The epic tales of ancient poets rarely pause to consider her sacrifice, or what it meant to leave behind her Cretan home and family. Yet with this act of bravery, a betrayal of her tyrannous royal father, Ariadne’s story is only beginning. Saint does a great job of incorporating other figures and storylines from Greek myths into the novel which greatly excited the inner nerd in me.Other Formats Available Paperback, ebook, audiobookĬontent Warnings Rape and sexual assault, suicide, murder, violence, enslavement, birth descriptions, animal sacrificeĮveryone knows the heroic story of Theseus in the labyrinth, and how Ariadne helped him to defeat the terrifying Minotaur. Despite a little slowness in the middle of the book, the book overall was a quick read. Saint used the mythology as a guide, and filled in the atmosphere, dialogue, and personality to make the figures living, breathing creatures.īeyond part 1, the rest of Ariadne’s and Phaedra’s stories were new to me. I’ve had a deep love for minotaur stories since a Scooby Doo episode with a minotaur in a maze that I watched as a child, and Saint brought this monster alive to its full glory. It is a story I teach my class when we are discussing the ancient art of Crete, so I was stoked (like literally giddy) to hear this was going to be a novel featuring that event. I was familiar with the part 1 of the story of Ariadne with Theseus and his battle with the Minotaur going into this novel. I appreciated Saint giving the female perspective on this story of Ariadne and Phaedra and their opinions on the men in their lives. Reading mythology usually presents male characters as heroes regardless of their treatment of women or their abhorrent behavior (looking at you Odysseus and Achilles). Living two very different lives, the contrast between Ariadne and Phaedra created a nice tension. Saint makes these two women believable, and despite their flaws, likeable. They make a single mistake, and they are outcasted. Historically, a lot of Greek female characters are made to be villains. Two princesses of Crete, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, are the two voices of Ariadne. Fans of Circe and Song of Achilles rejoice! Apparently, this sudden influx of novels retelling Greek mythology is a thing, and I for one AM DOWN FOR IT!

Book ariadne