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neelix's review against another edition
First of all: thank you to Netgalley for providing my with an eARC for this book.
The premise sounded really good, since I love Greek mythology and Greek mythology retelling a.
But sadly this book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time getting into the book and couldn’t feel a connection to the characters.
It wasn’t a book I was gravitating towards reading at the end of the day.
Tastes vary, so hopefully someone else finds more joy in this than I did.
The premise sounded really good, since I love Greek mythology and Greek mythology retelling a.
But sadly this book wasn’t for me. I had a hard time getting into the book and couldn’t feel a connection to the characters.
It wasn’t a book I was gravitating towards reading at the end of the day.
Tastes vary, so hopefully someone else finds more joy in this than I did.
gibbse97's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
samn95's review
2.0
The premise of this book was promising and I liked the idea following a mythology retelling. I did find it confusing for a while trying to follow what the main plot was and where the story was going. There were parts I felt were described beautifully with really thorough imagery, and other sections that felt more like we were being told, not shown, what was happening.
The story really took hold in the second half of the book and I liked the solidarity of the women throughout. The romantic notions with Ares confused me as there was no real lead up to it and it just appeared out of no where.
This book wasn’t for me in the end, but there will be those who find it enjoyable.
The story really took hold in the second half of the book and I liked the solidarity of the women throughout. The romantic notions with Ares confused me as there was no real lead up to it and it just appeared out of no where.
This book wasn’t for me in the end, but there will be those who find it enjoyable.
annaszell's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I really wanted to like this book. The premise is great, and has everything I love:
- greek mythology
- strong FMC
- found family
However, it fell flat for me. The pacing was slow and I did not like the FMC. I almost DNF-d it a couple of times, and maybe I should’ve. It just wasn’t captivating for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
seenthestars's review against another edition
3.0
First off: Thank you to the author and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
So. This book.
I don't want to be mean, but i feel like there is value in honesty. So, here goes nothing.
It took me like 65% before i started actually having a good time. Reading it felt like a chore, and time just did not pass as i did. The percentage bar just stayed the same and it made me want to bash my head in.
Don't get me wrong. The story in itself wasn't bad. I grew quite fond of the characters and there were really nice parts.
However. However, the writing was bumpy. Often i could feel myself being pulled out of the story because of it. The prose felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be poetic, or the dialogue changed drastically from very modern to "time appropriate", as if it didn't know what it was going for. There were so many commas either misplaced or missing entirely. Most importantly, the author consistently confused Charon, ferryman of the underworld, with Chiron, trainer of heroes.
All aside, what this book did really well was characterization. I loved the group of women and their unique personalities, quirks, manners. My favourite has got to be Lysandra, who's just a bitch for the entire book, and I love her for it. All of the gods are assholes, which feels appropriate; though i would have loved Artemis to be just a bit more center and a bit more likeable, with this being a book about her, in some way.
I also loved the fact that this book focused so much on women. It's refreshing to read a book where the main cast consists (almost) entirely of women. More of that, please!!
I really, really enjoyed the last 20%. I would've loved to enjoy all of it.
So. This book.
I don't want to be mean, but i feel like there is value in honesty. So, here goes nothing.
It took me like 65% before i started actually having a good time. Reading it felt like a chore, and time just did not pass as i did. The percentage bar just stayed the same and it made me want to bash my head in.
Don't get me wrong. The story in itself wasn't bad. I grew quite fond of the characters and there were really nice parts.
However. However, the writing was bumpy. Often i could feel myself being pulled out of the story because of it. The prose felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be poetic, or the dialogue changed drastically from very modern to "time appropriate", as if it didn't know what it was going for. There were so many commas either misplaced or missing entirely. Most importantly, the author consistently confused Charon, ferryman of the underworld, with Chiron, trainer of heroes.
All aside, what this book did really well was characterization. I loved the group of women and their unique personalities, quirks, manners. My favourite has got to be Lysandra, who's just a bitch for the entire book, and I love her for it. All of the gods are assholes, which feels appropriate; though i would have loved Artemis to be just a bit more center and a bit more likeable, with this being a book about her, in some way.
I also loved the fact that this book focused so much on women. It's refreshing to read a book where the main cast consists (almost) entirely of women. More of that, please!!
I really, really enjoyed the last 20%. I would've loved to enjoy all of it.
girl_of_books_and_wheels's review
4.0
My first Greek mythology retelling of the year and oh my I loved it. The main aspect of the novel that kept me interested was the female empowerment and of course the mythology, I absolutely adored how the main group was formed over time and all the action was great. The only reason I’m giving it 4 stars was because if felt a bit long winded and drawn out at times but I think that could just be personal writing preferences. It definitely had me feeling all sorts of emotions and each character seemed to embody a different female attitude or character which seemed like great symbolism.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
booksnynk's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
I received this book from booksirens for an honest review
I love books set in Ancient Greek and this book is for people who love those books too. Otrera is a true play thing of the gods which is true for so many hero's in Ancient Greece but that makes it fun. It feels like inmost off the book Otrera is looking for her purpose and that search is really well put out in the book. I just hoped I guess there was a bit more action in the book. it's more Otrera companions say let's do this and. then Otrera is ok and all hell breaks lose. That is not my most favorite thing to happen. Like once is fine but multiple times it always start to annoy me after a time.
But is this book bad NO, will I recommend this book YES, do I think it's a good YA book YES. I would also recommend this to people who start. reading greek myth. because you get an easy start into the myths and it's definitely an easier to read then more complicated myths like the Iliad and odyssey.
Do I want to read the second book probably because I want to know what happens next.
Side note I just got lost a lot of the time with all the side characters and a glossary would have been useful for me.
I love books set in Ancient Greek and this book is for people who love those books too. Otrera is a true play thing of the gods which is true for so many hero's in Ancient Greece but that makes it fun. It feels like inmost off the book Otrera is looking for her purpose and that search is really well put out in the book. I just hoped I guess there was a bit more action in the book. it's more Otrera companions say let's do this and. then Otrera is ok and all hell breaks lose. That is not my most favorite thing to happen. Like once is fine but multiple times it always start to annoy me after a time.
But is this book bad NO, will I recommend this book YES, do I think it's a good YA book YES. I would also recommend this to people who start. reading greek myth. because you get an easy start into the myths and it's definitely an easier to read then more complicated myths like the Iliad and odyssey.
Do I want to read the second book probably because I want to know what happens next.
Side note I just got lost a lot of the time with all the side characters and a glossary would have been useful for me.
kawaiikittenreads's review
5.0
Absolutely loved this book! My biggest complaint is that it’s the first in the series and now I have to wait for more!
Fair warning to all that pick this up; this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and there are some parts that downright broke my heart. But this is a heartwarming story of resilience, found family, and the power of women. I will be reading the rest of this series as it comes out!
Also- I was not expecting the twist at the end at all! But I like it!
I received a free digital copy of this from BookSirens and the author and I am posting this review because the book was great!
Fair warning to all that pick this up; this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and there are some parts that downright broke my heart. But this is a heartwarming story of resilience, found family, and the power of women. I will be reading the rest of this series as it comes out!
Also- I was not expecting the twist at the end at all! But I like it!
I received a free digital copy of this from BookSirens and the author and I am posting this review because the book was great!
emersonrose's review
adventurous
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC Ebook
Maiden of Artemis is a fun adventure full of myth, magic, and friendship. The story follows Otrera, an escaped slave, who has devoted herself to Artemis. On her journey, she is determined to keep her friends safe while the consequences of past actions and the might of gods threaten everything she holds dear.
I really enjoyed the focus this story had on female relationships. By the end of the book, Otrera has collected a large group of women she is set on protecting and each is a distinct character and the relationships between them were interesting. I am also a big fan of not only Greek mythology, but Artemis specifically so I enjoyed seeing the different myths come to life. The complexity of the Gods, particularly Ares, toward the end of the book was also interesting.
I did struggle with the pacing of this book. I found the beginning a bit slow and the middle too fast. I wanted to sit in the moments between all of the characters a bit more and further develop the complexity of feelings their trauma, desperation for survival, and love for each other create.
