Dark Harvest by Hazel Atkinson is such an excellent concept. Re-imagining the stories of Sappho and women from Greek mythology and placing them in different time periods sounds fantastic. Some of the stories were very good, while others were tedious.

My favorites were Medea, Canace, and Helen. The complete re-imaginings of Medea and Canace were intricately detailed and engrossing. Helen's story is the only one set in the character's own time period, but Atkinson still managed to breathe fresh life into her character. I would have loved full length novels of each one of them. I also liked Phaedra, though that was too short.

The other stories were pretty boring. Penelope was a particular disappointment given it's lack of originality in the re-imagining (Penelope took the place of an actual historical figure) and the length just made it drag on without anything interesting happening. The other stories were pretty forgettable.

Sofia Engstrand's narration was excellent. Her rendition of each story was completely unique.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars but rounding up to 3.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of dark harvest. The concept of this book is really interesting, with a collection of stories and characters from Greek mythology but who take back control of their lives. I enjoyed each of the stories that were told although I would have liked a little bit more from some of the stories as some were quite similar in places although some stories were more detailed than others. I read a lot of Greek mythology so this was definitely interesting but not my usual style of book, however I did still enjoy it and I loved the concept and that some of these characters were able to reclaim their control and write their own history. Definitely worth a read (or listen) for those who enjoy mythology. I was able to fly through this quite quickly because of how it was formatted into short stories.


Narrator was excellent and engaging!

Many stories of women were written by poets and this novel retells the stories of Medea, Penelope, Saffo, Dido and Helen. Retold at different times in history showing just how relevant they are today.

Really enjoyed this well written and well narrated book (I listened to the audiobook). Strong female leads who want their endings to be different. Stories written by men and retold from a woman’s point of view. Excellent, enjoy.

This book of short stories was interesting.

It took some of the most popular women in Greek myths, retold their stories in different settings (some modern day, some not), and gave them much more agency than they originally had.

In theory, that should make for a fantastic book. But in reality, it was more average than awesome.

Mythological retellings have become hella popular over the last few years, to varying degrees of success.

Some of the stories in this book really were excellent -- i.e., Dido's and Medusa's. Others, though, were very solidly average -- i.e., Helen's, Sappho's, and Penelope's.

And there were a couple that I couldn't get into at all -- i.e., Phaedra's and Canace's.

As a result, I think a solid 3-star rating is a fair assessment. If you're into classic/mythological retellings, especially those with a feminist perspective, it's definitely worth the read. However, it isn't going anywhere near the top of the list of retellings like "The Song of Achilles." (That book is a masterpiece, though, so not many books would.)

I loved the narrator, though. She had a soothing, beautiful, and at times even sexy voice that just made me want to melt like butter. She needs to narrate more books, or maybe just read phone books aloud or something. I'd listen to her all day. The pacing was good, too. I listened at 2x speed, but that's pretty common for me, so I wouldn't say it was slow or draggy.

The one problem I had with it (and I noticed it most in Dido's story) was that it suddenly shifted scenes without warning. This might be a book problem, but I THINK it's more likely that it was a narration problem. In Dido's story, there's a scene (flashback/memory) where her brother comes into her room. Then, suddenly she's back in the present again, and then WHAM! We're back in the memory without any transition whatsoever.

I'm assuming maybe there were page breaks or something to indicate these shifts in the print version of the book. But there was NOTHING like that in the audio version. And yes, that includes a short break in audio that might indicate a scene shift. It was just the end of one sentence and the immediate beginning of another -- no pauses, no breaks, no nothing.

And again, I've not seen the print version of this book, so that might actually be how it's written -- with no breaks whatsoever. If that's the case, then that's on the author because there definitely needs to be something there to designate the shift.

But if there ARE breaks in the book, the narrator should have put a bit more space in there.

Either way, it was an interesting book that's worth the read if myth retellings are your thing. Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for review purposes.

From infamous Helen of Sparta, to the lesser known Canace, Atkinson’s ancient retellings are a unique revision of the original texts.

Starting the book with a university lecturer enduring personal hardships, this embedded narrative instigates the short stories. From 18th century Medea, to Hollywood Phaedra, these era substitutes add a refreshing take to the saturated retelling market. I really enjoyed each story as it not only provided a new perspective, as they usually do, but lay in amongst a different backdrop which enabled different cultural boundaries the women faced, but how ultimately the outcomes remained the same, albeit with minor differences.

However, I think what let this down for me and changed it to a 3⭐️ instead of a 4, was that the original story gets thrown out the window. We spend quite a bit learning about this character and understanding why she suddenly needs to write these stories, but the fact we don’t get a mini conclusion for her killed it off a bit for me. Whilst I know her tale probably isn’t important and exists just to start the book, I’m still disappointed we didn’t get a mini ending / closure.

A really interesting take nonetheless.

I am a big fan of Greek mythology retellings - especially ones that give voice or a different perspective to the women characters. This collection of stories is based on one of Ovid's lesser known books that has stories of wronged women. Atkinson takes these stories and sets them in different time periods. I loved the collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for this advance copy for review.

I don't usually go in for short stories, but I am a SUCKER for a feminist retelling of Greek mythology. I went for it, and I am not sorry that I did. This was a beautifully written collection of stories that depict female rage, love, and heartbreak. I really loved Atkinson's writing - she made some of these stories feel almost visceral. Most of them are scattered through time and place, so you're not getting a traditional Greek setting. That being said, I felt like she did such a beautiful job of staying true to each woman's story. So well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

Dark Harvest is a fascinating and beautiful retelling of Ovid’s Heroides that will captivate Greek mythology fans.

I had a lot of fun with this one. I enjoyed that this retelling used short stories following the women in Ovid’s Heroides to tell their unique tales and explore their characters while also retelling Heroides as a whole. The characters were entertaining and well-developed, and I enjoyed following their different adventures and experiences. The pacing of each short story was great, and the writing was beautiful. This book was an exciting read that I would recommend to fans of Greek mythology or anyone looking for a fun retelling!

The audiobook narrator for Dark Harvest did a wonderful job! I loved the accents she used for each character, and she captured the story beautifully through her tones and narration.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!