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erikariehigano22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a retelling! I salute Rogerson in their attempt to collate and portray the various branches of Greek Mythology stories where Heracles was the centre of it. Just as their author's notes said, Heracles is "right there in the middle of it." This is an exemplary exhibit of exploring the development of a protagonist through the perspective of another character. And unlike other retellings, it involved various characters my fingers and toes could not count. Not even once did Heracles had his own chapter in his own point of view and this was the charm of this book that was unique and extraordinary despite how simple it sounded.
I also cannot believe this was my first exposure into Heracles' death LOL. Like I didn't think his death would be so.... anti-climatic? For all his glory and ambitious feats of victory, as well as the wrath and violence he had displayed, it was a curse no less casted by a centaur and administered by his own wife that finally cut the threads of his mortal life.
I had not expected for his twin brother Iphicles to pass away in battle. But I think that was the foreshadowing in Laonome's last chapter. Anyhow, I liked how this became the catalyst of their conclusion, the beginning of the end.
I would have finished this sooner if only life and adulting issues had not happen, as well as falling down from grace in uni coursework lol....
I highly recommend this book. Thank you to my friend Nathan for giving this to me on my birthday earlier this year. Although the language had some modern slang that took me off sometimes in the immersion, it was not worse and Rogerson's prose still captivated me and brought me back to the ancient world where Heracles was the centre of everyone's stories throughout ancient Greece.
I also cannot believe this was my first exposure into Heracles' death LOL. Like I didn't think his death would be so.... anti-climatic? For all his glory and ambitious feats of victory, as well as the wrath and violence he had displayed, it was a curse no less casted by a centaur and administered by his own wife that finally cut the threads of his mortal life.
I had not expected for his twin brother Iphicles to pass away in battle. But I think that was the foreshadowing in Laonome's last chapter. Anyhow, I liked how this became the catalyst of their conclusion, the beginning of the end.
I highly recommend this book. Thank you to my friend Nathan for giving this to me on my birthday earlier this year. Although the language had some modern slang that took me off sometimes in the immersion, it was not worse and Rogerson's prose still captivated me and brought me back to the ancient world where Heracles was the centre of everyone's stories throughout ancient Greece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Animal death, Blood, Sexism, Slavery, Alcoholism, Grief, Infidelity, Alcohol, Abandonment, Cursing, Misogyny, Child death, and War
nmf16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Gahhhh I wanted to love this book so much!! But I’m afraid I very nearly decided not to continue reading it.
It was only because I wanted to learn more about the story of Hercules that I actually kept reading, and it genuinely felt like a slog!
Jumping from one chapter to the next, each chapter a different character, and every character felt like it had the same voice and spoke in the same way. They didn’t feel like individuals and I genuinely felt like I was reading this book the entire time, as opposed to being immersed in the story and the world that was created.
Was also NOT a fan of the way the author tried to modernise it with the language used…. Slang like “Hey cuz” or “‘sup bro” just didn’t work for me in a Greek Mythological retelling!
This one really disappointed me…. and I hate that!
The only reason it gets two stars is because of the fact I did actually learn more about Hercules than I originally knew
It was only because I wanted to learn more about the story of Hercules that I actually kept reading, and it genuinely felt like a slog!
Jumping from one chapter to the next, each chapter a different character, and every character felt like it had the same voice and spoke in the same way. They didn’t feel like individuals and I genuinely felt like I was reading this book the entire time, as opposed to being immersed in the story and the world that was created.
Was also NOT a fan of the way the author tried to modernise it with the language used…. Slang like “Hey cuz” or “‘sup bro” just didn’t work for me in a Greek Mythological retelling!
This one really disappointed me…. and I hate that!
The only reason it gets two stars is because of the fact I did actually learn more about Hercules than I originally knew
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Incest, Abandonment, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Grief
mzlac134's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Death, Abandonment, and Blood
courtstrauch13's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was very different than I anticipated, but I truly enjoyed it in the end. There’s a lot to say about the character of Hercules, who is the center of this book, but what I came to love about it was the human reactions to him, his nephew who admired him, his cousin who hated him, they gave a really different perspective of who Hercules was and how he acted. The characters/narrators were very human, especially in comparison to a demigod (I apologize for the joke), but their emotions were not straight forward, and their love or hatred was layered, and justified. There were point of the book that dragged a bit, and parts I found confusing, but overall enjoyed!
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Death, Slavery, Child death, Violence, Drug abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Abandonment
llyrian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a wild ride.
I have a lot of feelings after reading this, and although it's in a very unique form for a greek mythology retelling it was one of the best ones I've read so far!
The main way of storytelling in this book, which is the shades of Herc's family, friends and lovers remembering him in a wild mix of ancient and modern language, was fascinating, and after about the halfway point the subtitle on the title page kept running in my mind because it's the entire point of the book:
Hero.
Husband.
Father.
Villain.
Monster.
Highly recommend this book!
Can't wait for Phoenicia's future work, too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Alcoholism, Violence, Grief, Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Bullying, and Death of parent
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