Reviews

Queens of Themiscyra is the final book in Hannah Lynn’s The Grecian Women Trilogy. It opens us up to a version of the story of two queens of the Amazons— Hippolyta and Penthesilea. Following Hippolyta as she is swept away from her people to be queen of Athens, and Penthesilea as she steps into her new role as Queen of the Amazons, the reader is taken on a journey of sisterhood, love, vengeance, and heartbreak. A fitting story for anyone seeking to read a Greek myth that has never been retold before.

Going into the book, I was curious what tale Lynn would choose to spin as the stories of Hippolyta vary so greatly and are quite vague. The emotions that Hippolyta’s trials stirred in me were immense; I rejoiced with her, I wept with her, and I was furious on her behalf. Likewise, seeing the grow of Penthesilea was rewarding.

However, throughout the book I often found myself wondering when it would end. I would check what page I was on and be confused that I was not yet even half way through. The story seemed to stretch on longer than necessary with an abundance of filler descriptors, many that were well written and pictorial but sometimes felt poorly placed or too long. At some points in the middle of conversations I felt I was ripped away from the dialogue by a long paragraph of internal ramblings of the character. Likewise, many of the chapters ended so abruptly, seemingly trying to add dramatic effect to statements but simply causing me annoyance at the odd point of narrative breaking.

That being said, I was so drawn into the story, desiring to know how Lynn would choose to play out the chronicles of these fierce queens. Looking beyond my own discontentment of certain writing choices or missed writing errors, I still connected with the women. Even though I knew how their stories would end I was still yearning for Lynn to choose to rewrite their endings.

I believe Hannah Lynn did a wonderful job intertwining different versions of the tales of the Amazon Queens to create an all-encompassing account of their legacies.

*Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Content Warnings

amachonis's review

Go to review page

adventurous tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

maabark's review

Go to review page

5.0

Overall I thought the story was captivating and it kept me wanting to read more every time I had to put it down. I would highly recommend reading this book and even though it is part of a series, you don't have to read the next to continue the story. I like that because each story focuses on a particular person / group.

***Spoilers ahead***

I thought this story about prominent Amazon women was interesting. I loved following along with Hippolyte's story and then changing to the view point of Penthesilea after the tragic death of Hippolyte. I was also nice to bring in the battle of Troy and how the Amazonian women helped and fought valiantly.