The book started off very well with young Ariadne and her sister. However, some direction in the story and plot seems to have fallen through, and I felt let down by the book. It could have been much better and could have gone down other routes instead of bringing in casts of characters and quickly ending certain paths and topics.

This book started off so wonderfully, but I found that it fizzled out part way through and I lost interest a little. I did finish it, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. That said, I was reading this on the cusp of my worst reading slump to date, so I might have had a very different opinion had I read it at a different time.

Ariadne is the daughter of Minos, King of Crete. She lives a life of privilege but behind this is fear. Fear of her father and his plans but also fears of her younger brother Asterion, half-man and half-bull, the Minotaur imprisoned in a labyrinth under the palace. When the time comes of the annual tribute of 14 children of Athens, Ariadne is surprised to see that one of the victims is the prince of Athens, Theseus. She fall madly in love and resolves to help Theseus slay the Minotaur, he promises to marry her and take her away from her life on Crete. However Ariadne is innocent and Theseus is not quite all that he seems.
There is a trend over the past couple of years to rewrite the tales of Ancient Greece from a more feminine perspective and the vast majority of these books have been really wonderful. This is no exception, Ariadne becomes a character with wishes and dreams and the 'hero' is shown to be a lesser man. My only quibble was that the ending seemed a little rushed but it did not detract from a wonderful book.

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

Jennifer Saint's Greek myth retelling was definitely enjoyable, but nothing particularly new. The trend of mythology retold through the female figures often overlooked or used only as side characters is one that I've always been a fan of, and this addition is nothing to be sniffed at even if it just adds to the catalogue. Ariadne herself is a cool figure to look at, one that seems to so far have flown under the radar, and Saint's novel has a good deal of characterisation to flesh her out as a complex human being and do justice to her role in the notorious stories.

Ariadne's story will be familiar to many, though through the lens of its traditional hero Theseus as he sets out to defeat the monstrous Minotaur of Knossos in Crete. This story takes up a surprisingly small amount of the start of the book, I suppose because Ariadne doesn't get to see much of the action of the original story herself. Like a lot of modern myth retellings, I felt that the book lacked some direction or a goal after this initial 'mini-retelling'. The rest of the book incorporates various other self-contained myths into the epic of Ariadne's lifetime - I'm actually not totally sure if they are all traditionally connected or not, but it's compelling and entertaining nonetheless.

Saint tries to balance this pacing by also giving us the perspective of Ariadne's sister Phaedra and how the consequences of the Labyrinth affected her also, while narration strings together time as other myths are slowly introduced to construct the overarching point that men are pigs and ultimately can't be trusted. It's obvious from the start and knocks you over the head a bit, and I feel the book blames the individual male characters themselves and pretty much entirely overlooks the society which perpetuates and pushes such attitudes, but whatever.

Ariadne was an entertaining read but it didn't stand out to me. To use Saint's novel as an example for the wider sub-genre of Greek myth retellings for a moment, I feel like there's a recurring trend of complete disaster and sorrow for all of the women whose stories are being retold. And don't get me wrong, women were treated terribly, were punished for men's crimes, and always overlooked and underestimated as individuals. But there's a reason why a certain myth reteller (MM) is fathoms ahead of the rest; she captures the joy and the magic and the splendour of the ancient world that these women also experienced. Yes, trauma and abuse should be repainted by modern authors to draw attention to the fact that that is what they are, but we understand light and dark through comparison and contrast. Ariadne isn't the worst example of this, but I feel like the light in these myths is often ignored in favour of highlighting just how terrible these women's lives were, which ultimately hinders that very argument by pretending every one of their lives was unliveable; which is not always the case.

Ariadne is perfect for readers of Circe, A Thousand Ships, or any of the recent greek mythology retellings. This one tells the story of Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne, the sister of Theseus. The writing is completely captivating drawing you into the world where the Gods did what they pleased. Ariadne has long been a silent character, but here we find her brought to life with real feelings and thoughts. It's surprising this is only a debut novel with such strong writing. Highly recommended!

This is a great retelling that is perfect for fans of Madeline Miller, I loved it! The narrative being split worked really well and the prose was fantastic, I love the idea of Ariadne’s story being told as she can often be overlooked in retellings. I loved how the book showed how patriarchy affected women at the time through the eyes of women themselves, although I would say I think this could have been pushed a bit further sometimes. Overall a great read!!

Are you a fan of Greek Mythology? Do you enjoy authors like Madeline Miller, Natalie Haynes, or Elodie Harper? Are you on the lookout for a heroine to root for, someone who's often overlooked or is generally underrepresented? Are you a lover of quality writing, gripping narratives, and poetic descriptions? If you answered yes to any of these, then 'Ariadne' is the one for you! As someone who writes a lot of mythological fiction, I was so happy to see Ariadne get given a voice. In comparison to characters like Achilles or Helen, Ariadne is often completely forgotten when it comes to retellings - either that or she's portrayed as a passive bystander - but Jennifer Saint has rectified that with this novel. Saint has given Ariadne a voice, putting her at the forefront of her own narrative, and given me a greater understanding of Ariadne as a character. And for that she's, well, a saint! I'm already excited for Saint's next novel...I'm going to be first in line to buy a copy.

Behind the heroes and monsters of Greek legend, women are often forgotten, or worse, punished by the whims of gods.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The narrative is split between two sisters - the Princesses of Crete, Ariadne and Phaedra.
Their father insulted a god, and as a result, his wife was punished, giving birth to a monster. Not learning from his errors, King Minos puts the minotaur in a labyrinth and uses the creature to cow his enemies.

Ariadne hates that Athen's children are sacrificed to the Minotaur every year in the name of peace. When Theseus comes with this year's tributes, he is bright-eyed, good-hearted and just the hero she needs.
Things don't go to plan, and she is left on a deserted island, presumed dead.

Meanwhile, her younger sister Phaedra is sent to Athens. Her marriage to Theseus is purely political, but she finds that she loves the politics in running their city.

I liked this retelling of the Minotaur, and everything that happened afterwards, from Ariadne and Phaedra's perspective.
It clearly shows how women are merely pawns to gods and the patriarchal society. They do nothing wrong, but seem to be the victim time and again.
Their mother was the daughter of the Sun, but that didn't stop her from losing her mind and living an awful life, despite being the Queen of Crete.
Phaedra in particular, sees everything clearly. She sees through the deceptions of men, and can read between the lives of the stories of heroes. That doesn't free her from having to live by her husbands demands. Phaedra's narrative was definitely my favourite.

The not-so-good.
Despite the title, this is not Ariadne's story, and I found that disappointing.
I felt like she was a blank canvas, displaying everyone else's story - her parents; her brother; Theseus; Dionysus; Phaedra. Even legends such as Medusa were relayed through Ariadne.
For our "main character", she was voiceless and driveless, she just did as she was told. The brief moments when her own story was being told, I found it very dull and slow-moving.

Phaedra's story had a lot of potential, she was a really interesting character. But I felt that... nothing really happened. We are told that she likes being on the council, despite them not taking her advice directly, but we don't really see any examples.
We are told that she gets chummy with other mummies to learn more about her husband etc, but again - we don't get to see any interactions, and the mums are nameless, faceless entities.

Unfortunately, the most exciting part (the Minotaur) was over in the first quarter.
After that, it just felt like an impersonal array of stories.

This book was everything I wanted and more! I have recently gotten into a Greek Mythology and have been devouring every book possible.

Ariadne is one of those retellings that completely just captivates you. I had so much trouble putting this one down and I loved hearing a woman's perspective in Greek Mythology!

Ariadne was such a fascinating character that I didn't know too much about and was intrigued to see how her story played out from her view. I also liked reading the story from her sister's view and how she developed in her new role.

Jennifer Saint is now one of my favourite authors and I will definitely be picking her books up in the future!

Great retelling with a beautiful prose! I loved the book, the story, the characters. It was a very well executed retelling.
Thanks a lot to NG nad the publisher for this copy.

I was reared on Ovid and Age of Fables as my go-to bedtime stories when young, and re-reading them with my now crone-like eyes and wisdom, my childhood heroes from the Age of Heroes and Glory have not stood the test of time. Plagued with stories steeped in toxic masculinity, they are forever tarnished and often portrayed as arrogant, egotistical, misogynistic knobs. Which, to be fair, possibly isn't a stretch. It is a hard task to be humble and genteel when the masses are showering you in praise and adulations.

Ariadne is a great addition to the current spate of mythological re-tellings. If you loved Circe, The Silence of the Girls, Wake, Siren: Ovid Resung and A Thousand Ships, then Ariadne will be a must-have for your TBR. Some of the writing and pacing was a bit off for me, but overall it is interesting and engaging. But, alas, although it was good, it wasn't the story I wanted.

Early in the narrative it is hinted this is a story of sisterhood: Ariadne and Phaedra vs the world. They had wisdom. They had wiles. They had opportunity. They had each other. I wanted them to rip the world apart to find and avenge each other [obviously that is what I would do if my sisters-fiance said "Sorry babe, I left her on this deserted island because some god told me too. But your brother says we can still hook up, so we're good, right?" . nope. Nope. NOPE! ] but it wasn't meant to be. Then again, maybe I was just missing my sister a wee bit thanks to global lockdowns ;) . Potentially great characters come undone by petty jealousy and family squabbling, slowly ambling towards their doom instead of going out with a cataclysmic bang. It must have been written in the stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline publishers for the ARC.

This is a retelling of the Ancient Greek mythological tale of Ariadne, princess of Crete and sister of the Minotaur famously slain by Theseus. I love an Ancient Greek myth and have very much enjoyed many of the retellings that have become increasingly popular in recent years so was looking forward to this one. As I hoped, it was nice to delve deeper into the tales of both Ariadne and her sister Phaedra and see them as characters in their own right, rather than as daughters, conquests or wives of the more famous men in their lives. Instead, we see the women living with the consequences of these men’s actions, having to make the best of the situations in which they find themselves over which they have little control. We see their hopes, fears, and dreams and their stories are often moving, making mythological characters seem entirely true and relatable.

However, while I appreciated seeing the story from the female protagonists’ point of view, I did feel that some important elements of the story were rushed or skipped over – usually the parts where a male character would have necessarily taken centre stage. I see why the author made this choice, but I think it would have helped with the pacing as well as my overarching connection to the protagonists if certain events had been related in more detail. Overall, though, this is a good addition to the “feminist retelling” genre, and the story is enjoyable if not completely gripping.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

<i>"Because if I had learned anything, I had learned enough to know that a god in pain is dangerous."</i>

Betrayal and bloodshed haunted these pages, as Jennifer Saint brilliantly reimagined the ancient Greek myth of the minotaur, through his sister, Ariadne's, perspective. She gave autonomy to its female characters and shared with her readers all of their suffering.

This book was often painful to read, due to the ordeals each female suffered through and all they lost as their stories progressed. The lyrical writing style formed a harsh juxtaposition, often enabling the reader to find the beauty amongst the chaos, however.

I adored every aspect of this story, as well as how it was crafted. Saint has become an auto-buy author after reading this sublime debut.

Here’s another extremely welcome opportunity to escape off to ancient Greece for a retelling of a classic myth from the perspective of the long-silent female characters. This time it’s Ariadne’s tale of woe that gets dragged out of the labyrinth into the scorching Cretan sunshine for a closer, more informed look. Author Jennifer Saint does not hold back in this, her debut novel, giving us the familiar tale of Theseus and the Minotaur through the eyes of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. What would it actually have been like to have such a creature for a little brother? How could their mother, Pasiphae, ever recover from having given birth to a half-man-half-bull? And why would Theseus abandon the woman who had just turned her back on her family and people to help him slay the Minotaur and escape? Brilliantly imaginative and totally engrossing from the start, Saint creates whole worlds where ancient texts only had sentences, shining light into the shadows where the women were shoved, making readers raise eyebrows at the cruel gods and the men who act in their name. Very pleasingly, Saint is already working on another retelling of a Greek myth: it cannot come soon enough.

Featured in June’s Book Club in Cambridge Edition Magazine – thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy! https://online.bright-publishing.com/view/765983352/15/

Really enjoyed discovering a back story to Ariadne, for so long just a means to an end for Theseus. There seems to be a definite trend for this modern retellings of women in Greek myth. Also interesting to find out how Phaedra ended up as Hippolytus' stepmum! A quick and enjoyable read . Thanks to Netgalley.

I have recently started to become interested in Greek mythology retellings so I jumped at the opportunity to read Ariadne.

This beautiful retelling puts women at the forefront of their stories and looks at how unfairly they were treated in many of the Greek myths, often taking the blame and punishment for the misdeeds of men and gods.

At the heart of this story is the love between two sisters and how strong that is. It is wonderfully written and at times heartbreaking. I had a little knowledge of Ariadne from reading other mythology retellings, but absolutely loved hearing the story from her perspective and that of her sister Phaedra.

The writing style was perfect for me and when I wasn’t reading it I found myself thinking about it.

A brilliant 5 star read and my favourite Greek mythology retelling so far.

A wonderful story upheld by two strong female characters, especially the captivating Ariadne of the title. This was not a myth I knew much about beyond the Minotaur, but Saint does a fanatstic job of weaving a fascinating and heartbreaking story. Grand prose and beautiful descriptions abound. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I love a feminist retelling of Greek mythology, and the story of Theseus and the Minotaur has stayed with me ever since we did a school play of it when I was little. There's something so heart-breaking about seeing Ariadne left behind after putting herself on the line to save the Athenians. So I was intrigued to see a story about what happened next, and see her fulfilled (or as fulfilled as it's possible to be as a woman in Ancient Greek mythology). I was also fascinated by the story of Phaedra, which I didn't really know before. Saint's writing was matter-of-fact while still being lyrical, and the story was easy to follow. I'll definitely be keeping any eye out for whatever Saint does next.

First and foremost, I really want this to be the first of many with beautiful hardback covers, so they can stand next to my Stephen Fry's Mythos series. Secondly - I can't believe this is her first novel, it's excellent.

The story of Ariadne, her sister Phaedra and Ariadne's brother the Minotaur. Ariadne, who is well aware of the dangers when it comes to choosing love above loyalty and more importantly the consequence of a perceived betrayal. Does she really think she can outwit the toxic web of godly arrogance and mythological threads.

Saint shows an intricate understanding of mythology, how the myths interlink with history, the way the patriarchal society drives who takes centre stage in a myth. When it comes mythology the women often tend to stand to the side or behind their male counterparts. The author wants to give a voice to the women who play important parts in mythology, and yet are somehow always delegated to a position of silence or support for the men in said mythology.

I absolutely adored it. It's definitely a stand-out novel for me. There are so many popular moments in mythology that everyone knows, I just love the thought of someone questioning those moments or adding to the narrative by giving an alternative view. No longer the footnote, this time Ariadne is leading the way.

It's written with such intricate knowledge - there is a difference between well-researched and read about it - the story becomes the truth, the reality and the myth that should have been written.

Wow - Saint hit this one out of the park. Ariadne kicks off with the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and then moves onto the aftermath of those events from the persepective of both Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. I loved both perspectives, and felt that the differences in personalities were expertly executed. I loved the tie in of other myths and felt like they added to the plot and character development, at no point feeling like they were just crammed in. A fantastic ending section solidified this book as a five star read for me. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed Madeline Miller's Circe, or greek mythology in general. I cannot wait to see what this author does next. Whatever it is, put me down for a pre-order.