This is a retelling of the Greek myth about Danae. She is a multidimensional character in Webb’s retelling - resourceful, capable, demonstrates various emotions, makes interesting decisions.

The prose was one of the strongest suits of Daughter of Chaos - it was gripping and Webb has her own style.
I am looking forward to the second book and I anticipate I will like it a bit more since the slower beginning in this first book will be behind me.

Plot 3/5
Characterisation 4/5
Mood 4/5
Pacing 2.5/5
Resolution 3/5

3.5 stars rounded down. I recommend this book - there are readers who will enjoy this a lot.

The first line on the blur had me... In Ancient Greece .....Greek mythology and history you have me straight away....

This is going to be an amazing series.....

Starting off in a normal Greek island with a religious festival, things only just get started......chaos and tragedy get this book off the starting blocks....Oracles, unknown destinies, and travelling Anciet Greece begin....

This book had everything I love Greek Gods, Famous Hero's, and even Greek Monsters.....A S Webb manages to bring it all together without it being boring making you just want to read just one more chapter when you should be doing something else.....I love the way old Greek tales /Heros were involved with the main character...

Just when you think you know the answers to everything, another spanner gets thrown in to the twist.....so looking forward to how this adventure/destiny is going to turn out....I'm not looking to the wait for the next installment ...

This is definitely going to be a best seller and one of my favourite reads this year.

Daughter of Chaos - A.S. Webb
The Dark Pantheon No. 1
Release Date: 16th Jan 2024
Rating: 5/5 Stars

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FOR MORTALS TO RISE THE GODS MUST FALL.

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Greek retellings aren’t something that I would usually pick up, however, reading the synopsis made me intrigued and I’m so glad that it did. Daughter of Chaos was everything that I would want from a Greek retelling - in which it felt more like an Ancient Greek fantasy reimagined. The world building felt unforced, characters were introduced in an accessible way, and A.S Webb hasn’t shied say from the darker side of the Greek gods.

Danae’s character has me invested, desperately wanting to see where she went next, or more often than not, what she was going to do next. The supporting characters never felt oversaturated and it felt like they all had a place and a reason to be there without diluting the story.

The pace, for me, was perfect. There was never a moment where I felt like I was forcing myself to continue, there was always something going on, and I always wanted to know what was coming next. This being said, the reason I haven’t given 5 stars is because the ending felt slightly out of pace from the rest of the book with a lot happening in a pretty short section.

The epilogue … Yes! It sets up the tone for the next book perfectly. It was not what I was expecting to be introduced, but I’m so excited to see where it goes.

Overall, I would strongly recommend Daughter of Chaos to anyone. A. S. Webb, I can’t wait to see where you take book two too! Definitely one to watch for 2025!

Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and author A. S. Webb for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

To call this a Greek Mythology retelling would be vastly understating what it truly is. It’s more a complete overhaul. A reimagining and reshaping of the myths we’ve come to know and it does it masterfully.

Danae is a wonderful protagonist. Flawed and wonderfully human in that she is both brave and acts with confidence in the moment, whilst remaining unconfident and questioning of those same choices after the moment. I loved the side characters and how they each played a role in defining who Danae becomes as she navigates her path and grows into herself.

I’m so glad I got to read this eARC but equally I’m so sad I’ll now have to wait an absolute age to continue Danae’s journey and find out what happens next. Gah! It’s such a long wait! But I know this author is definitely on my must read list now. What an absolutely phenomenal debut!

Thank you to NetGalley, A.S. Webb and Penguin Random House for gifting me this eARC in exchange for my honest review. The pleasure truly was all mine!

Webb has created a beautifully written high stakes, fast paced fantasy. While the novel is set up with a heavy amount of world building it is worth it to get to the exciting story that Webb creates. The prose of the novel is expertly written and weaved beautifully with the scene of Ancient Greece. The reader is slammed with a plot twist at the end which only propels them into the next instalment. This is an absolutely exciting read, and perfect for anyone who loves high stakes high fantasy reads.

A Greek myth inspired fantasy following a fisherman's daughter trying to bring down the gods. I wanted to like this but the comp titles in the blurb are entirely misleading. Too many characters all lacking in character development, unconvincing romances, an unbelievable number of side quests and dangerous situations, rushed pacing but somehow the plot takes 90% of the book to actually get back to the opening flash forward. This is a YA at best and not a well written one at that. Not one for me.

Honestly overall this was pretty good it just wasn't anything mindblowing but I probably would continue with the series

Enjoyable but a tad forgetul. I enjoyed the setting but the plot fell flat at certain points. Intrigued to try more.

I loved this, it’s electric, emotional and the ending left me on the edge of my seat. Danae is a fantastic MC, she’s fearless, loyal to her family and such a beautiful enigma.

Huge thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC, via NetGalley.

Daughter of Chaos is the first book in The Dark Pantheon series and it is a Greek Mythology retelling. It follows Danae who is a fisherman’s daughter who starts emitting powers. She has a destiny unfolding before her but her search for answers and an understanding of her power means joining forces with Heracles to free mortals from the Gods.

This wasn’t for me at all and I feel bad for requesting an arc. This was just very flat for me and it did absolutely nothing for me in terms of enjoyment. I honestly don’t feel anything towards this story. I’ve been struggling with Greek Mythology retelling’s recently due to how saturated this area has gotten and unfortunately I don’t think this needed to be written. It just didn’t do anything new and it’s the same tired story that you’ll find in most Greek Mythology retellings nowadays.

This is a very different take on a Greek retelling from anything else I have ever read. Jennifer Saint and Madeline Miller are my familiar style of mythology stories, but A.S. Webb’s world building, interconnected characters and historical fantasy made it that much more exciting.

Daughter of Chaos took me a while to recognise that it was in fact fantasy, partly because the storyline was written so well. It can easily blend with Ancient Greek history as the most famous names in mythology are woven throughout.

Danae is effectively in her ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ era as after the death of her sister, a series of events unfolds that she cannot explain, resulting in Danae having no choice but to flee her home of Naxos.

Every challenge, every interaction, every near miss, made Danae’s journey an addictive page-turning experience. A strong female lead, struggling with her own inner-demons whilst having to play the role of unfamiliar characters to get the answers that she seeks.

The Gods are cruel and not as omnipotent as many believe as Danae allies with Heracles and other well-known names from Greek mythology to follow the whispers of a prophecy that is her final hope.

This book was an exciting read that I highly recommend.

I really want to rate it higher but as much as I loved the adventure and challenges of the MC, there were A LOT, that didn’t seem necessary. I also was really disappointed in the ending as it felt rushed and I came away with a lot of questions.

However, I would absolutely read this again.

Thank you Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the arc in return for an honest review!

“For mortals to be free the gods must fall”

A tale inspired by Greek myth which follows a Fisherman’s daughter on her journey from outcast to the prophesied end to the 12 Gods.

Daughter of Chaos is a super fast paced read that doesn’t shy away from the horror of the Greek gods (I mean Zeus's well known for his questionable choices) and questions who and what the figures she and her people have held up as Gods really are.

I really enjoy Greek mythology and its retellings, and "Daughter of Chaos" was no exception. I found Danae to be an engaging heroine, and enjoyed the author's writing style.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast paced (occasionally too fast paced) fantasy take on the Greek myth of Danae, mother of Perseus. It was a little light on deep characterisation, but as quick entertainment it was fine. Definitely more for those who want a Greek myth flavour rather than anyone who knows the mythology really well (including the probable origins of a lot of it). Good fun.

Daughter of Chaos by AS Webb is the story of Danae, living in Ancient Greece. The country’s citizens live under the cruel reign of twelve gods who demand more and more in tribute. When Danae has a scary and unexplainable experience she is forced to flee from her home when she’s accused of being a demon. On the run, and trying to make her way to a temple where she can seek help, she crosses paths with the Demi-god Heracles. Together they must face many battles to reach their respective destinations. But Danae is hiding that she is the one prophesied to bring about the downfall of the gods and free Ancient Greece from their cruelness.

This was a really different book for me and put me out of my comfort zone as I don’t know much about Greek mythology. That being said it was easy to follow and engaging. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next in this series!

Incredible story! Greek retellings or storylines can sometimes feel slow or overdone, but this was not the case for Daughter of Chaos. This is an Epic Ancient Greek fantasy.

A.S.Webb created such an incredible world and characters that I simultaneously could put the book down but didn't want it to end. I respected the fact that there was LGBTQ+ representation that felt cohesive to the storyline without feeling forced.

I have already been recommending this book to all of my friends/family and predict this will be a hit! I think I've just found my new favourite fantasy author. I cannot wait for the continuation of Danae's adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley, A.S. Webb and the publishers Michael Joseph for this eARC.

Theres something about a greek mythology book that just makes you need to read it.

Daughter of Chaos is interesting. The main question i was asking myself is who really is Danae. I got to the end of the book and needed the next one because despite reading every work I still dont know, or really understand her. For me the start of the book was a little slow. Whilst things happened I began to think Id picked up the wrong book.

Danaes story takes you on a journey across Greece blending fact and mythology, as with many books that are the first in the series theres some world and character building that will liley mean more later on but feels a little unnessary at the time.
It suprsied me that I really want to know what happens, I didnt realise quite how invested i was until the last page

This is an enjoyable, fast paced hero story with a twist. But it is relentlessly in motion, and I would have liked some intervals where something wasn’t happening, but characters were being developed. Though you do get to know many of the characters well, it is largely when they’re in extremis which reveals only part of who they are. There is a lot of violence throughout which was not of concern to me but potential readers should be aware of. The main character is likeable, and I enjoyed the fact that she was learning as she went. I’ve always loved Greek myths since I was a tiny child, and this book both fed into that but also jarred with it slightly. But not to the extent that it spoiled it for me. It’s well written and engaging. I was disappointed with the ending which was more a hook for whatever is to come next than providing any sort of fulfilling ending which was a shame.

It’s been a week since I read this and I can’t stop thinking about it! 10/10, no notes, impatiently waiting for the next book.

ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of Chaos by A. S. Webb Review
Rating: 3/5

Daughter of Chaos is the book that young me obsessed with Greek mythology would have loved.

What I liked:
The premise is very unique, yes it does have “chosen one” trope energy but I don’t mind that when it’s done well. I’ve always had theories and ideas about the Greek gods and goddesses and this book felt like my own personal sandbox to play through those ideas.

And it didn’t shy away from the gruesomeness and horrors of Greek myths and legends. If Zeus was around today he would be arrested many times over for endless crimes, he may be the head of the gods but he’s quite terrifying too. I would never want his attention.

The world building was also quite good, it felt a little like I was playing Assassins Creed Odyssey again which was a very fun feeling.

What I wasn’t a fan of:
The pacing felt far too rushed a lot of the time, but also too slow in others. The beginning portion with the main character’s family could have been shortened a lot and still felt just as dramatic a start to an adventure. But at the same time, I wanted to feel like I knew the characters more, they didn’t feel consistent to me so I was never sure about their motivations, what they were going to do next, or how they’d react to a particular situation.

I understood that Danae was quick to anger, but I didn’t really understand why - wasn’t shown her frustrations at being a woman in this world enough, wasn’t shown stories of her as a young child starting fights with the local kids and being shown how to control her anger by her father and channel it into something useful. I wanted to see more distinct personalities and inside people’s heads a lot more than I did.

And everyone we came across who was an interesting character seemed to either leave right away or die immediately. I saw at least three people that I would have loved to see more of and how they interact with the main character a lot more, but they were written out far too quickly to even see much of who they were, let alone leave any room for character development.

Maybe if the first part had been quicker, more in the pace of the set up of a fairytale kind of vibe, then more time could have been given to characterisation and development in the later portion.

Overall I enjoyed this book, it was a fun read, but I’m not sure it’s memorable enough for me to want to pick up a sequel just yet.

However, If you liked Percy Jackson, The Goddess Test series, or are just a fan of Greek mythology and want an easy and fun read then this book is definitely worth a go.