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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley and Hypatia Books for this arc.
Considering the quality of the prologue, I had high hopes for this book. A romance between Ariadne and Dionysus? Betrayals? Some yearning? I was all for it!
Unfortunately, the romance wasn't what I expected... Too carnal for my tastes. Ariadne and Dionysus meet rather quickly (a good thing as we don't have to wait too long to see them together), and they are instantly attracted to each other. Actually, they have sex right on the spot. It felt insta-love-y and underwhelming as I wanted more build-up and complexity. Plus, I never bought their love for each other: sex is all they are sharing. I'm not kidding you when I say that each time they saw each other they had to go at it again... Where were the emotions, the angst, the tension? Nowhere to be seen.
So yeah, there is a lot of smut in here, which is something I don't personally like. However, what made me uncomfortable is the essence of Ariadne's relationship with Dionysus and Thalia. Dionysus has the power to arouse the people around him: it's not his fault as he doesn't know how to control his gifts. However, he knows what his powers do but still chooses to have sex with these people. My problem is: are they consenting to this? Is Ariadne really *in love* with him or are his powers influencing her? I wish there were a substantial discussion on this.
Now, the friendship with Thalia was baffling. Sure, we're talking about cruel gods but as a retelling I would have appreciated more feminism. Ariadne tells us multiple times that Thalia is her friend and lover but there clearly was a slave/master dynamic that didn't sit well with me. Thalia was a submissive slave through and through: she was the one giving pleasure to Ariadne while the latter didn't give much back (except touching her breast, eh?). As soon as Thalia was in the same room, she had to pleasure Ariadne. Plus, Ariadne was always using the words "my slave" instead of "my friend". Are we supposed to believe in this friendship?
Because of that, I didn't like any of these characters. Ariadne was selfish, one-dimensional and naive. Dionysus was nothing more than a good-looking god. Thalia was a slave to both of them.
The story itself was quite boring honestly, I never was invested. The ending was also cheesy. Ariadne hasn't grown much as a character:
The men had too much power over the women in my opinion.
Considering the quality of the prologue, I had high hopes for this book. A romance between Ariadne and Dionysus? Betrayals? Some yearning? I was all for it!
Unfortunately, the romance wasn't what I expected... Too carnal for my tastes. Ariadne and Dionysus meet rather quickly (a good thing as we don't have to wait too long to see them together), and they are instantly attracted to each other. Actually, they have sex right on the spot. It felt insta-love-y and underwhelming as I wanted more build-up and complexity. Plus, I never bought their love for each other: sex is all they are sharing. I'm not kidding you when I say that each time they saw each other they had to go at it again... Where were the emotions, the angst, the tension? Nowhere to be seen.
So yeah, there is a lot of smut in here, which is something I don't personally like. However, what made me uncomfortable is the essence of Ariadne's relationship with Dionysus and Thalia. Dionysus has the power to arouse the people around him: it's not his fault as he doesn't know how to control his gifts. However, he knows what his powers do but still chooses to have sex with these people. My problem is: are they consenting to this? Is Ariadne really *in love* with him or are his powers influencing her? I wish there were a substantial discussion on this.
Now, the friendship with Thalia was baffling. Sure, we're talking about cruel gods but as a retelling I would have appreciated more feminism. Ariadne tells us multiple times that Thalia is her friend and lover but there clearly was a slave/master dynamic that didn't sit well with me. Thalia was a submissive slave through and through: she was the one giving pleasure to Ariadne while the latter didn't give much back (except touching her breast, eh?). As soon as Thalia was in the same room, she had to pleasure Ariadne. Plus, Ariadne was always using the words "my slave" instead of "my friend". Are we supposed to believe in this friendship?
Because of that, I didn't like any of these characters. Ariadne was selfish, one-dimensional and naive. Dionysus was nothing more than a good-looking god. Thalia was a slave to both of them.
The story itself was quite boring honestly, I never was invested. The ending was also cheesy. Ariadne hasn't grown much as a character:
Spoiler
she began as Artemis' servant and ends up accepting her death by this same master's hand.... Yes, yes, she comes back to life thanks to Dionysus. Where is the growth though? The independance?The men had too much power over the women in my opinion.
Meh.
This is a retelling of Ariedne, most known form the story Theseus and the Minotaur. I thought this would be more of an insight into her side of everything. What really happens is a woman being the plaything of men with the illusion of grandeur. I struggled through this and found the countless sex scenes to be a bit much. When we are introduced to Dionysus she falls in love instantly which takes the interest away.
The I just felt like it was a long read and I would rather just read the wiki page.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
This is a retelling of Ariedne, most known form the story Theseus and the Minotaur. I thought this would be more of an insight into her side of everything. What really happens is a woman being the plaything of men with the illusion of grandeur. I struggled through this and found the countless sex scenes to be a bit much. When we are introduced to Dionysus she falls in love instantly which takes the interest away.
The I just felt like it was a long read and I would rather just read the wiki page.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
DNFed at 60%
Ariadne Unraveled is ... what the title says it is, to be honest, it's a retelling of the story of Ariadne which is a tale I'm not too familiar with and was looking forward to learn about; however, all through the 60% of the book that I read, I couldn't help but feel like I would learn more through reading a cliffnotes version of the story and, ultimately, I decided I'd rather keep myself "unspoiled" for this story so that I could come across it in another more enjoyable format.
The book is certainly not bad, it's just not the type of story or genre that I enjoy. It seems like a typical insta-love romance/smut book dressed up as a Greek myth and, unfortunately, it manages to fall a bit flat on all the different aspects of its theme. As I understood, the story is a tragedy detailing the separation of Ariadne and Dionysus but there is absolutely no emotion connected to this separation because there is no emotion depicted in their entire relationship. They meet at the very beginning of the book and their whole introduction is centered around how irresistible Ariadne finds Dionysus and how much she wants to sleep with him, a fact that's initially shown to be more tied to Dionysus' "magic" and power instead of a bond between the two.
The second time Ariadne and Dionysus meet is when he's managed to convince her father to marry her off to him and from then on, we're supposed to believe these two are meant to be together despite the fact that all we're ever shown is them having sex or talking about having sex, there's no build up and there's no character development. I have nothing against romance novels or smut-heavy books as long as they're done well and they actually make you feel something for the characters and their relationship. For me, this came with no feelings attached.
Another aspect that fell flat for me was the writing style. Everything seemed too simplified, there was no beautiful prose, no lyricism in the style, none of the things one would normally find associated with mythology or gods and goddesses. Everything was too straight forward here, events were described as "this happened and then this happened and then 2 years passed and then this happened" and I found it hard to engage with the writing because I felt it was missing a little something extra. It felt like the outlines of a story rather than the finished product and maybe with a bit more time and more depth to the characters/writing, it could have been a much better book for me.
Overall, while I couldn't finish this book, I wouldn't say it's necessarily a 1 star book or that it's bad or anything like that. It might just be the kind of book you're looking for and it might be a good story to pick up if you're in the mood for a classic retelling. It does have a lot of information regarding the tale and does provide some nice imagery regarding the setting the characters are in. If you're a fan of the Ariadne story (or familiar with Greek mythology in general) it might be a nice book for you to read and own (love the cover btw). But, as your first encounter with the myth of Ariadne, maybe it's best to go for something else, which is what I'm hoping to do.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.
The promise of a man was worthless
Ariadne Unraveled is ... what the title says it is, to be honest, it's a retelling of the story of Ariadne which is a tale I'm not too familiar with and was looking forward to learn about; however, all through the 60% of the book that I read, I couldn't help but feel like I would learn more through reading a cliffnotes version of the story and, ultimately, I decided I'd rather keep myself "unspoiled" for this story so that I could come across it in another more enjoyable format.
The book is certainly not bad, it's just not the type of story or genre that I enjoy. It seems like a typical insta-love romance/smut book dressed up as a Greek myth and, unfortunately, it manages to fall a bit flat on all the different aspects of its theme. As I understood, the story is a tragedy detailing the separation of Ariadne and Dionysus but there is absolutely no emotion connected to this separation because there is no emotion depicted in their entire relationship. They meet at the very beginning of the book and their whole introduction is centered around how irresistible Ariadne finds Dionysus and how much she wants to sleep with him, a fact that's initially shown to be more tied to Dionysus' "magic" and power instead of a bond between the two.
The second time Ariadne and Dionysus meet is when he's managed to convince her father to marry her off to him and from then on, we're supposed to believe these two are meant to be together despite the fact that all we're ever shown is them having sex or talking about having sex, there's no build up and there's no character development. I have nothing against romance novels or smut-heavy books as long as they're done well and they actually make you feel something for the characters and their relationship. For me, this came with no feelings attached.
Another aspect that fell flat for me was the writing style. Everything seemed too simplified, there was no beautiful prose, no lyricism in the style, none of the things one would normally find associated with mythology or gods and goddesses. Everything was too straight forward here, events were described as "this happened and then this happened and then 2 years passed and then this happened" and I found it hard to engage with the writing because I felt it was missing a little something extra. It felt like the outlines of a story rather than the finished product and maybe with a bit more time and more depth to the characters/writing, it could have been a much better book for me.
Overall, while I couldn't finish this book, I wouldn't say it's necessarily a 1 star book or that it's bad or anything like that. It might just be the kind of book you're looking for and it might be a good story to pick up if you're in the mood for a classic retelling. It does have a lot of information regarding the tale and does provide some nice imagery regarding the setting the characters are in. If you're a fan of the Ariadne story (or familiar with Greek mythology in general) it might be a nice book for you to read and own (love the cover btw). But, as your first encounter with the myth of Ariadne, maybe it's best to go for something else, which is what I'm hoping to do.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book and ended up DNFing at around 25% of the way in.
