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A review by ginalucia
Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
*Marking as DNF*
Let me start by saying that I wanted to love this. A trans retelling of the Illiad, yes, please! Give it to me. I just didn't quite expect what I was given.
The writing is good, but it's not the most accessible if you don't know a lot about ancient Greece. The sheer number of names and places in the first few chapters is quite something, and they're all piled together in sentences you have to read multiple times to understand.
It puts a barrier in place using different translations of place and people names. In other words, it requires work to consume. I don’t really have a problem with this because you get used to it, but worth noting if you’re completely new to Ancient Greece or Greek Mythology in general.
It’s a strange take on Achilles' parentage, considering Athena was one of the virgin goddesses. The gods and their roles are completely switched up, which threw me off quite a bit.
But the real reason I decided to DNF this was how it handled slavery. I get that it happened, and I get that it can be included in the story. What I don’t like is how it was handled. There’s a right way to handle it, and this wasn’t it.
I’d also like to mention that the book could do with coming with a huge trigger warning. For trans people, it’s not gentle and doesn’t shy away. I cannot speak for what that’s like, but just be warned.
Let me start by saying that I wanted to love this. A trans retelling of the Illiad, yes, please! Give it to me. I just didn't quite expect what I was given.
The writing is good, but it's not the most accessible if you don't know a lot about ancient Greece. The sheer number of names and places in the first few chapters is quite something, and they're all piled together in sentences you have to read multiple times to understand.
It puts a barrier in place using different translations of place and people names. In other words, it requires work to consume. I don’t really have a problem with this because you get used to it, but worth noting if you’re completely new to Ancient Greece or Greek Mythology in general.
It’s a strange take on Achilles' parentage, considering Athena was one of the virgin goddesses. The gods and their roles are completely switched up, which threw me off quite a bit.
But the real reason I decided to DNF this was how it handled slavery. I get that it happened, and I get that it can be included in the story. What I don’t like is how it was handled. There’s a right way to handle it, and this wasn’t it.
I’d also like to mention that the book could do with coming with a huge trigger warning. For trans people, it’s not gentle and doesn’t shy away. I cannot speak for what that’s like, but just be warned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Body shaming, Slavery, Racism, Body horror, and Homophobia