Reviews

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

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jac_beh's review

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reflective

2.0

jenhurst's review against another edition

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4.0

This took awhile for me to get into but once I did, I was really into this. This is a feminist retelling of Ariadne, a women from greek mythology and one I didn’t really know much about. I’d heard of the Minotaur and Theseus obviously and knew what a douchebag Theseus was. I didn’t know her story though, so I actually learned a lot. The writing was good, pacing good, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra were very likeable. I liked how Phaedra didn’t feel an attachment to her children, because I know that’s not exactly common but it’s not something that never happens either. It was nice to see that representation in literature.

makaylastep's review against another edition

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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

crickedcactus's review against another edition

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3.0

Damn I really wanted to love this book but i only just liked it.
Some things that bothered me:
-Ariadne instantly falling in love with Theseus without knowing him. I knew the myth before-hand so I was hoping to get more details on their bond/relationship, how it happened, and it just seemed a bit forced, fast, as though not much thought had gone into it
-For a book that was heavily advertised as feminist, all female characters are extremely passive and only just watch what happens around them with no agency whatsoever
- show me, don’t tell me. A lot of times i felt bored reading about a character going on and on about their ancestry, or giving an account of all the deeds they accomplished. I feel like some of that could have been included as part of the main story
-i guess, bottom line is that this book was not Circe, a book that has a special place in my heart and I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone that enjoyed this one.