*I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you both to NetGalley and Headline!

Perfect for fans of Circe by Madeline Miller, this retelling of the Minotaur myth gives a voice to Ariadne and places her centre-stage as the heroine of her own story, rather than presenting her as a footnote to the tales of gods and heroic men, like some many other forgotten female voices in Greek Mythology.

Women often have to bear the consequences of men's actions in mythology, yet their voices are often cast aside and they are presented as just mere side characters in the stories of men. The author does an excellent job of exploring the misogyny that is rife throughout Ariadne and Phaedra's story, and they do an excellent job at giving a voice to these characters. This story is presented in dual perspectives between Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, which I found the author did a really good job of and was able to provide a detailed and rich exploration of their lives and womanhood. It always felt authentic, and I felt myself always feeling compelled to read more of their stories.

One thing I struggled with slightly was Theseus' characterisation. Whilst Phaedra, Ariadne and Dionysus' character's were strong, multi-faceted and well developed, I felt that Theseus' character was more one-dimensional in comparison. Whilst this works to reclaim the narrative in some ways, and I understand that the author was trying to convey Theseus' one-sided feelings for certain characters and self-indulgence, I still feel like his character could have been a bit more nuance. The romance between Ariadne and Theseus felt too abrupt, I feel like the story could have benefitted with a bit more development and description of their relationship in order to make Theseus' later actions feel even more like a betrayal. On a similar note, Hippolytus' character could have benefitted with more development as his character felt quite under-developed and flat.

Going into this book I was keen to see how the author would interpret and present certain parts of this myth, especially when it came to Phaedra (spoilers ahead) who accuses her Hippolytus of rape after he rejected her advances. In a lot of interpretations Phaedra is though of as a villain. It is a delicate topic, especially since Phaedra's actions lend itself towards a overt belief by certain aspects of society that women lie about rape because they are malevolent and are trying to punish innocent men. What Phaedra does is terrible and wrong, however this narrative is often applied to discredit other people's trauma. It's a sensitive and complicated topic, just like Phaedra is a complicated character. Whilst I was hesitant to see how author would handle this character, I really think that they did an excellent job. We're provided with such intimate descriptions of Phaedra from a young age, and presenting the story partly from Phaedra's perspective really gave her story the detail, insight and care it needed.

Certain aspects of the pacing, such as the ending in the final part, felt a little rushed at times. However, I was satisfied with the ending and the pacing overall. Ariadne is immersive and beautifully written debut novel that explores the bonds between women, and of their betrayal, shame and rejection at the hands of men and the gods. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the author's future work. These women have a voice, and it is important.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me an advance copy to read.

Women always seem to bear the consequences of men’s actions in mythology and yet are never at the forefront. This new wave of female perspective classic mythology retelling changes this (Atwood, Miller, Haynes). Those familiar with these myths can be excited to see where these retellings will go and others can experience them for the first time through a modern lens.

Saint writes richly and explores themes of misogyny so prevalent in the classical world and gives the daughters of Minos their own voices, motherhood and maternal shame, female bonds and jealousy.

Ariadne and Phaedra were both well fleshed out and authentic but I don’t think there was some development lacking in the male characters - namely Theseus. It is interesting to see from Phaedra’s POV (if you are familiar with mythology you’ll know her as the salacious stepmother) although it was slightly jarring to suddenly jump into her POV after so many chapters of Ariadne’s.

Overall, a beautiful debut with rich prose and sympathetic characters.

Following in the footsteps of other recent books which recount the Greek myths as seen from the womens' perspective, this was an enchanting read. It tells the story of Ariadne, who famously helped Theseus to kill the Minotaur. It then follows Ariadne and her sister Pasiphae as they both leave Crete, their lives with gods and heroes.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

Ariadne’s story is one of the bonds between women, and of their shame, rejection and betrayal at the hands of men.

This re-telling of the minotaur myth gives voice to the female actants, and is compassionate of the monster. It dissects the worship of heroes (celebrities?), and the 'trolling' of females in the public eye, all very relevant to social media today. It also confronts the various natures of motherhood.

Saint’s expertise in classical mythology is evident throughout. However, her enthusiasm for the subject leads to a tendency to over-egg the pudding. While the classics-overload works in places, such as when Dionysus tells Ariadne of Semele, elsewhere it is mis-judged. For instance, just when the reader is in a romantic clinch with hero Theseus, we are torn from his arms to sit through his life history. The first couple of chapters read like a ‘classics for dummies’, as we are given Ariadne and her family’s life history.

Similarly, despite Ariadne’s first-person narrative, the reader is at a remove, certainly in the early stages. On occasion, Ariadne’s voice inclines to the historical, in the style of written texts of classic myths, but at odds in a teenage girl. While familiar to readers of the likes of Robert Graves and Roger Lancelyn Green, it does little to revitalise these age-old stories for a modern audience.

At times, the point of view shifts to omniscient, such that Ariadne, a mortal girl, has knowledge of past, present and future.

Occasionally, the dialogue falls flat, mainly when the vehicle for exposition of a further myth.

Actions and dialogue tags include much fist-clenching, and squeaking and squawking.

All these issues are either not as prevalent in the latter half of the book, or they are not as obtrusive.

A game of two halves, then. Overall, compelling.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC.

As a Madeline Miller fan, I was hugely excited to read more Greek mythology inspired work and Ariadne is a brilliantly written book.

Ariadne follows the story of the daughter of King Minos, her growing up with her brother, the Minotaur and her sister Phaedra, her seduction by Theseus and her later meeting of Dionysus however the key theme of this book is much more simple - how women are punished for the actions of men. The women in this book are beautifully written, inspiring, hurting and strong, with voices with so much to say and yet you watch them used as pawns and lessons by men and their ego and sins. Pasiphae is a particularly interesting and heartbreaking character, after King Minos tries to fool Poseidon regarding the sacrifice of a grand bull, he makes Pasipahe, his wife, fall in love and breed with this bull, thus creating the legend of the Minotaur. Pasipahe is a shell of her former self, violated and broken, loving her child and yet haunted. Reading this was enraging and heartbreaking at times, to say the least, but that is sadly the nature of both history and mythology - men rise off the backs of women.

The writing is beautiful, the prose exquisite, making this a beautiful, tragic book I would highly recommend. Where women didn’t have a voice, Jennifer Saint gave it back and it’s a story worth hearing.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review.

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is an immensely accomplished debut, as a retelling of the myth of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, and sister to the fearsome Minotaur who roamed in his labyrinth below the island, slaying all he encounters. When Prince Theseus of Athens comes to Crete as part of the annual sacrificial tribute demanded by Minos when he defeated Athens, he is determined to slay the beast. Ariadne falls in love with the handsome young Prince and agrees to betray her family and help him defeat the Minotaur in return for his help fleeing the island and the controlling rule of her father. However all is not as it seems, and soon Ariadne is left wondering if she will pay the ultimate price for her betrayal and her foolishness.
For anyone familiar with the myths, this beautiful retelling is worth revisiting for its focus on the female characters, not just Ariadne but also her sister Phaedra and even her mother, Pasiphae, and their motivations. For those unfamiliar , it is a good story, very well told , and with enough background woven into the telling to ensure the reader is not confused by the often complicated histories and relationships of the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the Greek Myths. The writing is absolutely beautiful and makes the story more engaging and accessible, and I was surprised to find it was a debut as it felt very polished while reading..
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel and the themes within the story but I felt it was hard to connect to any of the characters. The pacing was also quite slow so this wasn't the easiest read to get through. That being said, if you love Greek mythology and are looking for an escape into that world, this is a good book to try.

I really enjoyed this. I've always had such a love for Greek myth and this retelling of Ariadne's story did not disappoint - Jennifer has a really compelling and gorgeous writing style.

It did take me a while to get into this story, however when I was into it, I found it really hard to put down. In the original myths wasn't Ariadne infatuated with Theseus at the start? I wanted to see more of that relationship and that part of the myth fleshed out a bit more. I cared little for Theseus' stories, even if they were semi-important for plot development, but I really wanted to see how she felt and how wild her mind was running.

The myths surrounding Dionysus have always been so fascinating to me - and seeing more of his character was brilliant and I LOVED these parts of the story. Childish Gods!

Thanks so much for the ARC! This debut is well worth your time, if not for the Greek myth element, but for the stunning and lyrical writing.

'Circe' by Madeline Miller is the perfect comparison for this book. If you read and loved 'Circe', then 'Ariadne' is going to be a book for you. Equally if you haven't read 'Circe', if you enjoy anything to do with Greek mythology, the role of women in an ancient society with parallels to modern day, or a sweeping story in an amazing setting, this is a book to pick up.

The writing is really beautiful with moments where the language and metaphors are so stunning that you can only applaud the author for her talent. I personally knew little of the myth around Ariadne outside of Theseus' story, which is ironically a massive point made in the book, but I won't soon be forgetting Saint's retelling of this fantastic character.

I also was not expecting a dual POV, but was very glad for it to have sections with a character of a totally different mindset, also tackling issues of a woman's place in society and challenging the 'natural' duties of a woman.

Overall, a fantastic read if you want to be swept away to a completely different world.

Never trust a god, or a man

There is a real growth industry in the fictional reconstruction of Greek myth from the heroine’s point of view. Some versions are excellent: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, Circe by Madeline Miller. Some are just ok: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. Some are not that good at all: For the most beautiful by Emily Hauser. This, of course, is only my opinion. So, where does Ariadne fit into this list?

First, the story is not just that of Ariadne – it is also the story of her younger sister, Phaedra, and indeed her mother, the unfortunate wife of Minos, Pasiphae. And while I am thinking about it, the story of lots of other Greek myths too, mainly involving the ‘destructive power of toxic masculinity’. For, although the various strands of the myth of Ariadne and her family are well told, and the narrative generally flows very clearly, the underlying theme is that men are destructive, self-opinionated, selfish liars. This goes for gods and heroes both. If that is a theme that attracts you, then you will enjoy this novel immensely, and perhaps gain some inner satisfaction from it. Theseus, Zeus – they did not treat women well, there is no doubt, but I reckon they did not treat anyone well, especially Theseus, who was responsible for the death of his own father and son, as well as the wrongs he did against Ariadne and Phaedra.

The author writes well. She knows her Greek myth intimately. Her central theme carries weight. However, I felt it lacked balance, when its only sympathetic male character is a decrepit old man, the judge, Rhamanthus.

The story of Ariadne is one I've known of for quite some time so it isn't new to me therefore that may have influenced my reading of this book as I just didn't find I was as gripped as I had hoped. A positive is it is a wonderful tale of sisterhood and a female focused side of mythology and I enjoyed how it looked at the personalities and flaws of these legendary characters. However I just felt there was a lot of telling and I didn't feel as connected with the characters or what they were really feeling through it all.

The novel is a retelling of the story of Ariadne, who gave Theseus the thread and weapon which allowed him to kill the Minotaur and escape, so ending the slaughter of innocents. However, after agreeing to flee Crete with him, Ariadneis abandoned on Naxos, where she meets and marries the god Dionysus, while her sister Phaedra marries Theseus.

Saint's debut has smooth-flowing prose that makes for easy reading. The ending was truly brilliant, as it brought the long-desired tension and confrontation. Ariadne finally is given a voice in her feminist challenge to Dionysus. His actions and the huge outpouring of grief brings notes of Greek tragedy into the mix.

