I liked the character's perspectives, but it was a little hard to tell the difference between Ariadne's chapters and Phaedra's chapters. Their voices were a bit too similar. It was also hard to see any character growth but still an enjoyable story nonetheless.

I requested Ariadne as background reading for promotional coverage agreed with marketing. We ran two programs: First Impressions - our early reader program with native ad coverage at time of sale and we are currently running a book club program as well. The book was very well received by our member-reviewers so, in addition to the booked promotional activity, we also ran a "This Week's Top Picks" feature and wrote our own "beyond the book" article:

Personally, while I didn't review the book myself, I would rate it a solid 5 and have recommended to many since, and will continue to do so:

Review:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/r2273216/ariadne#reviews
Beyond the Book:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/ref/r2273216/ariadne#btb

I didn't know I was such a fan of mythological re-tellings. I quite enjoyed this book and think it's a great companion novel to Daughters of Sparta or Circe.

4.5 rounded up.

A feminist retelling of the myth of Ariadne. There are a whole host of versions of the story of this princess of Crete, but Saint stays to the main narrative of Hesiod. She also brings in the myths that touched Ariadne's life, especially those of the Minotaur, which is the first part of the book, and Ariadne's sister Phaedra, who appears in multiple sections. The writing is beautiful, without being pretentious, and flowing. It keeps you engaged. Using the perspectives of both Phaedra and Ariadne allows Saint to show each character's weakness in self-perception by showing the view of the sister to reach a more balanced picture.

There is a good conversation to be had here of what is historically accurate vs modern hopes and ideals vs human nature. The half star is because it started with so many modern ideas of feminism put in the mouths of the girls raised in Crete. Saint finds a better balance later in the book.

Thank you to Jennifer Saint, Flatiron Books, and Netgalley for the advance ecopy in exchange for an honest opinion!

I was hoping to love this book, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I always appreciate a Greek retelling, especially when women are reclaiming their own narratives, but Ariadne's story just seemed to be sadness upon sadness. It was very well written and I was compelled.

Loved it! I really need to let this one sink in, but if you liked Circe or mythological retellings, give it a try! Can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

This mythological novel reimagines the story of Ariadne—the Cretan princess who helped Theseus slay the Minotaur, only to be discarded by him in ruin. It’s no secret that I love myth retellings, and this is a good one! At first, I was thrown off by how fast the story was moving, but once I got to Part Two and say how Saint was opening up the world and her characters, I was pleasantly surprised. The book goes in a very different direction than I expected and ultimately explores the way women of ancient myth were punished for the wrongs of the men in their lives. If you’re like me and can’t get enough retellings, you’ll want to check this one out

I absolutely loved this Greek mythology retelling! This novel focuses on Ariadne's story and also her youngest sister, Phaedra's story. Jennifer Saint beautifying told Ariadne's story of love, betrayal, and resilience! I really enjoyed how this story tied in with other mythology stories that I was already familiar with. The author gives the divine gods so many human characteristics which makes them so much more relatable. This was such a fun read and gave me Circe vibes! I LOVE Greek mythology and am happy to say that this one lives up to the hype.

I love the trend of bringing mythological women's stories to the forefront. I was pleased to find this one makes a pretty solid comparison to Circe and The Witch's Heart. Ariadne has always been a favorite myth of mine - there's something so painful and relatable about her story. I don't know any woman who hasn't felt abandoned at some point.

There aren't many surprises in this genre. If you've ever gone through a greek god phase, you know the whole story of Ariadne and those who surround her. However, there's something comforting and anxiety-inducing of experiencing a roller coaster with a one-way track. The author makes Ariadne and Phaedra incredibly human and treats their feelings with care. An enchanting and heartfelt book.

Just thrilled with this book - everything I was hoping for and then some. For fans of well-written historical fiction, you can’t miss with this title.

As a huge fan of Circe and almost any novel featuring mythology, I was excited to read Ariadne. While the two stories feature famous tales, each other gives it their own unique spin on the story. While I am very familiar with the main story of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur, I could not recall any other details about the main character. Therefore, I was very excited to read all about this excellent heroine.

The novel begins with a slower introduction to Ariadne. King Minos and Pasiphae, Ariadne’s parents, are presented, as well as the other main character, Phaedra, Ariadne’s sister. It then transitions to the origin and birth of the Minotaur with the myth of Pasiphae and the sacred bull being covered. There is also more detail given to the labyrinth’s origins. While this portion of the story is a straightforward retelling of the myth, it is written in a very accessible manner, so even those who are not a huge fan of Greek Mythology can read and relate. The recurring theme of men taking precedence over women is presented early on in this novel where the story of Medusa is presented. Poseidon goes after Medusa in Athena’s temple. Athena gets angry at Medusa, a beautiful mortal at the time, and punishes her for not being able to resist Poseidon. Medusa is then transformed into the “monster” with the snake hair that is well known and “feared.”

Each year, seven young daughters and seven young sons are sacrificed to the Minotaur. Theseus arrives on Crete among the sacrifices where Ariadne takes an immediate shine to him. She decides to help him in the maze and believes the two of them will be together when he returns to Athens. After traveling to the island of Naxos, Theseus leaves Ariadne alone. Here she ends up meeting Dionysus, the God of wine and drink. Theseus ends up marrying Phaedra. The story switches between the points of view of Phaedra and Ariadne. I was surprised when Phaedra’s perspective was introduced as I thought it would be only through Ariadne. I greatly enjoyed getting this new point of view as I knew very little about Phaedra before this story. All the characters were well written and I loved getting more details about them. Both Dionysus and Theseus are well known, but it was nice to learn more about them and see them as the secondary to Ariadne and Phaedra.

The writing of this story is a great mix of lyrical and modern as it follows the classic mythology approach, at least those that I read, where it almost feels like a story within a story, and manipulating the wording to be more accessible to the reader. The story itself takes all of the known events from mythology and tells it from the women, who are typically forgotten. Therefore, there are not a lot of surprises in this story if you are familiar with the myths, but they are put together in a very captivating manner. The pacing worked well in this story to keep the reader captivated throughout. There are a few moments where it felt a little slow and a portion of the ending, I felt, could have been stretched out a little more to give it the attention it deserved. As a whole, it kept me interested, as there was the sense of foreboding lurking around every corner.

I really hope that Jennifer Saint continues to write mythology tales, as I was incredibly impressed that this was her debut novel. The story proves that Ariadne’s life did not begin and end with Theseus and she was so much more than just playing a single role in his story. There is a lot of growth with Phaedra and Ariadne as they are not the same characters by the end that they were in the beginning of the story. True to form, this story is not full of light-heartedness, but there are moments of happiness woven with the tragedies. Overall, this story is perfect for those that are a fan of the genre and is a great novel for those that was a great story about those that are usually in the background in favor of the “heroes.”

**I give a special thank you to @Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this fantastic novel in both paperback and via Netgalley! The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Just in case you didn’t already know, I am a big fan of mythology retellings, so I was very excited to read 𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄 by debut author, Jennifer Saint. Her story shines a light on Ariadne and Phaedra, sisters to the fabled Minotaur, whose birth brought shame and terror to the kingdom of Crete. When young prince Theseus arrives from Athens to take on the raging Minotaur, both sisters are slightly smitten, and do their parts to help him succeed. ⁣
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As is typical in mythology, the sisters are rewarded with mistreatment and back-stabbing by both the men and gods in whose world they reside. Banished from Crete, Ariadne and Phaedra face very different fates, but each fights on. Despite the challenges, they build lives for themselves, and grow stronger and more determined for doing so. ⁣
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I love books that focus on lesser known players in Greek mythology, especially the too often overlooked women. I thought Saint did a wonderful job with that as did @madeline.e.miller with 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘦, Pat Barker with 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, and @nataliehaynesauthor with 𝘈 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴. I’d say that’s a pretty impressive club to be joining!
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Thanks to @flatiron_books for an e-galley of Ariadne..⁣
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I really enjoyed this contemporary look at Ariadne. I read a great deal of Greek mythology when I was in college, and have retained a taste for it, particularly in new translations or new approaches.

I thought the author did a great job of creating real characters of out of classical figures, who often can be one or two-dimensional. Ariadne emerged as a fully formed young woman of her time, and I loved the way she, her mother and her sister were the main characters in a story that otherwise would have been focused on her father and her suitor.

The writing was lively and engaging and I felt like I really got to know all the main characters as humans (or gods.)

Written in the tradition of Madeline Miller’s “Circe” and Natalie Hayne’s “A Thousand Ships,” Ariadne is another contemporary retelling where a female character (or characters) can step out of the small side roles they’ve held in their respective myths for thousands of years and onto center stage to give some new perspective. Here, it’s the daughters of King Minos, Ariadne (and her younger sister Phaedra) whom author Jennifer Saint shines the spotlight upon.

Until now, my only experience of the title character was her crucial yet also bit role in the tale of Theseus and the minotaur, where after quickly falling for the hero she supplies him with the ball of thread that he needs to eventually escape the labyrinth, and afterward, their relationship quickly meets its end when she is left on the island of Naxos for the wine god Dionysus. Given the relative brevity of her appearance in the original myths, I was interested to see how Ariadne would be and fleshed out. And Saint definitely does not disappoint on this front. Given that Ariadne is the mortal granddaughter of the sun-god Helios and the sister of a bull-man-beast that dines on Athenian youth in a horrid tribute system set up by her father, she is given much to say on matters like family, love, and the cruelty and pettiness of the gods in a matter that both seem realistic yet also fits in perfectly well with the fantastical setting that she inhabits. Later on in the story, after becoming acquainted with Dionysus, she ends up having to contend even more with the nature of the ultimately flawed Olympian gods, who are simultaneously too human in so many aspects and not human in others. To say the least, it all gets quite complex for her, and it’s this very aspect of the story that I found to be the most engaging.

The book unfortunately does end up dragging at points. There are several instances where characters provide essentially their entire backstory to Ariadne up to their meeting with her. And these are not fellow (former) minor characters, but literal heroes and gods who have already been in the spotlight for ages. Not only that, but their personal tales end up being little more than almost beat-by-beat retellings of their respective classic myths with nothing else added by Saint. Now granted, this may be helpful for readers who may not have a strong familiarity with Greek mythology. However, I write this as someone who has already read a fair share of classic Greek mythology in my time. I specifically picked up this title to gain a fresh perspective on an age-old tale through the eyes of someone new, and not to be bored by reading the tale of Theseus or the origins of Dionysus for the umpteenth time of my life.

So, it does end up being something of an uneven read. Where it slogs, it admittedly slogs a sizable amount. However, when it stays focused on its namesake, it most definitely shines. Ariadne has probably never been so fully realized as a full person in literal millennia.

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is a Greek Mythology lovers dream. Fans of Circe and The Song of Achilles will love this book. It is IMMERSED in the Greek culture and myths and tales we all know and love. Ariadne is one of my favorites. She was a traitor, a princess, a lover but had a pure heart. She decided early on that if her life was to end tragically because of the foolishness of men and gods, she would go down burning on all cylinders.

Jennifer Saint writes Adriane's story so beautifully. Ariadne's story may be filled with heart ache and tragedy but its also enchanting and magic and epic. Ariadne finds loves. She finds her purpose. She lives a good life. And she becomes immortal in the sky.

Jennifer Saint, Ariadne is a perfectly stunning debut. I hope you write more.

Title: Ariadne
Author: Jennifer Saint
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover's ambition?

This is not a happy book, so if you’re looking for some light reading, maybe put this one off for a bit. Excellent writing and vivid characters, and I found the story fascinating, especially life in Crete, the “true” story of a legendary hero, and Dionysus—who was not what I expected at all. But, this was not a happy time for women, and that dragged a lot of enjoyment out of the book, realistic though it probably is/was.

Jennifer Saint was a high school English teacher. Ariadne is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Flat Iron Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(blog link live 5/18.)

This book is heartbreaking in the way that being a girl in the world can be heartbreaking. I found myself drawn into Ariadne's story, her life that is at times both ordinary and extraordinary. She is a figure both mythological and very, very human. I admit in my ignorance of much of Greek Mythology I did not know of Ariadne or her part in the Minotaur's story. I'm glad this book served as my introduction. I love this genre of stories being reclaimed by the woman they originally forgot.
I like that Ariadne is not your typical heroine. She isn't particularly strong or brave or beautiful. This made her relatable and her story all the more heart-wrenching.
I know the story of the labyrinth has been told before, but I found myself wanting more details about the famed event or just more about the labyrinth itself. But that isn't what the story is about, it's about what happens after. The middle drags a little and I wish there was more of Phaedra from the beginning because I found her inclusion as a narrator abrupt in the middle of the story. However, everything comes together in the end. I find myself still thinking about it, the message of the story and the women who will always be the collateral, left behind in men's wake of destruction.

https://geekmom.com/2021/05/the-ariadne-i-never-knew-i-needed/
I have a weak spot for mythology. You might call it my Achilles heel, ahem. Greek, Norse, Irish, oh bring me gods and fairies of all shapes and levels of malevolence. It is why the Thor movies, all of the Thor movies, remain in my top five of the MCU lineup. Yes, I really mean all the Thor movies, dark elves and all. I love a good retelling of an old tale, a reworking of a legend, or even just a simple re-hash of all the other things that have come before. Stephen Fry has taken pride of place of late as my preferred storyteller of Greek mythology, though my kids and I have been listening to the Greeking Out podcast by National Geographic and eagerly await a second season.

So I could think of no better way to spend Mother’s Day than curled up outside, watching my children play, and reading Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, which was released just this past week. Set on the shores of Crete, Naxos, and Athens, here is a telling of Ariadne with a female gaze. Plunging the reader immediately into the heart of Greek mythology, Saint alternates between the perspective of the two Cretian princesses. We hear of Minos, of the Minotaur, of Theseus, of Daedalus, of course, but the primary concern is where these men intersect with the women, and not vice versa. This is not a retelling of the story of Theseus, this is the story of Ariadne, with a brief appearance by Theseus. The unheard voices of Ariadne and Phaedra tell what it was like to see Theseus for the first time, and for the last. But there is so much more to both of their stories than the thoughts they cast in his direction. While many retellings focus on the betrayal of Minos by his daughter Ariadne, or on the act of Theseus saving the Athenians, here we linger on Naxos with the abandoned princess. We walk along the rocky paths contemplating death and forgiveness with a woman who gave up everything she knew and loved for everything she did not know. Imagine if Elena Ferrante’s Days of Abandonment was set in ancient Greece.

Almost as an inside joke on the focus of Ariadne itself, early on in the story the maid of the princesses tells them the story of Medusa, but from Medusa’s perspective. They had only ever heard of the brave Perseus before, and you can feel their perspective shattering as you read.

My tears had stilled now and I listened intently. I only knew Medusa as a monster. I had not thought she had ever been anything else. The stories of Perseus did not allow for a Medusa with a story of her own… “Why did you tell us that story, Eirene, instead of one of the usual ones?” She stroked my hair but her eyes were fixed on a distant point. “I thought it was time that you knew something different,” she answered.

Throughout the tales of the two sisters, we are consistently reminded that mankind is nothing but the pawns of the gods. With a female perspective, we spend more time around the notion that women are the pawns of gods and men alike. As we travel from Crete to Naxos, from Crete to Athens, from Athens to Naxos, we learn of the strength of women in the face of vain men and petty gods. When I was done with the journey of Ariadne, I realized how little a self-professing mythology junkie like myself had paid attention to some of these women. Despite a desire to always see things from an alternate perspective, to find the maligned woman in the narrative, I still find myself slipping into the so-called traditional view of these stories. With so many tellings of Greek mythology we are given such glorious and gloriously flawed representations of man, that it is easy to take up the mindset that the gods are the only controlling, petulant beings. Men, however, can be far worse. Saint’s descriptions of the wonderful, amazing Hercules make you pause and question everything you ever thought you knew:




No brawny Hercules had lounged on couches in the Amazonian halls bragging of vanquishing and murdering and searing his name across history.

It’s hard to sing along with Disney’s “Go the Distance” after this.

What happens to the side of the “hero,” when the monster is defeated and the woman claimed is abandoned? What happens when a woman falls in love, but not with her husband? Saint adds flesh and bone to the Cretian princesses that are so often left to the footnotes, bringing the reader along into the uneasy “what comes next” after the failure of the happily-ever-after. Ariadne’s early days on Naxos, her encounter with the god Dionysus, her marriage, her elevation, and her final downfall. No spoilers here—all Greek myths end with a downfall.

Saint explores the bonds of motherhood with three very different mothers and the ties of sisters that bind and unbind so easily in this tale. Her depiction of postpartum depression in all three women, showing clearly how differently it affects every woman, is simply stunning. I read Phaedra’s words remembering the lump of stone that would form in my gut as night approached in the early days of my own undiagnosed PPD.

I developed a grim kind of capability. He cried and I nursed him. I paced the floors with him and I even sang to him. When it did not work, the fury would build in my throat; night after night, I swallowed it back down again and persevered. I hoped that if I carried on as though I were a normal mother, eventually it would become true.

So I find myself wanting more from Saint and more from these familiar stories. The refrain of the maid Eirene will ring through my soul each time I now read a familiar tale:

I thought it was time that you knew something different

Mother’s Day always affords me some leisure time. My partner likes to take the brunt of the “Can I have,” “I need,” “Mom! Mom! Mom!” of this particular day, and in the last few years I have used the time to catch up on some reading. This year I just could not put Ariadne down, and I was done reading within 24 hours, wanting to start the whole thing over. The ending of the story, an ending that I had so dreaded, was so poetic and tragic, all at once so beautiful and so horrendous.

Actually, what I was left wanting was a retelling of all the old Grecian tales from the perspective of their maligned women. Next on my reading list, Circe by Madeline Miller, perhaps, or The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker. If Saint could also work with Shondaland on the TV show of Ariadne, well I would be in Olympus itself.

Ariadne was a fantastic read that drew you in with its characters and plot and didn't let go. The book was well written and really connected you to the characters. was fast paced and it was so interesting to hear the story of Ariadne from her own perspective. We go through her life from when her brother, the Minotaur, was born through his defeat. Then we see what happens in her life after she leaves with Theseus. I feel like I did not know much about her before reading this book so this book did a great job of bringing her to life. The book was well written and really connected you to the characters. After reading this I wanted to read more about Greek mythology.

Ariadne flips the legend of Theseus, minotaur-slayer, on its head, focusing instead on the titular Ariadne and her sister, Phaedra. But is this particular odyssey into the well-trodden realm of Greek myth retellings worth the trials ahead? Time to trade in our Dark Horse picks for Dark Pegasus picks and find out, because Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne whisks us away to a cutthroat branch of Greek mythology torn straight from Athena’s olive tree.

Ariadne is the eldest daughter of Minos. Minos rules Crete with sharp words and an iron fist. Oh, and his minotaur son is locked in an underground labyrinth beneath his castle, to which Athens must sacrifice fourteen children each year to pay for past crimes. In the third year of this sacrificial tradition, Theseus, the prince of Athens, joins as one of the sacrifices and plans to slay the minotaur. Ariadne is swept off her feet by the rugged and handsome prince and decides to assist Theseus in his quest by sailing off with him into what she believes will be a life full of romance and heir-making romps in Athens.

If you know the myth, you know Ariadne’s vision doesn’t quite pan out. But I’ll leave the details for you in case you plan to pick this book up. Personally, I found a few elements of Ariadne that resonated with me and others that held me back as I trekked through the maze story.

Jennifer Saint’s prose is as sweet as grapes grown under Dionysus’ watchful eye. Saint has a knack for writing in a tone that feels at home in Ancient Greece. At the same time, her words all feel fresh. It’s an impressive balance, and I noted multiple passages that felt equally at home in a classic myth or a modern tale.

I struggled, though, to sink my reading teeth into this story in a meaningful way. Like the dreaded hydra, whenever I moved past one issue, two more popped up. And while none of these offenses are egregious enough to make me want to fling the book into the River Styx, they do serve as wise cautionary signposts along Ariadne’s journey.

First off, the characters of Ariadne all feel stale and archetypical. Here, Saint seems constrained by the limitations of her chosen medium. When you retell a well-known mythological story, it’s important that certain elements remain consistent with what fans of that story know. In Ariadne, this means that the characters become shallow, one-dimensional beings. Any depth would (and could, and should) plunge them into a different type of story, one where their decisions aren’t clouded by the pre-set plot. In this way, Ariadne feels both linear and stunted. None of the characters make decisions that seem sensible. That’s fine in and of itself, but it leads to superficial archetypes that rarely feature more than a few distinguishing personality traits.

However, for the women of the story–including Ariadne, sister Phaedra, mother Pasiphae, and others–this can be taken as a commentary. The women of Ariadne’s world are nothing to the men, who rule and raid and take whatever they please. Double standards run rampant; Theseus may go on adventures and enjoy the company of whomever he pleases while his wife in Athens is expected to remain faithful. Pasiphae, so damaged by her experience birthing the Minotaur, is rendered a shell of her former self and must live her days out in a mentally ill state. For these characters, the oppression of the times creates a perfect storm of unique characterization. Meanwhile, the men all have secrets, many of them terrible, and they treat their counterparts as expendable.

All this is to say, if you read Ariadne purely for a story, the characters may leave you wanting. But if you read it through a more modern lens, there are interesting tidbits sprinkled throughout. Because there’s a strong commentary in Ariadne, the novel works as a character-driven story, even if those characters, to some, may feel shallow.

The most jarring aspect of Ariadne, for me, was an abrupt perspective shift exactly one-third into the book. The first third features Ariadne exclusively, and she recalls her story in the first person. This continues throughout the book, but Phaedra becomes another first-person POV for the remaining two-thirds of the novel. Phaedra’s story provides much-needed context, but the jump from singular POV to double threw me for a loop. Suddenly, the story bursts into a larger tapestry that requires more careful attention than the first third did.

Overall Ariadne strikes me as a very clear hit-or-miss novel. It won’t capture everyone’s attention, but it’s not meant to. I have never read Circe, The Song Of Achilles, or any other recent Greek myth-inspired novels, but I enjoyed this one enough that it piqued my interest in others. If you approach Ariadne with the right frame of mind, expecting an interesting dive into epic legends with a few key flaws, I think you’ll enjoy it, too.