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thisboricuareader's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, I have been reading a lot of greek retelling recently. Most of them have been from the same series and author, and being honest they were all interesting.
This one too. A lot of this greek stories I don't remember the originals (until this one). I like the pacing and the writing. I do think it was a bit long and I just wanted it to end.
I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This one too. A lot of this greek stories I don't remember the originals (until this one). I like the pacing and the writing. I do think it was a bit long and I just wanted it to end.
I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
serenasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Mi ero fermata con la trilogia della Lynn perché i libri precedenti mi piacevano ma non mi appassionavano. Ho letto questo aspettandomi la stessa cosa ma, nonostante non lo trovi fantastico, mi è piaciuto molto di più. Soprattutto perché è un argomento e una storia veramente poco rappresentata tra i retelling di mitologia greca.
La storia delle Amazzoni mi ha fatto provare grande orgoglio e affetto verso un racconto in cui gli uomini non hanno ruoli in primo piano ma anzi vengono descritti per la maggior parte sotto una luce cattiva. Allo stesso tempo ho provato una grande tristezza per il finale tutto tranne che lieto e rabbia immedesimandomi in ciò che hanno dovuto provare loro di fronte a un destino così crudele.
È sicuramente un libro da leggere se appassionati di mitologia ma senza aspettarsi il capolavoro dell'anno.
La storia delle Amazzoni mi ha fatto provare grande orgoglio e affetto verso un racconto in cui gli uomini non hanno ruoli in primo piano ma anzi vengono descritti per la maggior parte sotto una luce cattiva. Allo stesso tempo ho provato una grande tristezza per il finale tutto tranne che lieto e rabbia immedesimandomi in ciò che hanno dovuto provare loro di fronte a un destino così crudele.
È sicuramente un libro da leggere se appassionati di mitologia ma senza aspettarsi il capolavoro dell'anno.
crothe77's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Queens of Themiscyra by Hannah Lynn is a dual-POV retelling of the story of Queens Hippolyte and Penthesilea of the Amazons . When Heracles comes to Themiscyra to bring Hippolyte’s zoster to Greece, Theseus goes with him and asks Hippolyte to come with them. She refuses only for Theseus to return and pursue her even more. When Theseus kidnaps Hippolyte, Penthesilea goes to Athens to bring her sister back.
Antiope and Hippolyte are perhaps the most famous of the Amazon queens, so having Penthesilea as a POV character was a nice change of pace and let us see the different ways she and Hippolyte rule. Amazonian culture is explored a bit with mentions of architecture and the tradition of the Amazons going to the Gargareans to create new generations.
One thing that I really liked was how Hippolyte and Penthesilea are both very devoted to the Amazons but they show it in different ways. Hippolyte would have returned to Themiscyra if it wasn’t for her son with Theseus and the lingering feelings she has for the man she calls husband. Penthesilea’s devotion is more shown in how she gives young Amazonian women chances to prove themselves in battle.
Content warning for a brief depiction of sexual assault
I would recommend this to fans of feminist retellings of Greek mythology, readers interested in the Amazons, and those who are looking to dip their toes into Greek myth retellings and like stories about women warriors.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
amy14's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Animal death, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and War
icegoddess09's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
allofmyfriendsarebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jo_cbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Queens of Themiscyra is the final book in Hannah Lynn’s The Grecian Women Trilogy. It opens us up to a version of the story of two queens of the Amazons— Hippolyta and Penthesilea. Following Hippolyta as she is swept away from her people to be queen of Athens, and Penthesilea as she steps into her new role as Queen of the Amazons, the reader is taken on a journey of sisterhood, love, vengeance, and heartbreak. A fitting story for anyone seeking to read a Greek myth that has never been retold before.
Going into the book, I was curious what tale Lynn would choose to spin as the stories of Hippolyta vary so greatly and are quite vague. The emotions that Hippolyta’s trials stirred in me were immense; I rejoiced with her, I wept with her, and I was furious on her behalf. Likewise, seeing the grow of Penthesilea was rewarding.
However, throughout the book I often found myself wondering when it would end. I would check what page I was on and be confused that I was not yet even half way through. The story seemed to stretch on longer than necessary with an abundance of filler descriptors, many that were well written and pictorial but sometimes felt poorly placed or too long. At some points in the middle of conversations I felt I was ripped away from the dialogue by a long paragraph of internal ramblings of the character. Likewise, many of the chapters ended so abruptly, seemingly trying to add dramatic effect to statements but simply causing me annoyance at the odd point of narrative breaking.
That being said, I was so drawn into the story, desiring to know how Lynn would choose to play out the chronicles of these fierce queens. Looking beyond my own discontentment of certain writing choices or missed writing errors, I still connected with the women. Even though I knew how their stories would end I was still yearning for Lynn to choose to rewrite their endings.
I believe Hannah Lynn did a wonderful job intertwining different versions of the tales of the Amazon Queens to create an all-encompassing account of their legacies.
*Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content