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irenemarie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexism, and Suicide
Moderate: Death of parent and Confinement
acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. I'm the first person to love a feminist myth retelling. The point of view shifting so frequently hindered the book in my opinion. It made it hard for me to feel truly connected to any of the characters. Don't get me wrong. I love a Greek tragedy, which this certainly is and I knew that going in. But the tone of this book was very dark, so definitely be warned that the subject matter is heavy. I preferred the book Ariadne by Jennifer Saint and Ariadne Unraveled by Zenobia Neil. Both of those were 5 star reads for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
coffeekitaab's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a pretty heavy read...
I haven't read Greek mythology since school and have always wanted to read more as an adult. This has been the first opportunity I had in a long time and I found I was still as interested and had never come across the story of Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus.
Trigger warnings should be checked.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of the female characters, and the author did well to commit to the different narratives. I do feel it was weak for a novel that is set out as a "feminist retelling". The characters are helpless before the dominating males and, even the goddesses seem subjected to their violence and treachery. I felt uncomfortable at how explicit the description of male harassment, violence etc was so trigger warnings flagged here.
My only other gripe is at times there was an assumption that the reader was well versed on the different myths which left the writing hanging to your the reader's imagination. Of course that does not work unless you know the tales, so I lost myself in these moments and found it a bit frustrating. This was a 3.5* for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I haven't read Greek mythology since school and have always wanted to read more as an adult. This has been the first opportunity I had in a long time and I found I was still as interested and had never come across the story of Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus.
Trigger warnings should be checked.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of the female characters, and the author did well to commit to the different narratives. I do feel it was weak for a novel that is set out as a "feminist retelling". The characters are helpless before the dominating males and, even the goddesses seem subjected to their violence and treachery. I felt uncomfortable at how explicit the description of male harassment, violence etc was so trigger warnings flagged here.
My only other gripe is at times there was an assumption that the reader was well versed on the different myths which left the writing hanging to your the reader's imagination. Of course that does not work unless you know the tales, so I lost myself in these moments and found it a bit frustrating. This was a 3.5* for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
jessicaludden's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“If they are the heroes, does that make us the heroines? We keep going, we persevere, we ask for nothing, and we get even less. Where are our stories?”
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson follows the story of Phaedra, princess of Crete, who becomes the Queen of Athens when she agrees to marry Theseus. When in Athens, Phaedra is Queen in name only and the atrocities of court life and the treatment of women are revealed to her. When Theseus’ son Hippolytus rapes Phaedra, she publicly accuses him and a trial ensues. The women of Athens know all too well what “justice” means for them, but Phaedra is only just beginning to learn these hard truths.
To preface my review, I read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint earlier this year and loved it, so I am a little familiar with this story and have some background on it. I think this story was done really well. I loved how we got Phaedra’s point of view, but also how all the other point of views focused on those characters’ thoughts about her. It really solidified the idea that Phaedra was the topic of all court gossip and the idea that there are many different sides to a story.
I loved the night chorus. It was such a chilling addition to the book that served as Phaedra’s enlightenment to the reality of being a woman at that time. It was also relevant that Phaedra’s case was the one being highlighted because she is Queen and has that status with her, meanwhile these women of the night chorus are expected to continue keeping their heads down and remaining silent.
One thing I wish this book had was more lyrical writing. Personally, I think there is a certain expectation of whimsical writing that comes with writing a Greek mythology retelling.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I think this book has a very relevant message about how sexual assault is viewed even today. But even in the midst of all that tragedy there were still moments of strength and hope from the women in this story that I think are very well done and deserve to be told.
“If they are the heroes, does that make us the heroines? We keep going, we persevere, we ask for nothing, and we get even less. Where are our stories?”
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson follows the story of Phaedra, princess of Crete, who becomes the Queen of Athens when she agrees to marry Theseus. When in Athens, Phaedra is Queen in name only and the atrocities of court life and the treatment of women are revealed to her. When Theseus’ son Hippolytus rapes Phaedra, she publicly accuses him and a trial ensues. The women of Athens know all too well what “justice” means for them, but Phaedra is only just beginning to learn these hard truths.
To preface my review, I read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint earlier this year and loved it, so I am a little familiar with this story and have some background on it. I think this story was done really well. I loved how we got Phaedra’s point of view, but also how all the other point of views focused on those characters’ thoughts about her. It really solidified the idea that Phaedra was the topic of all court gossip and the idea that there are many different sides to a story.
I loved the night chorus. It was such a chilling addition to the book that served as Phaedra’s enlightenment to the reality of being a woman at that time. It was also relevant that Phaedra’s case was the one being highlighted because she is Queen and has that status with her, meanwhile these women of the night chorus are expected to continue keeping their heads down and remaining silent.
One thing I wish this book had was more lyrical writing. Personally, I think there is a certain expectation of whimsical writing that comes with writing a Greek mythology retelling.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. I think this book has a very relevant message about how sexual assault is viewed even today. But even in the midst of all that tragedy there were still moments of strength and hope from the women in this story that I think are very well done and deserve to be told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gore, Blood, Death, Murder, Abortion, Alcohol, Infidelity, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Child death
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