Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Ariadne

guys. i am so. Wow. This was 5 stars for me. Theres nothing I love more than a Greek Myth retelling and this DELIVERED. I was thinking about this book constantly during the 2 months it was on my currently reading.
Some things that stayed in my head rent free:

the joys of being in the company of other women
The imperfect sisterly relationship between Ariadne and Phaedra
The power of a Mother's love for her child with Pasiphae and the Minotaur
Contrasting different experiences of motherhood with Ariadne being fulfilled and enriched by it and Phaedra struggling with it (hello postpartum depression)
The question of "What is a righteous man?" being a centering theme. And seeing different examples and failures in Daedalus, Minos, Theseus, Dionysus, Hippolytus, and Perseus. Literally oy, I could write a 20 page essay just centering on this.
Dionysus talking about why the gods can't love OH MY GOSH!! and!! THE FOLLOW UP TO THAT SPEECH AT THE END HAD ME CRYING ON THE FLOOR.

Anyway. the men in the book are just, a huge disappointment (duh, it's greek myth) (but also Daedalus is excluded from this, he's a perfect angel). BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, it provides suuuuuuuuch a rich meditation on what really makes a good man. I went into this story actually not knowing the myth surrounding Ariadne at all but was so pleased with the way the story unfolded. Just so very my cup of tea.

Content Warnings

quinnisabel's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had such high hopes for Dionysus man

I hate men

Content Warnings

themirrorball's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

i really loved the beginning and end of this book, but the middle seemed to be stagnant, with nothing of interest really happening, internally or externally. it felt like a lot of unnecessary descriptions and storytelling that wasn't going anywhere.

one of my favorite things about this book was the complexity of the relationships. i was genuinely invested in many of the relationships, like the sisters, each of them with their husbands, and ariadne and her mother. they all felt real and raw, in a way i haven't experienced when reading other greek mythology retellings. however, i think that it all could have been pulled together better, considering the ending felt quite abrupt and random.

Content Warnings