From the synopsis of this book, I was intrigued by the idea of a feminist retelling of Phaedra's story. I also loved how the blurb hinted at there being two sides to every story. Being familiar with Greek mythology, I was hoping this would flesh out the reasons why Phaedra would end up in the arms of her stepson, Hippolytus.

This book starts out different than some of the other mythological retellings I've read. The author uses multiple POV's, a bard, a night chorus and a narrator to tell some of the story. The story is also separated in Act's, almost as if it is written like a play. I was rather confused in parts due to the constant changes of who is telling the story. It took me a little while to get used to how the story was formatted.

We start out with Phaedra's family in Crete and the story of Theseus and the Minotaur unfolds. We also meet some supporting characters in Phaedra's story and see the story from their perspective. Eventually, we're taken to Theseus's kingdom in Athens, and from there we meet his son Hippoytus and the castle advisors.

As the story wore on, I started to realize that the retelling wasn't going in the direction I had thought. It seemed to be one dismal event after the other. Due to the formatting, I lacked connection with the characters and due to the continually bleak events, I had a hard time cheering the characters on. The ending was definitely what I would consider a Greek tragedy, so if you're looking for an uplifting story, this isn't the one for you.

Overall, I did think the story was an interesting take, but sadly I lacked connection. If you're into Greek tragedy, stories written into play format, and mythological retellings, this may be the book for you.

2.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC. I plan to post my review immediately to my Goodreads account.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this early copy to read and review. These thoughts are my own!

I really wanted to like this book. I absolutely love mythology and was so excited to read this book.

I’ll start with the positive. I loved the plot. I had previously read Ariadne and wondered/wanted to know what became of Phaedra. This book did a good job with telling that side of the tale. I also just love the history of mythology it gave and the explanation it gave on Theseus, who I loathe lol.

Now onto what I didn’t like. It was hard to keep up with. It was constantly change point of views and it was hard to distinguish whose point of view you were in. Nothing really set each POV apart. I constantly had to go back at the beginning of the chapter to remember who was telling the story at that point.

I just wanted more from this book. I’ve read a lot of mythology retelling novels and I had very high expectations for this one but was let down. I’m not saying it’s an awful book because it wasn’t. I think this book has great potential but I also think there shouldn’t have been so many POV’s. I almost didn’t finish this book because I got tired of constantly switching point of views.

Thanks again for letting me review this!

Thanks Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC. While I liked the idea of this book, it was just not as well executed as I had hoped. Each chapter is in the voice of a different character, but the voices are not distinguishable. Because of this, I didn't realize the POV was changing for awhile.

Shepperson's "Phaedra" presents its own interpretation of the tragic story surrounding Ariadne's younger sister from the famed story of Theseus and the Minotaur. It starts on the island of Crete, where the arrival of Theseus changes the lives of Phaedra and her siblings forever. After the Minotaur is slayed, Phaedra agrees to be Theseus' bride and travels to Athens. Here her husband's son, Hippolytus, runs wild by claiming to be a devote follower of Artemis, but truly inflicting harm upon the women who cross his path. Phaedra has the misfortune to catch his attention and the story demonstrates how the "heroic" men of Greek myths were really perpetrators of abuse.

This story caught my attention because the story of Phaedra is tragic and not well known. In fact, the first time I encountered it was while reading Jennifer Saint's "Ariadne", which alternated between the two sisters. This book focuses solely on Phaedra and while that seemed interesting at first glance, the story fell flat shortly as it switched perspectives between characters created for this story, but didn't feature in the original story. I did like the exploration of the famous Greek male characters and how they were not entirely heroic, as well as, the addition of the nameless women, who lament their abuses between chapters. However, while there were moments with powerful dialogue and interesting interpretations, I felt the story ended without adding anything to Phaedra as a character beyond re-telling her story with some feminist revisions.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great rendition of the story of Phaedra in Greek mythology. The switches between each character's perspective was really well done and I also really liked the concept of the Night Chorus. This is a great book!

What a gift this book is! It's beautifully written, lovely and heartbreaking. The message of the women's suffering is powerful, and you can't help but apply it to modern times.

With the current surge of Greek Mythology retellings, I had hoped this would be one of the better ones. The voices were not distinct enough at times to work through the multiple perspectives. At times I struggled to even finish this. It felt...incomplete?

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I feel so lucky to have received an arc of Phaedra by Laura Shepperson. In case you don’t know, Phaedra’s story comes from Greek Mythology. I don’t know if I would so much call this a retelling as an interpretation. Shepperson stays true to the mythology in most aspects, but her deviations are what makes this story different and worth reading. For example, Phaedra is much younger throughout the tale than in the mythology. While in Crete she seems to be a mere child. The author does a fantastic job of showing character growth as Phaedra takes on more adult responsibilities such as replacing her older sister as Theseus’s bride, so that by the time she arrives in Athens she feel more like a young teen. This entire aspect of the tale was terrifying to me as a reader because it became clear very quickly that no woman was safe in Athenian culture. Definitely check for trigger warnings. Rather than falling for Hippolytus decades later as in some interpretations of the tale, Phaedra becomes interested in him much more immediately. Because of this, there is no bond between Phaedra and Theseus as husband and wife, which I found much more realistic in terms of why she might find interest in Hippolytus. Shepperson then creates a stronger father / son relationship between Theseus and Hippolytus which is a major theme in the book as more than one parent / child relationship shows what a parent is willing to do to protect their children.

Phaedra was a princess of Crete. This is a feminist retelling of original myth. The princess is married off to a man of her father’s age, a prince of Athens, Theseus. His son, Hippolytus rapes her when she approaches him about plight of women of the castle. Theseus who wanted to bring democracy to Athens is tested in his commitment when one of a politician wants to bring the case against his son. This is set at a time before rise of Athens and beginnings of idea of democracy.

This is political drama , mystery, thriller all rolled into one. I couldn’t put it right!!

Phaedra is one of my favorite characters from Greek Mythology. When I teach my students about myths, they are captivated by her tale. This book is well-written, but does not capture the magic of the tale. I am all for exploring the agency of different female characters silenced by male bards and religious figures. This one did not work for me, unfortunately.

Greek mythology retellings are always fascinating to read because ultimately, there is no one way to tell these myths. The very fact that they are part of the oral tradition means that they change and differ based on who is telling it, who they are focused on, and where it is being told. There is a great sense in Phaedra that the author is aware of this and therefore molded the book around that, but it isn't done to the same standards as other retellings like Circe.

The language is very pedestrian, it feels watered down to more suit a YA audience, and maybe that was the intention, but it makes for themes and characters that are very basic and feel more like you're being bludgeoned over the head with a very simple message that women were used and abused and men will reshape the story to best suit them. That much is clear easily, but the novel also doesn't highlight any strong bonds or complex relationships between the female characters either which disappoints.

It is also not helped by the decision to only tell the story in first person point of view for every single narrator - unfortunately, every POV sounds exactly the same. There is no real differences between any of them and it makes Phaedra a less compelling character. It also makes things very scattered, especially with the inclusion of one male narration that doesn't really do much to enhance the story.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Phaedra is one of my favorite Greek myths, and I was so excited to jump into this feminist retelling. If I could’ve chosen one myth to get a feminist retelling, it absolutely would have been this one.

So perhaps my expectations were simply too high. The writing here wasn’t strong enough to keep me engaged: I was so distracted by how all the characters sounded exactly the same. This is a pet peeve for me with multi-POV books. It’s unimaginative and poor writing, and having to keep flipping back to remember which character is narrating when you put down the book and pick it back up is frustrating.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this, but it just wasn’t for me.

Synopsis & Spoilers Below:
Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus’s control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus.

When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra’s world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning.

The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. Until now.

Review (spoilers below):
This book was truly devastating. If you know your mythology, you'll know that Phaedra is often cast as the villian in the myth, throwing herself at pious Hippolytus - this book gives her a backstory, a voice that makes you want to support her throughout. She's realistic; a victim you want to help, and it makes the story so hard to read but so worth it.

I loved how close to a real Greek tragedy the book is - the cast at the beginning, the Greek chorus - I found it amazing how the author did her research and really made this read like a tragedy written by Seneca.

I think my absolute favourite part of this though, was Xenethippe. I found myself wondering about her throughout the story and hopeful that she made it out. When she showed up at the end of the book and remembered what Phaedra had done for her, I just about cried. Absolutely recommend this book!!

I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology, and I love reading modern retellings of old folktales. This book tells the story of what happens to Phaedra when she is sent to Athens as the wife of Theseus. You don't need to have any previous knowledge of Greek mythology to enjoy this book. The plot was entertaining and moved quickly. Would love to read similar books in the future. Also, the cover is stunning and catches the eye.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

This book was an interesting read!

I really love Greek Mythology retellings, but this one didn't hit the way Circe, Ariadne, or others have hit.

I did enjoy the way it was told, and I think Shepperson is a talented writer, but it just didn't have as much depth as I had hoped for. I would love to see Laura Shepperson write a script, I think she'd absolutely excel at plays! This reminded me a bit of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl.

That being said, I did enjoy this piece and loved learning more about a lesser-known tale!

Great, captivating storyline that hits on some interesting stories from Greek mythology. My main complaint is the timeline of events throughout the story. It seemed choppy, transitions between events/characters could be smoother. Sometimes during main events the language had me wondering what was going on until the next character/chapter basically laid it out straight. Overall it was a good read, good characters and story.

Phaedra by Laura Shepperson is a retelling of the story of Theseus's wife. After Theseus slays the Minotaur, he takes Phaedra as his wife. When Theseus arrives in Athens in his new role as king, he's busy trying to bring democracy to Athens. This leaves no time for Phaedra, and she's largely ignored. Theseus's son and heir, Hippolytus, is a major character in this book. He and Phaedra are very close in age, and there is tension between the two. A TRIGGERING EVENT (this might be too much for some readers, and is a central theme of this book) brings about Athens' first trial by jury.
Major themes are quite timely in an era of "me too". I do appreciate a feminist retelling of Greek Mythology, and have read a few books from this genre prior to this one. I enjoyed the book, however I ultimately felt it was lacking some elements that drew me to the others I've read. In a world still full of misogyny, is a historical tale of misogyny relevant? Is there more to this story for readers? It will depend on the reader in my opinion. For me, there was, but I feel that many will not consider this essential reading. I loved reading about the motives behind different characters. I enjoyed the writing style and Shepperson's story.
This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me the chance to share my opinion.

Phaedra is a debut novel and a feminist retelling of Phaedra’s story. The premise was interesting to me, as I love a retelling, but the story fell a little flat for me.

The multi-POV, I think, was where the book lost me. The characters Phaedra, Xenethippe, and Kandake didn’t define themselves well enough for me to really be able to tell the differences in their respective chapters. I would have appreciated it more if they were fleshed out more to where I could really tell whose POV I was reading without the chapter heading.

I also would have liked to see Phaedra have more of an arc. Her naïveté in the beginning is certainly appropriate and justified, but that seemed to be her main defining trait through the end—I think after all she went through, that she would have lost that.

Phaedra would be suitable for fans of Greek re-tellings, like Madeline Miller’s Circe and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author, Laura Shepperson, for the opportunity to read and review Phaedra. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. I give Phaedra a 3/5.

During the time of Greeks gods & goddesses, Phaedra lives in Crete where her father is King Minos, her sister is the beautiful Ariande, and her brother is the Minotaur kept locked away in a labyrinth underneath the castle. Her life is simple, sheltered & unpredictable until Prince Theseus of Athens arrives with the tributes and slays the Minotaur. This sets in a motion a series of events that in true Greek fashion can only end in tragedy.

I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology & after having ready Circe & The Song of Achilles, I was excited to see Laura Shepperson’s take on Phaedra’s story and how everything would play out. The idea of the women of Greece holding the men accountable for their actions seemed like a strong storyline that I was more than ready to get behind. Unfortunately, I felt that the story being told from so many different character view points made it disjointed & kind of annoying to follow. Changing the character point of view so frequently did a huge disservice to a book that had true potential in the storyline. There were also character’s whose point of view brought nothing to the actual story & their role could have easily been blended into Phaedra’s point of view.

Even the book definitely had it’s rough spots, it did deliver on giving voices to the women of Greece and having them appear as strong and united at many junctures throughout the book. Generally, in both Greek mythology and Greek history, the role of women is to simply blend into the background and have no voice. The author changed that narrative and instead made the prominent voice be the women. Although it ultimately didn’t matter, Phaedra’s character arc from the shy naive girl to the strong woman willing to stand up for what she believed to be right was portrayed quite well. It also showed how sometimes, it’s not just the men you need to watch out for when you speak up, the women can be just as cruel to you.

While it was not my favorite story, it did have potential and I would be more than willing to give the author another try down the road.

*Thank you #NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an arc of #Phaedra for my honest review*

Debut novelist Laura Shepperson offers a powerful feminist retelling of Phaedra and her unyielding quest for justice

I liked the writing and the story plot . It’s interesting if you’d into retellings and a fan of Madeline miller book Circe.