There were also elements of the story that I felt were left without being wrapped up enough. The tension between Otrera and Pamphilos and the tension between Otrera and Ares felt a little disconnected from the rest of the story.
The book does set up for a sequel with lots of questions yet to be answered and a quest far from complete.
Overall, I had fun reading this story and for those who love Greek mythology, this is certainly worth reading!
Maiden of Artemis is a fun adventure full of myth, magic, and friendship. The story follows Otrera, an escaped slave, who has devoted herself to Artemis. On her journey, she is determined to keep her friends safe while the consequences of past actions and the might of gods threaten everything she holds dear.
I really enjoyed the focus this story had on female relationships. By the end of the book, Otrera has collected a large group of women she is set on protecting and each is a distinct character and the relationships between them were interesting. I am also a big fan of not only Greek mythology, but Artemis specifically so I enjoyed seeing the different myths come to life. The complexity of the Gods, particularly Ares, toward the end of the book was also interesting.
I did struggle with the pacing of this book. I found the beginning a bit slow and the middle too fast. I wanted to sit in the moments between all of the characters a bit more and further develop the complexity of feelings their trauma, desperation for survival, and love for each other create.
There were also elements of the story that I felt were left without being wrapped up enough. The tension between Otrera and Pamphilos and the tension between Otrera and Ares felt a little disconnected from the rest of the story.
The book does set up for a sequel with lots of questions yet to be answered and a quest far from complete.
Overall, I had fun reading this story and for those who love Greek mythology, this is certainly worth reading!
szga's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Thank you so much to Musadora Publishing for providing me with an e-arc of this book!
Maiden of Artemis tells the story of Ortrera, the first Amazonian Queen. We follow her, as she is on the run from Nisos because she has killed his son and swore an oath to Artemis. She gathers a group of women she would do anything for. But as she goes on her quest to find a safe sancturary for her chosen sisters and herself, everyone seems to throw a stone into their way.
So first of all: Wow. This was a really nice debut in my opinion. The writing style was good, the world building was nice and it felt like the author knew what she was talking about. I especially loved all the different mentions of greek myths and everything was so nice to see, at least to me. I also felt like this is the first time I read a good feminist retelling. Don't get me wrong. I've read others and they were good but this is exactly what I wanted from them. Talking about women from that time and how they lived in the a non-priveleged part of society. Not only that but I also loved the sex positivity in this book.
Also, why is Ares kind of hot in this book? I always hated him but in this book kind of not??? Help??
One thing I didn*t feel though, is the connection between Pamphilos and Otrera. I get that they are childhood friends but somehow I never felt that. The fact that he kept appearing out of nowhere kind of threw me off as well.
Overall, Maiden of Artemis was a fun book, especially for those seeking greek myth fun. I look forward to the future books in the series and Eloise Bahr's other new books, since this was a strong debut for me.
Maiden of Artemis tells the story of Ortrera, the first Amazonian Queen. We follow her, as she is on the run from Nisos because she has killed his son and swore an oath to Artemis. She gathers a group of women she would do anything for. But as she goes on her quest to find a safe sancturary for her chosen sisters and herself, everyone seems to throw a stone into their way.
So first of all: Wow. This was a really nice debut in my opinion. The writing style was good, the world building was nice and it felt like the author knew what she was talking about. I especially loved all the different mentions of greek myths and everything was so nice to see, at least to me. I also felt like this is the first time I read a good feminist retelling. Don't get me wrong. I've read others and they were good but this is exactly what I wanted from them. Talking about women from that time and how they lived in the a non-priveleged part of society. Not only that but I also loved the sex positivity in this book.
Also, why is Ares kind of hot in this book? I always hated him but in this book kind of not??? Help??
One thing I didn*t feel though, is the connection between Pamphilos and Otrera. I get that they are childhood friends but somehow I never felt that. The fact that he kept appearing out of nowhere kind of threw me off as well.
Overall, Maiden of Artemis was a fun book, especially for those seeking greek myth fun. I look forward to the future books in the series and Eloise Bahr's other new books, since this was a strong debut for me.