Reviews

I really enjoyed this telling of the myth. While it was advertised as a “feminist retelling” I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. Don’t get me wrong, the story is well written, but if you’re looking for something different than Greek Mythology where all of the women get screwed, you should look somewhere else.

crickedcactus's review against another edition

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3.0

Damn I really wanted to love this book but i only just liked it.
Some things that bothered me:
-Ariadne instantly falling in love with Theseus without knowing him. I knew the myth before-hand so I was hoping to get more details on their bond/relationship, how it happened, and it just seemed a bit forced, fast, as though not much thought had gone into it
-For a book that was heavily advertised as feminist, all female characters are extremely passive and only just watch what happens around them with no agency whatsoever
- show me, don’t tell me. A lot of times i felt bored reading about a character going on and on about their ancestry, or giving an account of all the deeds they accomplished. I feel like some of that could have been included as part of the main story
-i guess, bottom line is that this book was not Circe, a book that has a special place in my heart and I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone that enjoyed this one.

14swalsh's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

nuetrl's review against another edition

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2.0

this novel started off really strong and i had my hopes held up too high, higher than icarus' voyage to the sun, but just as quickly as he fell to earth, so did the descent of my engagement. i loved everything about it up until many time jumps and point of view changes, the moment i got attached to ariadne i was flitted to her sister, phaedra, who was in athens. (is that even a spoiler? i mean, this is all very searchable material).

i understand this is to amplify how women in greek myth were the victims of many men and were the ones behind the heroic endeavours, but for a woman who spoke a lot about these tragedies, ariadne was sure as the underworld a very weak protagonist whose purpose was to whine about the shortcomings of womanhood.

if you want something better, i suggest circe or silence of the girls!

themirrorball's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i really loved the beginning and end of this book, but the middle seemed to be stagnant, with nothing of interest really happening, internally or externally. it felt like a lot of unnecessary descriptions and storytelling that wasn't going anywhere.

one of my favorite things about this book was the complexity of the relationships. i was genuinely invested in many of the relationships, like the sisters, each of them with their husbands, and ariadne and her mother. they all felt real and raw, in a way i haven't experienced when reading other greek mythology retellings. however, i think that it all could have been pulled together better, considering the ending felt quite abrupt and random.

Content Warnings

ibjilln's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Content Warnings

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