Jennifer Saint Collection 2 Books Set (Ariadne, [Hardcover] Elektra)

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With Ariadne, Jennifer Saint gives voice to the titular princess of Crete, known mostly as a side character in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, placing her at the centre of her own story for once. The concept has been trialled and tested in Circe, The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships, but Ariadne’s story is one that lends itself perfectly to the same treatment, as even in her original story she’s a female character with a lot of agency. As the brains behind Theseus heroic rescue operation, Ariadne dares to spin the threads of her own faith and stand strong and tall in a world ruled by man, Gods and monsters. Athena was angry,” Eirene went on. “A virgin goddess, she could not stand for such a brazen crime in her own temple. She must punish the girl who was so shameless as to be overpowered by Poseidon and to offend Athena’s sight so vilely with her undoing.” This book especially focused on the women in Greek mythology, and so many parallels and foreshadowing was told throughout this book; through Scylla, Medusa and Pasiphae’s stories. This book explored how both of the sisters survived in circumstances that they weren’t prepared for, how they are treated as a commodity, and punished for men’s actions. This book emphasised how women have been silenced in myths and the unfairness of women’s positions in societies, but it also highlights how these women find strength, in solitude or through power, or with other women. Ariadne, the Princess of Crete has loved to dance ever since she was young. She enjoys listening to the stories of heroes and gods that her nursemaids tell her about. But every year the Minotaur, who is trapped in the Labyrinth, requires a blood sacrifice. Then Theseus, the Prince of Athens comes to slay the Minotaur and she sees her chance to escape. Ariadne decides to help Theseus kill the Minotaur but her choice comes at a heavy cost. Will her decision end happily? What will happen to her sister Phaedra who doesn't escape with her? This is a tale that deftly explores the myriad ways in which women were subject to and at the mercy of men and gods. Be they poor or rich, young or old, peasant or queen, no one is exempt and motherhood is fraught with danger. From growing up with the Minotaur for a brother and a cloud of shame over her mother (punished by the gods for her husbands hubris) to becoming the wife of Dionysus, nearly forgetting he was never really human, we follow the story of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra through a world where women bear the weight of men's missteps and they are too easily cast aside or dismissed.

What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: However blameless the life we lead, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.” “It was the women, always the women, be they helpless serving girls or princesses, who paid the price.” So Medusa had to pay for Poseidon’s act. It made no sense at all, and then I tilted my head and saw it with the logic of the gods. The pieces slid into place: a terrible picture when viewed from our mortal perspective, like the beauty of a spider’s web that must look so horrifying to the fly. It's not the sort of retelling that requires knowledge of the original myth beforehand - in fact, everything you might possibly need to know is handed to you. If anything, I would say that readers who are already familiar with the myths surrounding Ariadne may find a lot of the story to be one they've heard before. One thing I did note was how often the dialogue would slip into storytimes from myth - so many myths were woven in, but to a point where I kind of hoped for more, just slightly. We started off really well, with Ariadne's perspective providing more insight to situations and adding her vice very distinctly to the story...but we did lose that a touch in the middle because of the continuous recounting from other characters. That being said, I didn't dislike it. It was just something I was actively looking for when reading these myths specifically from someone else's perspective, one we haven't heard before. This retelling clearly flew through the base myth, Theseus and Ariadne fleeing Crete at 30%, Dionysus being introduced at about 40%, and so on, I had no idea how it was truly going to end and the ending that was given did not leave me feeling satisfied in the least and mostly left me wondering what even was the point of the novel other than “women suffer a lot” I would not say this was a feminist retelling in any way, honestly, so I would warn others who might read it for such things (as it has been advertised as such) as Ariadne makes one decision in the beginning of the book and then becomes a brittle leaf in the wind, blowing which ever way at the mercy of the men around her.It's moments like these that remind me of the missed opportunity to really give a nuanced feminist slant to these myths. Saint takes the easy wins but seems incapable of stringing them all together into a grand theme or message. Ariadne makes one affirmative decision to help Theseus at the start of the story and then is just blown in the wind for the rest of the book. Even when she does stand up to others it amounts to nothing more than her own crippling self-doubt. Now it's true that Saint must follow quite closely the original source material but the internal life of Ariadne is all her own and that is unfortunately the weakest part of the story. I loved seeing their sisterhood and growing up in Crete shrouded in shame, ruled over by their tyrannical father. I also loved the exploration of the sisters individual characteristics; Ariadne as the gentler, introspective sister with bravery and cunning when deciding to help Theseus: Phaedra as the outgoing, daring and confident of the two.

ARIADNE gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel. Saint's enchanting debut retells the myth of the minotaur through the eyes of Ariadne... As the women navigate their changing positions of power, they court disaster at the hands of both gods and men. Saint expertly highlights how often the women of this world pay the price for the actions of the men around them. Lovers of mythology should snap this up.' - Publishers Weekly I shook myself from my appalled silence. “Why did you tell us that story, Eirene, instead of one of the usual ones?”

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It was good to see the other sides of Dionysus as well. I liked both Phaedra’s and Ariadne’s point of views. This was possibly my most anticipated read of 2021 and it was everything I hoped for and more. I devoured this book in a few days and dropped all my other books to focus solely on this one. I was invested in the sisters stories: both Ariadne and Phaedra, how they survived in a world where men and Gods rule. I loved the twist on the Greek heroes. Theseus is an asshole and I loved hating on him. I enjoyed all the different elements and characters, including Daedalus and Icarus.

ARIADNE gives voice to the misused Princess of Crete who betrayed her father to save Theseus from the Minotaur. Relevant and revelatory.’– Stylist I think my favorite part of reading anything based off of greek mythology is that you really get to see how interpretation works. By so many different authors. So many different minds. One line of something can be taken differently because of the way it's read and the person it's read by. It's so interesting, and chaotic, and in this case, inspiring. I love the line I quoted above because it's so true. That we only see one side of a story so often that it's cool to look at the others around them to see what else was truly going on. A story can be spun from so many different things. I'm so glad I got to know Ariadne a bit better.

The story is well known, of course, but Saint tells it skilfully and, like Miller and Haynes, gives a twist to familiar myth by offering the perspective of women characters.' - The Sunday Times This leads us to another story, one that Minos didn’t like to tell. It was from a time when he was still newly king of Crete and, as one of three rival brothers, he was desperate to prove his worth. He prayed to Poseidon to send a magnificent bull and swore steadfastly that he would sacrifice the animal to bring great honor to the god of the sea, thus securing Poseidon’s favor and the kingship of Crete in one. This felt almost non-fiction. But I think that's just another cool thing about greek mythology. It feels so real because so many people believe it's truth. Another sad, expected end to another beautiful retelling. I can't wait to find my next one. This novel is a retelling of the Theseus and the Minotaur myth from the perspective of Ariadne, princess of Crete and sister to the Minotaur, who helps Theseus conquer the labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur.