acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
gaiadances's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence
luciuh's review against another edition
2.0
edit: i enjoyed the world that the novel was set in, but felt as though the plot went nowhere. there was a lot of potential for a very thought provoking novel exploring both the position of women in ancient greek society and the exploitation of mythos by those in power, but the book never took hold of that potential and instead fell flat.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Violence
not_kamille's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Grief
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story dives headfirst into the politics of Athens and women's bodies. It's infuriating and hard to read, but it's realistic and important too. The prose is stark and driving. The book was quick to read and difficult to put down. Because it's a well-known myth, I knew what was going to happen, but I kept reading with hope and a need to know how Shepperson would wrap up the story.
The story is told in several perspectives. The characters Shepperson chose were confusing to me at first, but their parts in the story became clear quickly and made perfect sense. I liked the variety of perspectives because it showed how the ripple effects spread wide. Besides the Night Chorus, I was most drawn to Phaedra's perspective because she changes the most over the story and has a lot of inner turmoil.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Rape, Child death, Suicide, and Sexual violence
masoncasper's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Suicide
emmwalker's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
renettereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Though I really appreciated what Shepperson was saying with this novel – we are still dealing with victim blaming and shaming whenever sexual assault comes to the forefront – I couldn’t entirely immerse myself in the story. I think that was partly because of the many POV’s of this book. I felt as though some perspectives weren’t essential and switching as often, and with each voice being so different, the experience became more jarring, pulling me out of the story instead of making an impact.
I also felt as though the writing style in places wasn’t for me – I’ll be the first to admit that I want my prose flowery, especially when it comes to Greek retellings – and so this one just didn’t grip me as much I would’ve liked.
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Murder
that_chick26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Pregnancy
Minor: War
coffeekitaab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I haven't read Greek mythology since school and have always wanted to read more as an adult. This has been the first opportunity I had in a long time and I found I was still as interested and had never come across the story of Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus.
Trigger warnings should be checked.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of the female characters, and the author did well to commit to the different narratives. I do feel it was weak for a novel that is set out as a "feminist retelling". The characters are helpless before the dominating males and, even the goddesses seem subjected to their violence and treachery. I felt uncomfortable at how explicit the description of male harassment, violence etc was so trigger warnings flagged here.
My only other gripe is at times there was an assumption that the reader was well versed on the different myths which left the writing hanging to your the reader's imagination. Of course that does not work unless you know the tales, so I lost myself in these moments and found it a bit frustrating. This was a 3.5* for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent