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lisajayne_02's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
berenikeasteria's review against another edition
4.0
I have to reiterate my For the Winner review: where was this quality of writing in For the Most Beautiful? The latter two books in this trilogy are better by far than the first book, and I can only assume that Hauser’s debut novel was severely curtailed by the publishing house, who gave it a distinctly frothy, juvenile spin. For the Winner and For the Immortal are thankfully much more interesting.
For the Immortal returns to a dual protagonist set up, but this time it’s well-founded on Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and Admete. Admete is such a minor character in myth that honestly I had to be reminded of who she was, but I think Hauser was right when she says in her author’s note that the concept of retrieving Hippolyta’s war-belt simply as a shiny trinket for Admete feels like a half-baked idea, and not terribly compelling. Hauser has elaborated upon that unspectacular beginning to create a stronger motivation for the quest, as well as increasing Admete’s role in it. I didn’t object to the author portraying a darker Hercules (although I wish he’d been named Herakles, since this was a Greek world novel), as there’s plenty in the character’s ancient mythos to suggest a darker side, but I was frankly disappointed that it is just let go at the end. I felt that his twisting, his descent into a darker personality, could’ve provided more of a crisis than it did for the other characters, and that there should have been a final confrontation between Hercules and Admete.
As for Hippolyta, I wasn’t bothered by her being combined with Antiope, since again there is grounds for it in ancient myth. Ancient writers went back and forth on the question of whether the Amazon queen who Hercules stole the war-belt from was the same person as the one who became Theseus’ queen. Plus, from a story-telling point of view, it gives Hippolyta a lot more story. However, I didn’t like the portrayal of Theseus. The ancient writers also give different accounts as to whether Theseus and his Amazon queen were a love match, or whether she was an unwilling captive. Hauser chooses to make her an unwilling captive, and Theseus a special brand of scum. I simply prefer a better Theseus – the one portrayed by Mary Renault and Amalia Carosella – than I do Hauser’s evil Theseus. Maybe it just felt like a bit too much what with a darker Hercules being portrayed as well. Besides, I kept thinking; “But what about Hippolytus?!” There’s no Hippolytus here, and Phaedra, we’re told has long since been acquired and discarded before Hippolyta’s arrival. There’s more. Hauser’s Hippolyta is also combined with and reworked Penthesilea. Oh, and by the way she was married to and had a child with Achilles long before the events of this book happen and she’s captured by Theseus. Wait, what?
Okay, that version of events does, I admit, give a much better reason for Achilles weeping over the queen of the Amazons he just killed than love at first sight. But I had trouble getting over that particular hurdle. I’m not sure the timelines match up. If Achilles, as we’re told in ancient myth, was too young to compete for Helen’s hand, and, in order to avoid being called to the Trojan War successfully disguised himself as a young woman – but old enough to father Neoptolemos during the same time – he must’ve been in his teens at the start of the Trojan War, and less than 30 when he is killed. The events of this book take place roughly between ten and five years before the start of the War, and during it Hippolyta is reminiscing back to about ten years or so earlier than that when she remembers her time with Achilles. Plus, Theseus is supposed to be an old man when he kidnaps a ten-year-old Helen, which is supposed to occur much later than his prime with Hippolyta – both occur together here. Eh, my brain just couldn’t accept this.
I was very surprised when, at about 80% of the way in, the book jumps ahead fifteen years to the Trojan War. It felt tacked on, sudden, and jarring. I prepared myself to criticise this section heavily in my review. I’ve softened to it a little, although I still feel it was overall a misstep. The section doesn’t really add anything to Admete. I like that it recognises Hippolyta’s heroism, and provides a more compelling reason for Achilles to weep over the corpse of the Amazon queen. But I still can’t buy into the Hippolyta/Achilles relationship. I can completely understand the author being tempted to revisit the Trojan War in the story – who wouldn’t want to rewrite the stumbles of For the Most Beautiful and provide a rather more dramatic, mature, and heroic slice of the Trojan War than the passive angsty voices of Briseis and Chryseis – but it did feel very last-minute and just not part of Admete and Hippolyta’s stories.
However, I’ve really enjoyed the more sophisticated writing style of For the Winner and For the Immortal, and the focus of both of them on lesser-explored but active and heroic women of ancient Greek myth, and I do recommend this book. If I were to re-read it though I’ll probably just end the book before the out-of-place time skip.
