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tashtasher's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
kt2e56's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This started out very promising but it started to lose its luster for me as Ariadne made ridiculous choice after ridiculous choice. It’s odd that the premise of the book is how in Greek mythology, women were often punished and tortured for the crimes and desires of men and Ariadne is so keenly aware of this at the very beginning and claims to want to change her fate and yet she just does nothing? She’s brace when she assists Theseus but from that point on she just chooses to sit by and do literally nothing and allow the men in her life to save her or torment her or continue to do as they wish with her.
Juxtapose that with her little sister Phaedra (who is the far more complex and fascinating narrator here, particularly when dealing with Post Partum Depression) who is so bold and headstrong and vibrant and also determined to live her own life despite her status as a prize for Theseus (and she succeeds! She convinces him to keep adventuring so she can do as she pleases while he’s away!) untilshe literally out of nowhere becomes obsessed with her 14-year-old stepson?
Now, yes, that’s correct in terms of the original mythology but I thought the whole point of the book was to flesh out female mythological figures more? This book offers ZERO explanation for the insanely drastic change in character when it comes to Phaedra. Was she being used to punish Theseus? Did she upset Aphrodite? Was she just mad? We literally never find out. Her only reason for loving Hippolytus is because he’s different from Theseus but it still feels bizarre to me that a 28-year-old woman, who as far as we know was completely sane, would fall in love with a child literally out of nowhere.
I’m really not someone who needs media spelled out for me but in this case some explanation would have been great because it truly is that sudden of a change. It’s a storyline that feels rushed, like the author felt she had to shoehorn in that myth about Phaedra because it’s so well known but she didn’t really connect it very well with her version of Phaedra that she created for this book.
Jennifer Saint is a talented writer. She paints vivid pictures and there’s a lot here that’s compelling and interesting but to me, this book just didn’t quite stick the landing.
Juxtapose that with her little sister Phaedra (who is the far more complex and fascinating narrator here, particularly when dealing with Post Partum Depression) who is so bold and headstrong and vibrant and also determined to live her own life despite her status as a prize for Theseus (and she succeeds! She convinces him to keep adventuring so she can do as she pleases while he’s away!) until
Now, yes, that’s correct in terms of the original mythology but I thought the whole point of the book was to flesh out female mythological figures more? This book offers ZERO explanation for the insanely drastic change in character when it comes to Phaedra. Was she being used to punish Theseus? Did she upset Aphrodite? Was she just mad? We literally never find out. Her only reason for loving Hippolytus is because he’s different from Theseus but it still feels bizarre to me that a 28-year-old woman, who as far as we know was completely sane, would fall in love with a child literally out of nowhere.
I’m really not someone who needs media spelled out for me but in this case some explanation would have been great because it truly is that sudden of a change. It’s a storyline that feels rushed, like the author felt she had to shoehorn in that myth about Phaedra because it’s so well known but she didn’t really connect it very well with her version of Phaedra that she created for this book.
Jennifer Saint is a talented writer. She paints vivid pictures and there’s a lot here that’s compelling and interesting but to me, this book just didn’t quite stick the landing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Grief, and War