A review by gaiadances
Phaedra by Laura Shepperson

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.0

an interesting retelling of the story of phaedra. i enjoyed the links drawn to the other well known characters in greek mythology like theseus, medea, the minotaur and ariadne. however the book was pitched as a strong feminist retelling which it really wasn’t. the trial we were promised occurs in the last third of the book and is wrapped up in 20 pages. i was very disappointed with that. the build up of phaedra’s and hippolytus’s relationship led to nothing ultimately. the characters felt very confused and indistinguishable from one another. overall i enjoyed the first half of the book but was highly disappointed by where it ended up. 
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