To be Published April 29th 2021…
Ariadne is the daughter of King Minos, the sister of the Minotaur, the accomplice of Theseus, and the wife of Dionysus. Very rarely is she described in any way that is not adjacent to the power of the men who lived their lives alongside her. This book explores the truths of Ariadne as a woman in her own right; as a woman who made her own decisions and faced her own consequences. It also gives a greater voice to the trials of other women in mythology including her mother Pasiphae, her sister Phaedra, and woman behind the monster that was Medusa.
As a lover of Greek mythology I was really excited to read this book. The plot itself did not disappoint me, going into satisfyingly deep detail with the structure of the original myths interwoven with believable elements of assumption and invention. Furthermore, I was impressed by the substance of the characters, considering the scant details given about them in the original myths. Jennifer Saint has succeeded in bringing each of the mythical characters to life as unique individuals whilst still managing to maintain a familiarity with their original sources. I thought that Phaedra in particular held a particularly intriguing spark of life.
However, the pace of the novel was quite slow at times and the passive tone made the characters come across as emotionally detached in certain parts of the narrative. Although this did not in any way ruin my enjoyment of the story itself, it did mean that I took a little bit longer than usual to warm up to it and fully engage with what I was reading.
My favourite aspect of this book is how it takes Ariadne’s life and follows it from beginning to end, exploring all of the ups and downs of her experiences. This is a gratifying deviation from the common myth trope which usually sees characters experiencing a single adventure at a singular prime point in their life.
Escape to the Bookshelf 