Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons, a race of fierce female warriors who live in Scythia, proud to be an Amazon, Hippolyta has a secret she keeps from her people. Admete is a princess of Greece but her mother was an Amazon, skilled in healing Admete wants to travel to the lands of her mother's race to seek a cure for her sick brother. Alcides is the son of Zeus but in order to gain immortality he must complete 12 labours and his final one is to capture the warbler of Hippolyta.
Weaving together the twelve labours of Hercules, the backstory of Achilles and the Trojan War, this book gives a different perspective on the Great myths. Hauser is an accomplished writer, her knowledge of the myths and Ancient Greece as a whole are outstanding and the artistic licence she takes is fully explained in the accompanying notes. What is also strong in her writing is the characterisation and emotions she brings to the tales. The humiliation of Hippolyta at the hands of Theseus is heart-wrenching.

When I requested this ARC I didn't know it was the third of a trilogy. but it turns out it didn't matter - each book deals with a different Greek myth within its own context. This particular novel discusses the stories of Admete, who accompanies Hercules to the Amazons, and their queen Hippolyta.

These myths aren't I think the most well-known, so the story kept me hooked and it flowed pretty well. I'm a bit disappointed there was no romance - I'm a HUGE sucker for romance - but it wouldn't have meshed with the story at all. Admete (which, interestingly, means 'the unbroken/unwedded/untamed one' in Ancient Greek) and Hippolyta are strong heroines in the insanely patriarchal classical world, and a lot of their story deals with their interactions with this world.

It took me a while to really get into this novel, so I'll be giving it 3.5 stars, but it's a must for fans of myth retellings.

My Thoughts

Emily Hauser’s Golden Apple trilogy investigates various women from Greek mythology. Although the three books are connected, they can be viewed as a standalone as each covers a different legend. The final book in this trilogy centres around three women Hippolyta the Queen of the Amazons, Admete the daughter of Eurystheus and Hera, goddess and wife of Zeus.

For the Immortal mostly alternates between the stories of Admete and Hippolyta - two seemingly unrelated stories, but in time, the paths of these two women do cross. Admete and Hippolyta come from such different backgrounds and way of life, but both face similar problems - the overriding authority of living in a male dominated world. These (in)famous men are portrayed very differently here - you really won’t like them - but that is the point.

These stories are, in the words of the author, ‘based around a conglomeration of different myths from all sources’. In this instalment, you will encounter the stories of: Hercules (formerly Alcides); Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons; briefly, Theseus; and of course, the Greek Gods themselves with the spotlight here on Hera. Hauser’s notes at the end of the story clearly outline her decision making in which myths and characters she included and her interpretation of them. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Hippolyta and her two sisters and how she fictionalised each of them in distinct phases.

There are some slow parts but overall another wonderful escape into the world of Greek mythology. It is clearly evident the amount of research Hauser has undertaken, and how she cleverly provides a wealth of information, merged and translated for fictional purposes in an effort to create her unique and fascinating interpretation. Definitely worth a read for lovers of Greek mythology.

‘You are a bard, and I a scribe. Together we may make a story, a tale of heroes that will be told down the generations’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Emily Hauser’s For the Immortal is the third instalment in her Golden Apple trilogy, however, they are companion novels and can be read out of order.

Admete is the daughter of the king of Tiryns, searching for a cure to her brother’s newfound illness. She convinces her father to join her childhood friend Hercules, who is on a quest for immortality, to help find any cure that will save her brother’s life. Admete, Hercules, and a ship of soldiers travel to the renowned land of the Amazons—a band of female warriors, infamous for their strength and lack of dependence on the male gender.

Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons, who attempts to keep her past hidden where she was taken captive by a Greek king, fell in love and gave birth to his children, only to return to the Amazons afterwards. A sin in the eyes of her tribe. When the Greeks, Admete, and Hercules, appear on their land hoping for a cure for the heir of the Tiryns throne, the Amazons have mixed emotions about welcoming the soldiers with open arms.

Emily Hauser is a queen at writing battle scenes! They are engaging, fast paced, and written as if it is a movie being acted out right in front of the reader. It is something this author does well, and since this book is one of war, it was good. However, it was all war, almost all the time and not much else.

The first 60% of this novel was great—there was action, passion, and direct motivations for the characters. It gave a glimpse into the lives of not only our protagonists, but the politics of the Gods ruling their lands. I was anxious to see if the heir to the throne would live, how Admete would get out of sticky situations, and if Hippolyta would save not only her tribe but their lands as well. However, this was all concluded within the first 60%, and I believe the story could have stopped there. The last 40% of the novel came across as a little lacklustre for me. If you do not have an understanding of Greek mythology, then it will be difficult to understand with all of the Gods and their powers or role in the story as it’s not really explained. That being said, this is understandable because that could be a whole book in and of itself, but a little backstory is necessary for the reader to completely comprehend their roles in the story.

Each of the strong female leads face sexism as assumed in the time the book is set in. It is addressed relatively well, but some instances are so blatant that the author could have used them to really create a voice against the sexism and make Admete’s character a little stronger.

This was a decent book and if the last 40% was edited and refined, then it probably would have been around a 7-8 out of 10, but unfortunately it just didn’t get there. Even though this is a companion novel and the author has said that they can be read out of order, I would suggest to read the first two novels before this one to possible gain some more backstory and understanding of the Gods. For The Immortal appears to be the concluding novel in the series at the time of this article.

This story is told from the point of view of three women; Hippolyta the Queen of the Amazons, in the Land of the Saka. Admete the daughter of Eurystheus, King of Tiryns. and Hera, goddess and wife of Zeus.

We follow Admete as she travels away from Greece with Hercules to discover new herbs to discover a cure for her brother Alexander and on her voyage hopes to meet her mother who returned to her homeland when Admete was a young girl. Hercules is also on his quest to gain immortality and must seize the war belt from Queen Hippolyta and find the golden apples that were stolen on the night of Hera's marriage. Hera is determined to prevent Hercules from completing his final quests as she is angry with his father and her husband Zeus for having an affair with a mortal. Will Hera prevent Hercules and can Admete find her mother and the herbs to save her brother in time?

For the Immortal is a journey of finding out how to truly become immortal. It"s a different take on greek legends, and even though its the 3rd story in the series it is a stand alone read. It pushes the strong female characters and their caring sides, and hammers it home that it all about the heroines rather than heroes. At first the flow of flicking between the characters was a little confusing, especially as they had what seemed like different time lines, one following the Day of the Fire in the Season of Tabiti, 1250BC or Day of Month of the Grape Season, 1250BC, though in reality it was just different places or calendars according to the person. I learnt much about the legends and overall I enjoyed it, but didn't need it rammed down my throat at the end that it was about heroines.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

To be honest I'm new to Emily Hauser and when I saw the premise I was more than intrigued as I remembered a part of it being used as back story in the recent Wonder Woman film. However upon receiving it and learning that it was the third part in a trilogy I was a little upset as I hadn't read the other two and worried that I wouldn't get everything out of it that I should do.


What occurred within was, for me, a book that can be read as a standalone without leaving you feeling that you're missing anything from the previous two. The characters are rounded and whilst the males are all detestable (which to be honest I suspect that they probably were in that time period) the female protagonists came across very well. I liked the dialogue, loved the way that their interactions spoke volumes as to their goals and drive alongside admiring the way that the story was very organic despite falling back into mythology.


All round, it was a book that I really enjoyed spending time with and I will be picking up the earlier two novels to get the full flavour and have already added Emily to my TBR list for future endeavours. Magic


Review goes live on 24th June

This is the third book in Emily Hauser’s Golden Apple trilogy, which gives a voice to some of the women from Greek mythology. The three books are connected but also work as standalone stories so it is not essential to read them in order. Having enjoyed the first two novels, For the Most Beautiful (the story of Briseis and Krisayis during the Trojan War) and For the Winner (about Atalanta, who joined Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece), I was pleased to be offered the chance to take part in the blog tour for the third and final novel, For the Immortal.

At the beginning of the novel, we learn that Alexander, the heir of the King of Tiryns, is dying. His sister, Admete, has some knowledge of healing, but her skills alone are not enough to save Alexander; the only possible cure will be found far away in the Garden of the Hesperides. And so Admete persuades her father to let her accompany her friend Alcides on his upcoming journey to the land of the Amazons, where he has been given the task of obtaining the belt of the Amazon queen, Hippolyta – one of twelve labours he must complete if he is to achieve his goal of becoming immortal. Admete hopes that the Amazons will be able to help her find the cure – the golden apple – that she seeks, but she also has another reason of her own for wanting to meet this legendary tribe of female warriors.

For the Immortal is written from the perspectives of both Admete and Hippolyta, alternating between the two. They initially seem like unrelated stories, but after a while they begin to come together very effectively. The two women are very different people, with different backgrounds and ways of life, but they encounter similar obstacles and attitudes as they each try to succeed in a world very much dominated by men. At first I was slightly disappointed by the negative portrayal of the male characters who are central to the novel, but looking back I think it made sense in the context of the story.

As with the first two books in the trilogy, we also spend some time with the gods as they look down on the mortal world, observing, interfering or trying to help, depending on the outcome they are hoping for. I loved this aspect of the book; the conversations between the gods gave me a lot to think about regarding the differences between fate and personal choice, and what it truly means to be immortal.

The novel combines elements of several myths: the Labours of Hercules (you will have guessed that Alcides is another name for Hercules); the story of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons; and the adventures of Theseus, who joins Hercules on his voyage. I was fascinated by Emily Hauser’s notes at the end of the book where she explains the choices she made in deciding which myths and characters to include and how to interpret them – I was particularly interested in what she had to say about Hippolyta and her two sisters. Although I only have quite a basic knowledge of Greek mythology, I’m finding that one of the most intriguing things about it is that there are so many different versions of the myths that no two authors or historians will interpret them in exactly the same way.

I really enjoyed this book; it brings the trilogy to a satisfying close and, although I’ve said that you can certainly read it without having read the first two books, I do recommend reading all three. I think my favourite was the middle one, For the Winner, but I liked them all.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Golden Apple trilogy for a while, so you can imagine my delight when I was invited onto the For The Immortal blog tour.

Emily really has a fantastic way of making the Greek legends come to life in this fantastic book. The reader really feels like they have been transported to ancient Greece, watching events unfold. I could almost smell the herbs that Admete used for her healing and smell the sweat, fear and blood from the fierce Amazon battles.

The story is told from the point of view of two very strong and determined woman from very different worlds. Hippolyta is a fierce Amazon warrior queen who shows great skills on the battlefield but has a big heart when it comes to her tribe, particularly the children. Admete is a princess but works hard at being a healer which she really enjoys. She too has a big heart when it comes to her family and it is her desire to help her I’ll brother that makes her go on Hercules quest. I actually liked both characters which made it hard to decide whose side I was on as I wanted them both to succeed!

This is a fast paced and gripping story that intrigued me straight away. I was instantly hooked and kept turning the pages to find out what would happen next. The author clearly knows her stuff when it comes to Greek history and I loved all the historical details about what life was like then and the food they used to eat. I had of course heard of Hercules before (mainly sadly from the Disney film) but didn’t know much about his story so found this book to be a fascinating read.

This is Emily’s third book and a brilliant conclusion to the Golden Apple trilogy. It can easily be read as a standalone alone however as each book is about a different Greek Legends so there isn’t much overlap.

Huge thanks to Hannah Bright and Transworld publishers for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like gripping historical fiction I think you’ll like this book!

This book begins with Alexander, heir of Tiryns, who lies dying. Admete his sister doesn’t have the knowledge to heal him and so she travels with Hercules to the Amazons in search of a cure. She meets Hippolyta and the story unfolds from there. This is story as old as time and many will be familiar with it, as I was , but that doesn’t detract from story in anyway, The author treats the subject with respect and the multiple viewpoints make the storytelling both sharp and powerful. The voices seem fresh and you can almost forget you the end. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it.
This is the third book in the series but you don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this.

I was given an advance copy by NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Alexander, heir of Tiryns, is dying. His sister Admete is a skillful healer, but her knowledge can’t save him, so she persuades her father to let her join Hercules on one of his labours; they will travel to the Amazons, the legendary female warriors, in search of a cure. The Greek are seen with suspect by the Amazons, but queen Hippolyta gives them hospitality. The encounter will have consequences both on Admete’s and Hippolyta’s lives, and will be the start of an immortal story.

When I requested the book I had no idea it was the third in a trilogy, but luckily it read much like a stand alone. The stories are connected, but I think you don't miss that much reading one without the others. That being said, I will definitely check out the previous novels because I really enjoyed this one.

I wasn’t familiar with the myth, so the story kept me interested. There were some slow parts, but for the most part I enjoyed myself. I liked both Admete’s and Hyppolita’s storylines. They were distinct characters who found themselves in different situations, but they faced similar challenges, the main one being struggling in a male-dominated world. I was glad there wasn’t romance in this book, because the male characters were all awful! I was constantly mad at them, but their behaviour was in accordance with the time period and also made the two heroines stand out more. I admired both of them for what they had to suffer and for how they found their strenght despite everything.

Lastly, the author’s note at the end was great. It is clear Emily Hauser did a lot of research and that she is passionate about the subject. She gives lots of interesting informations about the original sources and also explains how she changed or merged them in order to create her own story.

I came to For the Immortal without having read the first two books in the series, but that didn't matter, because it is a standalone story. I loved Hauser's recreation of the well-known tale. She tells it from an intriguing new perspective, and that worked incredibly well. The different narrators all had interesting and unique voices, and I found myself caught up in their personal dramas and decisions. I particularly enjoyed the chapter lengths, which made it easy to pick up the book and read the odd bit here and there when I had time. Occasionally, during the more narrative passages, my attention wavered, but the action soon drew me back in. Actually, one of the things I found most enjoyable was the author's afterword, in which she discusses her approach to recasting the myth. Overall, this is a good read for those who enjoy fairytale and myth retellings, and I give it a solid 4 stars.

(Review will go live on 11 June)