I loved this book from the start. It was fast-paced and action-packed. This combined with great and intriguing characters made for the perfect story. I also enjoyed the character growth throughout the story. I can't wait to read the next instalment. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of the book.

An incredibly unique debut novel full of female rage, friendship, power and mystery. Daughter of Chaos is a fantasy set within the world of ancient Greek mythology - the book features well known Greek mythological figures in addition to those created by Webb. I really enjoyed this novel and found myself immersed in the tension, rooting for Danae as well as disturbed by some of the gore. Daughter of Chaos features the adventure of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint and the female rage of Medea by Rosie Hewlett.
I would honestly recommend this book to both lovers of Greek mythology and readers new to the genre! I can't wait to see the love this book is about to receive and I'm so excited to read the second installation in The Dark Pantheon series.

Quotes I love:
"'Time is kind. It may bring pains to the body, but it heals those of the heart.”
"'Be wary of men, always go about your tasks with your sister, never alone,’”
"'Right. I bet you all slaved away to produce offerings and pay her temple tithe. But despite your devotion, all your piety and sacrifice, people still died and starved and joined the Missing, and your goddess did fuck all about it. The gods aren’t as powerful as people think.”
"Her destiny was greater than her desires, — And no matter how much it hurt, she couldn’t let anything or anyone, stand in her way."

I didn't know what to expect from this story, but I loved what I got! Danae's epic quest boldly reimagines the world of Greek mythology, and brings the stories of gods and heroes into a whole new light.

Often there was a sardonic quality to the narration, but it didn't sacrifice the emotional impact of Danae's story. Her experiences of love and loss and confusion at such a young age are key to the plot, and make her a consistently compelling protagonist. I particularly enjoyed this version of the ancient world - where the gods are objects of fear and respect, even as the world they have created begins to crumble.

It's a real challenge to get a mythology reimagining right - especially one that differs so greatly from source material. But this story markets itself as a fantasy, using ancient Greece as a fun and innovative setting. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel!

Books with similar vibes - Hera by Jennifer Saint, The Trials of Hercules by Tammie Painter, For the Most Beautiful by Emily Hauser, and Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane.

So I am quite against re-tellings. Usually I steer clear of any mention of 'shakespeare re-imagined' or 'greek myth inspired' and ESPECIALLY 'fairytale re-tellings', but I was drawn to this one because it wasn't a story I knew. And I have to say I was very impressed. The writing was really high quality, I felt like there was really good pacing throughout. There was never any waffling (like quite a LOT of popular re-tellings) and the characters felt fresh and easy to relate to, even though they aren't of this time. Danae is a really interesting three dimensional character, and I felt like I was experiencing this world for the first time with her. At times I almost felt like I was playing a video game of the story, discovering new places and new side quests while still trying to complete the main goal. It was very vivid, interesting, yet easy to follow.

4 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, PRH for a free review eARC!

An epic reimagining of Greek Mythology that had me hooked from the very beginning, this was such an imaginative and enjoyable start to what is set to be a truly captivating series.

This novel takes you on such a journey that you cannot take your eyes off the page. I hesitate to even label this as a retelling, as it takes such a twist on the Greek mythology we all know and spins it on its head. This is a tale of tragedy at its heart, spun by manipulation and blind faith, and all it needs is someone brave enough to challenge it all.

A story of found-family brought together by tragedy and fate, getting to know these characters left me simply begging for more. The cast of characters is composed of a medley of figures inspired by infamous heroes of mythology fleshed out to weave the path through the story for our FMC, a hero who not only fits seamlessly in like the glue between these legends but captivates you immediately. The FMC, a fisherman’s daughter named Danae, was such a powerful character to follow throughout as she unravelled the world around her. You can feel her very emotions through the page, and you cannot help but root for her as she has so much courage and love coursing through her despite constantly being thrown into the unknown and grappling with her own grief. This is a truly action packed tale of destiny and discovery as it sets our characters on a path that will change the whole world as they know it, seeking to pull back the curtain of deception they have all unknowingly been forced to live under and avenge those lost to the tyranny ruling it all.

Thank you to A. S. Webb and NetGalley for allowing me advanced access to review this book. This was such an engaging read for me, gaining a 5/5 star rating and I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on it too as I am simply itching with anticipation for the remainder of this series!

Based on Greek Mythology, parts of this book felt familiar even though overall it was a new take on the stories. It started strong and the plot felt well paced, but I must admit that by the middle I was finding it difficult to stay engaged and had to force myself to finish as nothing really felt like it was going anywhere interesting. Not sure I'll bother with the sequel.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I do love a book with elements of Greek mythology.

The only thing I would say is there were constantly characters changing which became hard to keep up with.

Great for anybody who loved Ariadne and Medea but want something a bit more epic

This book had me hooked so fast, I genuinely couldn't put it down. I had no idea what the next twist or adventure would be and the slow unravelling of the truth kept me frantically turning pages.

