bookstarbri's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Cait Corrain, you're not seeing the pearly gates!! This ripped me apart and carved my heart out of my chest. UGH this was so good and I might never recover.
I am forever and always firmly a Percy Jackson kid, so I've been eating up Greek mythology since elementary school. Naturally, I make it my mission to read Greek myth retellings like it's nobody's business. And I especially love when the authors take these stories and really embrace the queerness that is so heavy in the actual mythology but often played down or outright ignored by historians. All that to say, Cait Corrain has made this the unapologetically queer Dionysus and Ariadne retelling of my dreams.
Ariadne is one of my favorite heroines of Greek mythology so I'm always interested in what authors will do with her in any retellings she pops up in. I REALLY loved her so much in this. She put such a smile on my face and reading her dark and harsh, but beautiful journey was just amazing. She was funny and charismatic and it was such a joy to be in this story with her. She truly never shied away from being scared, but it never stopped her from being brave. I also loved Dionysus in this which, like, is unsurprising. People often are so singularly focused on Dionysus's party god style, they forget the lore surrounding his godliness over revolutions as well. It was nice to see that bit of his character as well as it's not always prevalent in other retellings. I also loved that he is genderqueer in this book too! Together, these two made this story so easy to sit back and read for hours and hours. Their love story is beautiful and I teared up towards the end of reading this because of just how far they'd come together.
Everything else about this is great too. The side characters are awesome, we get lovely descriptions of the world and this intergalactic version of Greece where all our favorite cities are planets among the cosmos! The descriptions of the clothing and of the gods themselves were so fun and made picturing this world very compelling. The sci-fi is not too overwhelming for those who are not typically sci-fi readers. I read the genre a lot, but I think those not as familiar with it will still find it easy to read as the sci-fi aspects aren't the main plot so much as they are elevating the setting.
By my rating, it's clear I loved this. I had one minor gripe and that was that I was getting impatient in the beginning to get through everything, however I think that's just because I know the lore and knew what was going to happen and I just wanted to get to Dionysus haha so I am not factoring that into my rating, but be aware for those who do know the story and how things began with Ariadne, Minos, and Theseus.
Thanks SO much to Del Rey books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this wonderful book! To the publisher and Cait Corrain: pls a book 2 as a treat, i beg
I am forever and always firmly a Percy Jackson kid, so I've been eating up Greek mythology since elementary school. Naturally, I make it my mission to read Greek myth retellings like it's nobody's business. And I especially love when the authors take these stories and really embrace the queerness that is so heavy in the actual mythology but often played down or outright ignored by historians. All that to say, Cait Corrain has made this the unapologetically queer Dionysus and Ariadne retelling of my dreams.
Ariadne is one of my favorite heroines of Greek mythology so I'm always interested in what authors will do with her in any retellings she pops up in. I REALLY loved her so much in this. She put such a smile on my face and reading her dark and harsh, but beautiful journey was just amazing. She was funny and charismatic and it was such a joy to be in this story with her. She truly never shied away from being scared, but it never stopped her from being brave. I also loved Dionysus in this which, like, is unsurprising. People often are so singularly focused on Dionysus's party god style, they forget the lore surrounding his godliness over revolutions as well. It was nice to see that bit of his character as well as it's not always prevalent in other retellings. I also loved that he is genderqueer in this book too! Together, these two made this story so easy to sit back and read for hours and hours. Their love story is beautiful and I teared up towards the end of reading this because of just how far they'd come together.
Everything else about this is great too. The side characters are awesome, we get lovely descriptions of the world and this intergalactic version of Greece where all our favorite cities are planets among the cosmos! The descriptions of the clothing and of the gods themselves were so fun and made picturing this world very compelling. The sci-fi is not too overwhelming for those who are not typically sci-fi readers. I read the genre a lot, but I think those not as familiar with it will still find it easy to read as the sci-fi aspects aren't the main plot so much as they are elevating the setting.
By my rating, it's clear I loved this. I had one minor gripe and that was that I was getting impatient in the beginning to get through everything, however I think that's just because I know the lore and knew what was going to happen and I just wanted to get to Dionysus haha so I am not factoring that into my rating, but be aware for those who do know the story and how things began with Ariadne, Minos, and Theseus.
Thanks SO much to Del Rey books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this wonderful book! To the publisher and Cait Corrain: pls a book 2 as a treat, i beg
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Misogyny, Genocide, and Xenophobia
naialana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fictionwitch's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War and Physical abuse
missannejello's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Was not prepared for Dionysus’ fits to be inspired by Fast X Jason Mamoa; was LESS prepared for the Gen Z sentence constructions that the MC speaks in.
The futuristic space setting is gratuitous and I would personally define this as fantasy with high tech, not science fiction. Pacing is very random where weeks go by within a sentence and the dialogue is awkward to say the least. Gave a generous rating because Corrain captured Dionysus’ symbolism, gender and sexuality conscientiously. Recommend reading the author’s note at the end.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The futuristic space setting is gratuitous and I would personally define this as fantasy with high tech, not science fiction. Pacing is very random where weeks go by within a sentence and the dialogue is awkward to say the least. Gave a generous rating because Corrain captured Dionysus’ symbolism, gender and sexuality conscientiously. Recommend reading the author’s note at the end.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
kenzcocke's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tashasbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Crown of Starlight was an endearing Greek retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus that is steamy and set in space!
Ariadne is the Crown Princess of the empire of Crete, a violent and oppressive world that her father, Minos, is the leader of. Cretans take pleasure in violence and her father is no exception. When her brother is born as half-bull with cannabalistic tendencies, Minos looks him the in Labyrinth underneath the palace. Each year, Crete requires sacrifices from Athens in order to punish Athens and feed Ariadne's brother, the minotaur. She is sick of the violence and wants out, leading her to make a deal with Theseus to take her with him if she helps him beat the minotaur. This leads to Ariadne lost, alone, and injured when Dionysus finds her and introduces her to hedonistic debauchery. The only way to keep herself safe is to hide from her father on Olympus, which means marrying Dionysus.
What an interesting world (solar system??) to adapt the Greek myth to! I found that they were able to translate the original ancient setting to a space setting very well. There was a lot of Info dumping in the first few chapters, rather than instead of learning over time. This did bug me at first, but once I was used to the author's writing style, I was able to learn about the world and enjoy it. Truly, I don't think the setting really added much to the story, like I felt like the actual plot and character growth could have been transplanted into a modern world or Ancient Greece. It was fun to read Greek gods in space though, with added blaster guns, coms, and spaceships!
There is a bit of modern language in this book, which was a little jolting at first. However, it kind of makes sense since this is technically a futuristic world where modern slang would have been picked up. But things did throw me off occasionally, like when holodramas are watched called "The Housewives of Troy."
Ariadne was a very strong character who spends a lot of time healing and developing. She is raised in a very puritiancil and patriarchal society, and is forced into expectations of remaining pure. Once she leaves Crete, she has to heal from that trauma and learn for herself who she is and what she wants. I really did enjoy her perspective and found that she was not a one-dimensional character. Dionysus on the other hand was also just an amazing character. He truly is one of the best love interests I've ever read in a book and my favorite part. He is always looking for fun and is not very serious most of the time. But he is also very sweet and perceptive of Ariadne's needs. Dionysus just has such a confident and vibrant persona, and honestly seems a bit Cardan coded (Cruel Prince) to me. Based on the broody, dark love interests I normally read about, it was SO FUN to have such a silly and charismatic love interest.
Their romance was the true highlight of this book. Dionysius is so tender to Ariadne and helps her face her trauma and find who she is and what she wants. It is definitely a slow-burn, as it takes time for Ariadne to face her anxiety and shed the expectations that were always placed upon her. The anticipation pays off, and their romance was so raw and beautiful, not to mention spicy!
I was very surprised how accurate Greek mythology was in this book, at least to my knowledge of the myths. Of course some liberties were taken, but I found it to be a pretty accurate retelling. Another thing that was detailed in the author's note was her interpretation of the original myths of Dionysus. Over time, he has been reduced the God of Wine and Parties. The author makes a great deal to note that Dionysus also was a patron of marginalized people and rebellion, and did not have a defined gender or sexuality. I think this book seriously made Dionysus so much more than how is normally depicted in Greek myth retellings and I really loved that.
This book was just a delight! The ending was perfect and I'm happy that it wrapped up into a standalone. I'm very excited for when this officially releases so that I can buy the physical copy and have that on my bookshelves.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Ariadne is the Crown Princess of the empire of Crete, a violent and oppressive world that her father, Minos, is the leader of. Cretans take pleasure in violence and her father is no exception. When her brother is born as half-bull with cannabalistic tendencies, Minos looks him the in Labyrinth underneath the palace. Each year, Crete requires sacrifices from Athens in order to punish Athens and feed Ariadne's brother, the minotaur. She is sick of the violence and wants out, leading her to make a deal with Theseus to take her with him if she helps him beat the minotaur. This leads to Ariadne lost, alone, and injured when Dionysus finds her and introduces her to hedonistic debauchery. The only way to keep herself safe is to hide from her father on Olympus, which means marrying Dionysus.
What an interesting world (solar system??) to adapt the Greek myth to! I found that they were able to translate the original ancient setting to a space setting very well. There was a lot of Info dumping in the first few chapters, rather than instead of learning over time. This did bug me at first, but once I was used to the author's writing style, I was able to learn about the world and enjoy it. Truly, I don't think the setting really added much to the story, like I felt like the actual plot and character growth could have been transplanted into a modern world or Ancient Greece. It was fun to read Greek gods in space though, with added blaster guns, coms, and spaceships!
There is a bit of modern language in this book, which was a little jolting at first. However, it kind of makes sense since this is technically a futuristic world where modern slang would have been picked up. But things did throw me off occasionally, like when holodramas are watched called "The Housewives of Troy."
Ariadne was a very strong character who spends a lot of time healing and developing. She is raised in a very puritiancil and patriarchal society, and is forced into expectations of remaining pure. Once she leaves Crete, she has to heal from that trauma and learn for herself who she is and what she wants. I really did enjoy her perspective and found that she was not a one-dimensional character. Dionysus on the other hand was also just an amazing character. He truly is one of the best love interests I've ever read in a book and my favorite part. He is always looking for fun and is not very serious most of the time. But he is also very sweet and perceptive of Ariadne's needs. Dionysus just has such a confident and vibrant persona, and honestly seems a bit Cardan coded (Cruel Prince) to me. Based on the broody, dark love interests I normally read about, it was SO FUN to have such a silly and charismatic love interest.
Their romance was the true highlight of this book. Dionysius is so tender to Ariadne and helps her face her trauma and find who she is and what she wants. It is definitely a slow-burn, as it takes time for Ariadne to face her anxiety and shed the expectations that were always placed upon her. The anticipation pays off, and their romance was so raw and beautiful, not to mention spicy!
I was very surprised how accurate Greek mythology was in this book, at least to my knowledge of the myths. Of course some liberties were taken, but I found it to be a pretty accurate retelling. Another thing that was detailed in the author's note was her interpretation of the original myths of Dionysus. Over time, he has been reduced the God of Wine and Parties. The author makes a great deal to note that Dionysus also was a patron of marginalized people and rebellion, and did not have a defined gender or sexuality. I think this book seriously made Dionysus so much more than how is normally depicted in Greek myth retellings and I really loved that.
This book was just a delight! The ending was perfect and I'm happy that it wrapped up into a standalone. I'm very excited for when this officially releases so that I can buy the physical copy and have that on my bookshelves.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
tashasbooks's review against another edition
4.5
Crown of Starlight is a captivating and steamy Greek retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus set in space!
Ariadne is the Crown Princess of Crete, an oppressive empire led with by her father Minos with cruelty and violence. She abhors her role in the family and the treatment of her half-bull brother, Astarion, who is locked under the palace in the Labyrinth. Each year, Crete requires sacrifices to be sent from Athens to be fed to Ariadne's brother. This year, her father is making her responsible and in charge for watching over the sacrifices. Ariadne decides she will help Theseus to fight back and leave the oppressive society she lives in. Everything doesn't go according to plan, and Ariadne is lost, injured, and alone when Dionysus finds her. She is introduced to his debauchery and shies away from it, but he offers her a way to stay safe in Olympus if she marries him.
What an interesting world to revive greek mythology in! I was curious how loose the retelling would be considering this all takes place in space and there are communication tablets, starships, and blaster guns. Honestly, the first couple pages were an info-dump and it took me a second to truly feel immersed in the world because you learn it all at once instead of over time. It was an interesting world (solar system??) for the actual greek myths but they merged the ancient setting with the space setting well. I do think it wasn't essential to the plot, like I felt like this story could be told really in any setting and the space part of it wouldn't really have an effect on the plot.
The language is very modern, which took me a second to also get used to. I guess it almost makes sense in this context since it is technically farther in the future and they would have adopted a more modern language. There's definitely some modern parts of it here and there like them watching holodramas titled, "The Housewives of Troy."
I loved Ariadne as a character, she heals and grows so much in this novel. In Crete, it's a very puritanical and patriarchal society, so she feels pushed into a mold and that she must maintain her innocent status. Dionysus really helps her to be who she wants to be, do what she wants to do, and to disregard people's expectations of her. Honestly, my favorite part of this book was him and the romance. He is one of the best romantic interests I have read in a book. He is very Cardan coded (Cruel Prince) and just loves to have fun and is anything but serious most of the time. Dionysus is also extremely sweet and perceptive of Ariadne's needs and truly has just his own vibrant and confident persona. One of my FAVORITE love interests in a book!
Their romance is sweet and Dionysus is so tender and respectful of Ariadne. It's very much a slow-burn romance as Ariadne has to get past her anxiety and previous trauma and accept the love that Dionysus offers her. The anticipation pays off when they finally get together and just thinking of them makes me smile. It was a beautiful romance and the highlight of this book.
Surprisingly, the greek mythology feels very accurate (at least to my understanding of the myths). The author really did a good job of incorporating all of the different facets of the myths that are well-known and genuine to the original story. There are obviously some changes here and there, but the author note at the end was really impactful. This author wanted to portray Dionysus as more than just the God of Wine and Parties, but closer to the original myths as patron to marginalized people and how he took both genders as lovers with his gender never exactly labeled.
This book was truly such a delight. I am so excited for when this releases and I can get a physical copy on my shelves. Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Ariadne is the Crown Princess of Crete, an oppressive empire led with by her father Minos with cruelty and violence. She abhors her role in the family and the treatment of her half-bull brother, Astarion, who is locked under the palace in the Labyrinth. Each year, Crete requires sacrifices to be sent from Athens to be fed to Ariadne's brother. This year, her father is making her responsible and in charge for watching over the sacrifices. Ariadne decides she will help Theseus to fight back and leave the oppressive society she lives in. Everything doesn't go according to plan, and Ariadne is lost, injured, and alone when Dionysus finds her. She is introduced to his debauchery and shies away from it, but he offers her a way to stay safe in Olympus if she marries him.
What an interesting world to revive greek mythology in! I was curious how loose the retelling would be considering this all takes place in space and there are communication tablets, starships, and blaster guns. Honestly, the first couple pages were an info-dump and it took me a second to truly feel immersed in the world because you learn it all at once instead of over time. It was an interesting world (solar system??) for the actual greek myths but they merged the ancient setting with the space setting well. I do think it wasn't essential to the plot, like I felt like this story could be told really in any setting and the space part of it wouldn't really have an effect on the plot.
The language is very modern, which took me a second to also get used to. I guess it almost makes sense in this context since it is technically farther in the future and they would have adopted a more modern language. There's definitely some modern parts of it here and there like them watching holodramas titled, "The Housewives of Troy."
I loved Ariadne as a character, she heals and grows so much in this novel. In Crete, it's a very puritanical and patriarchal society, so she feels pushed into a mold and that she must maintain her innocent status. Dionysus really helps her to be who she wants to be, do what she wants to do, and to disregard people's expectations of her. Honestly, my favorite part of this book was him and the romance. He is one of the best romantic interests I have read in a book. He is very Cardan coded (Cruel Prince) and just loves to have fun and is anything but serious most of the time. Dionysus is also extremely sweet and perceptive of Ariadne's needs and truly has just his own vibrant and confident persona. One of my FAVORITE love interests in a book!
Their romance is sweet and Dionysus is so tender and respectful of Ariadne. It's very much a slow-burn romance as Ariadne has to get past her anxiety and previous trauma and accept the love that Dionysus offers her. The anticipation pays off when they finally get together and just thinking of them makes me smile. It was a beautiful romance and the highlight of this book.
Surprisingly, the greek mythology feels very accurate (at least to my understanding of the myths). The author really did a good job of incorporating all of the different facets of the myths that are well-known and genuine to the original story. There are obviously some changes here and there, but the author note at the end was really impactful. This author wanted to portray Dionysus as more than just the God of Wine and Parties, but closer to the original myths as patron to marginalized people and how he took both genders as lovers with his gender never exactly labeled.
This book was truly such a delight. I am so excited for when this releases and I can get a physical copy on my shelves. Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
nikki_b's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
acarballo's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape