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A review by littlebirdbooks
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Firstly, a huge thank you to Wildfires and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I discovered that this novel was being released I immediately added it to my wishlist and started counting down the days. Not only was it incredible to finally hold Ariadne in my hands but the novel itself was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be.
Like many others, I know the basics of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, however I never quite knew what happened after and I don’t often hear Ariadne or her sister, Phaedra, spoken of in these tales. So it was very refreshing to hear their stories and to see how they fit into the famous myths. I also loved how distinctive their personalities were, although they are sisters and witnessed Posideon’s cruelty to their mother, among other events, they viewed them so differently which impacted some of their decisions later on. Ariadne was gentle, considerate and strong, although Phaedra was also strong she was fiercely independent and more impulsive. They were also a great contrast to Theseus and Dionysus, both of which were very different to the Theseus and Dionysus that we’re used to.
Saint does an excellent job with the pacing of the novel; we get a brief history of Ariadne’s and Phaedra’s parents. Not only does this help us understand their position and relationship to the Gods, but it also gives the reader a firsthand look at how fickle the Gods can be with mortals too. As this is Ariadne’s story, I really liked the way Saint handled the story of Theseus and the Minotaur with it only serving as a stepping stone for Ariadne’s story, highlighting her and her sister’s involvement instead. Whilst the opening chapters are primarily from Ariadne’s perspective, I really enjoyed how, later on, we started to occasionally alternate with Phaedra’s perspective too. This dual narrative was incredibly insightful and added so many more layers to what is already a fascinating and complex myth.
The entire novel is written in such a lyrical and captivating way; I really feel that Saint captured the magic of the myth. The way that a sense of foreboding would be subtly weaved through scenes keep the reader grounded in the fact that this is still the story from mythology, and how nothing is as it appears at first, even just by ending a seemingly happy chapter with a single sentence that will overwhelm you with unease. It was this atmosphere and pacing that had me gripped and devouring the book in just two sittings.
Overall, this novel offers a fresh perspective on a myth we think we know and had me questioning many aspects of this myth as well as others, particularly whether the heroes truly are the heroes they are painted to me. This beautiful book is a must read for mythology fans, and I am so thrilled that I have been able to learn Ariadne’s story.
As soon as I discovered that this novel was being released I immediately added it to my wishlist and started counting down the days. Not only was it incredible to finally hold Ariadne in my hands but the novel itself was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be.
Like many others, I know the basics of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, however I never quite knew what happened after and I don’t often hear Ariadne or her sister, Phaedra, spoken of in these tales. So it was very refreshing to hear their stories and to see how they fit into the famous myths. I also loved how distinctive their personalities were, although they are sisters and witnessed Posideon’s cruelty to their mother, among other events, they viewed them so differently which impacted some of their decisions later on. Ariadne was gentle, considerate and strong, although Phaedra was also strong she was fiercely independent and more impulsive. They were also a great contrast to Theseus and Dionysus, both of which were very different to the Theseus and Dionysus that we’re used to.
Saint does an excellent job with the pacing of the novel; we get a brief history of Ariadne’s and Phaedra’s parents. Not only does this help us understand their position and relationship to the Gods, but it also gives the reader a firsthand look at how fickle the Gods can be with mortals too. As this is Ariadne’s story, I really liked the way Saint handled the story of Theseus and the Minotaur with it only serving as a stepping stone for Ariadne’s story, highlighting her and her sister’s involvement instead. Whilst the opening chapters are primarily from Ariadne’s perspective, I really enjoyed how, later on, we started to occasionally alternate with Phaedra’s perspective too. This dual narrative was incredibly insightful and added so many more layers to what is already a fascinating and complex myth.
The entire novel is written in such a lyrical and captivating way; I really feel that Saint captured the magic of the myth. The way that a sense of foreboding would be subtly weaved through scenes keep the reader grounded in the fact that this is still the story from mythology, and how nothing is as it appears at first, even just by ending a seemingly happy chapter with a single sentence that will overwhelm you with unease. It was this atmosphere and pacing that had me gripped and devouring the book in just two sittings.
Overall, this novel offers a fresh perspective on a myth we think we know and had me questioning many aspects of this myth as well as others, particularly whether the heroes truly are the heroes they are painted to me. This beautiful book is a must read for mythology fans, and I am so thrilled that I have been able to learn Ariadne’s story.