No longer was my world one of brave heroes; I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats.”

I absolutely adored this book and am encouraging everyone I know to buy a copy.’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW Ariadne, Princess of Crete and daughter of the fearsome King Minos, grows up hearing stories of gods and heroes. But beneath the golden palace something else stirs, the hoofbeats and bellows echoing from the Labyrinth below. Every year its captive, the Minotaur – Ariadne’s brother – demands blood. The story is ladened with tragedy and also times of happiness, but there was always that overwhelming sense of foreboding. Don’t come into this story expecting gentleness. Ariadne is told with raw brutality, no holds barred. while this isnt the book i was expecting - i figured this would solely be a retelling of the minotaur, but actually follows ariadnes entire life (the minotaur is only like the first 25%) - but thats because i wasnt familiar with ariadnes story in depth. i really enjoyed getting to know more about her outside of her fathers kingdom. i found her relationship with dionysus fascinating and the alternate perspective of theseus refreshing. In Greek mythology, Ariadne ( / ˌ ær i ˈ æ d n i/; Greek: Ἀριάδνη; Latin: Ariadne) was a Cretan princess and the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are different variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of Naxos. There, Dionysus saw Ariadne sleeping, fell in love with her, and later married her. Many versions of the myth recount Dionysus throwing Ariadne's jeweled crown into the sky to create a constellation, the Corona Borealis. [1] [2]Unlike Ariadne, Phaedra doesn't remember a time before the Minotaur: "I had always known that monsters existed. I could not fear the destruction of all that was good because everything had been ruined before I could remember and I had grown up in the tattered, stained remnants of my sister's golden days. She knew what it was to lose everything but I had nothing to begin with." How do the sisters' differentchildhoods change their outlooks on life? Compare and contrast their personalities I really enjoyed the exploration of Pasiphae especially with the birth of Asterion, the Minotaur. It was great to explore this motherhood and how both of the sisters saw different sides of their mother when growing up. The plot unfolds with Ariadne choosing the man of her dreams over her family and becomes a condemned exile in Naxos. However, despite her sacrifice Ariadne finds her life dramatically reversed when she awakens to the knowledge that she has been abandoned by Theseus who then marries Phaedra years later. Alone in Nexus, Ariadne learns to live of the land as nature becomes her only friend.

The price we paid for the resentment, the lust and the greed of arrogant men was our pain, shining and bright like the blade of a newly honed knife.” The characters in the book are all one-note. Theseus is fame-obsessed, Dionysus is "not like other gods" (until he IS!!!! omg), Ariadne is a spectator, and Phaedra is "headstrong" (until she is NOT!!! omg). There is zero nuance, which is hugely disappointing given the character arcs for Theseus, Ariadne, and Phaedra, and particularly for a book that tries to talk about the inherent danger and cruelty of the gods. I thought for a bit that the story was really going to be about sisters, which would make sense given the vague feminist handwaving, but the Ariadne/Phaedra reunion is weirdly devoid of emotion and happens only to service Phaedra's plot. And that vague feminist handwaving doesn't even work on the most basic level. Will Ariadne’s decision to help Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she, as so many other women before her, be treated as nothing more than a necessary sacrifice? Ariadne Book Review: My OpinionThis is a tale that deftly explores the myriad ways in which women were subject to and at the mercy of men and gods. Be they poor or rich, young or old, peasant or queen, no one is exempt and motherhood is fraught with danger. From growing up with the Minotaur for a brother and a cloud of shame over her mother (punished by the gods for her husbands hubris) to becoming the wife of Dionysus, nearly forgetting he was never really human, we follow the story of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra through a world where women bear the weight of men's missteps and they are too easily cast aside or dismissed. No longer was my world one of brave heroes; I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats." Plutarch, in his Life of Theseus, which treats him as a historical person, reported that in contemporary Naxos was an earthly Ariadne, who was distinct from a divine one: Ariadne, the Princess of Crete has loved to dance ever since she was young. She enjoys listening to the stories of heroes and gods that her nursemaids tell her about. But every year the Minotaur, who is trapped in the Labyrinth, requires a blood sacrifice. Then Theseus, the Prince of Athens comes to slay the Minotaur and she sees her chance to escape. Ariadne decides to help Theseus kill the Minotaur but her choice comes at a heavy cost. Will her decision end happily? What will happen to her sister Phaedra who doesn't escape with her? However, once the story got going, my hesitation and reserves went out the window. With stunning prose, Saint brings these characters (male, female, gods and beasts) to life in a way that I’ve only ever seen done in Circe. Not only Ariadne, but her sister Phaedra and many other forgotten women from these myths are brought to life in nuanced, complex and emotionally profound ways that will hit home to many of us, even centuries later.