I enjoyed the novel and the way in which Ariadne sometimes made references to how women from other Greek myths had been wronged. However, the description of the book sold this as a feminist retelling where Ariadne gets a voice of her own. Unfortunately, I did not feel it met my expectations of what a feminist retelling should be. While technically correct that Ariadne has her own voice - the story is told from her 1st person perspective - she did not get to speak up until the very end. For the majority of the book, Ariadne was portrayed as quite a passive character whose life seemed to revolve around men. Passive can work if the author's intention is to emphasise the tragic victimisation of a character, but the story didn't read like the tragedy of Ariadne, either. Her characterisation would benefit from more development of internal thoughts to make readers sympathise and engage with her more.

Although her life revolving around men is historically accurate, there could have been more scenes featuring Ariadne and Phaedra together, as some female solidarity could have really lifted this book; the time they spent together just focused on their being love rivals of Theseus, or pointing out that semi-incest is bad.

Saint sticks to the myth faithfully, however, there was definite room for embellishment, such as when Ariadne is stuck on Naxos. Ariadne requires either more agency throughout the novel, or more tension built up in her internal thoughts that pushes her to the breaking point at the end. Because the myth plot is often already known to readers, the point of difference has to come from added tension or conflict, like the Dionysian rites. For the majority of the novel I was waiting for this to be felt - and there was the great buildup of tension and conflict in the last third.

Overall, it was an enjoyable novel that centres Ariadne, but wasn't the mind-blowing feminist retelling that it could have been.

Review to be published 24th April 2021 https://www.instagram.com/the_literarylinguist/

They say the old stories are the best and never was this more apparent than in Jennifer Saint's blistering debut "Ariadne". Our protagonist's voice is distinctive and really sets the tone from the beginning, immersing us in the tale. Saint has utilised her skills as a former English teacher to make Ariadne's story accessible and relatable. Her attention to detail is exemplary and the book is a beautifully transporting read, as Saint illuminates the lives of the women hidden throughout history. Euphrosyne's story had me weeping buckets. I loved Jennifer Saint's fresh depiction of these age old characters and didn't want the book to end. I can't wait to hear what she does next and would love to see "Ariadne" on the big screen.

A rich retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur, Ariadne is somehow both luscious and fiercely feminist. Ariadne herself notices how the fickle Greek gods play with the lives of mortals, taunting and loving them in turn, leading them astray, only for the women to be punished. This book was compelling, similar to Circe by Madeline Miller. The ending snuck up very suddenly to me, I wasn't quite ready for it to end, but it was very fitting. A great debut!

I feel like this book should be called Ariadne and Phaedra, as the story is split between the two sisters and princesses of Crete. I love greek mythology re-tellings so I was beyond excited to read this. There was a bit of disconnect between the beginning and end in terms of style and tone, but I still enjoyed it and would highly recommend to fans of Greek Mythology.

A great retelling of a lesser known Greek woman. Thoroughly enjoyable and weaves together the stories of two fascinating characters in a human and believable way

Ariadne is a compelling and beautifully written retelling of the story of Ariadne and Phaedra, told in alternating perspectives and so interesting. I think like many readers will be, I was familiar with the original myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and how Ariadne plays a role in his defeat of the beast, however I always recall her role being minimised somehow, so it was great to read this book and see through her eyes so wholly. In this novel Jennifer Saint, centers Ariadne and Phaedra and gives them agency and complexity, akin to the work of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes, in my mind all of these retellings exist in the same universe, wouldn't that be cool?

Saint's writing is beautiful at all times and has that classical storytelling feel to the language, with sumptuous description and sense of foreshadowing which feels so heavy. I think the characterisation is also so great and Saint is skilled at depicting the differences between Ariadne and Phaedra, how they both have fatal flaws which lead to their undoing as well as the impact of the male figures in their lives and how they navigate these relationships.

Overall, Ariadne is a brilliant retelling and works on the original mythos and makes it her own, I would definitely recommend this to readers interested in female driven narratives, greek mythology and retellings.