Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Ariadne

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!

Content Warnings

patsypoo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this very much. It gripped me from the start and kept me interested until the end. I didn't know anything about Ariadne and her story so I learned a lot.
The split narrative between hers and her sister's POVs gave the book more dimension.
I felt the end was a bit rushed however, given how much time was spent on other parts.
I had a great time reading Ariadne though and I will pick up the rest of her books soon.

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lisamsalgado's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced

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? Yes

3.75

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mckenziesbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Completely heartbreaking but brilliantly-written story from the perspectives of both Ariadne and her sister Phaedra.

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sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

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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

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agnela's review against another edition

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sad tense medium-paced

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

I wanted to dnf this so hard! There was a time in my life where I would have loved this, but now I want to read about powerful characters, about joy and life and becoming better. But this story just told you a story about wronged women and men who messed it up for them. I understand it's ancient Greek culture thing, but damn, we, now, can tell those same stories in a better way, we can imagine these characters taking different choices, even if they end up in the same places. We can give them healing and humanity. Plus we can give them a better ending, because now we know there are more endings and more tellings of their stories. It's so not feminist at all. Ariadne makes a few decisions in her whole life, and that's how the story moves. I think she has made maybe 3 or 4 choices, and the plot then just deals with it.
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.

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victoriarius's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

Tense, pensive, a fascinating if melancholy study of being a woman in ancient Greek myth — and what happens to them because of the actions of men.

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claire_riach's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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