This part mythology, part historical fiction, tour-de-force retelling of the Trojan War epic beautifully illustrates how the women of Troy also fought the war—with skills other than brute force. It is the second book in a duology, the first of which, Horses of Fire, I have not yet read.

Told from the perspective of the very-well drawn main characters—Andromache, Rhea, Helen, and Cassandra—as the decade-long war comes to its horrific conclusion, this very human story explores duty, friendship, glory, suffering (both physical and emotional) and ingenuity. We also see the men of The Iliad in a different light: Hector, Aeneas, Priam, Ajax, Patroclus, Menelaus, and Agamemnon. Cassandra, in particular, was portrayed beautifully in all her complexities and struggles since she was locked in a tower by her parents, considered “mad.” The only of the four women who perhaps got short shrift was Helen, although given how many other works focus on her (as object, not subject), the smaller attention let the other characters shine on their own. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys retellings of the classic Greek works.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dutton Publishing, and the dynamic duo that is A.D. Rhine for an ARC of this book.

Greek mythology! Yes. Such a cool experience reading this. However, I did not realize upon requesting it came AFTER Horses of Fire. I will have to read that one as well! My kids and I love the podcast Greeking Out, and have learned a lot from it, so it was very cool to experience some of the stories we heard there within this book.

DNF at ~25%

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series until I had already started reading, which made it a little harder to fully grasp the story. I think reading the first book would have helped, but I still enjoyed the beautiful writing and compelling characters. It took a bit of time to get into, but once I did, the narrative was engaging. The perspectives of Rhea and Andromache were especially interesting and well-developed. Overall, it’s a solid book, and fans of Greek mythology will likely appreciate it even more. I will be revisiting this after reading the first book.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Daughters of Bronze by A. D. Rhine is a rich and immersive retelling of the Trojan war.
A magical book filled with unforgettable characters. I could not put this one down.
I was absolutely amazed and enamored with these characters.
This book is a must-read for any mythology lover!

Daughters of Bronze was a captivating journey filled with fierce warriors, political intrigue, and a touch of magic. I loved the strong female characters and the way Rhine breathed life into this ancient world. The action scenes were thrilling, and the descriptions of the landscapes and battles were vivid and immersive.

While I enjoyed the overall plot, I felt that the pacing was a bit slow at times, and some of the subplots felt a bit underdeveloped. However, the ending was satisfying, and I was left wanting to know more about this fascinating world and its inhabitants.

Overall, Daughters of Bronze is a well-crafted historical fantasy novel that transports readers to a bygone era. If you're looking for a story with strong female characters, epic battles, and a touch of magic, this book is worth checking out.

Daughters of Bronze is the final book in a duology, which examines the downfall of Troy. A masterful re-telling of an epic tale, A.D. Rhine puts the reader right in the streets of Troy and the camps of the Greek and their allies. Following the stories of the women specifically, and capturing the unique role women have served in wartime, Daughters of Bronze explores themes of sisterhood, womanhood, love, loss, and legendary heroism. Famous figures such as Andromache, Cassandra, and Helen of Troy come to life. I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction and Greek legends. 5/5. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It has been said that all’s fair in love and war. Get ready to be immersed in the push and pull of determined women doing whatever it takes to achieve their goals; within and behind the scenes of battle. This novel is a reimagining of the epic conflicts of the Trojan War, an amalgamation of historical fiction and mythology; events that feature the many impactful roles women may have played. For those interested in stories of this era and ancient civilizations, this narrative offers some compelling and plausible insights that could resonate well with modern readers. This is the second book of a duology, so you may wish to read both titles together to get the full impact of the journey. I also suggest reading all author notes as they are rich with thoughts, history, and inspiration.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Daughters of Bronze for my unbiased evaluation. 3.5 stars

I stayed up late last night to finish this book. And once I hit the end, I checked the time in the top left corner of my kindle: it was 1:30 in the morning. That's the kind of book it is. Every time I hit a chapter end, I would say to myself, "Oh just one more." The ladies of A. D. Rhine have crafted a compelling, heartrending rendition of the tale of The Trojan War and I would highly recommend it. I could see every character like it was a movie and felt their anguish, their struggles, their honorable choices, their anger, and above all, their sacrificial love. I barely prevented myself from sobbing so take that into consideration; I'm doing that "this book broke me, you should totally read it" thing.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this read. I enjoy the multiple POV and the structure of the characters, and the writing is phenomenal. It is a bit slow so you'll need to be dedicated to the story to get through it.

The fall of Troy....told from the point of view of the women who lived it. Helen...Andromache....Cassandra.....Hecuba and a young woman called Rhea. This is their story, about as far from the noble stories we've heard about Achilles, Paris, Ajax, Odysseus ....it's the women whose stories are the stories that should have been told, and A.D. Rhine give them a voice in Daughters of Bronze.

Troy is surrounded by its enemies - the Myrmidons, the Achaeans, you name it. Helen is presumed dead, Cassandra's prophecies are dismissed, Priam is a king past his time and Paris is not a hero but a traitor (although nobody knows it). Troy is surrounded and it's the women who are holding things together while kings and counsels talk and plot both within Troy and without. Unknown to anyone but Andromache, there is a network of female spies. of which Rhea is one. These brave women - washerwomen, cooks, seamstresses, slaves - help Andromache stay informed of what's being planned in the enemy camp. Rhea is one of these women; a sort of ward to Andromache, she is able to leave the walls of Troy unseen and gather information under the guise of being one of the female workers. She falls for a handsome man, not knowing who he is, and they carefully trade information. When Andromache's son is born, and there are traitors all around and it appears clear that Troy will fall, Andromache entrusts the baby to Rhea. The story is really complex as are the characters so describing it without giving things away is hard to do. I loved this book; the women are amazing and seeing this war through their eyes puts a whole different perspective on things. The women are bold, brave, politically astute, far more so than the men (duh!). Their stories are told in some of those most beautiful prose I have ever read. The imagery is terrific. Hugely entertaining, thought provoking, in turn exciting, romantic, terrifying - Daughters of Bronze is absolutely a must read!

If you are a fan of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, Claire North or Natalie Haynes you almost certainly will love this one and you should absolutely read this one ASAP!

There's nothing I love more than a good Greek Myth retelling and this one is no exception. A.D. Rhine manages to take the tale of the Trojan War, one that we all know how it ends, and develop these classic characters and tell a story that keeps you engaged and wanting to read nonstop. The story is from the point of view of some of the most iconic women in all of Greek Myth, Helen, Cassandra, Andromache, and Rhea the spy for Troy, and despite the whole time how you expect the story to end the authors do a fantastic job of making you root for these characters and hoping that the story will end differently. (*SPOILER*, it kind of does in a way that again, gives you hope for these characters that you have come to love)

The actual writing is fantastic and beautiful and makes you feel like you're reading a piece of classic literature similar to the source material that the story pulls from. The multiple POVs give you insight into the characters and their thoughts and feeling and all the schemes that they plan and execute as they fight for their future in the war, and the future of their city.

Outside of our main female narrators we also get a glimpse of some other iconic characters of the Iliad and getting to see them brought to life and see more of them outside of the battlefield was endearing and made them more relatable as people and made you love (and in some cases, hate) them even more than you do in the original myth.

Again, if you loved The Song of Achilles, Circe, Elektra, A Thousand Ships, or any other Greek Myth retelling, add this one to your list because you will love it!

This duology is more of a reimagining than a retelling as a very large swath takes place before the known story of The Illiad, so the authors added in several fanciful elements that, per their acknowledgements, are fruit of imagining things like the rites inside of Troy that aren't detailed in the myths as some other aspects of the war are.

The second part of the duology, "Daughters of Bronze", is more propulsive in plot as it nears the events of those last days of the Trojan War, lending it a quicker pace than the first "Horses of Fire." The second installment also benefits, to my view, from the added fourth voice of Cassandra that wasn't part of most of "Horses of Fire", as she's less naive than the Rhea character so readers will have more of a variety when being inside the four characters' heads.

I did find myself wishing some of the action had a bit clearer writing (sometimes following the comings and goings of Rhea through a swamp that at a moments notice is also kind of a river and also maybe a plain is honestly unclear even with the map, for example), especially since both books in the series are admittedly long. But I think the mix of voices will appeal to those who liked similar fare such as Pat Barker's "Silence of the Girls" (focused on Briseis, who also makes an appearance here).

3.5/5
thanks to the author(s) and publisher for the netgalley!

I would give it a 4.25. well written. I greatly enjoyed seeing these stories from a different pov even if I didn't agree with the authors interpretation of everything. That being said, it is a tribute to the writing that I still really enjoyed the book. If you are looking for a different, more slighted and relegated to back pov for the events depicted, this is the book I would recommend. Imagining the role these powerful women could have played was well done and thought provoking.

Daughters of Bronze is a four point of view tale of the trojan war. The four point of view are female and each one is telling a unique tale. Like Cassandra, for example. Womens forced by male protagonists to keep quiet, fake their death and live imprisoned by them -- as much as a metaphor than as the simple truth. Men, who thinks they are so much more superior than the servant girl who washes the stained blood clothes. The same servant girl who is listening intently to each little details of every conversation, silent or not, and then report to another woman who then report to another until it reaches it's "queen" a spinning web who is detrimental in the face of the war. Little girls made to be forgotten who are the true "heroes". Women we wanted to silent because men were afraid of their powers, of what they could do and become.
Daughters of Bronze is an important retelling of the trojan war in this aspect. Their role is detrimental and yet they have been forgotten. Put aside to make more space to men whose ideas came from the same silenced women. In the four POV, we are subject to roughly four archetypes: the servant, the espion, the soon-to-be-queen, the sorceress. They have many names but always one purpose: to instruct us, to show us the force they are to be reckoned.
I'm losing myself in trying to share my thoughts on Daughters of Bronze ans it's exactly what I felt when reading it.
The writing style is easy to read and to lose yourself in the story, you are immediately submerged in the historical period.
Overall, it's a piece of literature I think we could all benefit to read, even if only for the "vibe" of women in war.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Daughters of Bronze.

I really liked this book. It exceeded my expectations and carried on the story from Book 1 really well. I loved all the characters and all the plays on history. As a history nerd, I loved seeing where the authors pulled things from, and the stereotypes they tossed out the window to create a fresh story. The tension was definitely there in this book, and it had me hooked till the end.

Daughters of Bronze was an extremely satisfying and well-thought-out sequel to Horses of Fire and I heartily enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I got 1/3 of the way through this book before I decided not to finish it. It constantly jumped from various characters and didn’t keep my attention.

As you can probably tell, I am a huge fan of greek mythology retellings that focus on the women who are often left out. This is no exception. The voice these women get are great, and hearing how their stories are impacted is just. So good. I will need to get a physical copy when this book releases.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! 4.5 easy.

I loved this take on the trojan war, from a view point of the women who play vital parts to the war. I do think reading Horses of Fire first helps but its easy enough to follow understand without it if you have a vague understanding of the Trojan War.

We follow Helen of Troy, Cassandra, Andromache and Reah throughout the story and get to see how they help or have negative impact based on their choices and reaction to events happening around them. I couldn't get enough of Reah and her story line.

I feel this story really is a reflection and strength of women coming together to support and be "unsung" heroes in a time of Epic men. If you love retellings of Greek Mythology, especially taking a new view point and reimagining some of the devasting parts of the tales, you will love this one. The writing flows so well.

For readers who enjoyed Circe and Hera, Daughters of Bronze shows us the complex and hidden lives of the women in Homer’s epic tales.

I did not realize this was book 2 of a duology going into it, though I have prior knowledge of Greek mythology and literature. Reading book 1 would have helped, but I was still able to read this as a standalone.

I have a soft spot in my heart for stories that depict the rarely heard, if not u heard, women of classic literature. These women played an important role in the plot of the men’s story, yet their own stories go unheard.

Daughters of Bronze felt a bit heavy in a few parts; the story pacing began to drag, and my interest waned. The beauty of Daughters of Bronze is the depiction of the relationships the women have with one another and the family they built. It’s a great feminist novel for anyone who enjoys retelling and mythology.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. The views expressed are my own.
Social Media reviews will post closer to publication.

A retelling of the Trojan War through the eyes of three different women. I did not realize this was the second book in a duology. Although it can be read as a stand alone, it would have helped me to have read the other book first. I found the pacing a bit slow and some chapters hard to get into. I particularly liked Rhea's storyline.