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mirandahems's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
most of the book is people telling stories to ariadne, you don’t see much of the action. i feel like i personally went through a terrible break up by the end of this. overall a good story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Sexism, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Grief, and Misogyny
leweylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
5.0
The number one thing to learn from this book: Never trust a god, and DEFINITELY never trust a man. Jeeeeeez.
But seriously, I really enjoyed this one, especially the relationship between Ariadne and her sister. I do kind of wish it would've slowed down a bit once they were separated and given some more detail on what their lives were like, especially the sister. And my goodness what a depressing ending lol.
Quotes:
But seriously, I really enjoyed this one, especially the relationship between Ariadne and her sister. I do kind of wish it would've slowed down a bit once they were separated and given some more detail on what their lives were like, especially the sister. And my goodness what a depressing ending lol.
Quotes:
- What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do. (12)
- No longer was my world one of brave heroes; I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats. (13)
- I only knew Medusa as a monster. I had not thought she had ever been anything else. The stories of Perseus did not allow for a Medusa with a story of her own. (13)
- I would be Medusa, if it came to it, I resolved. If the gods held me accountable one day for the sins of someone else, if they came for me to punish a man's actions, I would not hide away like Pasiphae. I would wear that coronet of snakes, and the world would shrink from me instead. (14)
- What the gods liked was ferocity, savagery, the snarl and the bite and the fear. Always, always the fear, the naked edge of it behind the smoke, rising from the altars, the high note of it in the muttered prayers and praise we sent heavenward, the deep, primal taste of it when we raised the knife above the sacrificial offering.
Our fear. That was how the gods grew great. (17) - Theseus had not left me because I was at fault or because I did not matter. He had left because, to him, nothing mattered at all. Beyond the cold pursuit of his own fame. I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing. Make me doubt the value of myself. (179)
- "I want no gift that I give you to be so transient. And so I took it from your head, where it can only look a doll in comparison to your radiance, and I put it somewhere it will shine forever."
... In the eternity of night, I saw the brand new pinpricks of light that shone in a sweeping arc. The luster of my crown was now a fiery illumination against the darkness.
"Just as you will never lose me, you will never lose your crown," his arms wrapped tightly around me. "Your coronet will guide sailors to safety through the labyrinth of the treacherous seas. Women will look to it for a sign of comfort, a light in the darkness. Children will whisper their wishes to it before they close their eyes to dream. It will stay there, fast and true, for all of time." (187) - As If we hadn't learned from living with our shattered mother and her monstrous spawn that all the women can do in this world is take what she wants from it and crush those who would stand in her way before they break her into fragments like Pasiphae. (233)
- The price we paid for the resentment, the lust, and the greed of arrogant men was our pain, shining and bright like the blade of a newly honed knife. Dionysus had once seemed to me the best of them all, but I saw him now for what he was, no different from the mightiest of the gods. Or the basest of men. (299)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Murder, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy
jaywb's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
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
5.0
I absolutely ADORED this book.
From start to finish, this book focused on the women lost within mythology, delving into the stories of those forgotten in favour of the male heroes. I have found that with other books that explore the same themes as 'Ariadne', the female characters are still somehow lost in the man's story even though the focus is meant to be on them and their role in Greek mythos; this is not a problem in 'Ariadne'. The focus is constantly on Ariadne and the women surrounding her i.e. her mother and sister, as well as women she percieves as legends e.g. Medusa, with Thesues' part seeming very minimal in contrast to the concentration on illustrating Ariadne's role. The book asks many important questions, inspiring deep thought on women's roles throughout history and mythology.
I found the story to be extremely engaging (I read it from start to finish within a week), challenging, emotional and oftentimes quite dark. I thoroughly enjoyed Saint's writing style and will be picking up her other books ASAP!
From start to finish, this book focused on the women lost within mythology, delving into the stories of those forgotten in favour of the male heroes. I have found that with other books that explore the same themes as 'Ariadne', the female characters are still somehow lost in the man's story even though the focus is meant to be on them and their role in Greek mythos; this is not a problem in 'Ariadne'. The focus is constantly on Ariadne and the women surrounding her i.e. her mother and sister, as well as women she percieves as legends e.g. Medusa, with Thesues' part seeming very minimal in contrast to the concentration on illustrating Ariadne's role. The book asks many important questions, inspiring deep thought on women's roles throughout history and mythology.
I found the story to be extremely engaging (I read it from start to finish within a week), challenging, emotional and oftentimes quite dark. I thoroughly enjoyed Saint's writing style and will be picking up her other books ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest
morbidgoogle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One of my favourite books, reccomended to everyone I know!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Child death, Death, and Incest
Moderate: War, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Grief, and Violence
amyiris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Child death
captnmorgan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a lovely book! It was a slow start but after part one it picks up and draws you in. I found a lot of similarities in the story to Circe, and without knowing much of the classical Greek mythology, I’m not sure if they just had similar stories or if it was on purpose. Either way a lovely book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Murder, Animal death, Suicide, Gore, and Grief
colorcrystals's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, Animal death, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, Rape, and Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
If you like Greek mythology retellings like Circe, chances are you'll probably enjoy this! Like other reviews have said, I think the overall message of the story gets lost towards the end. I'm not super familiar with the Ariadne myth, but from what I can tell, this was mostly just a retelling of that story. The overall tone of the writing does feel very Greek mythology-esque, and the style felt a lot like Circe to me.
This is billed as a feminist retelling, and while there are some elements of that, it feels like it falls flat by the end. Adding maybe a few more details or fleshing out a few more characters might have helped in making this feel more feminist than just surface level.
All in all, an enjoyable read, especially if you're a fan of Greek mythology!
This is billed as a feminist retelling, and while there are some elements of that, it feels like it falls flat by the end. Adding maybe a few more details or fleshing out a few more characters might have helped in making this feel more feminist than just surface level.
All in all, an enjoyable read, especially if you're a fan of Greek mythology!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, and Rape
medusalit's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, and Blood
sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, Animal death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, and Gaslighting