I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book via NetGalley, and while I had already pre-ordered a physical copy, I was excited to dive in. Overall, I had mixed feelings. The story builds from the foundation of the Iliad, but there are significant changes to characters and plot points—some that work and others that don’t. For instance, the side romance felt unnecessary and out of place, and I wasn’t a fan of Paris’s characterization, though I understand the context of Helen’s story making her more sympathetic.

That said, I absolutely loved the bond between the Weaver, the Spindle, the Hawk, and the Mouse, and the ending moved me to tears. The authors did an incredible job of conveying what the siege of Troy would have been like, even though some poignant details, like Polyxena’s sacrifice, were left out. I also appreciated the nuanced inclusion of Luwian customs and how they depicted Troy as a cultural melting pot.

In the end, despite some critiques, I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated the optimistic conclusion. It’s a solid A for me, and I’ll definitely be returning to this and its predecessor in the future.

Daughters of Bronze is a retelling of the Trojan war, told from the perspective of the women involved.

It took me a long time to get through this one, but it was worth it. This was so well done and felt like a fresh take on a story we've all heard dozens of times. This is one of those retellings where you know exactly what is going to happen, but you still find yourself begging the author to change the ending anyway.

I particularly loved their take on Helen. I don't think I've ever read something that focused on her in this way and it was very interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC!

Unfortunately I ended up DNFing this, which is a shame as the writing was great but I could not get myself into the story. It felt more like history vs historical fiction to me. I may give it another go in the future as I generally like greek retellings

I wanted to love this. I did not. I thought the book generally felt like this was not an enjoyable time. It could have been much shorter.

Perfect.Daughters of Bronze continues the retelling of the Trojan war through the eyes of its main female characters. Most of us know this story, either from school, or our own personal interest in greek and roman stories. Getting this new perspective on countlessly retold story was so interesting. I loved Rhines interpretation of Helen through out this story, swell as her depictions of Rhea and Andromache. If you are a lover of Greek myths and histories, give the book a go, you won't regret it.

It took me a long time to read Daughters of Bronze, and I had two good reasons for it. First, when I started reading, I didn’t know that it was a duology. I thought I should read the first book to get a better picture of the story, and I was right.

The second reason for my prolonged process of reading Daughters of Bronze was more complex. We all know the ending of the Trojan War and what happened to the protagonists of this story. The death of Hector, the exemplary husband, son, leader, and man guided by a sense of duty, has always been personally difficult for me to accept. In this version, Hector is an even more admirable figure, and the authors succeeded in breathing life into this statue of perfection, showing the traits of a true human being, not just a hero. With each page I read, I came closer to the inevitable moment of Hector's death, and it was very painful.

I am also impressed by the portrayal of the Trojan War, not as a divine-level war, but as a regular, bloody conflict, with dirty political motivations from the participants that lead to tragedy. All the efforts of Andromache, Hector, Helen, and others to save the city are in vain. Everything noble loses in the clash with the base nature of humanity and the thirst for power. The price that all decent participants in this drama pay for their sacrifices is hard to accept.

By eliminating divine intervention in these events (which is an integral part of Homer's original), the story becomes even more tragic and depressing. We cannot blame any angry, selfish gods for our actions and their consequences. The fault is entirely ours as humans.

Finally, I would like to deeply thank the authors for their interpretation of the reasons behind Hector's behavior during his duel with Achilles. For decades, since I first encountered the Iliad, I could not understand how it was possible for Hector to betray his entire life as a noble man and brave warrior during the duel with Achilles. In the interpretation of Daughters of Bronze, I received an explanation, and it is the most wonderful one possible. I am very grateful.

My big thank to to NetGalley , the Authors and the Publisher for the copy.

What an ending. What a tragic but beautiful ending. This duology has really and truly opened up my eyes to how rich and literary mythological retellings can actually be. Like, A.D. Rhine really gave these characters a life and richness and a story that have left a lasting impression. I will never likely consider the Trojan War through any other lens ever again. This second book in the series is battle heavy and as someone who's eyes tend to glaze over during these kinds of scenes, I found myself impatient at times to see how the story played out. The fact that (being familiar with the mythology like many are) I largely knew the fate of many of the characters, did not diminish the impact of the story at all. I was close to tears on numerous occasions and by the end of it felt a heaviness that is only appropriate and necessary for such a tragic story of a brutal, brutal war. I cannnnottt wait to see what comes next from A.D. Rhine and I sincerely hope it is something adjacent to this story in that it follows up with *spoiler*, because I was NOT ready to let him go in that way!

What a truly stunning sequel to an amazing story! Daughters of Bronze brings right back into the political intrigue and personal relationships of the Trojan War. I love the scenes included Cassandra and other women. It was truly a feminist read!

If you read book 1, you must finish book 2! The authors tied together the story so well.

I adore all things Greek mythology, and I enjoy getting the opportunity to read new versions of stories that I grew up with. This book was masterfully well-written, and hauntingly beautiful. The continuation of the duology is what every Greek myth loving reader needs in their life.

This book!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. It was so beautifully written. Heartbreaking along with the perfect amount of feminine rage. Highly recommend!

While I absolutely adored Horses of Fire (and in fact rated it 5 stars), I somehow loved Daughters of Bronze even more. Can I somehow give it 5.5 stars? Even knowing the general framework from The Iliad, Daughters of Bronze still kept me on the edge of my seat and fully interested the entire time. Plenty is changed or slightly adjusted from the original myth, so it keeps the entire story fresh while remaining familiar at the same time.

Daughters of Bronze is a truly phenomenal continuation of the story that began with Horses of Fire. Just as with the first book, the writing was gorgeous. The different POVs really allowed us to get the full picture of what was going on both inside the walls of Troy and at the Achaean camp. The character relationships in this book really crushed me in the best way possible. They were just so beautifully done that it makes the events of the book all the more heartbreaking. I mean, Ajax and Rhea?! I sobbed. I love them so much. Hector and Andromache have a beautiful relationship as well, and I loved seeing Andromache open up more to others throughout both books.

It’s always interesting to get these familiar stories (in this case, The Iliad) told from a different perspective than usual. Not only was this told from the perspective of the women, but it was also told from within Troy itself. Horses of Fire and Daughters of Bronze gave us the Trojan’s side of the story. As someone that has really only read from the Greek perspective of the Trojan war, it was refreshing for me to see the other side of it. Hector was always a rather admirable character even from the Greek side, but Horses of Fire and Daughters of Bronze made him so much more human. Instead of just seeing Hector as a warrior, we see him as a husband, father, son, brother, and friend. He was one of my favorite non-POV characters of this duology, along with Ajax.

I could not recommend this duology enough. It was beautifully written and the story is absolutely heart-wrenching. I’d suggest checking it out if you’re even a little interested in the Trojan War. I also alternated between the ebook and audiobook for both Horses of Fire and Daughters of Bronze, and I have to say, I really enjoyed the audiobook, and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t do audiobooks. Something about the way the narration was done scratched my brain just right, so I would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you’re already an audiobook lover!

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for the early copy of Daughters of Bronze. All opinions are my own.

be still my greek mythology-loving heart.

i've read plenty of retellings of the trojan war (and i will continue to read them all because I am insane) but a lot of them are either too detached and end up reading as very info heavy or they get too invested in their own story and derail completely from the original tale. this one was definitely trying to avoid being either of those but it did end up with a new problem in that it was trying to do too much into one story. by trying to connect all these iconic women from the era into one somewhat coherent trail, it became overly complex and messy.
a lot of the writing itself was beautiful it was just unfortunate it was buried in pages of drawn-out verse.

i do want to specifically call out how necessary telling the stories of the greek women is and how difficult it can be. so much of the original myths is centred around the men and told in a way that either diminishes the women or makes them slaves to the dominating men around them., literally or not. while i may not have connected with this book in particular, the story that rhine is telling is an important one and the women they wrote about deserve to have their voices heard just as much as the men around them.

thanks to penguin group dutton and netgalley for the arc!

In Daughters of Bronze we enter the Trojan War in the tenth and final year of fighting. Andromache is due to give birth to Troy's heir any day, and yet she still is trying to convince King Priam and the council to make a big push in the fighting to save her city. Rhea is still scurrying through the shadows to gather information from the Achaean camp as a spy, yet her heart begins to pull her in different directions as she grows closer to the gentle giant on the enemy side. Helen has been locked away by Paris and presumed dead, yet she awaits a chance to escape. Cassandra does her best to decipher the visions of the future she sees, and tries to pull the right threads to change fate in a way that can save those she loves.

I was so excited to receive this as an ARC, I loved Horses of Fire so much! This is a great ending to the duology, and a wonderful retelling of the fall of Troy. Strong female characters are always so fun to read, especially when surrounded by warriors and kings who do their best to overlook them. I enjoyed all of the women highlighted, each viewpoint is so unique and they have so much depth. It is also interesting to see Rhea's quiet strength next to Andromache's commanding authority. Rhea's storyline was one of my favorites, her conflict was so well written and really highlights how there can be good in people no matter which side of the conflict they are on. I like how this duology doesn't follow the story of the Iliad exactly as we know it, the variances are so perfectly crafted and keep such a well-known story engaging. The Author's Note at the end does a great job of explaining some of the reasoning behind the changes they made and was really interesting.

I look forward to reading anything else this duo writes! I think all fans of Greek Mythology would enjoy this version. There is less focus on the Gods and Goddesses, it reads more like historical fiction, but the way it follows these female characters is so captivating to read. While this is the second book, you could easily read it as a stand-alone (especially if you are familiar with the Trojan War.) You would, however, be missing out on an incredible first book though! I received this book as an ARC from Dutton and NetGalley for my opinions.

4.5 stars rounded up

For anyone that loves Mythological tales retold, I would almost categorize Daughters of Bronze as a must read. I found the inter-weaving of these classic characters' stories masterful, equal parts heartbreaking and thrilling. Outwardly but quietly feminist, this tale of the end of the Trojan War told from the angle of the women involved was so refreshing, particularly because the Trojan War is not a particularly uncovered story.

I very, very much enjoyed this novel and encourage you to read it, if it seems of interest. As this is my first A.D. Rhine novel, their other won't be far behind on my TBR.

Thank you so much to Penguin Group / Dutton and Netgalley for this free review copy!

#netgalley #daughtersofbronze #penguingroup

It wasn’t until I had started Daughters of Bronze that I realized A.D. Rhine – the pen name for writing duo Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson – had already published another novel, Horses of Fire and it wasn’t until I had finished Daughters of Bronze that I learned that the pair were intended as a duology. The novel itself stands so strongly on its own that it is a thoroughly enjoyable and strong story without having read the first in the pair. Of course, some of that is down to the fact that it is a strong and engaging retelling of a familiar tale so a lot of the backstory that’s needed can be found elsewhere and readers might already have that knowledge going into it (especially if, like me, they’ve been on a mythology kick). Daughters of Bronze actually goes a long way to making various elements of the story of the Trojan War a little more believable, taking familiar aspects of the story and shifting things just enough for them to still ring true but in new ways.

The time for Andromache to give birth draws near and she chafes at her inability to get her father-in-law Priam and his council to take her suggestions for how to execute the war seriously. Of course, they don’t know about Rhea and the ring of spies she has passing her information from the Achaean camps. Cassandra does what she can to act on the different paths forward she sees, freeing Helen from a captivity imposed by Paris and assisting with the birth of her nephew. But the futures she sees don’t always draw a clear line between events and sometimes she sees what she wishes to see. While among the Achaeans, Rhea is must face the fact that getting to know Troy’s enemies to pass along information also humanizes them and not all of them are bad men. As it becomes clearer that Troy cannot win the war and that collapse is inevitable, these women fight to preserve at least one small hope for Troy’s future beyond the war and the death and destruction that awaits them.

The beginning of the novel didn’t strike me as abrupt or unusual in any way as I read it, but after learning that Daughters of Bronze is the second book in a duology the point at which it starts and the approach do make more sense. Switching between the four women’s perspectives, they all must confront the knowledge that there is nothing more to be done to win the war. As women, they know they are likely to physically survive the collapse of the city, becoming part of the spoils divvied up afterward (though that survival is less of a certainty for Helen). Knowing what they face in the “after” period, how they respond to the approaching collapse of the city as leaders, as mothers, as friends, shows the true depths of their strength and determination.

Sacrifice and revenge, grief and hope are on display from more than just the female characters as the authors draw from The Iliad and play with elements that don’t always make sense on the surface. By stripping out the aggrandizement and exaggeration of such source material and layering more humanity into the gaps, they create something far more complex and realistic – tragic and hopeful in its relatability. Placing human resentments, pride, and grief at the source of the conflict and contrasting it with the strength of love willing to sacrifice personal safety, comfort, and even dignity, Daughters of Bronze creates a version of the fall of Troy that resonates.

Easily my favorite greek mythology retelling of all time, and one of my favorite books this year. The sentence structure is incredibly lyrical and you're so easily empathetic to the characters that you'll be sobbing at points.

I enjoyed reading the separate POV's of women in a very known Greek timeframe. I think it added a new and fresh aspect to the story and was cool to see how women worked behind the scenes (as they often do). However, I felt the pacing was really slow, which made it a bit hard to get through.

Something just didn't sit right with me when I was reading this.I was just a bit bored by it I think.The writing is lovely though I mostly found each individual's story interesting, insightful and terrifying but I felt a bit cheated not really hearing the men's voices.I guess I really just love the action in the Iliad.While this isn't suppose to be a retelling I thought it was a nice little change if you want to hear Andromache,Cassandra,Rhea or Helen a little more clearly.

Wow! What a fantastic display of depth and courage of the heroes and heroines of Troy. I truly felt transported back in time as though I was living alongside these incredible women who shaped the mythology and history as we know it today.

A.D. Rhine does a masterful job at addressing all complexities of the original epic while at the same time weaving new stories and plot lines that left me tearful and wishing for more.

Unbeknownst to me, I picked up this book thinking it was a standalone, so I have not yet read Horses of Fire. However, I still felt deeply connected to each character and was never lost in the plot, so I can only imagine how much better it would’ve been had I read the first book.

This was the conclusion to the duology retelling of the Iliad/Trojan War. It was beautifully written and I liked it even better than the first! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs, the strong female characters, the efforts the authors made in making it historically accurate for the time in which the myth would have taken, and all of the relationships (friendship, enemy, and romantic!).

I recommend this for anyone who loves Greek mythology or historical fiction!