Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Wildfire

Publication Date: 29th April 2021

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

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.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?

Review:

Ariadne is one of my most anticipated books of the year so I’m very pleased to say that it totally blew me away! The story follows Ariadne and her sister Phaedra and their involvement in some of the most well known Greek myths like Theseus and the Minotaur. It gives a voice to the women of these legends and presents them as something more than the pawns of men.

This is honestly one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read – the prose is gorgeously lyrical and descriptive. There is a sort of musicality to it which captures the attention of the reader completely and carries them along on this fascinating journey into the world of heroes, princesses and immortals. The author breathes new life into the well known Greek myths and puts the sisters Ariadne and Phaedra front and centre. Reading this book made me consider mythology in a whole new way and although I was aware that women are often secondary or sidelined in the ancient tales – I had never quite realised how frequently women are punished for the weakness or cruelty of men. Strangely, despite the world Ariadne is set in, the story actually feels weirdly relevant and timely.

I genuinely cannot recommend Ariadne highly enough – I already know it is going to be a serious contender for my book of the year. It is heady, sensual and evocative yet also full of the brutality so frequently present in Greek mythology. It is also incredibly emotional and insightful about the lives of women. Ariadne is a stunningly beautiful and skilfully immersive novel that deserves to be one of the most talked about books of 2021.

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.