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agnela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
The book had a gorgeous cover. The translation had some wobbling with genders and adjectives, although the prose was pretty. But the characters needed so much more polishing and building.
It's not a feminist story if you tell tragic life of a woman from her own perspective. It's not a feminist story to say men use women's labour and have them to point it out themselves. It just means it's female centric, told from a females perspective.
It got better to the end, maybe last 30%, where both women have a bit more agency and clear motivations rather than being naive horny girls or trying to survive. I loved Pheadra's point of view, you can at least tell the girls had different interests and passions. I was rooting for Pheadra to get more involved with ruling the kingdom, but I guess all those lessons and experiences tought her nothing. It's funny how both sister's stories involve being horny, Ariadne starts and Pheadra ends with it. No yes I know Pheadra just wanted to run away, but I don't really believe it. She had already visited Ariadne and Naxos where women could run away, and she didn't even love her children much, which I love by the way. Being a woman and being able to have a baby doesn't mean you want to, will be a good mom, or have to. Not to mention the trauma they experienced in their own home might have heavily contributed to how Pheadra felt about motherhood.
Overall I'm really disappointed. I saw this writer had a book about my beloved Hera and i will not be reading that because I know there will be only suffering and agony for my goddess, and I do not deserve to read about it and neither she deserves it to be write about her.
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War
rtorrey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
yannic_rasmus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wonderful writing style, captivating characters and very true to the original source material.
Also recommended for fans of Madeline Miller's "Circe"!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, and Blood
franticfreya's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicide, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Rape, and Grief
emilywemily6's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing and Miscarriage
camiandkitread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The pacing is slow but steady, enough to keep the reader’s engaged but calm while the tense parts of the myth are spread out.
The ending of “Ariadne” was not one that I was familiar with but suited this interpretation nicely.
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
amsswim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I am a fan of mythological retellings, so this hit the spot for me. This did not live up to Circe in my eyes, but I cannot fault it on not being my favorite book lol. It did have a similar vibe to Circe though in my opinion. If you like mythological retellings and/or stories of women trying to survive and thrive, I recommend.
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
jedore's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
"I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself."
In general, I'm not a huge fan of Greek mythology...mostly because of the rampant misogyny and bad behavior of men and their Gods—which is why Ariadne sat on my shelf unread until several days ago. I really, really liked it!
Written from the perspective of two strong, but very different, sisters—Ariadne and Phaedra, daughters of King Minos of Crete and sisters of the half-man/half-bull Minotaur whose diet was comprised of human sacrifices—this book kept me turning the pages quickly from start to finish. Although it was still filled with the tragic behavior of men and gods, the women were the focal point.
Although I admired and loved both of them, I related more to fiery Phaedra who went after what she wanted with passion...often without the benefit of adequate life experience or deep thought...and was justifiably pissed off at the men. Been there.
I love learning history through books like this. Whether you're a fan of Greek mythology or not, it's a worthy read.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Slavery, Blood, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Incest
lermaline's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Could’ve lived without reading this book however beautifully it described sibling relationships and betrayal 🙃
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Death, Rape, Grief, and Cannibalism
kkalicky94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol