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A review by cgoiris
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Men, whether immortal or temporarily made of flesh, will disappoint you when you allow them to make your happiness instead of finding it for yourself. That, to me, is the tragic conclusion of this story.
I know the source material was there and limited the outcomes, but to me Ariadne, Phaedra and the maenads all have one fatal flaw above all else: just when they think they're taking hold of their own fate or happiness, they actually throw it at the mercy of men.
(slight spoiler although the original story has existed for many many years) Phaedra's tragic ending, skipped over too casually, is the closest she gets to actually taking control. Ariadne never truly does.
When I was young, I saw in Ariadne a symbol of defiance. This story started out weaving her into one, but then lost her to the simple narrative of women getting blinded by their own feelings and it just could have done more, could have done better, than make her into a naive hormonal girl who thinks that a beautiful boy must be saved. Could have made her motivations her own. It should have warned me against reading the rest of the book, honestly.
I dared hope for more, and the author punished me for my hubris.
I know the source material was there and limited the outcomes, but to me Ariadne, Phaedra and the maenads all have one fatal flaw above all else: just when they think they're taking hold of their own fate or happiness, they actually throw it at the mercy of men.
(slight spoiler although the original story has existed for many many years) Phaedra's tragic ending, skipped over too casually, is the closest she gets to actually taking control. Ariadne never truly does.
When I was young, I saw in Ariadne a symbol of defiance. This story started out weaving her into one, but then lost her to the simple narrative of women getting blinded by their own feelings and it just could have done more, could have done better, than make her into a naive hormonal girl who thinks that a beautiful boy must be saved. Could have made her motivations her own. It should have warned me against reading the rest of the book, honestly.
I dared hope for more, and the author punished me for my hubris.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence