Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

7 reviews

emoryjoy's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I would like to give the caveat that I was listening to this as an audiobook and had it at double speed by the end. This quite nearly was a DNF. 

I'm not sure if the story took liberties with the myth or was just much more in depth than I knew about. Either way, it absolutely nailed the Greek Tragedy vibe and was gruesome in that very specific way that myths often are. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

alli_e_oop's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and War

theequestrianslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

**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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment

Abandonment, Abuse/Neglect, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Cruelty/Abuse/Tortue, Animal Death, Arranged Marriage, Asphyxia/Strangulation/Hanging, Pseudo-Banishment/Exile, Bestiality, Blood/Gore Descriptions, Childbirth, Dead Bodies/Body Parts, Death of a Parent, Death of a Sibling, Grief/Loss Depictions, Genocide, Psuedo-Incest (Stepmom/Stepson), Pregnancy (Wanted/Unwanted), Rape/Sexual Assault, Suicide (via Hanging), Suicidal Ideation, Starvation/Dehydration Depictions

booksthatburn's review against another edition

It begins with many descriptions of backstory, almost all of which involve events of sexual and misogynistic violence. They're all from various myths I'm familiar with, but it was too much at once for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, and Rape

TW for bestiality (backstory).

rackle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Kidnapping

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Theseus may be one of the most famous heroes of Greek mythology, but this retelling shows us Ariadne’s side of the story. 

Before reading Ariadne, I only knew of the titular character for her role in Theseus’ escape from the labyrinth. I was surprised by both the rest of Ariadne’s story and my ignorance of it; the twists and turns—especially Ariadne’s eventual marriage—make for a dramatic story.

The Olympians are usually so cruel and capricious, both so much more and so much less than human. So it was interesting to see Dionysus, the god of wine and madness, no less, acting so compassionately to human women. And, though I was not surprised, his betrayal and the violence he used in pursuit of more power was a disappointment.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):

Not happy at all. Even though the ending is tragic, it feels inevitable, which tempers the sadness somewhat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

unboxedjack's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I'm sorry, but to put this book among the pantheon of Circe or The Silence of the Girls is an insult. I suppose if you're looking for a quasi modern re-telling of Greek myth with an uneven plot, stilted dialogue, and little feminist insight, this is the right book for you. As for me, I'm highly disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy