I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

This was a beautiful retelling of Pandora from her POV. As an avid enjoyer of greek mythology retellings, I was delighted by this story. Pandora is a tenacious, free-thinking woman who is chosen by the gods to punish Prometheus through his brother. This retelling paints the gods as sniveling and bored.

The writing was beautiful and the pace of the book was perfect. While there was beauty in the descriptions the story was never stagnant.

Favorite quote, "...for hope is a balm to all who embrace it."

The story was moving very fast. There were a lot of time jumps. But it was still captivating, I was not confused at any point. At times it almost had a cozy feel to it. I really enjoyed this book and when I checked my progress for the first time, I was surprised that I was already over halfway through the book.

The plot
The plot was easy to follow. It's definitely not an action-packed book where the main characters are fighting dragons from the first page, but it was very hard to put the book down. The story of Pandora is interesting, peaceful and easy to read.

The characters

Pandora is a likable main character. I didnt connect to Epimetheus that much, since he didn't have much space in my eyes. Their relationship didn't develop right before our eyes due to the time jumps, but I could still feel a connection between the two. I really liked the secondary characters, even if they didn't have that much space. The gods... they were definitely interesting to read about and I was looking forward to their parts of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it.

I was given this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book for what is was.

It follows the story of Pandora and Epimetheus and her Pithos (box but the jar is used which is. more correct so nice detail)
This story. about a more female empower version of this the myth which is always nice take on the greek myths.

There are some little buts for this books.
1. it tries a bit to hard to be a Jennifer Saint book
2. it feels like the myth is weirdly placed in the myth timeline

Did those things really bother my enjoyment of the book no those where just somethings that got me out of the story.

Will I buy this book to have on my greek retelling myths shelf probably

In Italiano nei commenti ✨🫶🏼


✨"Regrets cannot turn back the clock."✨

The character of Pandora has always fascinated me, and since this is a figure we don't hear often about, I couldn't help but read this retelling!

✨The book opens with an adult Pandora who hopes with her words to be able to break through all the voices , stories and myths that define her as the villain of the story. She also hopes to be able to shed a light on the mean nature of the gods and how they used her as a pawn in their plots. Most of all, she hopes that her words will give her descendants the opportunity to walk tall without having to hide because of the black stain her lineage entails.

✨Pandora has always been curious and intelligent, and it is because of these characteristics that she is chosen by Athena to be given in marriage to Epimetheus, the titan brother of Prometheus. Epimetheus has always loved solitude except for the company of his animals and that of his brother. He never wanted anything or anyone else in his life until the gods gave him Pandora, who with her thousand questions, kindness and intelligence managed to make him want something more. Moreover, Pandora was not only the hope and the chance for the Titan to be loved, to have a home and a family, but she was also a beacon of hope for the people of the village dedicated to her husband by helping them improve their lifestyle and becoming an integral part of their everyday life.
And then of course there are the gods who are described as spiteful and vindictive who do not hesitate to use our protagonists as pawns in their power games. All except Athena who gives our protagonist hope so that she can build a better future for herself and her descendants.

✨ This is one of those books composed by a fluid and vivid writing that manages to transport the reader straight into the book and that surely , if you are a lover of the genre, I cannot help but recommend!

✨Thank’s to netgalley for the copy

It was too cumbersome to read. Not at all interesting.A faster pace might have helped with keeping my attention.

“Regrets cannot turn back the clock.”

“A Holder of Hope” by Jane McGarry is a Greek mythology retelling. Pandora lives in Lemnos until the gods interfere by setting up a trap for the titan Prometheus’ brother. Zeus wants to punish Prometheus and has decided that his brother Epimetheus is to wed a beautiful girl from Lemnos. Pandora becomes an unwilling pawn for the gods to deal their “justice”.

I loved this book. I loved the characters of Pandora and Epimetheus that she wrote. I loved that Pandora wasn’t the bad guy. I was so sad in the end. This is one of the books I will definitely be rereading over and over again. 5 out of 5 stars.

-Greek Myth Retelling
-Arranged Marriage
-Gods
-Titans
-Pregnancy

I really enjoyed this book a lot. I have been looking for a good Greek mythology retelling and this was just what i wanted and I would highly recommend!