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jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5 stars
Yet another brilliant novel by Hauser. Her precise detailing of the ancient world, its superstitions, its class structures, its personalities, are a marvel to behold within these pages. Well-known Greek legends vividly come to life with plenty of surprises for readers through Hauser's deft narrative skill and historical expertise.
I did not love this as much as book 1 for two reasons. First, the characters weren't as likable as in "For the Most Beautiful." Let's face facts, the realities of Bronze age men include pillaging, raping, and cruelty. Hauser works with these details subtly. While Jason is clearly meant to be unlikable, which I totally get, many of the Argo's crew just didn't have strong enough personalities to overcome some of the period realities. So the first half wasn't as enjoyable as the second. Reason two is that I didn't like how Atalanta never trusted Hippomenes enough to tell him what she discovered of Jason's plot. I'd hoped she overcome her distrust a bit earlier in their journey, so I was mildly disappointed in a few of Atalanta's choices in the second half of the book.
Overall, however, Hauser's retelling of Jason and the Argonauts to focus on a little known woman who accompanied the adventure is simply fantastic. It was compelling, with transitions between Mount Olympus and the mortal world, and utterly believable. The entire novel is filled with character growth and a beautifully-realized ancient landscape. If you want some ancient history girl power, Hauser's books are things to treasure. Greater than a Golden Fleece or Golden Apple, pick up these books and savor them. Its a familiar tale that Hauser is able to elaborate on and add exciting twists and turns to, for both the characters and their stories. Highly recommended!
Yet another brilliant novel by Hauser. Her precise detailing of the ancient world, its superstitions, its class structures, its personalities, are a marvel to behold within these pages. Well-known Greek legends vividly come to life with plenty of surprises for readers through Hauser's deft narrative skill and historical expertise.
I did not love this as much as book 1 for two reasons. First, the characters weren't as likable as in "For the Most Beautiful." Let's face facts, the realities of Bronze age men include pillaging, raping, and cruelty. Hauser works with these details subtly. While Jason is clearly meant to be unlikable, which I totally get, many of the Argo's crew just didn't have strong enough personalities to overcome some of the period realities. So the first half wasn't as enjoyable as the second. Reason two is that I didn't like how Atalanta never trusted Hippomenes enough to tell him what she discovered of Jason's plot. I'd hoped she overcome her distrust a bit earlier in their journey, so I was mildly disappointed in a few of Atalanta's choices in the second half of the book.
Overall, however, Hauser's retelling of Jason and the Argonauts to focus on a little known woman who accompanied the adventure is simply fantastic. It was compelling, with transitions between Mount Olympus and the mortal world, and utterly believable. The entire novel is filled with character growth and a beautifully-realized ancient landscape. If you want some ancient history girl power, Hauser's books are things to treasure. Greater than a Golden Fleece or Golden Apple, pick up these books and savor them. Its a familiar tale that Hauser is able to elaborate on and add exciting twists and turns to, for both the characters and their stories. Highly recommended!
lisajayne_02's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
berenikeasteria's review against another edition
4.0
Where the heck was this level of quality of writing in For the Most Beautiful? I felt like I just read a book by an entirely different author!
For the Most Beautiful read like a Young Adult book, with juvenile vocabulary, angsty protagonists, insipid dialogue, and – despite the author’s stated aim to let Briseis and Krisayis break free from the stories of well-known male protagonists such as Achilles, Hektor, and Odysseus – they utterly failed to do so.
For the Winner is orders more sophisticated and engaging. The writing is more complex, and whilst still not breath-taking, the jump in quality makes me wonder if Hauser’s editors held her back in her debut novel, in hopes of appealing to the broadest possible audience. Atalanta, our protagonist this time, reads like a mature adult instead of a teenager by turns frightened and rebellious. Best of all, she is truly freed to take significant action in the plot and determine her own destiny, in a way that Briseis and Krisayis simply were not, the latter two barely making a ripple, while Atalanta engages in meaningful deeds. This in turn fuels the tension and investment I had in the story. The one sour note I thought was the continuing childishness of the gods, which sucks some of that tension out by being too comedic, and I’m just not a fan of.
I would say give For the Most Beautiful a miss, but by all means try out For the Winner.
7 out of 10
katys_books's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
leskit's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed it. Still haven't found an author who does Greek mythology as well as Mary Renault.
guineapiggirl's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a fan of Greek mythology and this novel introduced me to the Argonautica, so I cannot complain. I've read about Atalanta before, but never quite like this.
marria_1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
gabyk_lib's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this story a lot but I'm not sure quite necessity required the gods and goddesses that were included as an additional storyline. Unlike in the Miller book Circe, the gods here seem just bored players watching tv. The ending was also awfully neat, Atlanta finding one lucky man who would respect her. Still enjoyed it a lot
withlivjones's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A masterful reimagining of the Argonautica and its surrounding mythology from the point of view of one of the best but most overlooked characters in Greek mythology. The pacing is great, the characters are fleshed out really well (Atalanta is a Katniss Everdeen-esque heroine, and I love the fact that Jason gets the classic scumbag villain treatment in this book, as he should #medeadidnothingwrong), the romance was fantastic, and it’s definitely one of the easiest-to-read mythology retellings I’ve ever read so it would make a great introductory novel to those new to the genre. I wouldn’t necessarily pick up Emily Hauser’s retellings if you’re looking for complete accuracy to the source material, but I love what she does with this story and I found the author’s note where she explains her reasoning behind some of her choices very interesting. Parts of the story were definitely giving Disney’s Mulan rather than Greek mythology, but Mulan is my favourite Disney film so I’m not complaining (I don’t know who’s more of a bicon, Li Shang or Hippomenes). I also loved all the interludes where the focus was on the gods and the drama honestly feels like it belongs on a reality show. I loved For the Most Beautiful when I first read it, but I think I might have enjoyed the sequel even more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Period-typical attitudes