I love mythology retellings and this story of Dionysus and Ariadne ticked all of the boxes! Ariadne and Dionysus are compelling characters and the book is well-written and keeps you on your toes.

This was a fantastic book! I really felt like this retelling centred Ariadne as a character with agency, which is rarely done. I found many of the 'changes' (if you can even call them that, maybe interpretations is a better word) not only made sense but allowed a more rich and deep exploration of the characters.

I also loved that the perspective switched between Ariadne and Dionysus, giving a good balance to the narrative and the plot.

Unlike any of Greek mythology retelling I've read, this book highlighted sapphic relationships and the fluidity of each characters sexuality. I deeply appreciated this, more retellings need to include this. I also just love Thalia's character generally.

Overall, pick this book as your next mythology read!

Ariadne is the High Priestess of Crete; she is a messenger for the goddess Artemis. But when a new god arrives on her island she is suddenly drawn to him.

But the gods of Olympus are always watching and she must remember that no deed goes unpunished.

Ariadne must now follow the goddesses bidding, betraying her family, grieve for what she has lost and find herself again.

This is a beautiful retelling of the Greek myths;
showing us love and companionship between men and women.

So many characters in this novel are given an incredible back story allowing us to understand their actions.

Thalia, Ariadne's lover and shapeshifter, showing us the love and respect between these two women.

Dionysus the god of wine, the new god, who shows us protection for his true love, but also to fight what he believes in.

This novel also tells us to believe in others, your family can't always be relied upon but that you can create your own; Neil does an amazing job as an author hiding so many meanings in this novel and I, as the reader truly enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hypatia Books/Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and Ms. Neil for the opportunity an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I found this recounting of the mythological tale of Ariadne of Crete very refreshing for its unflinching look at just how petty, fickle, arbitrary and vindictive the gods could be (and usually were). Generally the Greek gods (as well as Roman, Egyptian, Norse, etc) are portrayed as noble, divine superhumans but here it was apparent just how awful they could be. At the end of the day, Ariadne was punished more for her mother's transgression than her own; despite following her goddess's instructions to her utmost she was cut down when Artemis changed her mind about which nationality of humans to support. In fact this book had a LOT of examples of innocent people being punished for other people's mistakes.

The love story between Ariadne and Dionysus was really sweet; I seem to recall very few of the relationships in Greek mythology avoiding tragedy (let alone being happy). I wish we could have spent a little more time with Ariadne during/after Theseus' betrayal, and a little more time with Thalia in or out of her leopard persona, but I can't really complain. Overall I enjoyed the book a lot and would happily try another by Ms. Neil.

Greek and Roman mythology has been the inspiration for stories for millennia. Whether used to explain something or just as a means for entertainment, the stories created have provided content for books, movies, art and more. Some have survived the lapse of time while others have withered into obscurity. Enter author Zenobia Neil. Neil does for Ariadne what author Madeline Miller did for Circe. Ariadne is one of those characters who wasn't a major player herself but earned her claim to fame through her role in other myths, specifically that of Theseus and the Minotaur. While there is quite a bit of the story dedicated to the tale of Dionysus, Ariadne is front and center. Neil details Ariadne's life as the daughter of a King, a priestess to a goddess, and eventual consort to a god. The author doesn't shy away from the sensual and evocative side of the gods. She embraces sexuality as a necessity for the readers to understand the actions the characters take. Whether you know the story of Ariadne or not, this book is compelling in its retelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus, having only been slightly familiar with Ariadne I had trouble distinguishing what elements were canon in the mythology and what elements Zenobia Neil added or created herself because everything felt so organic and classic. This has all the parts of mythology that I love: destinies intertwining, magical women, daring quests, vengeance and romance. Would definitely recommend for those who love a good mythical retelling that feels like it could be the original myth.

<i>Ariadne Unraveled</i> is a retelling of the myths of Ariadne and Dionysus. I was excited to check it out because I love these two mythological figures, but unfortunately it didn't work for me.

It was quite heavy on the romance, which wouldn't necessarily have been a problem for me, but the relationship between Dionysus and Ariadne never really grabbed me. They fell in love at first sight, although it seemed more lust at first sight, because apart from a strong sexual connection, it wasn't clear what they saw in each other. Even moments where I expected more pathos, like when they were reunited and Ariadne, who had forgotten Dionysus, remembered him, was resolved in the blink of an eye and wasn't satisfying at all.
There were also too many sex scenes for my tastes, and they were quite over the top. I get it, Dionysus is a god, but come on...

I did like how the author reinvented certain facts, for example how she explained Ariadne's betrayal of her people, or how she portrayed the character of Thalia, but they weren't enough to save the book for me.

Ariadne Unraveled is a retelling of the tale of Ariadne and her relationship with Dionysus. This retelling stands out among current retellings in that it doesn’t sugar coat the pettiness of the gods whatsoever.

Even Dionysus, while still the hero of our story, has his faults as well. In several chapters from his POV, we have a very clear ‘male gaze’ from him and an inability to listen to the word ‘no’ (a trait that many gods share). Nevertheless, I found Dionysus was portrayed in a rather refreshingly genuine way and we do see his edges begin to soften when he does truly fall for Araidne. I can imagine a lot of modern readers will have trouble with his ‘male gaze’, but he’s a god, being misogynistic jerks is sort of their thing.

I found the story itself compelling and interesting, especially when it came to Neil’s own twists on the retelling. Like in the source of the leopard that is consistently depicted in Dionysus imagery (loved that insert!). I also really enjoyed her style of writing; it was very sensual and descriptive. Imagery as well as scents were all very clear, allowing you to almost picture yourself in the scene with the character.

My one qualm when it came to plot points was how quickly Ariadne turned on her servant and lover, Thalia, when Thalia was discovered missing the same time Dionysus left. I would like to think Ariadne would have had more doubts that they two were so connected, especially considering how close Ariadne and Thalia are. But then again, this could also be a lens of the master and slave appearing and the true nature of Ariadne and Thalia’s relationship coming through.

Overall, I found Ariadne Unraveled to be a very interesting retelling in its own right. I wouldn’t recommend it to those who are casually into retellings as they might miss the nods to classic depictions and take them as faults, but I would certainly recommend it to those who are very much into retellings and can appreciate Neil’s storytelling choices.

CW: Sexual content, sexual assault, misogny, slavery, blood, apparent suicide, & some violence

*Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the ARC*

I loved this book so much! I’m into absolutely anything mythological with Madeline Miller probably being my favorite author. Let me tell you, this book evoked a similar feeling to Miller’s writing! While reading, I was transported into a world of ancient Greece and I could not put this book down even though I knew how the story ends. Neil did a great job of modifying the myth so that those who know the story will still feel like they’re getting something new. I loved that this gave Ariadne a fleshed out back story and made her a strong character. Too often, women in mythology are relegated to being side characters to heroes. Definitely check this out if you love Greek mythology!

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for this ARC. I'm a huge fan of any sort of Greek myth retelling and Ariadne is not a figure I've seen get a a huge amount of attention in the recent spate of novels that have been seeking to reframe various ancient stories from a female perspective. Dionysus is also a very neglected god in modern retellings, with few authors knowing how to handle an Olympian who embodies drunkenness, ecstasy, insanity and performance. So a novel that seeks to flesh out the relationship between these two characters and give Ariadne some agency back? Sign me up! However, I was ultimately a little disappointed. While I ultimately liked the portrayal of Dionysus and thought it captured the tension between his mortality and his godhead really well, the whole novel just felt a bit...bodice ripper-y to me (though the author was at pains to emphasise that Ariadne is not wearing anything that could be described as a bodice for 90% of this book). I know Dionysus is the god of orgies, so maybe I should have expected this, but it just felt like sex was being shoe-horned in at every possible opportunity and I felt like it really distracted from the wider plot, which I actually found to be a really interesting take on the Ariadne myth. I'm conscious that this is really a matter of personal taste, so if you've already read books like The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships but you thought 'Hmmm, I like this but it needs more vine-themed bondage' then Ariadne Unravelled is definitely the book for you.

Greek Mythology meets Jane Eyre Laid Bare. I did not expect that. I think I read the synopsis on Netgalley, and completely missed that it's an erotica.

Love 💘
- The story-telling is good. For something so complicated and long-winded, it's easy to follow.
- Love strong women who are secured with their sexuality. I was ready to get annoyed with subservient women as is the norm with Greek Mythology, love that it highlights that there were strong and revered women during that time.


Meh
- the book prioritized story-telling more than emotional impact. It was good story-telling but it didn't affect me that much - it's like reading history but with graphic description of sexual activities.
- Speaking of which, I think around 40% of the book is about lust or sex. I had to gloss over some of it because it was too much to the point where it convinced me that Ariadne and Dionysus' relationship and every one else's is only based on either sex or politics.

Overall, not bad. Not the best start for someone who's just getting into Greek Mythology, but I'm shelving this as "take it with a grain of salt." It's lucky that I do enjoy erotica (if u know me, no u don't).

Story-telling: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Spice: 2/5 descriptive but not on the extreme side
Over-all: 3.5/5

Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

What a book...I know from the blurbs itself I'm going to like it. I personally don't know anything about Greek Mythology especially Ariadne's story. What I know is that she was left by her love and Dionysus was the one who finds her and somehow fell in love with her later on.

What I found here is a disappointment. The whole story is confusing even if it does have a happy ending but yep, it's just hard to actually finish this book.

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Ariadne, high priestess of Crete, grew up duty-bound to the goddess Artemis. If she takes a husband, she must sacrifice him to her goddess after no more than three years of marriage. For this reason, she refuses to love any man, until a mysterious stranger arrives on her island.

The stranger is Dionysus, the new god of wine who empowers women and breaks the rules of the old gods. He came to Crete seeking vengeance against Artemis. He never expected to fall in love.

Furious that Dionysus would dare meddle with her high priestess, Artemis threatens to kill Ariadne if Dionysus doesn’t abandon her. Heartbroken, the new god leaves Crete, vowing to become better than the Olympians.

From the bloody labyrinth and the shadows of Hades to the halls of Olympus, Dionysus must find a way to defy Artemis and unite with his true love. Forced to betray her people, Ariadne discovers her own power to choose between the goddess she pledged herself to and the god she loves.

I could barely get more than four pages into this book without DNFing it, I did not enjoy the writing style and found the characterisation of the women fawning over who I can only assume is Theseus creepy and this made me not want to continue reading it.

I love mythology retelling. Although, I read a little about Ariadne. I heard her more in other stories about her family, her mother Pasiphae and Minotaur, Circe, Madea, and his grandfather Helios. So, I found this very interesting story.

The story is told by Ariadne and Dionysus and started with their meeting before Theseus, son of Aegeus. Dionysus, the divine son of Zeus, wanted vengeance on Artemis, his half-sister, and Crete was a place for his plans.

Ariadne, the high priestess of Crete, took a husband for one to three years. She wed him, bedded him, and sacrificed him to the goddess (the rules on Crete were different). Her mother Pasiphae had done the same, but she had angered the goddess by keeping her husband, Minos.

This was a very romantic, beautifully written retelling of Ariadne, and I think a lot added to the typical one. I enjoyed it. Highly recommended to romance and mythology fans.

"He had promised to make her his queen in Athens, to never forget how she had saved him. The promise of a man was worthless."

Many thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for giving me the chance to read Ariadne Unraveled: A Mythic Retelling by Zenobia Neil in exchange for an honest review.
Published Date 07 Jul 2021.

As a lover of Greek mythology and Ariadne as a mythological figure, there were quite a few things I liked about this book. Zenobia Neil gave Ariadne a firm strength that I haven't seen in many Theseus retellings. All along she knew what she wanted and wasn't as easily persuaded and duped as most Ariadnes. She wasn't just some flighty girl willingly betraying her family and home for a guy she just met. Strength and determination as a cornerstone of Ariadne's character was a highlight of the book.
Other things I liked:
-Ariadne met and had a relationship with Dionysus prior to meeting Theseus. Original recordings of Theseus/Ariadne's myth differ in when Dionysus meets and/or "saves" Ariadne. Every retelling I have read in the past shows their first meeting on Naxos, so this was a welcome change.
-Asterion is a man leaning into the bull persona rather than a bull creature. As a quintessential figure in the labyrinth myth and Greek mythology in general, it is frustrating that we rarely see him with any characteristics other than as a blood-thirsty minotaur. It was nice to see his human side and get to know his character a bit.
-Sex positivity and female empowerment. Especially in a story where women--Ariadne, Phaedra, Pasiphae--are used as pawns, this was such a necessary element for me as a reader.
-Everything about Hephaestus.
-Artemis is cast as a bitch, and it is really so fitting.
-Following along with the accurate casting, Theseus is portrayed as the week-willed, selfish ass he is. Very glad he is not the hero here.

Things I didn't like:
-Phaedra was cast as a whinny, selfish brat and had no character aside from being awful. Her character was so two dimensional and boring.
-Thalia. I think the author was so excited for this character, but I didn't see what she added to the story.
-The pacing was a little off, and the book in general could have been a lot shorter while telling the exact same story.
-While the connection between Ariadne and Dionysus was interesting, it was not as endearing as I would have liked. This may be a personal bias as it takes a lot for me to root for any Greek god in their romantic endeavors.
-Naxos??? We barely spent anytime there, and that is one of my favorite settings of this myth. This also led to barely any attention given to Theseus's betrayal which I saw as a missed opportunity.

This book had a lot to offer and add to the typical Ariadne retellings, but the cons and lack of development made it a fairly mediocre book overall.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

i learned some time ago not to have high expectations when it comes to greek mythology retellings, because - sadly - they often tend to disappoint me in one way or another. despite that, when i read the blurb of this book, i found myself really excited to read it. my knowledge of ariadne’s story was not big, i was only aware of the myth of her helping theseus and betraying her family and people. i had no idea that after being abandonded by the athenian man, she became the wife of dionysus. because of that, having a chance to know her story a little better (and maybe in a little different light than in the myths) got me really thrilled.

unfortunetely, this book didn’t really fit my likings that well. it’s not even the book’s fault itself; it’s just that the style, the writing of the story wasn’t for me. moreover, no matter how much i wanted, i couldn’t get myself to care about the characters. the author did pay a lot of attention to their development and characterisation, i must admit, because their actions were understandable and fit their personalities well, but it didn’t change the fact that i didn’t feel any connection to them. they felt very distant and i had troubles with keeping myself interested in their story.

the story itself wasn’t really gripping for me too. there were moments when i was really invested and wanted to know what will happen next, but most of the time i didn’t care; i wouldn’t say i was bored, but i wasn’t piqued either.

besides that, the romance (which i was most excited about) was in my opinion the weakest part of the story. i expected to be charmed by dionysus & ariadne’s love, to feel it strongly and admire it; alas, it was even hard to believe in it. i understand instant attraction, their desire, but love? it felt very flat to me. i didn’t see it, didn’t feel it and i don’t know how they fell in love with each other. it happened so suddenly, when they didn’t even know each other, when it was yet unclear what drew them together and it made me really sad to realise that at the end i will not get to see ariadne and dionysus great love story.

in conclusion, the story itself wasn’t bad, but it was not great either. personally i didn’t love it, but it has a lot to do with the fact that the style of it wasn’t really my cup of tea. but if you are interested in greek mythology and want to know more about ariadne, i think it’s a good book to start. i’m rating it 2.5 stars.

This is the retelling from Greek Mythology of Ariadne, the High Priestess of Crete.
There are several different recorded versions of the story of Ariadne, and as the author states in her notes she did take some creative liberties to piece together a cohesive narrative.
I loved this, was brilliantly executed and the writing is beautiful.
I highly recommend this book to any fans of Greek Mythology or the authors Madeline Miller & Pat Barker.

this book was absolutely thrilling to read. the agency ariadne has as a high priestess of crete, the journey she takes to eventually become her true self at the end of the book, and the love she shares with dionysus... it is all very inspiring. the inclusion of characters such as persephone, hermes, and hephaestus - lesser known, treated as insignificant compared to gods like zeus or hera - made this story so much richer. furthermore, the interpretation the minotaur as a costume or a presumed identity rather than a monstrous creature was quite unique.

I received a free e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[This review will be posted on my blog on 1 July 2021]

Ariadne Unraveled was not what I thought it was going to be. And judging from other reviews, it isn't what other people thought it would be either.

So let me tell you what it is: Ariadne Unraveled is an adult historical fantasy romance retelling of Dionysus’ and Ariadne's stories. Emphasis on the adult, and on the romance. This book has sex scenes. Mostly they are between men and women, but there are one or two short scenes between women, and it's implied that men also have sex with men.

Ariadne Unraveled is very much rooted in Greek and Minoan history, meaning that the more unsavoury aspects of those cultures, including slavery, pederasty (mentioned), and human (and animal) sacrifice are present. If you are uncomfortable with any of these things, this may not be the book for you.

Ariadne Unraveled is told from two points of view: Ariadne's and Dionysus'. I have to admit I wasn't aware of their connection in Greek mythology until I read this book, only some of their individual myths, so I found this quite intriguing.

In this retelling, Ariadne is high priestess of Crete, devoted to the Great Goddess (Artemis). Dionysus, meanwhile, is a new god, only a few hundred years old, and is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semele. Ariadne Unraveled is about Dionysus' journey to becoming a god: gaining followers and spreading his cult, and finding his place in the world. Ariadne is on a seperate journey of her own; struggling to follow the Great Goddess whose favour she has lost, and eventually giving up everything and everyone she loves.

For me, the highlight of the novel was the twining of numerous versions of their myths into one cohesive story, as well as the inclusion of historical facts (such as the architecture of Knossos, including plumbing.) The author has clearly done a lot of research to place this into its socio-cultural and historical context. There are obviously elements that have been imagined, such as the details of Minoan religion, since we have only a general idea of the symbols of their worship, but I enjoyed that too. Those are the places that give an author space to play a bit, and make a story their own. I particularly enjoyed how the author developed the culture and belief system of the Minoan people. Ariadne is the feminine aspect, devoted to the Great Goddess above, while her half brother Asterion, the Minotaur, is the masculine aspect, and represents worship of the bull (Poseidon).

I've seen other reviewers criticise the romance as being a case of insta-love between Dionysus and Ariadne. I can't say they're completely wrong, but for me it read more as lust to begin with, and then grew into love. I would have perhaps liked to have seen more of this development on page, but there were a lot of other things going on in the plot so it didn't bother me too much. I wasn't a huge fan of the sex scenes, mostly because I wasn't expecting them, and I wasn't really in the mood for a sexy book.

I think the only thing that let me down a tiny bit was the character development. It's not that there isn't any, but I felt as if the other elements of the story took precedence, such as the plot and the romance. Oftentimes, the parts of the story where Ariadne and Dionysus had opportunities for reflection were quite rushed, so I understood their character arcs, but they felt a bit forced in order to move on to the next part of the plot. Still, I liked the direction they were going in. Dionysus is the child of Zeus and a mortal, yet he has the powers of a god. He struggles with feeling abandoned by his father, and all he wants is acceptance, which he believes he will get by proving himself equal to his siblings and his divine family. Meanwhile, Ariadne struggles with her faith, and how the goddess she is devoted to is becoming a stranger to her, asking her to do the unthinkable - betray her family and her people.

The themes of the novel are about change and transformation. Ariadne Unraveled is set in a time of change; a new crop, grapes, are being planted, and the harvests are turned to wine; the Athenian people's star is rising; and the dynamics between the gods and humans are shifting.

Overall, I actually quite enjoyed Ariadne Unravelled. I liked the plot, and how the different versions of Ariadne and Dionysus' myths were entwined. I loved the worldbuilding - it felt expansive and magical. And I did like Ariadne and Dionysus, and the direction the author sent their characters in.

I think this book would appeal to fans of mythology retellings, especially if they don't mind a bit of heat in their romances. It reminded me of Circe by Madeline Miller, and of Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett, which is a YA retelling of Ariadne and Theseus' myths.

CW: sex scenes, violence, murder, human sacrifice (not on page, but mentioned), blood, animal sacrifice, slavery, pederasty (mentioned), ritual self harm (not graphic), partial nudity (breasts), physical and sexual abuse (mentioned)

I was really excited to read this take on Ariadne. Ariadne is one of my favorite mythical Greek characters. However, there were some graphic scenes in the story that made it not enjoyable for me. The graphics scenes did not add to the story in any emotional way. The writing itself was very simplistic and the characters seemed to have no depth to them. Thus, it was a forgettable retelling.