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echolliot's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
erikariehigano22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I also cannot believe this was my first exposure into Heracles' death LOL. Like I didn't think his death would be so.... anti-climatic? For all his glory and ambitious feats of victory, as well as the wrath and violence he had displayed, it was a curse no less casted by a centaur and administered by his own wife that finally cut the threads of his mortal life.
I had not expected for his twin brother Iphicles to pass away in battle. But I think that was the foreshadowing in Laonome's last chapter. Anyhow, I liked how this became the catalyst of their conclusion, the beginning of the end.
I highly recommend this book. Thank you to my friend Nathan for giving this to me on my birthday earlier this year. Although the language had some modern slang that took me off sometimes in the immersion, it was not worse and Rogerson's prose still captivated me and brought me back to the ancient world where Heracles was the centre of everyone's stories throughout ancient Greece.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
nmf16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It was only because I wanted to learn more about the story of Hercules that I actually kept reading, and it genuinely felt like a slog!
Jumping from one chapter to the next, each chapter a different character, and every character felt like it had the same voice and spoke in the same way. They didn’t feel like individuals and I genuinely felt like I was reading this book the entire time, as opposed to being immersed in the story and the world that was created.
Was also NOT a fan of the way the author tried to modernise it with the language used…. Slang like “Hey cuz” or “‘sup bro” just didn’t work for me in a Greek Mythological retelling!
This one really disappointed me…. and I hate that!
The only reason it gets two stars is because of the fact I did actually learn more about Hercules than I originally knew
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
mzlac134's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
courtstrauch13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
llyrian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What a wild ride.
I have a lot of feelings after reading this, and although it's in a very unique form for a greek mythology retelling it was one of the best ones I've read so far!
The main way of storytelling in this book, which is the shades of Herc's family, friends and lovers remembering him in a wild mix of ancient and modern language, was fascinating, and after about the halfway point the subtitle on the title page kept running in my mind because it's the entire point of the book:
Hero.
Husband.
Father.
Villain.
Monster.
Highly recommend this book!
Can't wait for Phoenicia's future work, too!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death of parent, and Abandonment