Hello Readers,
The myth of Ariadne is another Greek tragedy. Ariadne is sadly another woman who falls victim to the hero of the story. She fell in love with Theseus and helped in in the Labyrinth by giving him a ball of thread that helped him his path and escape the Labyrinth after killing the monster. After Theseus abandons Ariadne there are multiple legends does she hang herself or does Theseus carries her to Naxos, where she either dies or marries the god Dionysus.
As it turns out dear Reader this was Jennifer’s first book,
and it is a stunning debut. I might be slightly bias as had read Atalanta
first. Once again, I enjoyed Jennifer writing style; it was easy to follow and
inspired me to learn more about Ariadne and Phaedra, Theseus can go sit on a cactus.
I know I might be a little bias as I love running off and doing my own
research.
I enjoyed getting to know more about Ariadne and I found
her relationship with Dionysus fascinating. I’m not ashamed to admit that I will
blame my current preconceptions of Dionysus on Mr D in Percy Jackson. I immediately
found Ariadne to be a fascinating protagonist. She is well fleshed out and she
displays her strength and resilience in the face of adversity. I also found her
relationship with her sister Phaedra heart-warming to read. Even though I said Theseus
can go sit on a cactus I did kind of like his alternate perspective.
Ariadne tells us the story of Minos’ daughters Ariadne
and Phaedra. I will be completely honest I knew more about Ariadne than Phaedra.
Jennifer brings the girls story to the forefront so they’re not just a footnote
in a tale about the heroics of men, but rather how they are the champion of their
own story. I loved how Jennifer depicted the complex relationships within a
family, lovers, and children.
I loved the way the two sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra were
portrayed to be the opposite of each other but in a way that complimented them
as sisters. The story continues to follow their separate lives after Ariadne
and Phaedra part ways abruptly but it’s clear the two sisters never stopped
caring for each other. When they reunite it is clear that both Ariadne and
Phaedra sadly bear the scars of sorrow, love, and disloyalty.
Like any great Greek myth this story is beautiful, raw, and shocking. It would be naïve to think that a retelling might soften the blow dealt to Ariadne but as with any Greek myth tragedy is just lurking around the corner and this book is no different. This book is sadly no different and now Ariadne and Phaedra suspicion of each other a threatens to pull them apart.
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