Ariadne | 
pickI enjoyed this. I‘m through Saint‘s retellings now & I have found that she has a good tone in her writing for all of them however then it is dependent on how much I connected with the myths themselves. Ariadne‘s story told from the perspective of Ariadne & Phaedra was very intriguing from start to finish.
I can't believe it's almost time for the May #BookSpin draw! New to the list this month are the tagged and Red Mars. I'm still a little bit behind on my challenge reads but hopefully I'll make more progress soon.
I've decided to stop reading this genre. I find it too damn depressing. Nicely written but not for me.
#Rol100 @PuddleJumper
pick4.5 Stars • In "Ariadne," Jennifer Saint weaves a captivating tale of love, betrayal, and divine retribution in the realm of Greek mythology. The story follows Ariadne, Princess of Crete and sister to the infamous Minotaur, who aids Theseus in defeating the beast. Betraying her family and country, Ariadne places her trust in the promise of a future with Theseus, only to be abandoned on the island of Naxos. ⬇️
pickI was a math major, but my favorite, most remembered, and markedly difficult class was in the English Dept - Mythology, taught by a phenomenal PhD storyteller. This book took me right back to that classroom. Upon finishing, I read GR reviews noting it failed a strong feminism POV. That may be true, but I chuckled because I didn‘t think to read for that perspective. I was just back in that long ago classroom.
July #BookSpin Cat: Fantasy
“The need to ask Why mortals bloom like flowers and crumbled to nothing ? Why their absence left a gnawing ache , a hollow void that could never be filled ? And how everything they once were , that spark within them , could be extinguished so completely yet the world did not collapse under the weight of so much pain and grief . “
pickI usually find Greek myth retellings fairly slow and this wasn‘t any different but I was interested in the feminist aspect, referring to how women are punished for heroes and gods‘ actions. From other Greek myths I‘ve read before, she‘s not wrong.
For some reason I got Ariadne mixed up with Arachne so the whole book I was wondering when she was going to turn into a spider. Spoiler: she doesn‘t.
#fantasy #mythology #retelling #greekmyth
Saw this on instagram. I can‘t help thinking what‘s the point of underlining if it‘s for the whole page?
pickSimilar to “Circe” and “Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, “Ariadne” elevates characters largely ignored by Greek mythology and tells their stories. I really loved this book and am excited to read more by Jennifer Saint (including “Electra”, which I need to get my hands on).
pickI was definitely the kid obsessed with Greek Mythology in grade school! This was fine! Easy read! Had some good callbacks I didn‘t expect!
pickJennifer Saint is so good. I‘m going to read all her books. I loved the way this book looked at sisterhood and time/eternity.
pick🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟beautiful, atmospheric, melancholy. Lyrical. I loved this wonderful retelling tragedy of Ariadne. Recommend!
pickSaint does an excellent job of bringing this Greek myth to life. It‘s not a particularly happy tale, but told in a very engaging way.
pickI loved this one! I've been hesitant about the Greek retellings as I didn't enjoy The Silence of the Girls or Ithaca. This one reminded me why I love them so much and characters I knew very little about going in. This author ranks up there with Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes for me.
I stumbled into The Works and accidently left with 6 books. 🤦🏻♀️👀
Here are some of the books I currently have listed on Pango Books! I mostly have vintage romance novels from my aunt's huge collection, but there are also some newer reads 📚 My aunt had every book but one in the Golden Harlequin Library hardcover set, and I'm slowly getting all of those listed!
I also have an original, unopened boxed set of the Dune trilogy, for any collectors out there!
https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/wordslinger42
Still rereading this! Fave quote from this book: 'I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself.' Also, the cover was the inspiration behind these nails ✨️💙
pickCurled up with a hot water bottle and this absolute stunner ✨️ this is a reread as I am doing it with the Senior Book Club in school. It is so gorgeously crafted and has prompted some super discussions around the place of women in Greek mythology.
pickI really liked this book! First I thought that it was kind of heavy and difficult to read because the book starts by telling a lot of mythological details about the main characters and their family. But when the book got going the athmosphere changes totally and it is very nice ro read and the story is compelling.
Came to hotel bar to have a pot of tea and read a bit. It is very difficult here to get tea that is well brewed. They put always too much tea leafs in and this time it was so undrinkable that I had to ask more water to put in to make it drinkable even though I just let it brew for like a minute. It was still too strong. 😅🍵
Birthday Poke bowl & book 😋📚
If you ever visit Estonia remember to try honey cake in some cafeteria. It's sooo good! 😋
I'm a bit surprised how heavy the start of this book is. There are so many small stories about the ancient gods that it is difficult to remember who everyone is and how they relate to the main character. 🤔
Book outlet haul ☺️
All eyes on the calendar to see today is Happy National Book Lovers Day!
so-soPerhaps a little TOO faithful a retelling. Certainly a feminist slant, but I prefer a Madeline Miller spin that means there's a slightly less depressing end for all those involved. Jennifer Saint managed to couch all this madness in empathy which means I can't be angry at these characters for attempting to make the best of a bad situation which somehow repeatedly ended up making things worse. To recap: ancient Greek gods suck, most men did too.
so-soThis was really slow to get going & there was lots of droning on descriptions of the indecision of the characters said 3 different ways in a single paragraph which was annoying; the book could be half as long without this. Then suddenly right before the end it stops being boring & starts being harrowing. Not my most cherished read & I doubt I'd read it again but as it is the debut novel for the author some leniency is due. Love the artwork though.
pickI do love a myth retelling and this one was … fine I guess. The story was well told, characters nicely fleshed out but if felt somehow lacking compared to BArker, Miller etc in some ways it felt a little YA in the thinness of the story. A pick but maybe just about
pick4 1/2 🌟
@julesG @TrishB @Caroline2 @CGainor3 @Cathythoughts @squirrelbrain @rockpools @Oryx @Leniverse @Susanita @scripturient
#booked2022 #thinkgreek @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage
#pop22 #constellationintitleorcover @RaeLovesToRead @Kalalalatja @Megabooks @KarenUK @Laughterhp @Cortg
I think I've remembered to tag everyone! 😂😂😂
I‘m very late to #wrapup #AwesomeApril for no reason other than I kept forgetting! Anyway, I wanted to finish Ariadne and maybe whatever else came off the hold list or caught my fancy, as well as make progress on the other books I have going.
I finished Ariadne and thought it was fine. Certain parts I liked a lot, but overall it kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Circe is better! Just sayin‘
I also finished a mystery and read some other chapters.
bailedUgh! A YA-ish "retelling" of Greek myths. I was waiting for the promised feminist twist.
#Gladstonerds @rockpools @squirrelbrain @TrishB @Oryx @Caroline2 @scripturient @Leniverse @eraderneely @jhod @jenniferw88 @Susanita @CGainor3 @RaeLovesToRead @Cathythoughts
pickBetween a pick and a so-so. I wanted to see what happened, so I persevered and learned some mythology along the way. I‘m glad I read it, and I‘m glad it‘s finished. I‘m exhausted from all the drama !
#Gladstonerds
@Leniverse @TrishB @julesG @scripturient @jenniferw88 @RaeLovesToRead @jhod @rockpools @Susanita @squirrelbrain @Oryx @Caroline2 @CGainor3 ( I hope I‘ve tagged everyone)
It's a gorgeous day for reading outside with gateau!
Haven't actually started the bookclub pick yet, but I may take it on holiday with me 💙
bailedIt's the morning for Ariadne reviews @squirrelbrain @Caroline2
I decided last night for an 'active' bail on this one (normally my bails are passive, i.e. me not being bothered to go back). I didn't like this one - it felt overwritten, overwrought, melodramatic. I feel mean to the author, because I've never written a book so who am I to judge, but it felt quite high school... 😬 Definitely YA vibes. And I really enjoy Greek myths, so disappointed.
