Reviews tagging 'Death'

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

233 reviews

lauren_shilling's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was amazing! It took me way too long to read it, and it may have been a five star if I wasn't in such a terrible reading slump when I read it, because I don't really have any criticisms of it except that it didn't give me the feeling I get when I know I'm reading a five star book. Again, that may be because of the reading slump. The writing in this book was so gorgeous, and I found some new quotes that I absolutely love. There are definitely some new favorite quotes in this book for me. The portrayal of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, and how they lead such different lives as a result of one event was so interesting. The way their experiences shape who they become and how they interact with others was very well developed. Their experiences were so different, but in many ways reading about Phaedra's experiences was like holding up a mirror to Ariadne's, allowing me to see it in a more well-rounded way, and Ariadne's experiences felt like holding up a mirror to Phaedra's. It gave a very wholistic picture of both characters, as well as some others, and it was very interesting and very well done. The conversation about women and how they are effected by and punished the carelessness of men, especially in mythology, was so in depth and thought provoking. I would love to reread this book later on when I am not in a slump, because it really made me think. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Misogyny, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape and War

kalliopekat's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I have loved the Greek stories my entire life. As a woman who is currently examing the place of women in history, a Greek tale from a woman's point of view that was sitting on a shelf in my library intrigued me enough to check it out and I was not disappointed in my choice. 
Still a young girl, Ariadne watches what happens to her mother and wonders if she, too, will one day become a victim in a game between the gods and men. She is a lucid narrator who leaves the reader sympathic to not only her own story, but the stories of many other women in the book, from the first page to the last. This tale of courage, love, motherhood, heartbreak, and the ever-fickle gods is just what the Greek stories were lacking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Animal death

Minor: War and Rape

renata_reads's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Animal death and Suicide

ellamycroft's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Incest, Abandonment, Child death, and Death

icy_queen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Blood, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death, War, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Rape

pagesofplatypus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The Ariadne book is beautifully narrated and the voices for the various characters are convincing and varied enough to not cause confusion.

My favorite part of the book that I was not expecting was seeing chapters from Phaedra's point of view. She offers a good foil for Ariadne and readers definitely grimace as they watch Phaedra's tragic fate unfold.

I was not very familiar with Ariadne nor her story before this book but Saint did a wonderful job traveling through Ariadne's life from childhood to adulthood. I loved the early chapters. The atmosphere was very engrossing and enveloping. I especially enjoyed seeing Ariadne's interactions with Daedalus who was the only one who truly understood her. And Asterion. Asterion, the infamous Minotaur, will always be a favorite tragic character of mine and Saint brings even more of a doomed arc to the Minotaur.

Themes of feminism, fate, power, and autonomy are all explored. Feminine rage is also at the forefront as Ariadne considers her life and everything that contributed to it. Some of it felt heavy handed and a little repetitive in certain parts (especially as Ariadne is alone on Naxus) in my opinion. But I still think it's important to portray.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing style but like I said some parts just felt very repetitive to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Animal death, and Sexism

Moderate: Misogyny, Gore, Emotional abuse, Death, and Pregnancy

makaylastep's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexism, Blood, Suicide, War, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Incest, Violence, Death, and Misogyny

caroline_123's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

men love to hurt women!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Rape, and Suicide

nicolewhopickedthisbook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

I honestly don’t know how to rate this book. Was this book good? Well… yes. The writing was great. Was anything that happened in this book a surprise? No, not at all. I didn’t think this book would have a happy ending. Did I want a “retelling” that was exactly the same as Greek mythology? No. Like the Greek tragedies that inspired it, countless women fall victim to the whims of men, human and god alike, and they are helpless to break the generational cycle. I feel that retellings are a chance to give these women a different, better ending and this did not deliver. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Child death, Blood, and Animal death

bellerina2000's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, and War

Moderate: Suicide and Incest

Minor: Sexual assault and Rape