adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Jennifer Saint's writing is so unique and interesting, I loved this feminist retelling, and despite it obviously a difficult task to tell a tale of a woman from Ancient Greece positively or in a way that doesn't end in despair, I really enjoyed this different perspective. I'd say the tale of the Minotaur is one of the most well known from Ancient Greece but this made it feel new - very excited to read Elektra! 

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dark emotional sad 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: N/A

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Part 1 is very slow, but it picks up after. The writing itself is very good, but be aware it is heavily narrative. If that doesn't interest you, then you won't like this story. 
I did enjoy reading things from Ariadne's perspective. Most stories focus on the "hero," and this gives you a great view to the other side of those stories. 

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

WARNING: Read with tissues 
I cried, several times.
I fell in and out of love with this book. 
It is so beautifully written and touches on subjects that should be more talked about in todays society, particularly when it comes to the portrayal of women in history. 
However I just felt it moved a tad slow for me and I struggled to get through the last third up until the last 8 chapters which were amazing. 
All in all a good book that is a true tear jerker.
🤍 

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adventurous emotional inspiring sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was very good. 
I absolutely adored the writing style; it was so beautiful and lyrical. 
I also loved how Ariadne & Phaedra were described and how their stories were told. 

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adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I admit, I was expecting something totally different from this book. A Minotaur retelling from Ariadne's perspective... which it is not. We spend very little time with the Minotaur and Theseus, but a lot of time with Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. We follow them through their whole life as exemplary women in Greek Mythology. 

I was a little confused at the beginning but once I realized, what the book was doing, it was a refreshing perspective. Although it was also very bleak and depressing; seeing the Myths, gods and heroes from the women's point of view felt all too real. Hilarious sometimes, seeing the differences to the shining stories I knew from my childhood. Because OF COURSE this is a much more likely scenario!

I really liked how many different kinds of women are portrayed. How differently they use the little agency they have. I loved the that several different sides of motherhood are shown. And I liked the sisters' dynamics a lot, although I wish there was more focus on it tbh. 

The writing was very lyrical, it really felt like reading a myth. But it prevented me from connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked to. Since Jennifer Saint follows Ariadne's life from myth to myth and tells many other stories as well, the pacing was off for me, too. Some parts were stretched too much, others way too short. It helped that I really love mythology and was curious what else was in the book and how it was different from what I knew. But it might not be for everyone. Same as the ending, which I think fits the story and message well, but might be disappointing to other readers. 

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging emotional informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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