When I saw that this was a re-telling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, I absolutely pounced at this book! I strongly believe that readers of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will enjoy this unique retelling. With so many retellings of Greek Myths-- this is where Inanna shines. Sumerian mythology is captivating and sheds light into the mythos of one of the oldest civilizations of the world.

This was a relatively fast-paced and engaging story.

Great insight into an under-served mythological structure. Very excited for the next book. I like how direct the prose is.

I was really interested in the premise of this book, it had a lot of promise and it isn’t a mythology I have explored before.

I think I needed more of Inanna’s pov. There was too much switching between POV’s and I got a little lost in it all.

Absolutely beautiful. I knew very little about this history/folklore, and the story has inspired me to seek out more about it - thankyou so much!

Wow, 'Inanna' completely swept me off my feet! This book is a mesmerizing blend of mythology, adventure, and romance that had me hooked from the very first page. What struck me most was the author's skillful reimagining of ancient myths, infusing them with fresh perspective and depth. The protagonist's journey is nothing short of epic, filled with danger, intrigue, and moments of profound introspection. And the romance? It's beautifully woven into the fabric of the story, adding an extra layer of emotion and tension. 'Inanna' is a true gem that left me utterly enchanted, and I can't recommend it enough!

I was completely entranced by the gorgeous design of this cover. And a chance at reading a retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh sealed the deal.

The stories of a brand new goddess of love & war, the epic hero Gilgamesh, & a young warrior kidnapped from her home come together in an earth shattering way.

This was epic! The world building was lush & grand. The world felt huge and expansive, and Wilson’s descriptions were gorgeously written.

I loved the character growth for both Inanna & Gilgamesh as they each grow into their own mythologies. Although Ninshubar was my absolute favorite character. I loved how I kept finding things to look up. I kept stopping because I wanted to research things that came up in the story. And I was absolutely delighted that Wilson provided titles for further reading in her author’s notes.

One of my absolute favorite parts was the emphasis on writing your own story that came up for every character. They all learn that those that are in power have been constantly shaping their stories to keep that power. And each character come to the decision that it’s time to take control of their own lives and stories.

There are a lot of things that are left unresolved, so while I’m looking forward to book two, I feel disappointed that, even with how long this book is, it’s still only part of a story. This particular book didn’t feel like it came to an actual ending, but more of just a lull in the action. I will be seeking out the rest of the trilogy, but I did feel let down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC!

An excellent book that I found intriguing. I had heard of Gilgamesh but never read the story so am interested in finding out more about the Sumerians and Ancient Iraq. The characters were vivid and the story was well structured.

It's really interesting to read about such old history in the ancient sumerians and I loved the magical elements in it.

Sumerian goddess Inanna grows up thinking she is merely the small goddess of love, but as she begins to question the path she is set upon, things change, especially when her path crosses with the "hero" Gilgamesh, who ignominiously starts this novel face-first in the mud. Dreamy and at turns weird.

Inanna by Emily H. Wilson drew me in with it's mythological premise and kept me hooked with its enchanting writing style.
What I loved
-Fun non Hellenic based mythological fiction
-Good pacing with both character development and world building
What didn't work as well for me
-odd dialogue choices in a few places
-The story felt comfortably familiar but I kept waiting for it to push me out of that very comfort zone.
Who I Recommend this title for
Fans of mythological inspired fiction such as Psyche and Eros or Circe will find themselves at home in the pages of Inanna by Emil H. Wilson.

“In Athens, they call me Aphrodite now. In Babylon, they call me Ishtar. But in the first days I had only one name: Inanna. I was born in the city of Ur, in the springtime. …The word went out from Ur to all the city states of Sumer. A new goddess was born: the thirteenth Anunnaki.”

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Inanna’ by Emily H. Wilson.

This is the first book in the Sumerians Trilogy. It is a retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, considered by many as the oldest piece of literature in existence. The titular character is Inanna, the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love and war.

Inanna’s existence is an impossibility as she is the first full Anunnaki born on Earth in Ancient Mesopotamia. At a young age she is crowned as the goddess of love by the twelve immortal Anunnaki, who are worshipped across Sumer.

While she is destined for greatness, it is also a time of war and Inanna is forced into an unwanted marriage to the demi-god Dumuzi, son of Enki, in order to negotiate a peace. Things do not go well.

A number of myths are woven into the novel including Inanna’s journey to the Great Below in order to confront her sister, Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld.

Aside from Inanna, there are three other narrative streams. The first is Gilgamesh, the mortal son of two of the Anunnaki. He is arrogant and selfish, so something of a bad boy. He is captured and imprisoned by King Akka, who is seeking ways to distance himself and his people from the gods. He gives Gilgamesh one final chance to prove himself. Sounds like a trap to me.

The second perspective is Ninshubar, a powerful warrior woman, who has been cast out of her tribe. Hunted by her own people, she is searching for acceptance and a new place in the world. The third perspective is Ereshkigal, though she only has a few chapters towards the end of the novel. Over the course of the novel, their fates become entwined.

‘Inanna’ opens with a map and a handy Dramatis Personae. After the main text there are notes about the origins of the myths, including some nonfiction sources, as well as an explanation of the creative decisions made by the author for the purposes of the retelling. Reading group questions and a sneak preview of Book 2 of The Sumerians close the novel.

I was quite interested in the novel’s science fiction themes, which are quite apparent at various points. The narrative embraces the idea of the Sumerian gods as ancient aliens. Wilson writes: “for the purposes of this novel, I have leaned into this alien-conspiracy heritage a little simply because I instinctively prefer my gods’ powers to be based in some sort of science, however notional, rather than old-fashioned magic.”

While different to my own position, I appreciated why Emily H. Wilson took this approach, especially when I read that she is editor-in-chief of New Scientist.

Overall, I was impressed by ‘Inanna’, feeling that it was a promising debut that both respected the source material while daring to expand on the original myths. It’s the kind of balance that I look for in mythological retellings. I am looking forward to reading the future books in the trilogy in due course.

This is a retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh but with Inanna at the front and center.

This book is written so well, in a way that is intriguing rather than overly complicated. I was almost instantly hooked, and I was able to speed through the first quarter so quickly.

This book was written fairly matter-of-factly in relation to the plot. It led to quick investment, but toward the end, it felt like things were moving quicker than the reader could follow. Toward the end I also felt very much like a myth, in that odd things would happen without much explanation or build-up. When I started this book I was expecting it to be a 5-star, toward the end it was more toward a 3.5.

Thank you to Titan and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan books for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which has been available since May 19,2023!

This is a retelling of one of the oldest surviving works of literature. It is Sumerian. It is bold, epic, beautiful and tragic. It is the story of Inanna the Goddess love and Gilgamesh a mortal son of the Anunnaki who is captured and imprisoned and Ninshubar a warrior woman cast out of her tribe after an act of kindness.
It tells of their separate journeys and then their fateful meet up.

Quite a story. I was engrossed and engaged. At times bored but overall had a good time reading it.

Inanna is a gorgeously written retelling of Sumerian mythology and the Epic of Gilgamesh, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, that I couldn't put down.

The book follows three different POVs: Inanna, the goddess of love and war from when she is a child to her descent to the Underworld. Her cousin, the young hero Gilgamesh, and his adventures. Finally, there's Ninshubar, a young woman that is cast out from her tribe and sold into slavery in Sumer. The fates of these three characters eventually intertwine as they try to fight the corrupt ruling family of gods, the Annunaki.

All of the characters were well-fleshed-out and full of heart. Their character development was masterfully done, especially that of Gilgamesh who starts out as a arrogant, foolish philanderer and ends the book as maybe not a hero but at least a better man. Inanna had an incredible arc as well, going from a naive young girl smothered by the powerful men around her to becoming a true Goddess of War in her own right. When she is sent to be married off to her cousin and held hostage by her grandfather, her mother extracts a promise from Inanna to submit to whatever may be done to her. The atrocities Inanna suffers in this book were horrifying but thankfully not graphic. Still, the ramifications of it were sickening enough to make me loath the villain of the book from the bottom of my heart. Seeing Inanna get revenge on all the men who wronged her was such a great moment of poetic justice, I can't wait to see her wreck her grandfather in the next book. Enki was one of the most despicable villains I have ever read about and I can't wait to see him die.

The beginning of the book was a bit slow with setting up the world and the characters, yet I was never bored. While I enjoyed the beginning of the book, the parts toward the end of the book where all the characters meet was my favorite. The relationships in this book were quite tangled, with Gilgamesh being in love with his companion Enkidu but starting an affair with Inanna, who in turn is in love with Gilgamesh. Both Gilgamesh and Inanna are also technically married to different people. Talk about messy.

The developing friendship between Ninshubar and Inanna was also something I loved, Ninshubar's no-nonsense-attitude and practicality brought a lot of humor to Inanna's part of the story. Another favorite aspect of mine was the animosity between Gilgamesh and his footman Hagar. Their banter had me laughing out loud multiple times. Because of the comp with Circe, I didn't expect this book to be so funny, so I was pleasantly surprised. The friendship and later romance between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was perhaps the most beautiful one to me, even though I didn't like that Gilgamesh led Inanna on. It felt to me like he only welcomed Inanna's advances because he couldn't have Enkidu which was definitely shitty. Yet, I still squealed when him and Enkidu got together. Gilgamesh really is the dumb bisexual representation we deserve. A theme that really tugged at my heartstrings was how all of the characters had this moment of recognition when meeting one another, this feeling of being destined to meet each other. Twin souls, kindred spirits, both romantic and platonic. I loved it.

The worldbuilding was very intricate, detailing a lot of customs of ancient Sumer and their mythology. At first, I had trouble figuring out who is related to who in the Sumerian pantheon, but around the middle of the book I had it figured out. Similarly to the Greek pantheon, there is a lot of intermarrying and incest, but it's definitely portrayed as reprehensive. Luckily, the book also has a dramatis personae for those not familiar with the god family, the Annunaki. I found the information about the Sumerian civilization (the oldest civilisation in the world, long before the Greeks and Romans!) extremely fascinating, and was surprised how modern some of their attitudes were.

The exploration of themes of power vs submission, who gets to control the narratives, and immortality, as well as its cost, were written with great care. While some horrible things happen to the female characters, the book is undeniably a feminist book, shown in how Inanna survives to get revenge on her tormentors.

All in all, a stunning read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this taste of ancient Mesopotamian culture and myth. Recommend to anyone who enjoyed Circe or who grew up reading Rick Riordan.

I love all things Mythology and so I was excited to be offered an ARC from Netgalley and TitanBooks of Emily H Wilson's debut novel, Inanna. There are so many Greek Mythology retellings out there at the moment so it's refreshing to see an offering from Summerian Mythology.

I read the Epic of Gilgamesh many years ago when studying ancient Mesopotamian history and mythology so I was familiar with the stories being presented by the author. I think she has done an incredible job spinning a compelling story from the Epic of Gilgamesh along with the fragments of other Mesopotamian writings. Its evident that the author has done an amazing amount of research to bring us this book.

I enjoyed that the story was told from the POVs of Inanna, Gilgamesh and Ninshubar. All three characters were strong and captivating and I can't wait to read more about them in the next book in the series.

Overall, I would rate this a 3.7/5. The plot is mostly taken from not one, but two, myths from the Sumerian canon: the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Descent of Inanna. The author did a really good job of meshing the two together quite seamlessly, despite being separate stories originally. It was also clearly very well researched. I liked the "information about the book" section at the end that gives her references and discusses what is fact vs. fiction and the reasoning behind some of her narrative choices. The book had me following along with a summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh as well as periodically Googling Sumerian burial rituals, temple rites, and more. Definitely kudos to the author for helping me learn something!

The book itself starts off quite slowly. It really didn't pick up until the middle and towards the end. I think this is a symptom of it being the first in a planned trilogy; it's ultimately not meant to stand alone. This is fine but also can be a little frustrating when a plot thread gets set up but isn't addressed, especially when it doesn't seem important enough to be a major plot point of the entire series. (I'm mostly talking about Ninshubar and the Potta's storyline, though since there's two more books left in the series, I'll reserve judgment for now.)

Inanna was also incredibly naïve for most of the book, and I'm torn about that choice. In the original stories, she was an experienced, powerful goddess already, while here, she's still a child and it shows. However, her naivete throughout most of the book does underscore her character development after her time in the underworld, where you can definitely see how she's matured.

Enki was, by far, the best written character. He's undoubtedly evil here, but he unexpectedly did the right thing when no one else would (though perhaps for selfish motives). I'm very interested in seeing where the author goes with this in the rest of the trilogy. Speaking of Enki, there is subject matter in this book that is very serious and can be triggering. I thought the author handled this pretty well. Another Goodreads reviewer has provided trigger warnings that I think would be useful to any prospective reader. It also brought up interesting themes about religion, myth, and power, and how one can be used to influence the others. I think it treated these themes well.

This book does have some parallels in style, tone, and "vibes" as Madeline Miller's Circe. I can tell this book was trying to evoke Circe, with some success. I do think people who liked Circe and have an interest in Sumerian myth would also enjoy this book.

I'll definitely continue with the series as the next books come out.

While I overall enjoyed this, there were parts where the pace didn’t feel quite right.

I love mythology retellings and you can tell this author didn’t try to paint a picture of perfection and change things in the story that would make people uncomfortable. This I can appreciate because rarely ever is mythology a story without elements that a modern reader isn’t used to.

Going into this book entirely blind of what to expect isn’t ideal if you’re a sensitive person. I’d recommend looking further into trigger warnings for this book.

As for characters, I found I could never care that much for them. Gilgamesh ended up being the only character that came through for me. I had difficulty understanding their personalities and motivations as I read

"Inanna" was a little slow and dry in parts, but don't let that put you off reading. There's some lovely writing to be found here, a great story, and some very interesting characters. It's hyped as a fantasy retelling of "The Epic of Gilgamesh", I can't comment on that since I know next to nothing about it, but this book should stand on its own merits regardless.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

A vivid retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh and Goddess Inanna. Being myth inspired brings a certain magic to the book, underneath this there are a lot of historical elements included.
The multiple points of view make for an interesting read as the stories intertwine.
Overall an elegant and powerful book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.