Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

299 reviews

hannah_hodges's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

3.0

Reading this book made me update my content warnings afterwards haha! I enjoyed learning about the two sisters and the heroes/gods they were tangled up with. This isn’t a comment on the writing style, as I thought Saint told the story well, but reading Ariadne and Phaedra’s story and seeing it unravel was a bit like watching a car crash - horrifying but you can’t really look away. I thought the experience of Postpartum Depression was very well written, especially in contrast to the other character’s experience of motherhood. I raced through reading this book and I think it was good to stretch outside my comfort zone and read a sad/emotional/dark book (not my vibe at all lol) but I’ll be paying more attention to content warnings and mood in the future! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape

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) 

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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

aliyahoff's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Sexism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

Moderate: Alcohol and Mental illness

Minor: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Blood, War, and Murder

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

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

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

miinaanastasia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Child 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