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kfergy's review against another edition
dark
relaxing
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
4.0
Enjoyable read - definitely a good fit for those familiar with Greek mythology and always wanted a bit more context to the parables. Good reflection upon traditional femininity and independence, though the ending doesn't necessarily leave you inspired (it's not supposed to)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death, Blood, Infidelity, Gore, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide, Animal cruelty, War, and Pregnancy
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
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Child death, Blood, and Animal death
leweylibrary's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
5.0
The number one thing to learn from this book: Never trust a god, and DEFINITELY never trust a man. Jeeeeeez.
But seriously, I really enjoyed this one, especially the relationship between Ariadne and her sister. I do kind of wish it would've slowed down a bit once they were separated and given some more detail on what their lives were like, especially the sister. And my goodness what a depressing ending lol.
Quotes:
But seriously, I really enjoyed this one, especially the relationship between Ariadne and her sister. I do kind of wish it would've slowed down a bit once they were separated and given some more detail on what their lives were like, especially the sister. And my goodness what a depressing ending lol.
Quotes:
- What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do. (12)
- No longer was my world one of brave heroes; I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats. (13)
- I only knew Medusa as a monster. I had not thought she had ever been anything else. The stories of Perseus did not allow for a Medusa with a story of her own. (13)
- I would be Medusa, if it came to it, I resolved. If the gods held me accountable one day for the sins of someone else, if they came for me to punish a man's actions, I would not hide away like Pasiphae. I would wear that coronet of snakes, and the world would shrink from me instead. (14)
- What the gods liked was ferocity, savagery, the snarl and the bite and the fear. Always, always the fear, the naked edge of it behind the smoke, rising from the altars, the high note of it in the muttered prayers and praise we sent heavenward, the deep, primal taste of it when we raised the knife above the sacrificial offering.
Our fear. That was how the gods grew great. (17) - Theseus had not left me because I was at fault or because I did not matter. He had left because, to him, nothing mattered at all. Beyond the cold pursuit of his own fame. I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing. Make me doubt the value of myself. (179)
- "I want no gift that I give you to be so transient. And so I took it from your head, where it can only look a doll in comparison to your radiance, and I put it somewhere it will shine forever."
... In the eternity of night, I saw the brand new pinpricks of light that shone in a sweeping arc. The luster of my crown was now a fiery illumination against the darkness.
"Just as you will never lose me, you will never lose your crown," his arms wrapped tightly around me. "Your coronet will guide sailors to safety through the labyrinth of the treacherous seas. Women will look to it for a sign of comfort, a light in the darkness. Children will whisper their wishes to it before they close their eyes to dream. It will stay there, fast and true, for all of time." (187) - As If we hadn't learned from living with our shattered mother and her monstrous spawn that all the women can do in this world is take what she wants from it and crush those who would stand in her way before they break her into fragments like Pasiphae. (233)
- The price we paid for the resentment, the lust, and the greed of arrogant men was our pain, shining and bright like the blade of a newly honed knife. Dionysus had once seemed to me the best of them all, but I saw him now for what he was, no different from the mightiest of the gods. Or the basest of men. (299)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Murder, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy
jaywb's review against another edition
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
5.0
I absolutely ADORED this book.
From start to finish, this book focused on the women lost within mythology, delving into the stories of those forgotten in favour of the male heroes. I have found that with other books that explore the same themes as 'Ariadne', the female characters are still somehow lost in the man's story even though the focus is meant to be on them and their role in Greek mythos; this is not a problem in 'Ariadne'. The focus is constantly on Ariadne and the women surrounding her i.e. her mother and sister, as well as women she percieves as legends e.g. Medusa, with Thesues' part seeming very minimal in contrast to the concentration on illustrating Ariadne's role. The book asks many important questions, inspiring deep thought on women's roles throughout history and mythology.
I found the story to be extremely engaging (I read it from start to finish within a week), challenging, emotional and oftentimes quite dark. I thoroughly enjoyed Saint's writing style and will be picking up her other books ASAP!
From start to finish, this book focused on the women lost within mythology, delving into the stories of those forgotten in favour of the male heroes. I have found that with other books that explore the same themes as 'Ariadne', the female characters are still somehow lost in the man's story even though the focus is meant to be on them and their role in Greek mythos; this is not a problem in 'Ariadne'. The focus is constantly on Ariadne and the women surrounding her i.e. her mother and sister, as well as women she percieves as legends e.g. Medusa, with Thesues' part seeming very minimal in contrast to the concentration on illustrating Ariadne's role. The book asks many important questions, inspiring deep thought on women's roles throughout history and mythology.
I found the story to be extremely engaging (I read it from start to finish within a week), challenging, emotional and oftentimes quite dark. I thoroughly enjoyed Saint's writing style and will be picking up her other books ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest
corikane's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
because nothing ever changes...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty
amyiris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Child death
sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, Animal death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, and Gaslighting
agnela's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I wanted to dnf this so hard! There was a time in my life where I would have loved this, but now I want to read about powerful characters, about joy and life and becoming better. But this story just told you a story about wronged women and men who messed it up for them. I understand it's ancient Greek culture thing, but damn, we, now, can tell those same stories in a better way, we can imagine these characters taking different choices, even if they end up in the same places. We can give them healing and humanity. Plus we can give them a better ending, because now we know there are more endings and more tellings of their stories. It's so not feminist at all. Ariadne makes a few decisions in her whole life, and that's how the story moves. I think she has made maybe 3 or 4 choices, and the plot then just deals with it.
The book had a gorgeous cover. The translation had some wobbling with genders and adjectives, although the prose was pretty. But the characters needed so much more polishing and building.
It's not a feminist story if you tell tragic life of a woman from her own perspective. It's not a feminist story to say men use women's labour and have them to point it out themselves. It just means it's female centric, told from a females perspective.
It got better to the end, maybe last 30%, where both women have a bit more agency and clear motivations rather than being naive horny girls or trying to survive. I loved Pheadra's point of view, you can at least tell the girls had different interests and passions. I was rooting for Pheadra to get more involved with ruling the kingdom, but I guess all those lessons and experiences tought her nothing. It's funny how both sister's stories involve being horny, Ariadne starts and Pheadra ends with it. No yes I know Pheadra just wanted to run away, but I don't really believe it. She had already visited Ariadne and Naxos where women could run away, and she didn't even love her children much, which I love by the way. Being a woman and being able to have a baby doesn't mean you want to, will be a good mom, or have to. Not to mention the trauma they experienced in their own home might have heavily contributed to how Pheadra felt about motherhood.
Overall I'm really disappointed. I saw this writer had a book about my beloved Hera and i will not be reading that because I know there will be only suffering and agony for my goddess, and I do not deserve to read about it and neither she deserves it to be write about her.
The book had a gorgeous cover. The translation had some wobbling with genders and adjectives, although the prose was pretty. But the characters needed so much more polishing and building.
It's not a feminist story if you tell tragic life of a woman from her own perspective. It's not a feminist story to say men use women's labour and have them to point it out themselves. It just means it's female centric, told from a females perspective.
It got better to the end, maybe last 30%, where both women have a bit more agency and clear motivations rather than being naive horny girls or trying to survive. I loved Pheadra's point of view, you can at least tell the girls had different interests and passions. I was rooting for Pheadra to get more involved with ruling the kingdom, but I guess all those lessons and experiences tought her nothing. It's funny how both sister's stories involve being horny, Ariadne starts and Pheadra ends with it. No yes I know Pheadra just wanted to run away, but I don't really believe it. She had already visited Ariadne and Naxos where women could run away, and she didn't even love her children much, which I love by the way. Being a woman and being able to have a baby doesn't mean you want to, will be a good mom, or have to. Not to mention the trauma they experienced in their own home might have heavily contributed to how Pheadra felt about motherhood.
Overall I'm really disappointed. I saw this writer had a book about my beloved Hera and i will not be reading that because I know there will be only suffering and agony for my goddess, and I do not deserve to read about it and neither she deserves it to be write about her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Mental illness, Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, War, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
rtorrey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Incest, Death, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War