Reviews with content warning for Confinement - Ariadne

**DISCLAIMER: This may or may not be a full list of every trigger/content warning found in the book, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Please take this list with a grain of salt as the book is a Greek Mythology retelling. Some triggers and content warnings may contain spoilers!

To start, as I'm rewriting this review a second time because I accidentally deleted the first one, I was very happy to see a retelling of a Greek Myth that wasn't Persephone & Hades (though I do love that pairing immensely.) For about the first 1/3 of the book, I was unaware this WAS a retelling, but that may have simply been my own oversight, considering the names Theseus and the Minotaur were also mentioned. I digress.

After about 1/3 of the book, I did do a search to see if the main characters, Ariadne and Phaedra, were in fact real characters in these Greek myths. Because of this, I discovered they were and carried on with reading, though now I had some additional information such as pertaining to who ended up with who based on the legend.

The book's writing retains a "formal, prose-y" type of speech, especially when characters are talking. There weren't very many instances that I was confused by a word or a phrase, but did take note of how the characters spoke. The descriptions of scenes and setting was flowery, and as a more flowery writer myself, I tend to appreciate this type of description. However, there were instances in the book, mostly in the first 1/2 that involved numerous references back to past events in the characters' lives. While this is usually fine, it did get a point where it felt very repetitive and almost annoying. By annoying, I mean, "Yes, yes, we know this happened to them, we've been over this, [...]" etc. Etc.

The book also utilizes timeskips. For most of the book, you have no idea how long has actually passed between the very first chapter, to the very end of the book. You actually do not find out how much time has passed until the very last 5 or so chapters. Which, some of the ending chapters were extremely short, some having only two pages, while others earlier on were bordering having ten. While short chapters can be useful in short, choppy scenes, it felt rushed and like larger plot points were simply ran past, in a way that was very reminiscent of, "Oh, okay, we're already past that then." Admittedly, this may have affected my reaction to the end, as well as my brief research into the character' original identities.

When the book ended, I did not feel any overwhelming emotions. I was simply ready for the next one, unlike other books that can leave you in emotional disarray for days on end. I didn't dislike the book, but I would border it more to a 3.5 rather than a 3. The book, to me personally, feels like a one-off. You read it, mark it off your list, and then keep it on the shelf for its pretty cover. I would recommend it simply because it is a retelling of a myth not often touched upon, as it's a good one to simply sit down, read, and enjoy for what it is.

Content Warnings

adaora_ble's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I admit, I was expecting something totally different from this book. A Minotaur retelling from Ariadne's perspective... which it is not. We spend very little time with the Minotaur and Theseus, but a lot of time with Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. We follow them through their whole life as exemplary women in Greek Mythology.

I was a little confused at the beginning but once I realized, what the book was doing, it was a refreshing perspective. Although it was also very bleak and depressing; seeing the Myths, gods and heroes from the women's point of view felt all too real. Hilarious sometimes, seeing the differences to the shining stories I knew from my childhood. Because OF COURSE this is a much more likely scenario!

I really liked how many different kinds of women are portrayed. How differently they use the little agency they have. I loved the that several different sides of motherhood are shown. And I liked the sisters' dynamics a lot, although I wish there was more focus on it tbh.

The writing was very lyrical, it really felt like reading a myth. But it prevented me from connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked to. Since Jennifer Saint follows Ariadne's life from myth to myth and tells many other stories as well, the pacing was off for me, too. Some parts were stretched too much, others way too short. It helped that I really love mythology and was curious what else was in the book and how it was different from what I knew. But it might not be for everyone. Same as the ending, which I think fits the story and message well, but might be disappointing to other readers.

Content Warnings

catreads247's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I didn’t love this one, but I still enjoyed it. I felt like it dragged a little at the end and I wish it was just a tad shorter, but otherwise it was good. I definitely liked it better than Circe and will be interested to see what other books this author writes.

Content Warnings

jennikreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

4.75

Content Warnings

rubyellen95's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

aargot1's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No

3.5

Content Warnings

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