Atalanta by Jennifer Saint is a historical fantasy novel based on the myth of Atalanta, a fierce hunter and runner from Greek mythology.

The story follows Atalanta from her childhood when she is abandoned in the woods and raised by a she-bear, to her adulthood as a skilled hunter and warrior. Along the way, she meets and befriends other women who are similarly strong and independent, including Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.

As Atalanta grows older, she is forced to navigate the patriarchal society of ancient Greece, where women are expected to be subservient to men. She is eventually betrothed to a man named Hippomenes, but she challenges him to a footrace with the condition that if she wins, she will remain unmarried. Hippomenes enlists the help of the goddess Aphrodite to win the race, but he ultimately faces dire consequences for his actions.

Throughout the novel, Saint explores themes of female empowerment, identity, and agency. Atalanta is portrayed as a complex and multifaceted character, and Saint emphasizes her strengths and vulnerabilities in equal measure. The other women in the book are also given agency and depth, providing a counterbalance to the male-dominated world of ancient Greece.

Saint's writing is lyrical and evocative, with a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of Greek mythology. She weaves together elements of fantasy and history in a way that feels organic and authentic, creating a rich and immersive world for her characters to inhabit.

Overall, "Atalanta" is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, mythology, and feminist literature. Saint is a talented writer with a unique voice, and this book is a testament to her skill and creativity.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, and no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I 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.

Atalanta has always been one of those figures from mythology that I couldn't tear my attention away from; a staunchly independent woman, champion of Artemis and the only female Argonaut. Here, in Jennifer Saint's third mythological retelling, we get to see it all play out before us. The Hunters of Artemis and the goddess herself are a personal fascination of mine so I was delighted to see Callisto also making an appearance early on!

So many narrative decisions on behalf of Saint here had me cheering and feeling seen by this retelling in particular. As much as I adored Ariadne and Elektra, something about Atalanta's determination to prove herself, and the worry of pleasing someone while also trying to be whoever they are strikes me with parallels. I'm forever thankful for the lyrical journey this sent me on, watching as even Atalanta herself struggles with the unknown but also earns her place in the world.

I'm glad she got agency in her decisions; she could move past being just Artemis' Champion into her own woman (and later own lion). It humanises her beyond 'the one who can do it all' and I greatly respect that about her - not every hero is perfect, and she makes decisions based on what she wants, which is ultimately freedom in a world where people keep trying to choose for her.

Its ending is the more hopeful of Jennifer Saint's retellings, we get the sense that our heroine is content with what happened and would gladly do it all again, still in contact with those who she loves and admires, even if forever changed. The writing leaves me ever changed, just as much.

I love Jennifer Saint's Greek myth retellings - they are always page-turners, full of feminist reinterpretation, and a joy to read. Saint's storytelling shines through once again in Atalanta providing a rich narrative of her life. I always feel very connected to her protagonists, which makes her writing immersive and absorbing. The only slight detachment I felt was that Atalanta seemed more of a witness to a lot of her adventure as an Argonaut and we were just viewing what was going on with the other characters through her eyes. I preferred the parts of the novel where she took centre stage. But overall this was a really enjoyable read full of male hubris, fantastical monsters, and personal tenderness.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline, Wildfire for the book! I leave my honest review here!

I always love to read about Greek Mythology. Honestly I'm not really sure who Atalanta is but I think this is a good time to know her. Because I kind of familiar with the God and Goddess, it's not really hard for me to know the nature of the God and Goddess in this book. We didn't see them much in this book but they still play a huge part for Atalanta Journey.

Atalanta is powerful, strong, fast, and smart women. She's abandon by her family but she found new family with Artemis. We know for sure that Artemis has this strict rule about her, her group and men. So of course this rule also applied to Atalanta. She set for a long journey to find Golden Fleece with Jason.

The book really done a great job to tell us about Atalanta story. I never knew her story, but I can't stop reading about her. I think her story really close with the myth because I check it out after I finish the book and it really connect with the book. For someone who didn't like adventure or journey type book, this book could be a miss. We follow Atalanta journey since she's a baby, we met people that interact with her. I'm not really sure what is the main conflict of this book, because for more than half a book she's in journey to find the Golden Fleece, but it's not her quest, it's Jason. And after that everything happen so fast. I confuse whether I like her personality or not but I admire her power to be strong for herself after all the things that happen to her. I'm really sad with what happen to her, it's not fair for her but she still going strong that's why I love her.

And the ending... because I never read her story before, it shocked me with what happen to her (that's why I check her story after that) but knowing she's happy with that. I can't help but also happy for her.

This book is great. I really recommend for everyone who loves to read about Greek Myth, because it's so easy to catch what is it the author want to tell us.

Another great retelling of Greek mythology from Jennifer Saint . I just love how she makes these retelling is so accessible and relevant. Atalanta is a character. I knew very little about and so was delighted to be whisked away into the adventures of Jason and his Argonauts and the perils they endured and to learn of the part she played. Atalanta is such a strong character, a huntress, who is loyal, powerful and intelligent, and who strives to succeed in a male dominated world. i’ve read all of Jennifer Saints novels and can’t wait for the next. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.]

Book Review...

'Atalanta' by Jennifer Saint

This book tells the story of Atalanta who is an interesting character leading a colourful life. She is the daughter of a King but was left on a hillside at birth, raised by bears then protected by the goddess Artemis. For her next feat she joined Jason as the only female Argonaut and set out to prove herself in a world of men.

I was drawn in straight away to Atalanta's early life in the forest with Artemis and the nymphs and I really enjoyed her adventures with the Argonauts but I loved the last part of the story when Atalanta returns from her quest and seeks to establish a life for herself which both honours her past and offers her the future she desires. And then there's the ending - which was absolutely perfect.

Atalanta is a great woman and this is a great book - I would highly recommend it.

'Atalanta' is out on the 13th April and it's published by the fabulous @headlinebooks.

Ad/ PR produce. Thanks so much to @netgalley and Headline for an ARC of this wonderful book.

Ariadne and Elektra walked so Atalanta could run - literally!

As much as I love the first two books I think Atalanta is my favourite. Atalanta is a character that is just so overlooked in Greek mythology, more so than the others I think, and it’s brilliant to see her take the starring role she so deserves!

This book does a great job of weaving in all the important elements of Atalanta’s story while also filling in the gaps to make it feel cohesive and complete. Atalanta herself is such a compelling figure, having grown up without men and away from most of society she has quite a unique perspective on the ancient world. Reading about her interactions with Artemis, the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts and her famous foot race from her point of view definitely added a new layer to the story.

The writing is absorbing and at times poetic, just as in the earlier two books! For anyone largely unfamiliar with Greek mythology I always recommend Saint’s books because she does a great job of staying true to the original mythology while making them incredibly accessible and easy to read!

When Atalanta was born, she was abandoned on the hillside, left to die, as she wasn’t a boy. Thankfully, she was found and rescued by a mother bear, who raised her alongside her cubs.

When Atalanta is older, Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wilderness, comes for her. The Arcadian wood becomes Atalanta’s new home, where she’s surrounded by the nymphs.

Atalanta looks up to Artemis, she wishes to be just like her and fear nothing.

When an opportunity arises to join a ship, Argo, in pursuit of the Golden Fleece, Atalanta doesn’t hesitate. She wants to make Artemis proud.

However, Artemis gives her a warning… It comes in a form of prophecy saying that if Atalanta gets married, she’ll lose herself and it’ll be her undoing.

When Atalanta joins Jason and the Argonauts, she is met with reluctance, even disdain, from her fellow shipmates including Heracles and Peleus. Only Meleager shows her kindness and soon a friendship between the two develops.

Atalanta will have to work her hardest to prove she is worthy of the quest…

I LOVED this book! Having read Jennifer Saint’s previous work, I can honestly say that it’s my favourite book of hers. I wasn’t familiar with Atalanta’s story and I am grateful for the author to shine attention on this marvellous female.

Atalanta was strong, bold, and unafraid. She faced many perils in her life and on the journey to get the Fleece, but she persevered and never gave up.

I recommend this book to all fans of Greek myths and those who seek a strong female protagonist.

Thank you to Headline/ Wildfire Books for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

Well, this was ... aggressively mediocre.

Basically, none of this was exciting in any way. The writing style itself is nice, it flows well, is easy to read, but it's nothing special. The pacing is a bit off at times, but it's not a huge bother.

But the biggest problem this book has is its titular heroine.

Look, if you take a person that had a mythology phase from fifth to tenth grade (aka me) and give them this book to read, that person basically knows everything already. The story of the Argo never really interested me, but I know what happens. So I went into this hoping the author would do something new, something interesting, with this immensely boring material. But no. This isn't even a retelling, it's just the story of the Argo written down. It brings nothing new to the table. There's no deep exploration of friendship or adventure or thoughts or basically anything that goes past the surface of "and then we did this, and then we did that, and then Jason did that, and then Medea did this ..."
Atalanta is not the heroine of her own story. Sure, we see the world through her eyes, but what does she really do except observe? The only thing that sets her apart is her gender, and her attitude towards that can get extremely annoying sometimes. But basically, this book is just about Atalanta watching as other people do stuff. And it gets so, so, so boring after a while.

I feel like Jennifer Saint has so much writing skill; I would love to see her push past the scaffolding these Greek myths provide and do something a bit more original, instead of just diing retellings in the most basic way that the word implies. Some imagination. Something new. Something exciting. But in this book, I looked for that in vain.

My thanks to Headline Wildfire for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Atalanta’ by Jennifer Saint.

The cover art with its rich oranges is stunning and certainly drew my eye. Happily its content proved excellent.

This is Jennifer Saint’s third novel in which she reimagines the story of a female figure from Greek mythology. I had enjoyed both ‘Ariadne’ and ‘Elektra’ though ‘Atalanta’ is now my favourite of the three, likely because she is a mythological figure that I already admired and found inspiring.

While I knew about Atalanta’s prowess as a runner and how she sought to defy her father’s attempt to marry her off, I wasn’t aware of her role as one of the Argonauts.

Saint has combined elements of all three of the ancient accounts about the fleet-footed maiden. Here her time with Jason and the Argonauts gets the most attention.

Atalanta narrates the story of her life. When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, he is disappointed and orders her to be left exposed on a mountainside. She attracts the attention of a passing mother bear and is raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. In time Atalanta takes her place among the community of nymphs that attend Artemis.

Atalanta is a skilled runner and huntress. When news reaches the sacred forest of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece, Artemis commands Atalanta to join the Argonauts not only to prove her worth but to represent Artemis on the voyage. While there is initial resistance to a woman joining the crew of the Argo, Atalanta persists. She presents her account of the legendary quest and the Calydonian boar hunt that follows it.

The final section of the novel gives an account of Atalanta’s famous footrace in which she outruns potential suitors as well as her final fate.

I was also pleased that Jennifer Saint confidently retained the gods, goddesses, and various mythical creatures. None of the stripping away of the numinous and supernatural as in some recent reimaginings. I especially appreciated her depiction of Artemis, who was quite severe in her punishments for those who transgressed her rules or disrespected her.

Overall, I found ‘Atalanta’ a skilful blending of mythological strands into a highly compelling and enjoyable tale. This was a top read for me in terms of mythological retellings and Jennifer Saint now a must read author.

Highly recommended.

Well it’s absolutely no surprise that a Greek mythological feminist story would get a high rating for me…I mean what more could you want in a book?? I have to admit this is the first time I’ve read something by Jennifer Saint (sorry Ariadne & Elektra, I know you’ve been on my shelves for too long 🫣), and her writing style is just so brilliant and compelling that you can hardly put this book down once you start reading.
I ADORE Atalanta, she is everything I aspire to be - a completely fearless, determined, wild spirit, who demands to be seen and heard - and she is by far one of my favourite characters from a book 🥰

As a baby Atalanta is left on a mountain to die and rescued by bears. Later Artemis takes her in and places her in the care of nymphs, secluded deep in the forest. Atalanta grows strong and tall until her speed and prowess with the bow is surpassed only by that of Artemis herself. When the Argonauts sail to take the Golden Fleece Artemis decides that it is time for her protégé to prove herself in the world beyond the forest. But the world of men is not made for strong women and Atalanta will have to fight to find her place in it.

Atalanta is a great character. She has an unusual backstory, a deep sense of purpose, and a huge amount of inner and outer strength. Yet she also has flaws; her lack of experience, her stubbornness, her impulsivity, and her slightly off-centre moral compass. From the beginning you can see the path that her life is going to take and each mistake she makes seems almost inevitable. Despite this I did not see the ending coming. It was both more abrupt and more satisfying than I had anticipated.

One of the things I most enjoyed about this book was how the gods were portrayed. Like Atalanta, Artemis was stubborn, impulsive, and had a slightly off-centre moral compass. Unlike Atalanta she had the power to back her up and follow through, regardless of the consequences for others. Other gods are mentioned, but rarely seen, and there is definitely a sense that the humans in the narrative are their playthings. The events of the book, which are so world-changing for many of the characters, barely seem to register with the gods.

Atalanta follows a heroine on the tale of the Odyssey, battling against heroes such as Jason and Heracles.

Atalanta is a champion sent by Artemis to join the Argo and become one of the famed Argonauts, a change from the start of her life where she was abandoned on a mountainside by her father and was raised by bears and nymphs. It's a story of strength, sadness, and femininity all done in beautiful poetic prose, lengthy descriptions and gorgeous imagery.

Jennifer Saint isn't my usual author when it comes to books inspired by Greek Mythology but I will definitely be picking up more of her books. I'm forever in search of Greek Myths retold by women so this was an absolutely perfect find.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wildfire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Atalanta is tender, daring and ethereal all at the same time.

The great plot aside, Jennifer Saint’s character, Atalanta manages to shine during the most mundane situations. The simple ethereal descriptions of Artemis take on a whole new meaning as you slowly realise that Atalanta wants to take on that persona too. Living among immortals for so long, Atalanta tries to prove that she is equal to an immortal, she too can protect the nymphs in the forest like Artemis, she too can build a safe haven for women like Artemis, she too can be something like Artemis.
Another layer of nuance is added when mortality is associated with naïvety and immortality is associated with maturity. We can see this association even with men and women, where men are associated with immaturity and women with maturity. Artemis killing (or metamorphosis) of a nymph is possibly described in the most beautiful manner as if Artemis is doing a favour to that nymph. Moreover, Artemis’ hunting is defined as something ethereal, straight out of a painting but when the same kind of hunt involves a male character, it suddenly becomes grotesque.
If not for these descriptions then you should read Atalanta for its exciting plot including the often-forgotten member of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. Perhaps also read this because it’s a feminist retelling of a Greek Myth!
Atalanta is for lovers of ethereal paintings, Greek Mythology, beautiful writing and retellings of any kind.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I do like a good Greek myth retelling and Jennifer Saint can be relied on to produce the goods.

This time the subject is the only woman Argonaut, Atalanta, and her story from being raised by bears to living in the sacred woods of Artemis, then leaving to make her name in the world and becoming part of legend.

This was an enjoyable story and made me really think about the lives of women in Ancient Greece. A recommended read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Really liked the main character and her journey throughout the book and really solidified my love for Greek mythology retellings again. Jennifer Saint has quickly become a go to author for me and I’d highly recommend her books. Atalanta gives the reader feelings of fighting for your place while also staying true to yourself and it’s a really great read

I loved Jennifer Saint's 'Ariadne', and this book really delivered!

Poor Atalanta – abandoned at birth by her father because she was not male: life had an ignominious beginning. She seems to find a home in the forest alongside Artemis’ nymphs, which seems to be an idyllic existence for a while. Yet, men straying into the forest upset her equilibrium and Atalanta finds herself undertaking a quest on Artemis’ behalf in search of The Golden Fleece with Jason and the Argonauts. From here, Atalanta is never to find her way back ‘home’ and life continues to throw obstructions in her way. Atalanta is strong and tenacious and an admirable character. I was a little surprised at her ‘relationship’ with her estranged father and the ending of this novel was abrupt and shocking, yet, also consoling.

Saint has created a wonderful character in Atalanta. I love Myths story-telling in any format (retelling or original) but I knew nothing at all about this myth prior to reading this book so I have nothing to compare it to. Beautifully written, and well-developed, Saint does not shy away from the harsh realities of life and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Although I have both of this author’s previous Greek mythology retellings I still haven’t read them, in fact this is the first mythological retelling I have read. It won’t be the last. This tells the myth of Atalanta, the only female Argonaut. A woman who, as a baby, was left to die in the wild but was raised by a bear and later nymphs under the auspice of the goddess Artemis. This is beautifully written and a wonderful story told from Atalanta’s POV throughout.

Briefly, when Artemis gives her the opportunity to fight with the Argonauts, in their search for the Golden Fleece, Atalanta jumps at the chance to prove herself as the only woman amongst 50 of the worlds finest warriors. However, she must heed one warning from Artemis; she must never marry.

The author obviously loves her subject and that comes though clearly in the wonderful descriptions and emotional prose. Atalanta was a fantastic character for her to work with. She comes across as a strong and wild woman who is determined to make her way in a man’s world. I don’t know a lot about Greek mythology and I was unaware that there was a female Argonaut, and that proved to be the basis of the book, that Atalanta has largely been forgotten in the myth. The romantic thread highlighted her vulnerability and mortality and was very moving and the ending to the book was good “I am wild, I am free. I am Atalanta”. I really enjoyed it and think I have a new genre to read, thank you Ms Saint. Now I definitely will be reading the authors earlier books.

Jennifer Saint is the queen of Greek mythology. She’s a go to author for me and I love seeing what she’s going to tackle next. What I really enjoy about her books are that she chooses the lesser known myths, so I feel like I’m returning to a familiar world but learning about new characters.

Atalanta, favoured by the goddess Artemis, can rival and best most men when it comes to acts of physical prowess. I was pretty excited to find out she journeyed with Jason and the Argonauts and that took up a good section of the book. Let’s just say it was a hell of a lot more exciting than THAT film we all grew up with (you know the one with the special effects😉).

Another epic Greek myth retelling from the queen of mythology.

A poorly paced, feminist Greek mythology retelling.

Atalanta, abandoned by her father as an infant, is raised by a mother bear in the woods. Once she has reached maturity, the goddess Artemis takes Atalanta under her wing, training her to become a ruthless huntress.

The majority of this book follows the journey of Jason and the Argonauts from Atalanta’s point of view.

Atalanta deals with love, friendships, motherhood, misogyny, among other themes. Despite this, I the book thoroughly lacked emotion (probably due to the dreamlike quality of the writing). As a result, I struggled to root for Atalanta (or any of the other characters) during the book due to a lack of emotional connection to the characters.

Additionally, the book was poorly paced. The beginning 25% is very slow, building up to the journey of the Argonauts.

The middle 55% of the book, following the journey of the Argonauts, jumps around a lot. Therefore, I found that my desire for action and adventure was never quite satisfied.

The only interesting part of this book comes in the final 20%, the aftermath of the Argonauts journey. Again, this section was strangely paced, but did keep my interest. However, the ending was completely unsatisfying.