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ananko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide, and Torture
a_knife5577's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I absolutely adore Greek myths and their re-tellings. And I did think it was interesting to use a smaller character from the Illiad, who was forgotten by most when to comes to her story. The writing is good but simple - I was hoping for a little bit more flair and poetic prose, but I can blame only myself for the silly expectations I had. It's short, to the point, intriguing. It doesn't bore you with all the details of the Illiad - Achilles' death is a single line, not a big story. This is Briseis' story and, even though Achille's is a big part of it, she can still call it hers.
The reason why I didn't give it 4.5 or 5 stars is that is simply didn't wow me. As I said before, I enjoy poetic prose and I would come to expect some from an Iliad retelling - a story many already heard. I also had an issue with one description and Achilles as being "bobby-drunk" as I am sure there has to be a better way to describe it.
All in all, I would very much recommend it to anyone who enjoys myth retellings but I wouldn't expect a lot of new content from it. It's a good started if you don't know every plot point of the Illiad though.
The reason why I didn't give it 4.5 or 5 stars is that is simply didn't wow me. As I said before, I enjoy poetic prose and I would come to expect some from an Iliad retelling - a story many already heard. I also had an issue with one description and Achilles as being "bobby-drunk" as I am sure there has to be a better way to describe it.
All in all, I would very much recommend it to anyone who enjoys myth retellings but I wouldn't expect a lot of new content from it. It's a good started if you don't know every plot point of the Illiad though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism