"Lilith" by Nikki Marmery offers a feminist reimagining of ancient creation myths, focusing on the character of Lilith, who is traditionally portrayed as Adam's first wife. The book takes readers on a journey from her expulsion from Eden through millennia of history as she seeks to restore balance and equality in the world.

Lilith is portrayed here as a strong and independent character who defies traditional gender roles. I appreciated the plot's originality and the way it challenges the conventional narrative of Lilith as a demon or antagonist.

While Lilith is a well-developed character, some secondary characters needed more work. The pace tended to lag in the middle of the story. I struggled to maintain interest at times.

I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoy feminist retellings of mythological stories.

I did have mixed feelings about the book and realize that it may not be for everyone.

When I first read the synopsis to this book I was intrigued. I grew up in a religious household, knew the bible stories back and forth, but never really thought about how the women in these stories were treated. Didn't really even know about Lilith until watching "Supernatural" years later. So immediately I was sucked into this when I read the stories I grew up with, but entirely turned on their heads. I loved the spin that the author put on things. However, the writing was a little odd. I had trouble with following what was going on, and while I would get the general gist of things, I feel like there are sections of the book that I blindly searched through, not really registering the words I was reading. The premise of the book is great, and the book has fantastic bones, it just wasn't a complete hit for me.

I LOVED the concept of this story, and the first few chapters absolutely had me hooked. As we went along the vague storytelling style lost me a little bit, but I would still really recommend this to people who love books like Circe and Kaikeyi.

As someone whose not religious I wanted to read this book because it seemed so interesting and different to my current views. I grew up as a Christian and so I had only heard stories of Lilith and her being a demon so this was such turn on the story.

This book was well-written, but it didn’t totally sustain my interest I definitely found my mind wandering and thinking about other things. I wanted to know how it ended, but I just wanted to know sooner lol.

If you enjoy retellings and books that make you see from a different view point you may enjoy this one!

Enjoyed this reframing of biblical history through the lens of the forgotten and vilified Lilith and how the book calls out the misogyny of the institution of religion.

I LOVED the first section of this book—the feminist look at the oft-overlooked figure of Lilith, her thoughts about Adam and Eve, was delightful and refreshing. Unfortunately it lost me after 20%. I wasn’t invested after that point. I felt like this would have been an excellent short story or novella but didn’t need a full novel.

To be transparent I DNF'd this book about half way through. I'm still giving it 2 stars because I actually didn't hate it, and the premise on its own is unique and compelling, it just didn't deliver on it's promise. I wasn't able to stay focused on this book or invested in the story.
I found the writing to be a bit choppy and and the playing out for the story to be clunky. I think the premise has great potential, but could probably benefit from being handled with a lighter, more exploratory, and less "girlboss-y" touch.

Nikki Marmey tells the life of Lilith, the first woman in Jewish folklore.
In the Garden of Eden, Lilith and Adam are equal. They live peacefully in the Garden of Eden until Adam decides Lilith should submit to his will. Lilith refuses: she has eaten from the Tree of Knowledge and knows that there must be balance in the world. God punishes her by relegating her to “demon status,” and she must watch as Eve is both created and subjugated. But Lilith knows there is another power at work: Asherah, God's wife and the Queen of Heaven. Eve and Asherah begin a journey that travels from the Tanakh to the New Testament.
I loved the respect given back to the Biblical women. Bringing in Jezebel and Mary Magdalene and giving them authority was especially powerful. These women have been demonized and have been diminished in their roles in history. Religion has been used for too long to keep women submissive even though their own teachings contradict this idea.

But Lilith’s search for a prophet to preach about Asherah is pointless for the story. Why does Lilith need someone else to preach for her? How does she become lesser to another woman? And why does she have to preach about this prophet instead of the goddess she follows? I was especially confused when the ending was rushed and nowhere near as nuanced as the rest of the book. The latter quarter of the book left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Marmey’s novel starts strong but leaves me disappointed.

Publication Date: October 17
I received an ARC for review; all opinions are my own.

As much as I love mythological retellings, especially from the feminine point of view, I will be the first to admit that biblical stories are not something that I know well. I remember some from my time growing up Catholic, but I've long since left that behind me in my adult life. However, since there are so many retellings of Greek myths, it is refreshing to see a different take on a retelling.

My only complaint is that the writing style of this author was very hard for me to get into. It seemed rather... choppy? It just wasn't flowing natural for me, reading wise. But the story behind it kept me pushing through the actual writing style. I did enjoy the story. Without getting too into beliefs and such, I'll say that religion does tend to be very centered on men, much like a lot of history, which I think is part of what I always had a problem with in my younger years. There was nothing to appeal to me, a girl, in this world full of men telling women what they can and cannot do. So stories like this, that try to pull that other point of view... they appeal to me.

It for sure isn't for everyone. I can see some very religious people being offended by it. For sure skip it if you're that religious. However, if you're like me and don't buy into religion, then give it a try and push through the writing if the sytle bothers you. I'll leave you with one quote from the book that spoke to me:

"I wonder: will a woman's message ever be heard? Or will it always be too weak, too angry, too impassioned? Too irrelevant for all mankind (by which they mean: for men)?"

I DNF’d at 30%. I wanted to love this and tried, I really did. The premise of Lilith being scorned by Adam and God and her journey to find the Mother of all is lovely. I struggled with how much lore and mythology was thrown in and never really felt like I was finding myself rooted in the story as Lilith journeys through the ages of history. Along the way, she interacts with biblical characters and other gods, and it was just hard for me to follow.

“Gods are made by belief and unmade by disbelief.”
I don’t think Nikki Marmery could have timed her release of Lilith any better. Following the whirlwind summer full of Feminist icons: Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and the Barbie Movie–I believe readers all over the women can add Nikki Marmery and her main character, Lilith, to that list as well.

Marmery’s latest novel is written from the titled character’s voice. Lilith was one of two beings created by two married gods. The other being was Adam. Lilith’s story and journey begins when Adam numerous attempts at forcing her to submit begin to go too far. When once they were equals, to Adam females would be servants to man.

“This is why she is angry! The Holy Mother cannot tolerate such profanities. Her daughters to be traded like sacks of salt for the power of their wombs.”
After leaving Adam and Paradise, Lilith attempts to come to terms with the reasoning behind her existence. Why did Asherah create her? Where did Asherah go? And how can Lilith keep Asherah’s wishes for women alive? Asherah, in the simplest terms, is the female equivalent of the male God—his equal and wife. Her disappearance sends Lilith’s journey to the forefront of the novel.

Spanning millennia, Lilith is a tale of women’s enduring feminism despite so much that men bring against them. Following most of the high points as told in the Bible, Lilith is a novel that would have made me question my religious upbringing if I hadn’t given up religion years ago. While I realize leaving organized religion is not the point of Lilith, the strong voice and feminist tones are prevalent and well-stated throughout the entirety of Lilith. Even with the difficult themes and hard scenes with so much sorrow and sadness, Lilith remains true to her original cause. Each theme of violence was handled in a way that didn’t trigger me, but perhaps consider that violent acts like those depicted in the Bible occur within Lilith as their tales are interwoven.

“Men’s early power flowed from their sole male god who endured, still. Nothing would change until this god, too, was defeated. Until we became our own gods, as Asherah intended.”
I couldn’t put Lilith down. Nikki Marmery’s prose is engrossing and evocative. I admired Lilith’s strength in the face of so much sorrow and opposition. Her faith in women, and Asherah may wane, but it never breaks. After so much time, and so much atrocity, Lilith continues to see the good in women and her enduring belief to pass on the eternal knowledge of Wisdom throughout so many countless generations of women that stem from the very first woman she attempted to save: Eve. I am so wholly impressed by Nikki Marmery and the tale of Liliththat she has shared with us all. Lilith’s ire and fury are my own. The disbelief that Lilith had for men to subjugate women so easily for their own benefit and in the name of religion is mine as well.

From Paradise to the Great Flood, The Gates of Hell and the Fall of Babylon, Lilith is a triumphant novel. This is a must read for women who need to know that there is someone on their side. Lilith is a tale of enduring sisterhood, and one that that feels like a warm embrace from all womankind to every woman.

DNF at 24% I really wanted to like this, as the concept was interesting and could've been a great story. Unfortunately, the execution fell very flat and was frankly boring.

A stunning novel that focuses on one of mythology and history's most complicated characters. This book was gripping and powerful from start to finish, and I completely lost myself in the chapters.

I really was excited for this one, since the story of Lilith was always one of my favorites and one I don’t find many books about it, but this one did not do it for me. The dialogues are way too modern at times and then they go back to being old tongue like and then again with modern slang and i got the vibe completely messed up.

I stopped reading it around 50% of it because i just wasn’t entertained and i didn’t felt the need to know more. When it starts feeling like a chore to finish a book it’s just not fun anymore.

It had its good moments at the beginning but the writing style just wasn’t for me unfortunately. I might give it a second chance later but for now i’m gonna pass.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started reading. I am not much for books with any kind of religious element but it really was a decent read. I was a bit disappointed with the end of the book, it was like it fizzled out but I enjoyed the book for the most part.

It's about the story of Lilith and Adam and how he felt she was his servant and she thought they were a partnership. After he violates her she flees. She is then replaced by Eve and Lilith sets out to rescue women from their subserviant lives.

I get what the book was trying to do but I think it might have just slightly missed the mark.

The author has a talent and I will definitely look for more from the author.

3.5 stars

DNF at 85%. I really tried to push through and finish this book, especially as I had a review copy, but I just lost interest towards the end. I think the strength of this novel is the historical research- you clearly see that the author has a thorough understanding of the source material, the geography and timeline of the events, and details regarding food and cultural customs. But it also contributed to very uneven and repetitive pacing in the story. The writing style was also inconsistent- sometimes feeling like the language used in parables and fables, and sometimes having very modern phrases of dialogue. Lilith is supposed to be this independent, driven, vengeful woman, but after the initial expulsion from Eden, it felt more like her motivation came from outside characters than from within herself. And for a book that claims to explore the "outrageous lie, that women are inferior", I don't think it was successful in giving Lilith and other women the strength and agency I was hoping for.
**Very Slight Spoilers Below**
Two examples of this are First, with the fallen angel that Lilith falls in love with, we are told that his treatment of her is so adoring and respectful compared to Adam, but I found a lot of his dialogue to still be condescending and mansplain-y.
And Second, with the Mary Magdalene storyline, I finally gave up on the book when her character arc became a prophet who would be betrayed by a close companion, and I just was too frustrated that a "feminist retelling" would have a woman's plotline just be an echo of a famous man's story. Maybe this is my lack of knowledge regarding the Hebrew myth of Lilith, or other texts outside of the Bible, and this story is actually faithful to those stories. But if so, that only reinforces my feeling that this retelling doesn't succeed in piquing my interest in the source story, and also fails to create a new interpretation or spin that feels empowering to its intended audience.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I am a lover of mythology of all kinds and was excited to read one about a Jewish mythological female, Lilith. I have no prior experience with Lilith, but she is not portrayed in this book as being a strong feminist example. She actually appears rather weak and often makes some terrible choices; not really a great character to root for. In modern feminist retelling of myths the figure is often misunderstood and you get a deep view into their inner psyche. I never really got that connection with Lilith. She was more just a figure that went through different time periods vs being a figure with profound self awareness and growth.

While I greatly support feminist storylines and powerful female characters, I do not agree with the approach that all men are terrible. That is the approach this book took from the very beginning and kind of immediately turned me off. Women can be great without men being horrible. I just wanted more from this character and storyline so it fell pretty flat and dragged on for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Alcove Press, for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book for review.

Discover a captivating and unconventional feminist perspective on the story of Lilith and other biblical figures in this thought-provoking narrative. Lilith symbolizes the essence of strong women, fearlessly shedding light on the gender disparities ingrained in society. This compelling tale is bound to evoke diverse reactions as it courageously challenges established beliefs and encourages introspection.

I loved this retelling of the story of Lilith, “the witch he [Adam] loved before the gift of Eve.” Thrown out of Eden for acquiring wisdom from the forbidden fruit, she sets on a quest to rescue and spread the word of Asherah. Asherah is the “giver of life and queen of heaven.” Beautifully descriptive and strongly empowering of women, you’ll want to read this one! “For women everywhere. Be your own gods. Your Mother commands it.” ✨ Thank you to @netgalley the publisher @alcovepress and the author @marmerynikki for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Lilith: A Complex Exploration of Biblical Retelling"

This book leaves me in a curious position, as I believe it might become a love-it-or-hate-it read for many. Personally, I find myself somewhere in the middle. The idea of letting feminism reinterpret the Bible's stories from a fresh perspective is undeniably intriguing. The journey through time and the effort put into bringing to life the often one-dimensional characters from the religious text are praiseworthy. However, Lilith, the central character, fell somewhat flat for me.

It seemed as though the author hesitated to fully explore the depths of Lilith's character, perhaps fearing to take her too far. Consequently, she didn't come across as fulfilling as she could have been. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book for the unique angle it takes on the biblical narrative, which elevates it above mediocrity.

Lilith is a challenging book to review because its premise is undeniably intriguing. After her expulsion from Eden, Lilith seeks justice, aiming to save Eve, restore Asherah, and bring balance back into the world. However, my experience with the character of Lilith left much to be desired. I struggled to connect with her, empathize with her motives, or find her actions compelling. For a significant portion of the book, I felt she did very little, and that left me underwhelmed. Additionally, the pacing was uneven, the tone inconsistent, and a persistent misandric theme overshadowed the narrative. As a fervent lover of mythic retellings and biblical fiction, it's surprising to admit that I might not have been the right reader for this book.

In essence, Lilith offers a complex exploration of biblical retelling, but its execution left me wanting more depth and connection to the characters.