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maistfu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
this is an absolute must read if you're as obsessed with green mythology as I am. first of all, i think the writing style is great. it's not difficult but still beautiful and it makes it easy to read.
the story is not just about ariadne. it tells the struggles of the women in ancient greece and their battles with men but also the gods. throughout the book, you get the stories of different myths and also other women, which makes it great for people who don't know that much about greek mythology in general.
but well, I loved it and I definitely recommend it to everyone :)
the story is not just about ariadne. it tells the struggles of the women in ancient greece and their battles with men but also the gods. throughout the book, you get the stories of different myths and also other women, which makes it great for people who don't know that much about greek mythology in general.
but well, I loved it and I definitely recommend it to everyone :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Rape
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Abandonment, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcohol and Murder
Minor: Rape
lauramcc7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Animal death, Alcohol, Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, Grief, Blood, Child death, Pregnancy, Death, Infidelity, Gore, Animal cruelty, and War
milliewhattt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Death, Child death, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Incest, and Rape
ishouldbereading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Welp, this was interesting.
I hated every single character except Ariadne, the story was a little stretched out and boring and the writing style was kind of difficult to read.
Let's get to know the characters!
I hated every single character except Ariadne, the story was a little stretched out and boring and the writing style was kind of difficult to read.
Let's get to know the characters!
- Ariadne ,,I hate men but I will obey them no matter what" the cinnamon roll
- Faidra ,,I love judging but will make the same mistakes I judged" the incest queen
- Theseus ,,Not a thing I said was ever true" who caused that my expectations for men are on the floor
- Dionysos ,,I'm not like other girls- I MEAN GODS- *insert Debby Ryan tucking her hair behind her ear*" the not-so-great-hubby
- Also featuring: Unhappy girls killing animals! Depressed wife married to an abuser! Cute bull-kid who enjoys killing mice a liiiittle too much if you know what I mean.
Overall a solid read that didn't particularly stick out to me. My feelings are similar to Tweet cute.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Incest
Minor: Child death, Blood, Alcohol, Suicide, and Rape
_falieadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Ariadne can be slow at points, though that may be because of the different perspectives. Which, while I enjoyed, I personally find it easier to get attached to one character's perspective. In saying that, the pace picks up, especially the last 100 or so pages which were impossible to not turn. Definitely recommended if you enjoy modern takes on mythology!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child death, Murder, Pregnancy, Violence, Gore, and War
Moderate: Miscarriage, Incest, Sexual content, and Rape
alt05's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I'm obsessed with Greek retellings from the POV of the women usually forgotten. Ariadne was no different! I loved how Jennifer Saint painted a tale of women who have been used, forgotten, and torn apart by the men who claim to be heroes. While I connected with both characters, Ariadne and Phaedra, I think having the book split between their perspectives left some holes in both plot and character development. I would have preferred separate stories of each sister. Also, the timeline of the story skipped around often, making it hard to follow what happened when. I do love Saint's writing. It's fluid and detailed. I feel as if she was painting a picture as she wrote. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, Incest, Rape, and War
nialalovesbooksssxo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Incest, Blood, Murder, Suicide, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Genocide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Xenophobia
biancafrancisco's review
reflective
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? No
3.0
I'm a simple woman, I see feminist greek retelling and I read
Buuuuut this one disappointed a bit. I enjoyed reading it, the writing is as pointed out in my cover "lyrical".
However, it does not do what it sets out to do.
Ariadne as a character lacks luster as she is very passive. She has barely any role in defeating the Minotaur (Dedalous gives her the thread and Phaedra steals the weapon), with this characterization one wonders how she even had the conviction to betray her father (I guess the explanation is her falling in love immediately by looking at Theseus....istg).
While she lives in Naxos with Dionysus she also shows no interest in the sister she left behind or on what her husband does on their island. She is lulled by her comfortable beliefs and leaves everything at that.
When the two sisters came to be reunited I thought the story's purpose might be revealed, that it would be about these two woman and their bond (once again pointing to the supposed feminist undercurrent of the book), but the only reason Phaedra went to Naxos was to further her plot and they seemed to add nothing to each other.
Through the book there is an emphasis on the gods being careless and cruel and innocent humans, particularly woman, suffering for it. This attempt at criticizing the treatment of woman in classical myth falls short as the plot of the book goes by. You would think Ariadne would go against this and, even if the ending had to be as in the myth, she would be shown fighting her fate. Yet, she merely goes where she is pushed most of the time and both Phaedra's and her death feel pointless and void of meaning. Phaedra's struggle with motherhood seems to also be looking to shed some feminist light, but the message gets lost along the way.
At the beggining of the book Ariadne
speaks of seizing her destiny for herself, but we see her do nothing of the sort throughout the book. In her own words, after a decade of marriage, she says "I had been trusting and obedient. I had thought that was the right way to be". She ends up being disappointed by Dionysus also and it seems the only lesson to be learned is a weird dichotomy of men are bad and woman good mixed with a Madonna-whore complex where woman who reclaimed and used their power were seen as evil (Medea and Hera, for example) while passive woman like Ariadne were good.
I realize this is to be a tragedy, but why retell a story if not to shine a new light on it? The women end the story the way they began, Ariadne without purpose and Phaedra miserable and heavy with humiliation.
It is not a terrible book, it was enjoyable to read - it just didn't convey its own message. If you have started it searching for something akin to Madeleine Miller's Circe, you will not be totally satisfied.
Buuuuut this one disappointed a bit. I enjoyed reading it, the writing is as pointed out in my cover "lyrical".
However, it does not do what it sets out to do.
Ariadne as a character lacks luster as she is very passive.
While she lives in Naxos with Dionysus she also shows no interest in the sister she left behind or on what her husband does on their island.
When the two sisters came to be reunited I thought the story's purpose might be revealed, that it would be about these two woman and their bond (once again pointing to the supposed feminist undercurrent of the book), but the only reason Phaedra went to Naxos was to further her plot and they seemed to add nothing to each other.
Through the book there is an emphasis on the gods being careless and cruel and innocent humans, particularly woman, suffering for it. This attempt at criticizing the treatment of woman in classical myth falls short as the plot of the book goes by. You would think Ariadne would go against this and, even if the ending had to be as in the myth, she would be shown fighting her fate.
At the beggining of the book Ariadne
speaks of seizing her destiny for herself, but we see her do nothing of the sort throughout the book. In her own words, after a decade of marriage, she says "I had been trusting and obedient. I had thought that was the right way to be". She ends up being disappointed by Dionysus also and it seems the only lesson to be learned is a weird dichotomy of men are bad and woman good mixed with a Madonna-whore complex where woman who reclaimed and used their power were seen as evil (Medea and Hera, for example) while passive woman like Ariadne were good.
I realize this is to be a tragedy, but why retell a story if not to shine a new light on it? The women end the story the way they began, Ariadne without purpose and Phaedra miserable and heavy with humiliation.
It is not a terrible book, it was enjoyable to read - it just didn't convey its own message. If you have started it searching for something akin to Madeleine Miller's Circe, you will not be totally satisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, and Sexual violence
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Death, Child death, Incest, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, and Infidelity
lanid's review against another edition
reflective
sad
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Violence, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Rape