skelefen's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
aclopez6's review
4.0
I read this because I am looking for more novels in verse to offer to my students, but this one is a bit odd. While I appreciated the author's intentionality with his rhyme scheme, the content and voice made the audience unclear. I think I would offer this to students as independent reading, but not for our curriculum. Quick read though.
lispylibrarian's review
5.0
Bull was nothing short of BRILLIANT! It is a retelling of the myth of the minotaur, written in verse. Each character has their own voice and form of poetry that mirrors their personality. Poseidon does what he wants, entering the novel with "Whaddup, bitches?" (Elliott 3). Minos, the king, uses couplets; Pasiphae, his queen who gives birth to the minotaur, doesn't really have a rhyme scheme as she slowly goes insane. Daedalus, the engineer who designed the labyrinth uses a very rigid four stanza scheme; Asterion, the minotaur, uses eight line rhyme schemes, and Ariadne, his sister, uses traditional end rhyme scheme.
Poseidon very brashly interjects and narrates the story as the reader learns how the minotaur was born to Pasiphae and how he came to be locked in the labyrinth-at the king's revenge seeking hand. Elliott makes Asterion, the minotaur, come across as very simple minded and gentle; readers will feel sorry for him as he is cast away from his family for nothing of his own doing. His sister, Ariadne, secretly plans to help him escape and the two of them are going to fly away and be free, but **SPOILERS** Theseus, a jock-resembling prince of Athens slays the minotaur and ruins her plans.
Readers who have grown up on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series will LOVE this book, and those of us who don't remember the myth of the minotaur as well as we should will LOVE it as well. Poseidon's narration is everything. It adds humor and life to a slightly disturbing story. This book is NOT for small children, I wouldn't put it in the hands of anyone younger than freshman only because of the language that Poseidon uses as well as his imagery. Overall, I highly recommend this novel-in-verse to anyone looking for a good laugh and refreshing take on mythology.
Poseidon very brashly interjects and narrates the story as the reader learns how the minotaur was born to Pasiphae and how he came to be locked in the labyrinth-at the king's revenge seeking hand. Elliott makes Asterion, the minotaur, come across as very simple minded and gentle; readers will feel sorry for him as he is cast away from his family for nothing of his own doing. His sister, Ariadne, secretly plans to help him escape and the two of them are going to fly away and be free, but **SPOILERS** Theseus, a jock-resembling prince of Athens slays the minotaur and ruins her plans.
Readers who have grown up on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series will LOVE this book, and those of us who don't remember the myth of the minotaur as well as we should will LOVE it as well. Poseidon's narration is everything. It adds humor and life to a slightly disturbing story. This book is NOT for small children, I wouldn't put it in the hands of anyone younger than freshman only because of the language that Poseidon uses as well as his imagery. Overall, I highly recommend this novel-in-verse to anyone looking for a good laugh and refreshing take on mythology.
sam_riccio's review
5.0
Get the audio of this, you will not regret it. Told by both a male and a woman, and they do such a great job of telling the story that I forgot this was written in poetry.
A twist on the story of the Minotaur, the first time that I've read a book solely on the monster that wasn't completely about the killing of him. I got more of a chuckle out of this one, but I got a lesson because I don't remember this story as much as I should. It's about a two hour listen and likely shorter if you read it but if I found this at a bookstore I'd buy it for my collections.
A twist on the story of the Minotaur, the first time that I've read a book solely on the monster that wasn't completely about the killing of him. I got more of a chuckle out of this one, but I got a lesson because I don't remember this story as much as I should. It's about a two hour listen and likely shorter if you read it but if I found this at a bookstore I'd buy it for my collections.
literatehedgehog's review
4.0
A sharply humorous novel in verse retelling of the Minotaur in the labyrinth. The fun - and nuance - here is in the saucy perspective of Poseidon, the pathos of teenage Asterion, the madness and love grief of Pasiphae, and the other side characters. Each character speaks in a different poem form or meter, lending each voice a literally different sound and feel.
Well written, compassionately considered, and archly humorous - an excellent young adult verse novel indeed.
Well written, compassionately considered, and archly humorous - an excellent young adult verse novel indeed.
annebennett1957's review
4.0
I haven't read much Greek mythology so I wasn't familiar with this story of the Minotaur. I appreciated the book much better after I read the description at the end by Elliott how he chose different poetic forms for each of the narrators. I should re-read it with those forms in mind.
grimondgalgmod's review
4.0
I guess the only mythic retellings I care for are about the otherwise neglected interior lives of monsters. See also Grendel and Autobiography of Red. Definitely helps that this was a verse novel in which Poseidon makes horrible puns and says things like "Ta-ta, bitches!"
cajunliterarybelle's review against another edition
2.0
One of those rare instances when I would like half star ratings on GR. 2.5 stars? This was ok. I was not very entertained by it, but it is a good overview of the Minitour and labyrinth story as well as a bit of Icarus from Greek mythology. If you're not already somewhat knowledgeable about the myths, this could potentially be a good introduction. It could also be a decent recap for those who want to review the stories. I thought it had great potential but not much depth was added to the characters, storyline, or themes. Length could have hindered that, though. The narration of the audiobook gets credit for doing well in providing the voices to the characters and rhythm to the prose.