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thebookwalian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Atalanta - the forgotten female argonaut. Of course, I was intrigued when I spotted this in the description. After years of being bored to death by a seemingly endless supply of Greek myths about manly men mannily manning around, how could I not be interested in reading about this independent female character that was clearly lost somewhere in amongst all the aforementioned manliness?
The opening hooked me immediately - a baby girl left on a mountain to die gets adopted by a bear? I immediately wanted to know more.
I'll admit my interest waned a little around the midsection of the book - we followed along with the various pit stops of the argonaut on its quest and isn't much flow to the narrative, but that is the way with these old stories. When we focused in on Atalanta's story a little more in her own right, I really enjoyed it.
5* audiobook narration, too. Lovely voice to listen to and saved me the effort of stressing over how to pronounce all the Greek names...
The opening hooked me immediately - a baby girl left on a mountain to die gets adopted by a bear? I immediately wanted to know more.
I'll admit my interest waned a little around the midsection of the book - we followed along with the various pit stops of the argonaut on its quest and isn't much flow to the narrative, but that is the way with these old stories. When we focused in on Atalanta's story a little more in her own right, I really enjoyed it.
5* audiobook narration, too. Lovely voice to listen to and saved me the effort of stressing over how to pronounce all the Greek names...
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
roseanne32's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.5
4.5 🌟
Thank you to Netgallery and Headline Publishing Group for an advanced copy of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found the audiobook to be brilliant and really engaging.
While some mythological retellings have failed to maintain my attention, I was captivated throughout Atalana's story. The reader was brought on an adventure to several different beautifully described landscapes and faced foes and trials that were given enough attention to highlight their severity without unnecessarily dragging out the story.
I really enjoyed Atalanta as a character and how the entire novel was solely focused on her and the focus never shifted to shine a spotlight on other more well known mythological figures. This story was not about the Argonauts or Artemis, and Atalanta was never portrayed a lesser figure of importance witnessing history rather than making it herself.
Atalana's character arc was truly a joy to follow, as she never loses sight of who she is as she grows and matures, shedding the limitations other people have placed on her. Layers were also given to the other characters, who I find to be dynamic and not limited to the one-dimensional sexists that characters in mythological retellings can sometimes be portrayed as.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology and also anyone in the mood to read about a woman who does not let a prophecy limit her potential or her power.
Thank you to Netgallery and Headline Publishing Group for an advanced copy of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found the audiobook to be brilliant and really engaging.
While some mythological retellings have failed to maintain my attention, I was captivated throughout Atalana's story. The reader was brought on an adventure to several different beautifully described landscapes and faced foes and trials that were given enough attention to highlight their severity without unnecessarily dragging out the story.
I really enjoyed Atalanta as a character and how the entire novel was solely focused on her and the focus never shifted to shine a spotlight on other more well known mythological figures. This story was not about the Argonauts or Artemis, and Atalanta was never portrayed a lesser figure of importance witnessing history rather than making it herself.
Atalana's character arc was truly a joy to follow, as she never loses sight of who she is as she grows and matures, shedding the limitations other people have placed on her. Layers were also given to the other characters, who I find to be dynamic and not limited to the one-dimensional sexists that characters in mythological retellings can sometimes be portrayed as.
I would highly recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology and also anyone in the mood to read about a woman who does not let a prophecy limit her potential or her power.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
velvetreads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, War, Murder, Rape, Animal death, Death, and Violence
alireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Animal death, and Sexism
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape
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