I was really hoping for a good myth re-telling and a focus on romance and female perspective (which are both very ahistorical and what I was seeking) but I just found the writing style confusing and the world-building hard to understand.
Not for me unfortunately.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for a review.
I was really hoping for a good myth re-telling and a focus on romance and female perspective (which are both very ahistorical and what I was seeking) but I just found the writing style confusing and the world-building hard to understand.
Not for me unfortunately.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for a review.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus, having only been slightly familiar with Ariadne I had trouble distinguishing what elements were canon in the mythology and what elements Zenobia Neil added or created herself because everything felt so organic and classic. This has all the parts of mythology that I love: destinies intertwining, magical women, daring quests, vengeance and romance. Would definitely recommend for those who love a good mythical retelling that feels like it could be the original myth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
slow-paced
Greek Mythology meets Jane Eyre Laid Bare. I did not expect that. I think I read the synopsis on Netgalley, and completely missed that it's an erotica.
Love 💘
- The story-telling is good. For something so complicated and long-winded, it's easy to follow.
- Love strong women who are secured with their sexuality. I was ready to get annoyed with subservient women as is the norm with Greek Mythology, love that it highlights that there were strong and revered women during that time.
Meh
- the book prioritized story-telling more than emotional impact. It was good story-telling but it didn't affect me that much - it's like reading history but with graphic description of sexual activities.
- Speaking of which, I think around 40% of the book is about lust or sex. I had to gloss over some of it because it was too much to the point where it convinced me that Ariadne and Dionysus' relationship and every one else's is only based on either sex or politics.
Overall, not bad. Not the best start for someone who's just getting into Greek Mythology, but I'm shelving this as "take it with a grain of salt." It's lucky that I do enjoy erotica(if u know me, no u don't).
Story-telling: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Spice: 2/5 descriptive but not on the extreme side
Over-all: 3.5/5
Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Love 💘
- The story-telling is good. For something so complicated and long-winded, it's easy to follow.
- Love strong women who are secured with their sexuality. I was ready to get annoyed with subservient women as is the norm with Greek Mythology, love that it highlights that there were strong and revered women during that time.
Meh
- the book prioritized story-telling more than emotional impact. It was good story-telling but it didn't affect me that much - it's like reading history but with graphic description of sexual activities.
- Speaking of which, I think around 40% of the book is about lust or sex. I had to gloss over some of it because it was too much to the point where it convinced me that Ariadne and Dionysus' relationship and every one else's is only based on either sex or politics.
Overall, not bad. Not the best start for someone who's just getting into Greek Mythology, but I'm shelving this as "take it with a grain of salt." It's lucky that I do enjoy erotica
Story-telling: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Spice: 2/5 descriptive but not on the extreme side
Over-all: 3.5/5
Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Abandonment
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Ariadne Unraveled is a retelling of the tale of Ariadne and her relationship with Dionysus. This retelling stands out among current retellings in that it doesn’t sugar coat the pettiness of the gods whatsoever.
Even Dionysus, while still the hero of our story, has his faults as well. In several chapters from his POV, we have a very clear ‘male gaze’ from him and an inability to listen to the word ‘no’ (a trait that many gods share). Nevertheless, I found Dionysus was portrayed in a rather refreshingly genuine way and we do see his edges begin to soften when he does truly fall for Araidne. I can imagine a lot of modern readers will have trouble with his ‘male gaze’, but he’s a god, being misogynistic jerks is sort of their thing.
I found the story itself compelling and interesting, especially when it came to Neil’s own twists on the retelling. Like in the source of the leopard that is consistently depicted in Dionysus imagery (loved that insert!). I also really enjoyed her style of writing; it was very sensual and descriptive. Imagery as well as scents were all very clear, allowing you to almost picture yourself in the scene with the character.
My one qualm when it came to plot points was how quickly Ariadne turned on her servant and lover, Thalia, when Thalia was discovered missing the same time Dionysus left. I would like to think Ariadne would have had more doubts that they two were so connected, especially considering how close Ariadne and Thalia are. But then again, this could also be a lens of the master and slave appearing and the true nature of Ariadne and Thalia’s relationship coming through.
Overall, I found Ariadne Unraveled to be a very interesting retelling in its own right. I wouldn’t recommend it to those who are casually into retellings as they might miss the nods to classic depictions and take them as faults, but I would certainly recommend it to those who are very much into retellings and can appreciate Neil’s storytelling choices.
CW: Sexual content, sexual assault, misogny, slavery, blood, apparent suicide, & some violence
*Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ARC*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood
Minor: Slavery, Violence