2021 has been the year that I decided I was going to get into mythology and reading more retellings based on mythology. One of my most anticipated ones releasing this year was Ariadne, so I was so excited when Flatiron reached out and asked me to join their blog tour. I cannot thank them enough for providing both a physical ARC and eARC for me to read before release.

I so wanted to love this book. The early reviews said this was a very feminist take on a greek myth retelling and that had me so excited. Unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me. I did like seeing a story set around a woman and not just having the women of the story be playing pieces to tell the story of their male counterparts. I think what ended up not working for me in the end was no fault of the book itself, but of my lack on knowledge of the original mythology. I have found that some retellings cover the original material good enough that you don't need much prior knowledge, however in my opinion that was not this book. Overall I gave it a 3⭐️ rating and I thought it was good, I just wish I had more background. I think that if you have more knowledge of mythology going into this book then you will REALLY enjoy it.

I'm a huge fan of retellings of myths of any flavor so this was a must read for me! This was a fantastic book, and I loved that the focus was directly on Ariadne and her sister. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer Saint.

A beautifully written book that focused on two characters that we rarely get to hear about when it comes to Greek mythology as well as retellings of said mythology. Where normally, the focus might be on Theseus, instead this focuses on the women in the story and gives them the justice they deserve.

Wow! This book is breathtaking! It Is stunning, enthralling, gripping, heart-wrenching, and so much more. Whenever I picked up "Ariadne", I was whisked back in time, and went on such an emotional journey with this story.

This is the first book I have read by Jennifer Saint, and it certainly will not be my last. Her writing style is incredible, awe-inspiring, and spectacular. She truly knows how to bring a story to life, as each and every element jumps off of the page right before the reader's eyes. I could truly envision everything, and I felt like I was right there with the characters. I can only imagine the amount of research Ms. Saint must have done, and each aspect of this book feels so authentic, vivid, and visceral.

This novel is a mythological retelling of Ariadne's, and her little sister, Phaedra's stories from their perspectives. From the very first page, I was drawn in, and could truly feel what they were feeling, through their happiness, struggles, and heartbreaks. What incredibly strong, passionate, brave, and courageous women, who underwent so much from such an early age. Some experiences mirror one another, and getting to really hear each of their thoughts, from their individual lives to those moments together, was truly impactful and so powerful. I was not super familiar with either of their stories before, and I do not want to spoil anything in this review, so, I will simply say, this book is truly a must-read. I truly felt for both of them, and, so pulled for them to find the peace and happiness they both deserve in moments of love, hope, despair, and tragedy.

Along the way, many other mythological figures are either shown or discussed: Dionysus, Hera, Zeus, Helios, Daedalus, Icarus, Minos, Pasiphae, Perseus, Medusa, Hippolytus, Hippolyta, Theseus, the Minotaur, and so, so many more. We see how each and every one affects Ariadne's and / or Phaedra's stories, and how it brings something forth in the women.

If you enjoy Greek Mythological Retellings, I highly recommend this book! It had me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning. Many moments had me on the edge of my seat holding my breath to see how the story would unfold, and, I can't wait to see what Ms. Saint writes next.

Thank you so much to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, as well as to Flatiron Books for sending me a physical ARC as well, it is beyond incredible! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I always love mythological retellings, and I especially love hearing a woman's side of the story. Ariadne is a particularly interesting character, and I found this book utterly enjoyable. And the writing style was so flowing and lovely!

"As though I had looked at a waterfall and realized with a faint jolt that the water flowing over the rock was ever-changing, that it would never be the same water again."

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"I know that human life shines more brightly because it is but a shimmering candle against an eternity of darkness, and it can be extinguished with the faintest breeze."

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I love a mythology retelling and Ariadne did not disappoint! I actually think the name is a misnomer as while the story revolves around Ariadne we get into the dramatic lives of so many Olymipans. As with any Greek tragedy, we know this is gonna be a rough ride with lots of licentious drama and angry gods meting out punishments at every turn. Poor Ariadne was a sweet, hopeful girl who learned from a young age that as a woman she was not in control of her own fate. She feared one of the terrifying punishments with every move she or anyone around her made. And yet, she allowed her moral compass to be her guide unfortunately for her that compass had little guile.

We see Ariadne try to right the wrongs of her parents and be led astray by the first heroic man who comes across her path. When she is left alone and double crossed she finds herself in the path of a god who is intrigued by her. All too aware of how insignificant mortals are to the gods, Ariadne is incredulous and careful to step lightly around him. Over the years finds herself living in peaceful domesticity until her past comes crashing back to disrupt the peace she so carefully constructed and she is forced to choose between her family and what is right.

None of the fates in this story are new but the masterful way they are weaved together and retold made this book hard to put down for me. I think this story will get lots of comparisons to Madeline Miller's work but those are character driven stories and this is much more action packed and focused on the world around Ariadne.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.

Have you heard of that saying “Behind every great man is a great woman”?

Ariadne is a novel on the quiet power of women. Following the steps of Circe by Madeline Miller and A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Jennifer Saint tells the story of Ariadne --the woman behind Theseus' victory over the minotaur and the labyrinth.

I've been reading Greek myths since I was young, and as Saint (and Miller and Haynes) point out, the women in Greek myths are the ones who are marginalized and punished. Zeus cheats on his wife with a mortal woman? Who gets punished? The woman is turned into a cow. Poseidon rapes a priestess in Athena's temple? Who gets punished? The priestess is turned into Medusa. Ariadne's mother, Pasiphae, is the one who carries the burden of her husband Minos' sins and births a minotaur....

No one celebrates Ariadne, though she is the one who helps Theseus negotiate the labyrinth and kill the Minotaur. Instead of making her his queen, Theseus leaves Ariadne alone in a deserted island to die. Theseus returns to Athens as a hero and forgets all about her....taking credit for battling the minotaur.

Ariadne is a great introspection into the major characters of the original Greek myth. From Pasiphae (Ariadne's mother, and mother of the minotaur)., to Ariadne, and Ariadne's sister, Phaedra, Theseus and Dionysus --we learn their motivations for the decisions they made in life. Saint weaves a quiet tale and explores how Ariadne creates her own life within the confines of what is given to her.

Saint does a great job of creating a vivid world that dovetails seamlessly with the Greek mythological canon. Ariadne is not always likeable and at times, you want to shake her for her choices in life, but the reader definitely gets to know her and lives a little in her shoes.

If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you will enjoy this carefully crafted and wondrous tale. I really enjoyed learning more about her. Saint gives Ariadne a voice to tell her story, and that is what Ariadne would have wanted.

I requested this book because I recently read Circe and was craving to read more stories about women in mythology.
I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this, thank you to Net Galley and Flatiron Books!
I am pretty familiar with Greek and Roman mythology, and ever since I was a young reader I have often wondered why there were not more tales and books that really concentrated on the women (human and goddesses) in mythology or sang the praises of or told their stories. They have always been told within the stories of men and gods and even then, there never really seemed to be great detail of WHO they were and or the exact role they played outside of to cater to, for the amusement of, to be conquered by, or to have babies for ...men.
Not only does Saint do an excellent job of giving Ariadne a voice, she also gives voices to other women like her younger sister Phaedra, her mother Pasiphe, and the many women who came to Naxos to worship Dionysus.
Though this is based on Ancient Greek mythology, the characters and situations are still relatable and relevant. The writing was not too clunky and the author did a really great job of balancing the right amount of dialogue to keep the story moving forward and the reader engaged.

For fans of Circe by Madeline Miller. I loved this female-focused retelling of Theseus and Crete. I found the first part less interesting since it doesn't do much to add to the myth of the minotaur that many already know, but everything after was so rich with added scenes that only featured women, parts left out in the original myths. I did find there were times where the narrative would skip over an obvious scene and it would interrupt my reading experience, but the quality of the prose would pull me right back in.

In her feminist debut novel "Ariadne," Jennifer Saint relates an empowering tale of two mythic sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra. In case you need a quick family tree (and who doesn’t?), here is a little background: their mother Pasiphaë fall sin love in love with a bull (a god’s cruel trick), and gives birth to the Minotaur, half human, half bull. Shut up in a maze, the savage Minotaur is paid tribute once a year by seven Athenian men and seven Athenian women, whom he devours. King Minos takes pleasure in terrorizing the subject Athenians and in embarrassing his own family. (He is the only one not related to the Minotaur.).

And then Theseus, the handsome prince of Athens, arrives with the other 13 Athenians who will be the tributes. He claims he will kill the Minotaur and save the Athenians. Ariadne and Phaedra are so mesmerized by his charisma they help him with the killing of their monstrous brother. In fact, without these two he could not have done it, but afterwards he boasts that he did it all himself and deserts both girls, leaving Ariadne on an uninhabited island, and having misdirected Phaedra. I don’t want to give away the plot, but I will tell you that the two sister’s lives are entwined with Theseus. Poor things!

I found the first part rather lacklustre, but it becomes intriguing when you reach Part II, and Saint begins to alternate the narrative of Ariadne with that of her fiery sister Phaedra. The book is a little uneven, but lots of fun to read!

Overall, I very much liked this retelling, especially that it focused on Ariadne rather than the Labyrinth and Theseus. It is also great that Ariadne’s marriage to Dionysus is included. I liked that it focused on the women of Greek mythology, their pain and joys, and how they were used or influenced the outcome. It also examines the emotions of various characters. However, I felt that the writing was rushed in various parts. It’s difficult to fit so much into 300 pages, so it is understandable. I would recommend this to people who have a good grasp of Greek mythology already or symbolism and references may not make sense. I will definitely purchase this book and be recommending it for my library.

3 stars

It's impossible to arrive at a mythological retelling and not compare to Miller, and I will admit that as a staunch Miller fan, I limited my expectations coming into this piece. While _Ariadne_ does not function on the level of _Circe_ or _Song of Achilles_ in some central ways, I do think most readers who enjoy either of these pieces and/or the idea of a mythological reimagining in general will find a lot to like here.

Though Ariadne is the central (and first person) voice here, her sister, Phaedra, does pop in at times, and I'd have liked to see more of this. The standout joy of this piece is getting to know both of these characters better, and while their joint inaction can be challenging at times, it helps to understand motivation and see some growth, even when it is minor. I wanted to see much more of this, though. Ariadne considers the plights of women characters like her mother and Medusa, among others, and does recognize their poor treatment. Rather than ruminating on these plights - and in some ways adding to this themselves - I'd have liked to see more agency and more empowerment (even if only in their minds) for the two sisters. There's a sense of despair that lasts from start to finish that I'm not sure was necessary or essentially modern. It's possible to follow a woman character (Circe, for example) who suffers greatly at the hands of men and of her own poor decisions but also grows markedly, and I really missed that powerful messaging here.

The novel is appealing stylistically, and the series of events and inclusions of various characters make it an enjoyable read. I wanted more explicitly modern ideals for women to come through, but I still recommend this for readers who have exhausted Miller.

I could certainly see the heart in this book. Ariadne's story is one of pain and heartbreak, and this tale certainly captures all of that.
I found the beginning of the book difficult to read only because of how Ariadne fawned over Theseus. Knowing what's going to happen with a myth retelling like this doesn't make it easier to swallow in the moment. As the story went on, it really only got more depressing, which is painfully realistic. Myths show men wielding power over women and that dominance was etched into so much of this book.
While 'sisterhood' is a message that can be gleaned from "Ariadne", what I got was mostly "men are going to ruin everything women attempt to hold onto." So, you know, not an uplifting book in the slightest. I would not necessarily recommend this book for all readers of Circe by Madeline Miller. While it is a myth retelling like Circe, it is far more depressing, whereas Circe has some hope in it.

4.5 !!! I didn’t think that any Greek myth retelling would ever begin to fill the hole in my heart that Madeline Miller’s Circe left there. Let me just say that I was wrong. Jennifer Saint has managed to deliver a story quite vast in scope that manages to feel so intimate while reading. We follow the two daughters of King Minos, Phaedra and Ariadne, through their beautiful and tragic lives tied to great and terrible men.

“What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.”

This touched a lot on the typical roles women play in these myths and how they mostly meet tragic ends and works to rally against these ideals.

The language used here manages to be beautiful but still very very accessible. This was my little nitpick— I wanted the author to lean a little more into the language and really almost go over the top with it. I think it would have really suited the story.

Overall, this was great and I know it is going to be a big big hit this year! Would make an amazing book club selection- lots of talking points here!!

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Netgalley, and the author for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed Madeline Miller's Circe and hoped that Saint's Ariadne would perhaps be in the same vein -- I was not disappointed! The novel weaves mythological detail with the voices of Ariadne and Phaedra. While I found the middle of Ariadne to be fairly slow, the pace quickly picked up and I was captivated, flying through the final chapters. This was a rich retelling of Ariadne and Phaedras stories that gave such a depth of humanity to these two women.

“Just as you will never lose me, you will never lose your crown,” he murmured, his arms wrapped tightly around me. “Your coronet will guide sailors to safety through the labyrinth of the treacherous seas. Women will look to it for a sign of comfort, a light in the darkness. Children will whisper their wishes to it before they close their eyes to dream. It will stay there, fast and true, for all time.”

I threw out all my responsibilities today to sit in bed and read this book because I COULD NOT put it down. Bravo to Jennifer Saint on a wonderful debut and thank you for emotionally destroying me today - I loved every second of it.

If you are well versed in Greek myths you may feel differently, since Ariadne's story(ies) has variants and can be interpreted in a few ways, but I knew very little about her story(ies) going into it and I loved the interpretation Saint took. Ariadne is the eldest princess of Crete, daughter of Minos, sister to the Minotaur. I knew the Minotaur story, the background and some of the side stories around it going into "Ariadne" but that's where my knowledge ended and I was frankly mind blown for the rest of the book. Ariadne is the one who helps the ~legendary~ Theseus defeat the Minotaur and flees with him from Crete (this is not a spoiler it's in the book description), from there, Ariadne's story really blooms.

Saint does a wonderful job at giving a voice to the women of the stories, which have been male dominated for so long. "Ariadne" is told from two perspectives: Ariadne's and her younger sister Phaedra. There were points in the stories that I audibly gasped and there were so so so many things I was not expecting. Once again, it's highlighted that Greek women were forced to bend to the will of men (which was usually disappointing) and as with all the Greeks, to the whims of the gods. I was completely captivated by Ariadne's story and the sub-stories throughout & I loved learning more about the various Greek myths that touched Ariadne's life. There were so many 'human' and emotional moments - I loved it all.

* Trigger warnings for various things common in Greek myths (violence, death, abuse etc.) so if you have a trigger, I would recommend doing a quick search on Ariadne's story.*

All in all, if you are a fan of Madeleine Miller's "Circe", I think you'll LOVE this one. I certainly loved it: it left me wanting more, and it emotionally impacted me. A truly beautiful story.

* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*.

I received an advanced reader copy from Flatiron Books and NetGalley for an honest review.

Of all the books I've read so far this year, Ariadne hits the top. Strong writing, consistent characterization, effective plot devices, and a clear knowledge of the Greek mythology.

Jennifer Saint takes time to develop the strong bonds of women in a family full of scandal and scorn. And family can be found and created, as gods and their heroes are want to do. There's a feminist thread, of women pushing against their expectations after reaching that breaking point, that runs throughout. Yet there's a clear stopping line that fits the society that Ariadne and Phaedra are forced to participate in.

The last twenty percent took my breath away, so engaged, that I couldn't stop reading. It's not a happy tale because women in mythology among the Greek gods weren't afforded such options. But the book does a great job of showing how self-autonomy can be freeing yet binding at the same time. That rights were often at the decision of the men around the women.

Trauma binds so many people. Even years apart. When those bonds are shattered, needing to be rebuilt, it's not always easy. Saint does a terrific job of unraveling and rethreading both women's stories into a solid book. There were some slow passages that were forgiven as the story resumed between. Dual point of view definitely helped.

There are trigger warnings for child abuse/murder, violence against women, rape/sexual assault, and animal torture. The book does start with the Minotaur tale, after all. Mythology is filled with such topics and this book spans over three decades, so please be advised before reading.

This book was captivating right from page 1. Admittedly I’m a sucker for retellings of Greek myths, especially if they focus on more minor characters.
Jennifer Saint brought Ariadne to life, with motivations for her actions helping Theseus, and how she felt when he abandoned her. Heroes in Greek myths are often kind of jerks, but Theseus is both a hero and a villain in Saint’s retelling.
And her life doesn’t end when Theseus leaves her on the island, I totally forgot that she marries Dionysus and they have children. This book follows her life until the very end, and it is just perfection.

3.5 - good, well-written book.

I am a huge fan of ancient mythology, and a huge fan of 'Circe,' so I was especially excited to read Ariadne. Any time there can be a focus on women in these tales, it's notable. I found the first half of the book to be really engaging and creative, but then it just got bogged down with too much introspection and too many details to hold my attention. I appreciate that Saint kept a focus on the mythological canon of Ariadne, but I would've liked a new and different scenario. A good debut, all the same.

This is Saint’s debut novel, and for a debut novel, this is really solid! There’s a solid balance between external actions and internal narration (the POV here is first person, primarily Ariadne and later on her sister for about a third of the book), and looking at two characters who you don’t typically hear about beyond their brief appearances in male heroes’ myths. We get some good extrapolation from their shared childhood under Minos and their mother Pasiphae, and how it affects them later in life. I would say the major weakness in this book is that Saint feels too bound by how the mythology turns out for her two main characters (Ariadne and Phaedra). The best moments this book has is when Saint extrapolates out about how Ariadne and Phaedra’s childhoods affects them later in life and how they interact with others. However, there are times where this book can feel like inner monologues between other characters verbally monologuing about major mythological events, and unfortunately, during those times it feels like I’m reading a Wikipedia page copy/pasted into these dialogues. I also feel like there are certain elements dropped when they are no longer relevant to the immediate story that we maybe could have used more on, like Pasipahe essentially disappearing from the story after a certain point or maybe serving as a third POV character. This is something that can be fixed for future writing that Saint does though! It’s a matter of finding her footing, and while this one doesn’t quite do it for me, I’m sure she’ll do better on her next go.

(There’s also a bit of woo-woo around the universality of giving birth that I’m not that much of a fan of.)

Definitely worth a check out at your library!