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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.
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.
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
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
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
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!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Rape, and Suicide
saskiajva's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Definitely read content warnings for this! This book was odd. I felt like it spent a lot of time detailing unimportant things and then sailed through important bits i wish had been more detailed, so it’s hard to say if not much happens or if a lot happened. Ariadne is a timid, fretful character which was frustrating and hard to like or relate to at times. The ending is one of the darkest things I’ve ever read, but isn’t given too much detail so it loses some punch there which is not a bad thing. I wanted to love this book, but it isn’t my thing. But I can see why others like it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Child death, Murder, Sexism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Infidelity, War, and Suicidal thoughts
mirandahems's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
most of the book is people telling stories to ariadne, you don’t see much of the action. i feel like i personally went through a terrible break up by the end of this. overall a good story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Sexism, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Grief, and Misogyny
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
morbidgoogle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One of my favourite books, reccomended to everyone I know!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Child death, Death, and Incest
Moderate: War, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Violence
millieinks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Alcohol, Sexism, Suicide, War, Grief, Abandonment, Rape, and Pregnancy
captnmorgan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a lovely book! It was a slow start but after part one it picks up and draws you in. I found a lot of similarities in the story to Circe, and without knowing much of the classical Greek mythology, I’m not sure if they just had similar stories or if it was on purpose. Either way a lovely book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Murder, Animal death, Suicide, Gore, and Grief