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carriemae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The author jumped from character to character a lot, making it difficult to follow. Over all, interesting take on this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
andrwa's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. I'm the first person to love a feminist myth retelling. The point of view shifting so frequently hindered the book in my opinion. It made it hard for me to feel truly connected to any of the characters. Don't get me wrong. I love a Greek tragedy, which this certainly is and I knew that going in. But the tone of this book was very dark, so definitely be warned that the subject matter is heavy. I preferred the book Ariadne by Jennifer Saint and Ariadne Unraveled by Zenobia Neil. Both of those were 5 star reads for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
gaiadances's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
an interesting retelling of the story of phaedra. i enjoyed the links drawn to the other well known characters in greek mythology like theseus, medea, the minotaur and ariadne. however the book was pitched as a strong feminist retelling which it really wasn’t. the trial we were promised occurs in the last third of the book and is wrapped up in 20 pages. i was very disappointed with that. the build up of phaedra’s and hippolytus’s relationship led to nothing ultimately. the characters felt very confused and indistinguishable from one another. overall i enjoyed the first half of the book but was highly disappointed by where it ended up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence
luciuh's review against another edition
2.0
eeehh... idk it was just a thing i read.. not amazing... not the worst..
edit: i enjoyed the world that the novel was set in, but felt as though the plot went nowhere. there was a lot of potential for a very thought provoking novel exploring both the position of women in ancient greek society and the exploitation of mythos by those in power, but the book never took hold of that potential and instead fell flat.
edit: i enjoyed the world that the novel was set in, but felt as though the plot went nowhere. there was a lot of potential for a very thought provoking novel exploring both the position of women in ancient greek society and the exploitation of mythos by those in power, but the book never took hold of that potential and instead fell flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
bubblegirl858's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. I have been on a Greek mythology retelling reading kick and I thought this book would be the perfect fit. It was not. Knowing the myth does not make this book any easier to read, in fact it only makes you want to scream when events play out exactly as you knew they would but now, NOW you can see the actual (imagined) impact they had on women in the story which only made me angrier. Every single character is unlikable. EVERY SINGLE ONE. Not a single redeeming quality to be found in any male character and not a single likeable character trait in any female character. One of the things that irked me the most about this book was that they CONSTANTLY reminded you how plain Phaedra was. Anytime a new character interacted with her: "Oh that is too bad she is so plain." "Well, she isn't a great beauty" and so on and so forth. That was the only way to describe her. I completely understand the constant reminders that she is a child, because she is, but the constant reminder of how ugly she is compared to other women was so off putting. For a proclaimed "feminist novel", I expected a lot better than what was given. Also, can we talk about how every Greek mythology retelling book is compared to Madeline Miller (just like this book was)? This book's writing was scores below Madeline Miller and just plain boring at times. The Night Chorus was interesting, and I might have enjoyed it if I listened to the audiobook. In writing, it looks super disjointed and is confusing a lot of times. The only redeeming aspect of the book was getting to see Phaedra take revenge on her rapist because let's be honest, any person who has been raped wishes they could deal out justice to the person who harmed them in the same fashion. Knowing that she was like 6-7 months pregnant when she did it makes it that much more of an accomplishment. That was the only high point of the book. Her death at her own hands doesn't even feel like her own choice at the end due to her being backed into that corner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
emmsbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
coffeekitaab's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
3.5
This was a pretty heavy read...
I haven't read Greek mythology since school and have always wanted to read more as an adult. This has been the first opportunity I had in a long time and I found I was still as interested and had never come across the story of Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus.
Trigger warnings should be checked.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of the female characters, and the author did well to commit to the different narratives. I do feel it was weak for a novel that is set out as a "feminist retelling". The characters are helpless before the dominating males and, even the goddesses seem subjected to their violence and treachery. I felt uncomfortable at how explicit the description of male harassment, violence etc was so trigger warnings flagged here.
My only other gripe is at times there was an assumption that the reader was well versed on the different myths which left the writing hanging to your the reader's imagination. Of course that does not work unless you know the tales, so I lost myself in these moments and found it a bit frustrating. This was a 3.5* for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I haven't read Greek mythology since school and have always wanted to read more as an adult. This has been the first opportunity I had in a long time and I found I was still as interested and had never come across the story of Theseus, Phaedra and Hippolytus.
Trigger warnings should be checked.
I really enjoyed the story being told from the perspective of the female characters, and the author did well to commit to the different narratives. I do feel it was weak for a novel that is set out as a "feminist retelling". The characters are helpless before the dominating males and, even the goddesses seem subjected to their violence and treachery. I felt uncomfortable at how explicit the description of male harassment, violence etc was so trigger warnings flagged here.
My only other gripe is at times there was an assumption that the reader was well versed on the different myths which left the writing hanging to your the reader's imagination. Of course that does not work unless you know the tales, so I lost myself in these moments and found it a bit frustrating. This was a 3.5* for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
scenic92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
thereadingmum's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Mythological retellings are one of my favourite genres and this one did not disappoint.
This is the story of Phaedra, daughter of King Minos, sister of Ariadne and the Minotaur, wife of Theseus.
I didn't know the traditional story, and I didn't look it up while reading the book. I feel this helped me to enjoy the book more. However, it is important to know that this story does not end well. The atmosphere of impending tragedy is there right from the start and not everyone likes that. I personally don't, but with myths, there is a lot of it so it's to be expected. I mean humans are always either being abused and killed by gods. It seems to be our way to lay blame on most of our tragedies.
Anyhoo, here's what I liked about this version of the story. I liked the multiple view points of mostly all women, and one old man. It definitely sets the stage for how the women are treated in ancient Greece, which is similar to most of ancient history up to about 100 years ago or less, depending on where you live. I liked that while Phaedra seems very naive, she does have a depth of strength. I liked how Medea's story bolsters the ending. I also liked Theseus devotion to his son, which is not in the original myth.
What I didn't like: in The Heroines as well as Stone Blind, which I read recently, there is an extreme vilification of men. Yes, I get that women had a hard time and mostly because of men, but for every single male in this story, apart from one guard, to be a complete a-hole, is a bit much.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy tragic Greek myths.
This is the story of Phaedra, daughter of King Minos, sister of Ariadne and the Minotaur, wife of Theseus.
I didn't know the traditional story, and I didn't look it up while reading the book. I feel this helped me to enjoy the book more. However, it is important to know that this story does not end well. The atmosphere of impending tragedy is there right from the start and not everyone likes that. I personally don't, but with myths, there is a lot of it so it's to be expected. I mean humans are always either being abused and killed by gods. It seems to be our way to lay blame on most of our tragedies.
Anyhoo, here's what I liked about this version of the story. I liked the multiple view points of mostly all women, and one old man. It definitely sets the stage for how the women are treated in ancient Greece, which is similar to most of ancient history up to about 100 years ago or less, depending on where you live. I liked that while Phaedra seems very naive, she does have a depth of strength. I liked how Medea's story bolsters the ending. I also liked Theseus devotion to his son, which is not in the original myth.
What I didn't like: in The Heroines as well as Stone Blind, which I read recently, there is an extreme vilification of men. Yes, I get that women had a hard time and mostly because of men, but for every single male in this story, apart from one guard, to be a complete a-hole, is a bit much.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy tragic Greek myths.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence