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A review by katiedykema
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly a bit disappointing.
The book started off strong, but it became an issue when one of the most important plot points was over in the first 100 pages. After that, the pacing slowed down A LOT. It became boring after the ordeal with the Labyrinth, and eventually I was only reading to finish it.
Another issue I had was with the dialogue. It mainly served to info-dump and was usually written in a way in which no one ever speaks ; many characters told stories in the same way an author would typically describe them on a page, which is not how people talk or tell stories.
Lastly, the characters were very flat. Relationships between characters happened extremely fast and without the reader getting to know the character first. This made the ending way less impactful because I had no attachment to them.
If you’re looking for something similar to the books of Madeline Miller, this one works fine. It wasn’t my favorite (I felt like it was trying TOO hard to be Madeline Miller and then fell flat) but it does a good job of recounting the myth it set out to explain.
The book started off strong, but it became an issue when one of the most important plot points was over in the first 100 pages. After that, the pacing slowed down A LOT. It became boring after the ordeal with the Labyrinth, and eventually I was only reading to finish it.
Another issue I had was with the dialogue. It mainly served to info-dump and was usually written in a way in which no one ever speaks ; many characters told stories in the same way an author would typically describe them on a page, which is not how people talk or tell stories.
Lastly, the characters were very flat. Relationships between characters happened extremely fast and without the reader getting to know the character first. This made the ending way less impactful because I had no attachment to them.
If you’re looking for something similar to the books of Madeline Miller, this one works fine. It wasn’t my favorite (I felt like it was trying TOO hard to be Madeline Miller and then fell flat) but it does a good job of recounting the myth it set out to explain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexism