“What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do”.

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is an incredible retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, told from the perspectives of Princesses of Crete, Ariadne and Phaedra. Ariadne and her younger sister Phaedra are the daughters of Minos, the ruthless King of Crete, who rules his kingdom through fear. Each year, 14 young tributes from Athens are brought to Crete to be sacrificed to their monstrous brother the Minotaur, who prowls in his Labyrinth beneath the palace floors.

But when Prince Theseus of Athens arrives as a tribute, Ariadne falls in love with him and plans a great betrayal of her family and her country as she agrees to help him destroy the Minotaur. Will her decision lead to a happier life for herself and her sister? Or are they just pawns in Theseus’ plan for fame and glory?

This is a truly exceptional book, I was completely absorbed from the first few pages in Jennifer Saint’s beautiful writing. I’m not at all familiar with Greek mythology but after reading Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls last year, I have discovered a great interest in these legends, particularly the retellings giving these forgotten women a voice. Ariadne is centred around the bond of sisterhood between herself and Phaedra as they navigate the perilous world of gods and heroes. The book explores the burden borne by women as their stories are overshadowed by their male counterparts and the roles they play in the celebrated achievements of men are all but forgotten. It is a story which resonates through the ages and Jennifer Saint has captured it all completely. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys feminist perspectives and mythological retellings. Overall, a brilliant, gripping read and I look forward to getting myself lost in more of Jennifer Saint’s work in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Headline publishers for an advanced digital copy for review.

This is a wonderful retelling of the classic Greek tale of Ariadne. It is beautifully written with fabulous imagery which brings the characters to life. I was not familiar with the details of the myth until I read this book, which is one of the reasons I requested it as an ARC.

Ariadne falls in love with Theseus and provides him with information to allow him to kill the minotaur, escape from the labyrinth and leave the island of Minos. Theseus promises her love and a future together in return for her help but soon reveals a treacherous side and abandons her on the island of Naxos. His reasons are never really clear, and as his character is revealed during this story he is clearly a character not to be trusted and is slippery when presses to reveal the truth.

The narrative starts with lots of action and drama, but once Ariadne is abandoned on the island of Naxos, the pace seems to slow. This is probably a deliberate technique on the authors behalf as the feeling of pathos sets in. Ariadne finds love on the island with Dionysus, but I was quite frustrated at her contentment in her situation. Where was the dancing princess with fire in her belly, who helped Theseus slay the minotaur? Their initial courtship is charming and captivating, but as time goes on Araidne seems to become complacent and accepting of her lot. Naxos becomes populated with 'maenads' which Ariadne welcomes openly but she turns a blind eye so nightly rituals between the maenads and her husband which seem to go against the 'laws' of the island.

Interwoven with Araidne's story, is that of her sister, Phaedra, who is forced to marry Theseus against her will. It is Phaedra who takes control of her own narrative, surreptitiously undermining her husband at every opportunity. Her tale is not to have a happy ending, which thwarts the peaceful existence of Ariadne on the island of Naxos.

I adore books like this! I found some of Ariadne's life on Naxos quite repetitive and the plot seemed to slow down immeasurably towards the middle of the book; however, once Phaedra realises that Araidne is still alive, the pace picks back up as the tale moves towards its tragic conclusion.

You may know this story, but don't miss this version! Beautifully written characters in the most wonderful setting!

I'm a sucker for Greek mythology, every time I think maybe I've read too many modern retellings another comes along that I just can't help myself from and Ariadne did not disappoint.

I knew little about the titular character before reading this book, as often is the case with the women sidelined in the heroic re-tellings of epic battles or adventures, and I really enjoyed seeing the story of the minotaur from the perspective of someone who found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place in wanting to do what is right even if that meant betraying her family and taking a leap of faith.

I found it an emotional rollercoaster of a novel and I was gripped to the end. I thought the way in which the author viscerally showed the cost to women in the name of various male character's pursuits of power and glory really effective.

I enjoyed Phaedra's chapters so much that I would say she is an equal protagonist of the book. I would have liked the end of her story to have been a bit more developed as she was a really interesting character, who it was clear would have made a formidable leader were she not trapped by the confines of her sex.

All in all a solid 4/5.

There has been a bit of a fashion recently for Greek myths retold from a feminist standpoint and Ariadne is a great example of the genre.

I didn't know much about Ariadne when I started reading, just some vague memories of Theseus and the Minotaur and a ball of string to get out of the labyrinth. This book started with that story and carried on through the rest of Ariadne's life with Theseus and then Dionysus.

A well written and compelling novel. Five stars in the Greek heavens from me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I love the idea of Greek retellings - especially Greek retellings that aim to give the overlooked women in the stories voices. However, this book really didn't hit the mark for me, and I think the issue is that the author really didn't give these overlooked women very much to say or do.

Ariadne follows Ariadne and her sister, Phaedra, Princess of Crete, daughters of Minos. After winning a battle against Athens, Minos takes 14 Athenian youths every year and feeds them to the Minotaur, who lives in a labyrinth under his palace. One year, Prince Theseus of Athens is among those selected to enter the labyrinth. Disgusted with her father's actions, Ariadne helps Theseus, giving him the knowledge he needs to defeat the Minotaur. However, Theseus then betrays Ariadne, leaving her on an island on the way back to Athens.

Now, that about sums up any real plot in this book, and that happens within the first three chapters or so. From here, instead of inserting Ariadne and Phaedra into the story, giving them character development, choice and agency, the author keeps them as bit players, observing events that happen around them. This is partially, I think, to highlight how women were mistreated at the hands and for the whims of men - but it doesn't really work in a first-person narrative. It means that the book is boring, and any events that happen are only explained to the characters through pages and pages of other characters describing it to them. This method of storytelling became really wearing really quickly.

I also found the character development shallow, and in this case I think the author was really limited by the Greek myths she was adapting. One moment Theseus is telling Ariadne he loves her and asking her to marry him - the next he is deserting her on the island - and nothing happens in between. We're never given a good explanation for this, and I think it's just because it has to happen because that's what happens in the original. Throughout the novel, this became a problem, with inconsistent, changeable and shallow characterisation adapting with how the story had to go - rather than the story being powered by the characters.

I found this book difficult to get through, and almost put it down a number of times. I pressed on, and I thought the last chapter (pre-epilogue) was probably the strongest part of the story - but this made it all the more frustrating because it wasn't properly built to at all.

Perhaps some people will get on better with this book - I've seen a lot of better ratings - but I don't think it works particularly well either as a retelling or as a novel in its own right.

I love retellings of Greek myths, so when I heard that Ariadne was going to be the protagonist of one, I was beyond excited. Ariadne is definitely one of the many, many women in Greek mythology to be sidelined, used and discarded and, ultimately, forgotten. Following in the footsteps of books like Circe and The Silence of the Girls (which I reviewed a few months ago), Ariadne seeks to rebalance the story, placing the titular princess at the centre of its narration.

In fact, the book follows two women: Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, who has so far been snubbed even more than her more famous sister. I was extremely unfamiliar with her character even in the original myth, and while I could vaguely recall having heard the name before, I would have struggled to say anything more than that about her. Rediscovering these two characters was really great, and the book does a good job of placing them front and centre of the narration - definitely more than The Silence of the Girls did with Briseis. Nonetheless, I felt that something was still missing and Ariadne somehow failed to reach its true potential as a great retelling.

Most of it, for me, fell down to the narration. There is A LOT of telling in this book, as both Ariadne and Phaedra recount what happened to them as if talking directly to the reader. While this gives us great insight into their thoughts and feelings - which are very well depicted - it does make for a very slow pace and falls quite flat in places where more could certainly have been shown. There is also a fair bit of info-dumping, as different characters share various other Greek myths: Theseus in particular is guilty of an extremely long passage doing exactly that.

What the book does a great job of, though, is sharing the pain and suffering of women who are constantly pawns in the games of gods and men: used, abused, punished and toyed with by both. Whether they are queens or common women ultimately doesn't matter, as they are all equally victims of an unjust, misogynist society. There are a lot of secondary themes running just under the surface, and I particularly enjoyed the reflections on motherhood and the different experiences of the characters.

Ultimately, I did enjoy Ariadne and, even though it never quite reached the peaks of Circe, it is a solid retelling that actually gives women a voice and calls out gods, heroes and common men alike for the way they treat the women around them. It would appeal to lovers of Greek myth and retellings, especially those who don't mind a slower pace and very limited action.

CW: sexual violence, death, physical violence, child death, animal death, misogyny, suicide.

I requested this book as I always enjoy myth retellings, and especially ones like these – that give a voice to the smaller characters, the women, the supporting cast from some of the most famous myths, rather than the well-known heroes and key players. That and the cover… that is one stunning book!

This is a retelling of the Minotaur myth, but rather than focus on Minos, the bad guy, or Theseus, the hero, instead we follow Ariadne – the girl who gave up her home and family to help stop an atrocity and how she is repaid for this sacrifice. As much as it follows Ariadne, and her sister Phaedra, the overarching theme in this book is the tendency in Greek myths of women being subject to horrific punishments from the gods, not due to any insult or transgression themselves, but always in relation to their male family members – their husband, brother, father, etc. While I was already aware of this, this story and Ariadne’s thoughts on the matter does drive home just how prevalent it is. From Pasiphae, Ariadne’s mother, who was cursed with an horrific inclination not for any fault of her own, but of her husband. Yet he was not punished, at least not directly. To Medusa, getting sexually assaulted in a temple by a friggin’ god – like you can effectively resist and survive, really? Their track record of the way they respond to rejection is not good – and then on top of that getting punished by Athena? There are so many more. While some of these have been reimagined in recent years – such as Athena giving Medusa her horrible Gorgon face to give her the protection to not be hurt again – some others, like Pasiphae, continue to be disgusting and just so, so unfair.

The frustration of having to watch things unfold in Ariadne’s story while – if you know the myth you know what’s going to happen – she meets and falls for Theseus, who is the literal worst. The writing is gorgeous, but I felt so uncomfortable because I knew what was going to happen and I was just waiting for her to figure out just how much of a douche he is. The writing style and way of reimagining myths is very reminiscent of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker, so if you enjoyed their books I think you will like this as well! It was a whole whopping 400 pages, but I flew through it and despite knowing the big beats of the story I was still very keen to find out how it would all play out in this version.

DRC provided by Headline via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Representation: pansexual secondary character

Content Warning: death (graphic), violence, rape, bestiality, anxiety, misogyny, sexism, physical abuse, vomit, infanticide,

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is a feminist retelling of the mythological story of the princesses Ariadne and Phaedra of Crete, bewitched by Theseus’ handsomeness and his heroic adventures, but with a story of their own to be told.

I will not probably be a part of the majority with this opinion, but I expected way more from this. Every time I see an author is working on or publishing a retelling of a Greek myth, I am always extremely interested in what that work will be. I am sadly disappointed this time though. I started reading Ariadne expecting something more than a recollection of the events from the princesses’ points of view. When I hear the word retelling, I am intrigued by the fact that the author will change and tweak the story to some degree.

It still could be an interesting read for anyone who wishes to hear about the myth under a different light.

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods, drawing their attention can cost you everything.

This book is incredible. It really is "the next Circe," except it's entirely its own, too. It has all the ingredients for long-term success: solid writing, an exciting and twisted plot, relatable characters, and timeless lessons. A must-read for 2021.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

''I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself.'' YOU GO ARI!!! Y

I see the words ''Greek myth'', I click, request, buy, read, recommend.

Ariadne and Phaedra are daughters of the cruel King Minos. They grew up in a palace above the Labyrinth where the Minotaur's hoofbeats echoed. The Minotaur is Ariadne's brother, and every year, 14 young men and women are sacrificed to the Minotaur, and their lives end in the dark halls of the endless Labyrinth. That is until the Prince of Athens, Theseus arrives. Oh, but this is also just the beginning.

Two POVs, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, and both are equally engaging and interesting. Aside from their stories, we get a lot more insight and background into all kinds of myths, which my little Greek myth loving heart loves.

The language and writing were absolutely stunning. You're reading and you feel this ease of going through the story so fast but there's also this epic atmosphere built through the choice of words and sentences.

''What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.''

There is a certain tragedy behind what women went through, and they couldn't do anything about it. How often women were discarded, sacrificed, forgotten, even if they were martyrs, brave heroes, warriors, mothers, daughters.

''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.''

But here, the women get to tell their stories. We get more insight into what they go through, what they feel, how they fit in this puzzle of a world, and how they are so much more than just passers-by in the lives of great heroes and immortal Gods.

If you like: (greek) myth retellings, stories with sisters, mortal and immortal relationships, love stories, getting a fresh, female perspective on something well-known.

PS I will be buying this one in hardback because LOOK AT IT.

Ariadne by @jennifer.saint.author
Was a breath of fresh air. I can't stress enough how beautifully written it is. It manages to be elegant even through the most sordid parts of Ariadne's story. It's full on Greek Mythology, with the names of the Gods and mortals we have grown up hearing about, to anyone that enjoys the Greek's morbid and taboo tales this is for you.
It's magic and mayhem that takes you to this rich, golden world that is both inspiring and terrifying. The myths of the time are wrought with sexism and abuse, this retelling is only bringing more depth and life to the famous story we were already partly taught in school. The tale of Theseus and the Minotaur, from Ariadne's POV (the Minotaur's sisters). I remember learning of it in primary school and I can promise you that whatever details you were told, were not as detailed and graphic as they are here. It's like hearing it all for the first time (and most of it is new to me, I had no idea how the Minotaur really came into creation! *gasp emoji*)
  Everytime I picked up my kobo to read some more it instantly took me to Greece, to the heat, to the labyrinth. My love for mythology has again been reignited by a beautiful retelling. I have preordered the hardback version to go proudly on my Wall Of Books for years of rereads to come.

Netgalley Kindle freebie in return for an honest opinion.

I must admit I know little about the Greek Gods until I recently read Circe, which I absolutely loved. Thankfully I had to I recognised some of the characters in this book (although on the Kindle you can look up the other names on Wikipedia easily enough). I felt having this basis helped me follow the storyline.

This was a wonderful book following the women in Greek mythology that are normally just a mention in the original tales. It was interesting to see the two sisters follow very different paths from their childhood to womanhood. I enjoyed meeting the male side characters along the way, they didn't overpower the narrative.

There was some interesting representation here including postpartum depression, not wanting children, suicide, patriarchy and mental health. I would recommend to anyone interested in Greek mythology or those new to it willing to do a little digging around the characters/myths.

I enjoyed this, it felt a lot like Madeline Miller's writing. Coming into this, I was aware of the Ariadne myth but I wasn't super familiar with it. It's an emotional, turbulent myth.

The descriptions were lyrical, captivating, rich and lushly described. The world-building was great, I could feel the sand beneath my toes and the sea breeze on my face. The narrative is split into dual perspectives with Ariadne and Phaedra both having their voices, which I enjoyed.

The characters were well fleshed out, however there would often be big time leaps between chapters where the characters aged by a number of years and this was slightly irritating. Some events were glossed over quite quickly, whereas others were expanded upon. Ariadne and Phaedra were definitely different people as the novel progressed, their character arcs had matured and it was nice to see.

I was disappointed at the ending!

*SPOILER BEWARE*
[For this reason, I wouldn't really list this as a feminist novel per se, I would have liked to see happy and positive endings for them both! Especially after the trauma they had to endure. Why did Ariadne think she could stop the war between Dionysus and Perseus? This irritated me a lot, it just seemed foolish. Phaedra's ending felt incredibly rushed and I'm not sure if it was fitting with her character, but I understand she was humiliated and desperate. The main thread was supposedly sisterhood but I didn't see this? I thought it was more about motherhood and the roles that women took on when partnered with men. (hide spoiler)]
*SPOILER BEWARE*

Overall, this was a fantastic read, I would have liked a different ending though.

4/5 stars.

(cw/tw: animal death, blood, grief, child death, gore, infidelity, suicide, suicidal thoughts, depression, violence, rape, toxic relationship, misogyny.)

Thank you to the publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley, Headline and Jennifer Saint for this ARC in return for my honest review. While I've also been fascinated by Greek myths, I'm ashamed to say that before reading this book, I knew little about it's namesake. It is however, more than just a simple retelling. In this book, Jennifer reimagines the story of Theseus, Adriane and the Minotaur. Women are all too often pushed to the sidelines in these stories but here they take centre stage. Brilliant book and fabulous artwork on the cover.

"I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do."

Greek mythology retellings are a genre of book I absolutely adore and will always gravitate towards, and the trend of feminist retellings especially has me excited. Ariadne is exactly this, a story focused entirely on Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, and their stories, often overshadowed by the well known tales of the men in their stories instead.

This book was absolutely beautiful, and I loved the prose so so much. I have so many quotes and passages bookmarked, and some of the wording was just stunning. The storytelling itself was great, and accessible for those unfamiliar with the classic tales. I really liked how the author included many different well known mythology stories within this book, e.g. Daedalus and Icarus. This was quite a gritty retelling, and I would warn people going into this that it's not shy to explore the dark elements of Greek mythology. There are instances of animal sacrifice, discussion of rape, suicide, and sacrifice of children. It's quite difficult to read on more than one occasion, and does stay true to a lot of the darker aspects of the genre.

I loved the feminist take on this story, and I love how the women truly take centre stage. In a genre where the women have often been pushed to the sidelines in favour of the male heroes (despite not being able to do anything without the women) it's about time that the women got their time to shine, and I'm so happy that that's happening more and more.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book a lot and would absolutely recommend it to any other mythology lovers out there, especially those looking to explore the female characters a little more. It's a beautifully told story, and well worth the read.

When I first started this book, I had no idea where it was going mainly because I did not know much about Ariadne and her story in Greek Mythology. I wasn’t sure what to expect and although I found the story a little slow to begin with, I was not expecting that ending at all!
I really don’t know how to put my thoughts into words regarding the last chapter of the book and I’m still sitting here now as I write this review, trying to comprehend it. With this being Jennifer Saint’s first book, all I can say is that I was very impressed.
Her writing had a steady flow to it that allowed the story to be told fluently without any bumps or issues. She was able to tell Ariadne’s story in a way that you understood completely what the character was feeling and for me, it resonated deeply with some of my own feelings especially with the world we live in I’m regards to women’s rights and equality. I felt the strength of Ariadne in a world so different to ours and I wanted to carry that strength into the world we live in now.
For me, she was a strong character who had her moments of weakness but that just showed how true and realistic she is to humanity as a whole. Her strength is what kept her going and although, as I said before, the ending was unexpected, I also felt it summed her up perfectly in regards to her using her strength to fight for those who needed her and who suffered at the hands of men and Gods.
She truly was a women far greater than the myth.

I don't know where to begin this review. I loved this book so much, but I think it might have left me scarred for life! The characters are incredibly solid - something I didn't expect from a retelling of an Ancient Greek myth - and they are all superb, even if I would have willingly hit a few with a frying pan!! The story is beautiful and horrific in turns. The writing? Oh my word. It's simply captivating.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

After reading A song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller I absolutely fell in love greek mythology and retellings, so as soon as I saw Ariadne was set to be released it immediately shot to the top of the list as one of my most anticipated released for 2021.
I honestly couldn't believe my luck when I was approved for an advanced readers copy through netgalley - I literally squealed with excitement ...Thank you Jennifer Saint, Headline and Netgalley sooooo much!!

I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed every single page.
Ariadne is an addictive retelling of Theseus and the minotaur, told from the perspective of Ariadne and her younger sister Phaedra.
... Honestly though, it is more than just a simple retelling - so much more.

Admittedly I didn't know much of Ariadne's story other than her relation to the story of the minotaur and I knew nothing of Phaedra - for this I am so so glad as (for me anyway) it made this book that more immersive and just utterly compelling.
Also, as I did with the song of Achilles and Circe, I found myself stopping at points to go and do some research which always shows how utterly obsessed I'm getting into the story and the characters. I wasn't ready for Ariadne's story to end at all.

Overall, Ariadne was a brilliant debut!! Jennifer Saint's writing is amazing- every time I picked this up and started reading I was immediately sucked right into the story. Such a beautifully written story.
If you are a fan of Circe I don't doubt for a second that you will love this one.

Now I am even more excited for my pre-order of this one to arrive ... plus have you seen that cover!!

4 stars

The book was a nice read.

Ariadne was an enjoyable Greek Mythology retelling. The book is being advertised as a feminist retelling, I’m not entirely sure what about the book made it feminist, but it was enjoyable.

Even though the book is called Ariadne, the story is told from a dual POV of the main character and also her sister Phaedra, and this contrast in their personalities and points of view definitely made for a more interesting read.

Ariadne was a Greek mythology retelling about the troublesome Greek gods and goddesses, heroes with egos, tyrannical kings and the mortals who are unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. It was beautifully descriptive and I felt transported to the Greek island of Naxos whilst reading this book.

If you are familiar with some of the versions of Ariadne and Dionysus’ story, this book will probably not be a surprise. However, I really like the author’s interpretation of Ariadne’s point of view as she goes through her own personal journey of survival in a rather cruel world but I did hope for an alternative ending to the one given.

At times I found the pacing to be slightly uneven and didn’t flow as smoothly as I’d like. Ariadne’s point of view did feel choppy sometimes, jumping between what was happening in the book and I found myself having to go back reread certain passages of text.

However, this was still an impressive debut from an author who I would definitely want to read more from. If you read and enjoyed books like Silence of the Girls or Circe this could be another Greek Mythology retelling you also enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Wildfire and Jennifer Saint for my arc of Ariadne in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 29th April 2021

Ariadne was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year so I was super excited to receive an arc! I adore Greek mythology so I'm here for just about any retelling but especially those that centre women. Growing up we read all these myths and never think about how behind every 'hero' is a woman who without them, the hero's would be probably dead or definitely not as infamous as they become. And yet every woman is scorned, abandoned and wronged in order that the man can tell his tale. Ariadne like Madeline Miller's Circe Is the story of those women, powerful, clever, unapologetic.

I enjoyed Ariadne a lot. I loved getting more in depth into her story, cheered her on, cried with her, felt wronged on her behalf. She's a fantastic character brought to life on the pages by Jennifer Saint. The pain of her oppression at the hands of her father, her suffering at the hands of Theseus and even the overall wrongdoing of the gods to women. Everything about Greek mythology is explored here.
My only 'dislike' if I'd go as far as to call it that is that there is a lot of info dumping about some of the myths and while they serve well as part of the story I think they could have been woven in, in a different way rather than a lot of the time just being dropped into conversation. Also I would have liked to have 'felt' more of the romance between the characters I felt that I was told rather than shown a lot of the time. However, these are only small gripes and overall I would highly recommend this book. The writing is beautiful, the topics explored important and well, it's greek mythology what's not to love?