It is an incredibly interesting and unique take on Greek mythology, featuring many of the names from popular stories but not as you know them. The take on the gods of Olympus is fascinating and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Perhaps most importantly, seeing as the story follows her journey, Danae is not annoying at all. She is naive at the start after being raised in a fairly sheltered environment but she quickly realises what she has to do to survive and doesn't get all mopey about it.

Usually I wish that books are standalones rather than being the start of a series, but the world created in Daughter of Chaos is so rich and the story is so captivating, I'm glad this is a series and I really can't wait to sink my teeth into the next installment.

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm a big fan of greek mythology and have read many retellings, I liked how unique this one was with an original main character and a fresh take on the world. I loved the authors writing style and can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Thank you Netgalley, A.S Webb and Penguin Random House, for giving me the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

Daughter of Chaos is spellbinding. Brilliantly written, A. S. Webb cleverly blends well known myths into Danae’s story. A spell binding adventure, rooted in tragedy and loss as Danae’s sister is assaulted and then kills herself when her baby boy is kidnapped. Danae finds her sister’s body only to discover a golden tree laden with golden apples has sprouted from it. Taking and eating one launches Danae on a treacherous journey. She is thrown out of her home, and travels across Ancient Greece through Athens, to Delphi where she discovers that she is prophesied to destroy the Gods and then accidentally joining the argonauts!

I was breathless the whole time as once Danae gets off Naxos the action is relentless, with Danae fleeing the gods who are desperate to stop her from fulfilling her destiny. I really enjoyed the way the myths are blended into the narrative and the way Webb subverts them to make them fresh and gripping without changing them beyond recognition in the grand tradition of Myth telling. Danae is an engaging character who isn’t afraid of the power she wields. I loved watching her navigate all the challenges that are thrown her way and my heart broke with her’s multiple times as Webb is unflinching when it comes to killing off characters.

I can’t wait to see what comes next!

I'm a sucker for greek mythology inspired fantasy and when I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it! The pacing was fantastic and I loved how ASW weaved classic greek myths and characters into her own story, laying a great foundation for the sequel

yassss absolutely LOVED this book it was the perfect read and I want more!!

thank you so much for letting me read this early!

Danae has power she does not understand and she starts a journey to her destiny. Along the way there will be adventure, danger, friendships and heroes to work with. Will the Gods help or try to stop her reaching her goal.

Very well written and well paced novel. Great characters including Heracles and Jason. There will be battles along the way as Danae tries to fulfil her destiny.

This was an amazing adaptation of Greek mythology, I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and the journey of the protagonist being foreshadowed in the beginning kept me gripped.

FOR MORTALS TO BE FREE THE GODS MUST FALL

In Ancient Greece, the Gods reign with barbaric cruelty.

Scorned by their rulers, mortals starve and die, and some are stolen from their loved ones, vanishing forever.

But a prophecy foretells of hope. When Danae, a fisherman's daughter, starts exhibiting strange powers, a treacherous destiny begins to unfold before her.

Her search for answers sets her on a collision course battling monsters and Gods alike, and joining forces with the mighty Heracles. Little does she know the truth may be more terrifying than she could have ever imagined . . .

Soon, she will learn that she was born to face the challenge.

To hunt the Gods.

To end their tyranny.

To set the mortals free.

absolutely loved this read!!! the world and character building, especially considering this will be the first in the dark pantheon series, was spot on! the narrative has been set up perfectly and i’m really excited for the next book of the series to see the fall of the pantheon through the fmc serving her own personal agenda, alongside that of the mortal world. as with many books of this (sub)genre, i love how mythological tales weave and interact with one another. in this instance we come across theseus, jason and heracles. also a really awesome portrayal of hera.

‘but now she saw it was just a fantasy. an illusion like heracles himself.’

Romance is delicately woven into the story, enhancing the natural and convincing relationships between characters. The ending left me eagerly wanting to know more, I’m already looking forward to the next book!

There’s a lot to like about this book. It’s a good fantasy/mythological retelling romp with an engaging central character. I think the problem with my relationship with this book is entirely me.
I’m pretty much maxed out on mythology at the moment and really need to reach into a different genre. I’m giving it four stars because I think it deserves it but I probably won’t be revisit..

This was a fantastic novel, beautifully paced and full of action, with an authentic feel. I absolutely loved it. Hopefully the typos got fixed in the final published version (e.g. "Burial rights" rather than "rites" and horses' "reigns" rather than "reins"). I hope there's going to be a sequel and I look forward to reading it!

I received a copy to review from netgalley in return for a fair review.

Daughter of Chaos is a Greek mythology retelling. We follow a young woman named Danae, from a family of fishermen, trying to find out what happened to her sister and what the gods have to do with it.

I really struggled with this one. In the beginning of the novel I thought it was really great, very slow but I really felt that the author did a good job with it. Slow enough where you could really get to grips with the character and the setting.

But as I got closer to the halfway point, I found that the writing went a bit downhill. It almost reminds me of a writing exercise, trying to find something exciting and fast-paced to get the main character where they needed to be. Within a very small percentage of the book a lot happens, and it felt very inorganic.

If you are into Greek mythology retelling, I think this book has a lot for you, and if you enjoy this genre, that may be enough. For me, it just wasn't.