7 out of 10
For the Immortal returns to a dual protagonist set up, but this time it’s well-founded on Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, and Admete. Admete is such a minor character in myth that honestly I had to be reminded of who she was, but I think Hauser was right when she says in her author’s note that the concept of retrieving Hippolyta’s war-belt simply as a shiny trinket for Admete feels like a half-baked idea, and not terribly compelling. Hauser has elaborated upon that unspectacular beginning to create a stronger motivation for the quest, as well as increasing Admete’s role in it. I didn’t object to the author portraying a darker Hercules (although I wish he’d been named Herakles, since this was a Greek world novel), as there’s plenty in the character’s ancient mythos to suggest a darker side, but I was frankly disappointed that it is just let go at the end. I felt that his twisting, his descent into a darker personality, could’ve provided more of a crisis than it did for the other characters, and that there should have been a final confrontation between Hercules and Admete.
As for Hippolyta, I wasn’t bothered by her being combined with Antiope, since again there is grounds for it in ancient myth. Ancient writers went back and forth on the question of whether the Amazon queen who Hercules stole the war-belt from was the same person as the one who became Theseus’ queen. Plus, from a story-telling point of view, it gives Hippolyta a lot more story. However, I didn’t like the portrayal of Theseus. The ancient writers also give different accounts as to whether Theseus and his Amazon queen were a love match, or whether she was an unwilling captive. Hauser chooses to make her an unwilling captive, and Theseus a special brand of scum. I simply prefer a better Theseus – the one portrayed by Mary Renault and Amalia Carosella – than I do Hauser’s evil Theseus. Maybe it just felt like a bit too much what with a darker Hercules being portrayed as well. Besides, I kept thinking; “But what about Hippolytus?!” There’s no Hippolytus here, and Phaedra, we’re told has long since been acquired and discarded before Hippolyta’s arrival. There’s more. Hauser’s Hippolyta is also combined with and reworked Penthesilea. Oh, and by the way she was married to and had a child with Achilles long before the events of this book happen and she’s captured by Theseus. Wait, what?
Okay, that version of events does, I admit, give a much better reason for Achilles weeping over the queen of the Amazons he just killed than love at first sight. But I had trouble getting over that particular hurdle. I’m not sure the timelines match up. If Achilles, as we’re told in ancient myth, was too young to compete for Helen’s hand, and, in order to avoid being called to the Trojan War successfully disguised himself as a young woman – but old enough to father Neoptolemos during the same time – he must’ve been in his teens at the start of the Trojan War, and less than 30 when he is killed. The events of this book take place roughly between ten and five years before the start of the War, and during it Hippolyta is reminiscing back to about ten years or so earlier than that when she remembers her time with Achilles. Plus, Theseus is supposed to be an old man when he kidnaps a ten-year-old Helen, which is supposed to occur much later than his prime with Hippolyta – both occur together here. Eh, my brain just couldn’t accept this.
I was very surprised when, at about 80% of the way in, the book jumps ahead fifteen years to the Trojan War. It felt tacked on, sudden, and jarring. I prepared myself to criticise this section heavily in my review. I’ve softened to it a little, although I still feel it was overall a misstep. The section doesn’t really add anything to Admete. I like that it recognises Hippolyta’s heroism, and provides a more compelling reason for Achilles to weep over the corpse of the Amazon queen. But I still can’t buy into the Hippolyta/Achilles relationship. I can completely understand the author being tempted to revisit the Trojan War in the story – who wouldn’t want to rewrite the stumbles of For the Most Beautiful and provide a rather more dramatic, mature, and heroic slice of the Trojan War than the passive angsty voices of Briseis and Chryseis – but it did feel very last-minute and just not part of Admete and Hippolyta’s stories.
However, I’ve really enjoyed the more sophisticated writing style of For the Winner and For the Immortal, and the focus of both of them on lesser-explored but active and heroic women of ancient Greek myth, and I do recommend this book. If I were to re-read it though I’ll probably just end the book before the out-of-place time skip.
7 out of 10
bec_wheels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book tells the story of Hippolyta and Ademete, who are two strong and highly determined women. Unfortunately, both women suffer at the hands of the men they meet as I imagine most women from that era did. It was refershing for the men to be portrayed as detestable rather than these golden heroes. This book is gripping and transports you to Ancient Greece while bringing the myths to life. It's the final book in the Golden Apple trilogy but can be read as a stand-alone novel.
marria_1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons, a race of fierce female warriors who live in Scythia, proud to be an Amazon, Hippolyta has a secret she keeps from her people. Admete is a princess of Greece but her mother was an Amazon, skilled in healing Admete wants to travel to the lands of her mother's race to seek a cure for her sick brother. Alcides is the son of Zeus but in order to gain immortality he must complete 12 labours and his final one is to capture the warbler of Hippolyta.
Weaving together the twelve labours of Hercules, the backstory of Achilles and the Trojan War, this book gives a different perspective on the Great myths. Hauser is an accomplished writer, her knowledge of the myths and Ancient Greece as a whole are outstanding and the artistic licence she takes is fully explained in the accompanying notes. What is also strong in her writing is the characterisation and emotions she brings to the tales. The humiliation of Hippolyta at the hands of Theseus is heart-wrenching.
Weaving together the twelve labours of Hercules, the backstory of Achilles and the Trojan War, this book gives a different perspective on the Great myths. Hauser is an accomplished writer, her knowledge of the myths and Ancient Greece as a whole are outstanding and the artistic licence she takes is fully explained in the accompanying notes. What is also strong in her writing is the characterisation and emotions she brings to the tales. The humiliation of Hippolyta at the hands of Theseus is heart-wrenching.
dolios's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
withlivjones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Once again, Emily Hauser knocks it out of the park in this retelling that brings together all of the myths that involve the Amazons and breathes new life into them. When Greek princess Admete accompanies Hercules (and I am deducting points for using the Roman spelling over the Greek, Disney’s impact on the myth of Herakles reaches far and wide) on his final two tasks in an effort to save her sick brother, her life becomes intertwined with that of the Amazon queen Hippolyta.
The plot itself is relatively cohesive, which can be difficult to achieve when one strings together multiple stories from mythology, and the fact that the author’s note explains many of her choices to deviate from the original stories in order to serve the plot is much appreciated. Out of the trilogy, this book is probably the most accurate to the source material in that there is no divergence from the canon at the end, but there are still various changes and embellishments to the source material littered throughout the book. As with the other books, read them for entertainment rather than accuracy. I also loved how the scenes with the gods sum up the entire trilogy by explaining the oh-so-important motif of the golden apples - a great conclusion to the series. And I love when books get meta, which this book does very well at the end.
Our two protagonists, Admete and Hippolyta, are both very strong, and I equally enjoyed both of their POVs. I particularly liked the parallels that are drawn between Hippolyta and Helen of Sparta. I do wish that we could have seen more of Admete’s brother Alexander, either through flashbacks or through Admete explaining her personal relationship with him in more detail, as I think that this could have raised the urgency to save him even more - the explanation Admete gives is pretty much just “he’s the heir to the throne and the next in line would make a terrible king” and that’s about it, which in my opinion is a bit of a surface-level explanation that lacks a lot of emotion. If we were to see how close Admete and Alexander are, it would absolutely raise the stakes and make the story even more impactful.
I also felt like the final part in the Trojan War was a little rushed - after spending so much time first in Scythia then in Greece, the Troy section felt more like a coda than a full chapter where some pretty major character development and plot points happen. It could potentially risk repeating what is said in For The Most Beautiful, which may be why Hauser opted not to spend too long on it, but I would love to have spent a little more time in Troy - with Admete getting to see her brothers and husband, perhaps, or Hippolyta reuniting with Helen - and not have such an abrupt ending.
These are only a couple of nitpicky criticisms to what is on the whole a great book and a fantastic conclusion to what is definitely one of my favourite trilogies!
The plot itself is relatively cohesive, which can be difficult to achieve when one strings together multiple stories from mythology, and the fact that the author’s note explains many of her choices to deviate from the original stories in order to serve the plot is much appreciated. Out of the trilogy, this book is probably the most accurate to the source material in that there is no divergence from the canon at the end, but there are still various changes and embellishments to the source material littered throughout the book. As with the other books, read them for entertainment rather than accuracy. I also loved how the scenes with the gods sum up the entire trilogy by explaining the oh-so-important motif of the golden apples - a great conclusion to the series. And I love when books get meta, which this book does very well at the end.
Our two protagonists, Admete and Hippolyta, are both very strong, and I equally enjoyed both of their POVs. I particularly liked the parallels that are drawn between Hippolyta and Helen of Sparta. I do wish that we could have seen more of Admete’s brother Alexander, either through flashbacks or through Admete explaining her personal relationship with him in more detail, as I think that this could have raised the urgency to save him even more - the explanation Admete gives is pretty much just “he’s the heir to the throne and the next in line would make a terrible king” and that’s about it, which in my opinion is a bit of a surface-level explanation that lacks a lot of emotion. If we were to see how close Admete and Alexander are, it would absolutely raise the stakes and make the story even more impactful.
I also felt like the final part in the Trojan War was a little rushed - after spending so much time first in Scythia then in Greece, the Troy section felt more like a coda than a full chapter where some pretty major character development and plot points happen. It could potentially risk repeating what is said in For The Most Beautiful, which may be why Hauser opted not to spend too long on it, but I would love to have spent a little more time in Troy - with Admete getting to see her brothers and husband, perhaps, or Hippolyta reuniting with Helen - and not have such an abrupt ending.
These are only a couple of nitpicky criticisms to what is on the whole a great book and a fantastic conclusion to what is definitely one of my favourite trilogies!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Blood, and War
Period-typical attitudesjlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Hauser brings her Golden Apple trilogy to a close with For The Immortal, a book that brings to life Hippolyta, the Amazons, and the daughter of a Greek king who accompanies Hercules on his final two labors.
This book was hard for me in the middle. While I loved the sections involving Hippolyta and the Amazons, the "Becoming Greek" section was a difficult read. I almost stopped reading, but I've enjoyed Hauser's books so much I pressed on. I was glad I did. The last section, while a time jump, was well done. I loved the emphasis on the strength and courage of the Amazon warriors.
Our other main character, Admete, had a quiet strength and really held her own in a group of Greek warriors. I was impressed by the opportunities she created for herself despite living in such a male-dominated society. The information about herbs and their medicinal treatments were well researched.
Overall, there are some great moments that I relished. However, I wanted more from Hippolyta in the middle portion. She shouldn't have lost her strength so drastically. However, Hauser really sparked my interest to learn more about the Amazon society.
Hauser really does her research. I agreed with the choices she made on the mythical characters. The interplay of the Greek gods and goddesses were also well realized. The twist on who the immortal apple was meant for was great. Hauser ends her series strong. I hope she continues to write about this time period and its heroines.
This book was hard for me in the middle. While I loved the sections involving Hippolyta and the Amazons, the "Becoming Greek" section was a difficult read.
Spoiler
Hippolyta is completely broken and constantly raped. I wanted some of her fire, some resistance to her circumstances. The reasons for her staying submissive to Theseus seemed flimsy. If Theseus isn't honoring his agreement, she should be fighting back too.Our other main character, Admete, had a quiet strength and really held her own in a group of Greek warriors. I was impressed by the opportunities she created for herself despite living in such a male-dominated society. The information about herbs and their medicinal treatments were well researched.
Overall, there are some great moments that I relished. However, I wanted more from Hippolyta in the middle portion. She shouldn't have lost her strength so drastically. However, Hauser really sparked my interest to learn more about the Amazon society.
Hauser really does her research. I agreed with the choices she made on the mythical characters. The interplay of the Greek gods and goddesses were also well realized. The twist on who the immortal apple was meant for was great. Hauser ends her series strong. I hope she continues to write about this time period and its heroines.
amandamccombs's review against another edition
2.0
actual rating: 2.25/5
I enjoyed this one far less than the first of the series. The writing style seemed much more formal and antiquated, which shows the author's strong writing ability, but wasn't enjoyable to read. Of course I still love the premise of retelling ancient epics with the focus on female characters. Hauser maintains historical accuracy while putting new interpretation on the action and giving humanity and depth to the characters. She also does a beautiful job of raising themes of fate vs free will and the power of storytelling. The action of the goddesses/muses in this book ties together all three books of the trilogy. The writing style just made me bored the entire way through.
I enjoyed this one far less than the first of the series. The writing style seemed much more formal and antiquated, which shows the author's strong writing ability, but wasn't enjoyable to read. Of course I still love the premise of retelling ancient epics with the focus on female characters. Hauser maintains historical accuracy while putting new interpretation on the action and giving humanity and depth to the characters. She also does a beautiful job of raising themes of fate vs free will and the power of storytelling. The action of the goddesses/muses in this book ties together all three books of the trilogy. The writing style just made me bored the entire way through.
frederique's review against another edition
5.0
"...she thinks that at least, at the very least, she can ensure that mortals all over the dark-soiled earth will tell the tales of the immortal heroes through the ages... and also, the heroines.
Emily Hauser does an excellent job in her retellings of the famous Greek myths from the women's point of view. For The Immortal is one of my favourite 2018 reads so far. I am a fan of the Greek myths and the whole Golden Apple trilogy is a must read for everyone who is.
For The Immortal is I think the best of the three, the stories of Admete and Hippolyta are beautiful, especially Hippolyta's. I would recommend these books to everyone who is interested in myths, history and fantasy.
Emily Hauser does an excellent job in her retellings of the famous Greek myths from the women's point of view. For The Immortal is one of my favourite 2018 reads so far. I am a fan of the Greek myths and the whole Golden Apple trilogy is a must read for everyone who is.
For The Immortal is I think the best of the three, the stories of Admete and Hippolyta are beautiful, especially Hippolyta's. I would recommend these books to everyone who is interested in myths, history and fantasy.