me; devastatingly romantic, hilarious, magical, absurd, tragic, hopeful…just the perfect mess that I am ALWAYS yearning for when I open a book. (Bonus that it is Arthurian as well YUM YUM YUM!!!!) I want to fall in love with the characters, see myself in them, scream at the mistakes they make, relish in the moments where things are going right, and cry when everything inevitably falls apart.

This book starts by showing you how it ends, so the whole time you are reading you are chasing answers, and it is such an exciting whirlwind that left me breathless basically every time I put it down. It was so thrilling jumping between the complicated perspectives of each character, and their desire to love and be loved, to worship and be worshiped. For how fantastical it is, it’s an extremely real, human tale. Wow just absolutely insane.

If you know me you WILL be hearing from me and I WILL be throwing this book at you to read :)

[Simon Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely magnificent. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this before.
I mainly read a lot of blood and guts historical fiction, so rarely get the opportunity to do a lot of laughing whilst I read. This has remedied that. I laughed out loud so many times, at the humour, the situations the characters found themselves in, and the conversations amongst the Knights. At times I laughed at the sheer absurdity of it.
It also moved me far more than I expected. Starting at the end, so we know the final destination but to go on that journey.

I loved the pacing. Each chapter broken down into smaller chapters, each section never over staying its welcome, and every word earns its place.

Alice Winn deserves all The Worship that will surely come her way after this.

[Rad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part comedy, part tragedy, told in the style of Arthurian gossip this book was perfect from beginning to end. Even knowing the Tristan and Isolde myth I was totally blindsided by the ending and I appreciated the depth she gave the characters. What is a ethereal princess to some is a spoiled brat to others and the perspective refreshing. Palomides, my sweet, suffering Palomides I wanted to hate him and I just couldn’t. Better luck next time buddy.

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the arc

[Freya Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well crafted, and an inventive blend of the comedic and tragic. Beautiful characterisation and development of relationships - and a thoughtful depiction of sexual assault (in reference to both male and female characters). The novel plays with traditional Arthurian storytelling in very clever ways, in style, in humour and in narrative.
Worship surpasses Winn’s debut novel In Memorian immensely (and I thought In Memoriam was rather good!)

[little_pangolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been this profoundly affected by a book in years.

[Gior · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

First of all, it took me 26 years to finally understand what the questing beast is, thank you Alice Winn, I feel like my life purpose is now achieved.

Second of all, OH MY GOD?????? I'll admit I got into this book blind just cause Alice Winn is the author and I had to read whatever her magical pen creates so I wished for it and my wish has been granted by Netgalley and the publisher so thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. But this was also the reason I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, I knew Alice's writing for In Memoriam which I had loved and worshipped but this book is sooooo completely different you can't possibly imagine how different it is.

Worship is an arthurian times Isolde and Tristan's retelling, it follows the lovers' tale from the beginning to the end, or is it? Maybe from the beginning to the beginning, you'll have to find out. The POVs we get are Isolde's, Tristram's and Palomides'. I don't wanna bore you or waste your time with the plot of the book which is already stated everywhere on the net, but I will tell you how I felt throughout the novel.

At first I was intrigued, I had a feeling about what the possible couples would be and I strongly thought this was gonna end up as a queer retelling, little did I know. I was kinda confused during Palomides' POV and now I do think it was kinda on purpose, he goes through basically a year of madness but I felt like I was the one losing her mind, very well written. Then alongside it, we have the tale of Isode, her maiden and Tristram, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I felt like this part of the book came out sharpener, clearer and easier to follow, but then the two storylines match and meet and we get all the characters in the same place and you start to feel the dread of knowing something bad must happen soon. This is the story of a doomed love, and it has somehow queerneess in it so all the better.

The tone Alice chose to write in is simply perfect, funny and humorous but tragic at times, loved the courtly speech which is a medieval language they switch to in certain situations to be and sound more formal I believe. The book is really fast paced, so many things happen it's hard to keep up with it but please try cause it's just brilliant.

The ending I believe is truly something I cannot talk about due to inevitable spoilers, it's just SO juicy.

To Palomides, I have loathed you at times, I have come to understand you at other times, but we still have beef.

To Tristram, you and I suffer of the same affliction: lack of communication, I do love you deeply.

To Isode, gurl I know you wanna run away and become a sorceress, please do!! It would suit you so well please leave these men and go live in the woods, you'd slay the questing beast all on your own!!

To Brangwayne........ I loved you, I empathised with you, I defended you..... I kinda hate you right now, not gonna lie.