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kt2e56's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Juxtapose that with her little sister Phaedra (who is the far more complex and fascinating narrator here, particularly when dealing with Post Partum Depression) who is so bold and headstrong and vibrant and also determined to live her own life despite her status as a prize for Theseus (and she succeeds! She convinces him to keep adventuring so she can do as she pleases while he’s away!) until
Now, yes, that’s correct in terms of the original mythology but I thought the whole point of the book was to flesh out female mythological figures more? This book offers ZERO explanation for the insanely drastic change in character when it comes to Phaedra. Was she being used to punish Theseus? Did she upset Aphrodite? Was she just mad? We literally never find out. Her only reason for loving Hippolytus is because he’s different from Theseus but it still feels bizarre to me that a 28-year-old woman, who as far as we know was completely sane, would fall in love with a child literally out of nowhere.
I’m really not someone who needs media spelled out for me but in this case some explanation would have been great because it truly is that sudden of a change. It’s a storyline that feels rushed, like the author felt she had to shoehorn in that myth about Phaedra because it’s so well known but she didn’t really connect it very well with her version of Phaedra that she created for this book.
Jennifer Saint is a talented writer. She paints vivid pictures and there’s a lot here that’s compelling and interesting but to me, this book just didn’t quite stick the landing.
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Grief, and War
maddiebusick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Trafficking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
alicia_m_andrews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
clairew97's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
schang's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
bimbo_andthe_bookworm'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
4.0
It was pretty slow at times but I did really enjoy it. Lots of self-reflection and story-telling but thats what you get with greek mythology.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism
mermaidstears's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Violence, Vomit, and War
theequestrianslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To start, as I'm rewriting this review a second time because I accidentally deleted the first one, I was very happy to see a retelling of a Greek Myth that wasn't Persephone & Hades (though I do love that pairing immensely.) For about the first 1/3 of the book, I was unaware this WAS a retelling, but that may have simply been my own oversight, considering the names Theseus and the Minotaur were also mentioned. I digress.
After about 1/3 of the book, I did do a search to see if the main characters, Ariadne and Phaedra, were in fact real characters in these Greek myths. Because of this, I discovered they were and carried on with reading, though now I had some additional information such as pertaining to who ended up with who based on the legend.
The book's writing retains a "formal, prose-y" type of speech, especially when characters are talking. There weren't very many instances that I was confused by a word or a phrase, but did take note of how the characters spoke. The descriptions of scenes and setting was flowery, and as a more flowery writer myself, I tend to appreciate this type of description. However, there were instances in the book, mostly in the first 1/2 that involved numerous references back to past events in the characters' lives. While this is usually fine, it did get a point where it felt very repetitive and almost annoying. By annoying, I mean, "Yes, yes, we know this happened to them, we've been over this, [...]" etc. Etc.
The book also utilizes timeskips. For most of the book, you have no idea how long has actually passed between the very first chapter, to the very end of the book. You actually do not find out how much time has passed until the very last 5 or so chapters. Which, some of the ending chapters were extremely short, some having only two pages, while others earlier on were bordering having ten. While short chapters can be useful in short, choppy scenes, it felt rushed and like larger plot points were simply ran past, in a way that was very reminiscent of, "Oh, okay, we're already past that then." Admittedly, this may have affected my reaction to the end, as well as my brief research into the character' original identities.
When the book ended, I did not feel any overwhelming emotions. I was simply ready for the next one, unlike other books that can leave you in emotional disarray for days on end. I didn't dislike the book, but I would border it more to a 3.5 rather than a 3. The book, to me personally, feels like a one-off. You read it, mark it off your list, and then keep it on the shelf for its pretty cover. I would recommend it simply because it is a retelling of a myth not often touched upon, as it's a good one to simply sit down, read, and enjoy for what it is.
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment
Abandonment, Abuse/Neglect, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Cruelty/Abuse/Tortue, Animal Death, Arranged Marriage, Asphyxia/Strangulation/Hanging, Pseudo-Banishment/Exile, Bestiality, Blood/Gore Descriptions, Childbirth, Dead Bodies/Body Parts, Death of a Parent, Death of a Sibling, Grief/Loss Depictions, Genocide, Psuedo-Incest (Stepmom/Stepson), Pregnancy (Wanted/Unwanted), Rape/Sexual Assault, Suicide (via Hanging), Suicidal Ideation, Starvation/Dehydration Depictionsmpbookreviews'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
4.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nebulasaurus'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail