I wanted to love this book was didn't. It definitely preceded the 2020's fad of Greek retellings, but the writing just wasn't that good. It felt a little juvenile, and I feel it would sell better as a YA!

I love all things mythology, and this delightful debut by Emily Hauser was just perfect! She is a wonderful writer, and I know anyone who can't get enough of Madeliene Miller will want to try this novel. Ms, Hauser makes ancient Greece and Troy come alive and I can't think of a better place to spend my time!

I was a little puzzled about this book and its mysteriously lyrical advance praise - until I went on Goodreads and realized that its reviewers so far, mainly, seem to be readers of YA fiction. That's entirely where this book belongs, and I wish it wasn't marketed as a novel for adults. It reminds me of Madeleine Miller's The Shield of Achilles in this way, an equally breathless romance masked as a literary fiction. Nothing wrong with YA romance, but it'd be good for a reader to know that's what we'll get. But OK - there are obviously other issues with the book as well. Such as for example the author's adoption of this weird nineteenth century idea that Achilles and Briseis are in love in any sort of way recognizable to us as an actual relationship. Again, nothing wrong with fan fiction, but do we really need another story of a girl who falls in love with her brutal captor? Perhaps particularly teenage readers?

This is an interesting retelling of the Trojan War, written by a classicist who differentiates the Greek and Trojans by emphasizing the Hittite-connected culture of Troy, involves the gods directly, and tells the tale through the first-person narration of Cressida and Briseis, women peripheral to the original story, but granted here plausibly more crucial roles.

Loved this historical fiction! Not enough written about this period.

I'll admit it: I am totally obsessed with Greek mythology and all of the Greek gods. Maybe it's the ruthlessness or all the death or all the obsession with sex or I don't even know, but I love stories that feature them. I actually thought this book was more about Helen of Troy because that's basically how the Trojan War started. But this story was really about the women behind some of the men fighting in the war. This story was inspired by Homer's Iliad and the author wrote about a few of the female minor characters in that poem and how their actions affected the war. And I had no idea until Started reading that the gods would play such a prominent role in the story. That was a pleasant surprise.

There were two POVs and it did take me a bit to figure out which woman was which. There is Krisayis, who is daughter of Trojans' High Priest. She is in love with once of the princes, but since she is just a priest's daughter, she doesn't stand a very high chance of getting approval to marry him. Also, her father is insistent that she become a priestess when she turns sixteen. Then there is Briseis, the wife of Mynes. Because of a prophecy by the gods at her birth, it took her a long time to find a man willing to marry her and then she falls in love with the prince. I loved both of these women. They were so feisty, especially for the time period, and they both were so determined to fight for their city. Sexism played a huge role in this story, as you would expect, and I loved that neither of these women were content to just sit around and wait for stuff to happen. They fought for their city and their friends and the men that they loved. Of course, the men underestimated them and I loved it when they fought back.

In addition to the two women, there were chapters that talked about what the gods were up to and what they were planning. The gods knew who exactly was going to win the war (destiny and all that), but it didn't stop some of the gods from helping their favorites and interfering when they could. They knew who was going to live and who was going to die. I found it so amusing that the gods basically treated the humans like their little playthings. Because this involved Greek gods and the Trojan war, we kind of know how some things will turn out and we definitely know that people will die and there will be tragedy all over the place. And this author did not shy away from the death, so that makes me love her. I know, I know: I love it when people in books die. I'm evil.

This book was so exciting and well written. The characters and the plot were so on point. The best thing is that the author is coming out with another book based on more Greek mythology and I CANNOT WAIT!! I need more from this author!

3.5 Stars
A novel meant for a younger audience (NA/YA) or just a more simplified version of the fall of Troy as told from the perspective of two young women. This variation is original and intriguing, but some parts felt rushed or glossed over. Other parts are better than the Iliad original. The segments with gods and goddesses is amusing and I like how the author alludes that Homer plays a part as well. Overall, a good adaptation of the traditional story and an easy read.

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There is an extremely large, ever-expanding supply of Trojan War stories and retellings, and though I have read many different versions, I have never read a version told from the perspectives of Krisayis and Briseis. I thought this was a very clever and unique take on a classic tale, so naturally I was eager to discover author Emily Hauser's take. However, what I ended up discovering was not an intense, moving portrayal of the Trojan War, but one that left me wanting more and feeling rather underwhelmed as a result.

For the Most Beautiful was full of ups and downs, which left it feeling like a very average - but still solid - Trojan War tale.

Krisayis and Briseis were good storytellers, but I didn't find myself caring much about them. They were both extremely similar in their narratives, which thus often made it difficult to remember whose perspective I was reading from. When the novel starts, Krisayis is biding her time before she becomes old enough to become a priestess under her father's wishes, which is something she does not want to do. Our other protagonist, Briseis, is just about to complete an arranged marriage to a man she does not know - but who she falls right in love with. However, neither of these girls really gripped me; their actions frustrated me, and I had a hard time connecting with them. It's not even that I disliked them as much as I just didn't have much interest.

One aspect of For the Most Beautiful that I particularly enjoyed, however, was the brief bits before some chapters in which we get a view of the gods and their role in this war. Most Trojan War tales seems to focus solely on the mortal side of the war, so I loved being able to see into the conversations of the gods about the war. I do have some mixed feelings about these parts, however, because they played mainly off of stereotypes of the gods. I found myself highly amused by many of their antics, but at the same time I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be as comical as it was. The rest of the story had a very serious atmosphere, so it seemed odd to me that the god portion was so comical.

Everything about this book just screamed 'okay' to me. The characters weren't great, but they weren't really bad either. The plot was interesting enough, but I never felt disappointed that I had to put the book down and go take care of other life activities. I never really looked forward to reading this book. I; it just felt like I had read it all a thousand times before. Despite this, I can say that the writing itself was well-done, and Hauser has a way of using lovely, flowing language to tell her story.

I don't think I would recommend this to readers who do not already know the Trojan War or who have not read other books about it. I feel that this would be enjoyed more by those who are already familiar with the story and are interested in a fun depiction of the gods and a somewhat new perspective of the events of the war.