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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a feminist retelling of Greek mythology the feminist part was kinda lacking and ironically the arc of Dionysus was strongest of them all.
The blurb of the book is a bit misleading. Theseus and the Minotaur is just one of the myths included and only covers Part 1 of the book.
Some light spoilers from here on:
The actual story follows Ariadne and her sister Phaedra throughout there lives and see them grow up from young naive girls, to married women and mothers, and eventually their deaths. However, throughout the years, the sisters keep making the same mistakes over and over again and don’t seem to learn from their past experiences. Ariadne is extremely naive and never acts on her inner thoughts. When she is not comfortable with a situation, she just cowers away and she does that until the very last moment.
Phaedra on the other hand has been a stronger character, going from a very bold and headstrong girl to a queen in a golden cage. I think that her slow decent into depression was a very good depiction on women’s lives in that era and it definitely shows that not every woman is a born mother.
However, throughout the book I liked Dionysus’ story the best. The way he was introduced in the book as a newly born Olympian God, naive and merry and boyish, and the changes he goes through to grow to his true potential, was actually captivating.
I think this book would have had a lot potential if the female characters were a lot stronger or would have acted on the things they thought instead of just thinking about it. However, ending on a positive note; I think Jennifer Saint has done an excellent job on taking all the myths and stories and combining them into one complete story of Ariadne’s life. This one was just not for me.
The blurb of the book is a bit misleading. Theseus and the Minotaur is just one of the myths included and only covers Part 1 of the book.
Some light spoilers from here on:
The actual story follows Ariadne and her sister Phaedra throughout there lives and see them grow up from young naive girls, to married women and mothers, and eventually their deaths. However, throughout the years, the sisters keep making the same mistakes over and over again and don’t seem to learn from their past experiences. Ariadne is extremely naive and never acts on her inner thoughts. When she is not comfortable with a situation, she just cowers away and she does that until the very last moment.
Phaedra on the other hand has been a stronger character, going from a very bold and headstrong girl to a queen in a golden cage. I think that her slow decent into depression was a very good depiction on women’s lives in that era and it definitely shows that not every woman is a born mother.
However, throughout the book I liked Dionysus’ story the best. The way he was introduced in the book as a newly born Olympian God, naive and merry and boyish, and the changes he goes through to grow to his true potential, was actually captivating.
I think this book would have had a lot potential if the female characters were a lot stronger or would have acted on the things they thought instead of just thinking about it. However, ending on a positive note; I think Jennifer Saint has done an excellent job on taking all the myths and stories and combining them into one complete story of Ariadne’s life. This one was just not for me.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5
One of my favorite Greek mythology retellings so far.
One of my favorite Greek mythology retellings so far.
"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."
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
my two takeaways:
- women are for women always we are a collective
- all men suck
also the end made me cry
would’ve given it five stars but the pacing just felt so odd to me
- women are for women always we are a collective
- all men suck
also the end made me cry
would’ve given it five stars but the pacing just felt so odd to me