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ntstucky's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Rape, Blood, and Slavery
fossilreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I'm personally not a fan of time jumps too much and the way flashbacks to memories or stories told were written, I got confused many times when we jumped from an orally told story to a memory instead.
I'm not very knowledgeable in greek mythology, so I'm not able to give an opinion on how accurate those parts of the story are.
I was happy to see Leto gather herself in the end, it frustrated me how flaky she was with going through with things she seemed to be so incredibly set on. But that's also just.. humanity.
Honestly Mathias might have been my favorite character in all this. He truly wanted the best and tried to do all he knew to be able to. I love and hate his ending, I just want him to have everything good in the world!
This is a heavy read for all the grief and especially the pain women go through (of course girls are the ones cursed and at the mercy of men, as it has gone throughout so much of history).
The ending was predictable, but in my opinion it was in a nice way and didn't ruin the book for me. Some things still felt left unanswered in the end, but at least most of it was a somewhat satisfying ending.
So in short: As a story, it's a great one with such grief and also some joy sprinkled in. In context of it supposedly being a retelling, ehhhh... It's a heavy read when you wish so much better for women in general.
Leto on the other hand... how easily do you forget Melantho as soon as you set your eyes (and lips) on the prince?
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery
lil_saddie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Sexual content
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
sophmcgraw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, War, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment and Slavery
shetland_pone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's not perfect, but my only real complaint is the love triangle. Apart from that, it's wonderful.
TW: sexual abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Death
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The prose is excellently written and the pacing is good, particularly regarding gradually revealing information to the reader so there isn’t a ton of exposition at once. The main three characters are developed and likeable, and the different chapters in each of their perspectives adds a good amount of tension to the story. I adored the romance between Leto and Melantho and I think it may even rival the legendary relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in The Song of Achilles in terms of how much it made my heart ache. However, I felt that the love triangle with them and Mathias was perhaps a little unnecessary and cliché (though that might be my hatred of love triangles talking). The ending, although it totally wrecked me, was well-written and fitting for the story.
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Rape and Suicide
hanne_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think the author needed to pick one or two things to really commit to: the worldbuilding as an extension of The Odyssey, the consistency of the magic and plot elements she wanted to include, Leto and Melantho’s first-person voices (which started out refreshing and distinct but soon blended together), the three protagonists’ relationships, or the political/governing elements. Instead, the story rushes past each in turn in service of the others, and the only reliably well-developed element is actually… the violence? If you for some reason want to read a lot of detail about people, mostly children, being disturbingly murdered and assaulted, this is the book for you.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Bullying, Classism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I really enjoy Greek myth retellings, but I didn't enjoy this book very much. First of all, it's not so much a retelling as a continuation: what happened after the conclusion of The Odyssey, which I'm not very familiar with. In fact, I'm not sure if it's a well-known myth at all.
In addition, this novel couldn't seem to make up its mind as to what it wanted to be. At first, it seemed to be a tale of two women finding and healing each other, then it became a revenge tale, then it became,,,I don't know what. Overall, the pacing was very lopsided and I'm still not sure where these prophecies came from, why it took so long to introduce them, or what the ultimate message of it all was meant to be.
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death, Rape, and Violence