With how much I loved Epic of Helinthia, the sequel had a lot riding on its shoulders - and it exceeded my expectations flawlessly. I reread Epic to pWith how much I loved Epic of Helinthia, the sequel had a lot riding on its shoulders - and it exceeded my expectations flawlessly. I reread Epic to prepare for Oracle, and I’m so glad I did as Oracle has so many different intricacies and plot points hidden throughout that at no point was I ever certain which way the cards would end up. While I would say that Epic felt more like a story that actively took you along for the ride (literally in the case of Gonivein), Oracle is one that develops around you and forces you (and the characters) to respond. While Oracle generally occurs in one single location, at no point is there nothing going on, nor can we (the reader) rest as we watch the political tension rise around everyone.
Oracle begins with us having a new point of view - Lithaneva - and in doing so we’re able to get a much better understanding of the politics of the world outside of Dargos’ perspective. As the daughter of the Anax, having her perspective is key to understanding the fate of Helinthia under his rule - and why, exactly, she is working with the resistance to remove him from power. I loved having this extra point of view, as it humanizes those we wouldn’t find sympathetic otherwise - such as her new husband Branitus, who we meet in Epic. I was shocked by how much I loved him as a character, as before every instance we meet of him is in a public, formal setting through Dargos or Gandor’s eyes.
With both Dargos and Gonivein now being fugitives after the events in Epic, their safety is much more fragile throughout Oracle - in many ways, resting on the goodwill of Kelric. With Kelric deciding to continue to marry Gonivein, despite doing so potentially alienating the Anax against the wishes of his polis, the political landscape suddenly becomes much more treacherous for everyone living in Golpathia. I really liked the new perspective that living in a different area, without Dargos being able to be a main playing character anymore, allowed for the understanding of the world building within this book. During Epic we’re lead to believe that Dargos’ dislike of the Anax, and desire to overthrow him is a political secret held only to his closest allies - but then we find out in Oracle that this isn’t the case, and that Dargos might have been too certain of his ability to do so and had potentially told too many people of his open dislike of the Anax. This causes strife for anyone who is too openly friendly with Dargos - including Kelric - and makes it much harder for Dargos to ensure political safety for not only himself, but his sister and Forluna, as well.
I also really liked that, despite both Gonivein and Tor being confirmed as the oracles of Apollo and Artemis, this doesn’t add too much safety to Gonivein’s life. While being the Oracle of Apollo has some political benefits, being the sister of Dargos in some ways almost negates those benefits, and so she is still very much in danger. I also found it fascinating that, rather than excitement, the general feeling within the polis of there being two new confirmed oracles, when there hadn’t been any in years, to be anxiety over what the gods are planning to happen. The idea being that, in times of prosperity the gods don’t bother with the whims of mortals, but only during times of strife they do. And so, with the two new oracles added, tensions within the polis are continuously rising as everyone is on edge about potentially even worse things happening in the future.
With so much political strife and tension in the air, every decision any character makes winds up having far-reaching consequences - even those no one is aware about. With sides being chosen in the sand everywhere around, it’s only when the dust finally settles that we will find out who is truly on which side. Oracle is a fantastic second book, as despite much of the book occurring in one single location, so much is going on to help set up the worldbuilding and characterization that at no point do you hit a slow spot - or feel like a certain perspective isn’t needed to fully understand what is going on. Every character within this book is forced to make some extremely difficult decisions, and no one ends the book the same person they started it with - and especially not the same people they were in Epic. This series is absolutely one to read for anyone who is a fan of Greek retellings (despite this being an original story), political strife, and in-depth worldbuilding. I cannot wait to see how this story develops as this series continues, and I will absolutely be coming back for more the second I can.
(I also did not see that ending coming, and I'm so excited to see how that plays out in the future!)
Side note: The author is a PHENOMENAL writer when it comes to characterization. AT NO POINT could I tell if I liked or hated Kelric, as the second I felt one way he would do something that would change my mind. And at no point did anything he did not feel like a genuine response from him! I feel like I was Gonivein during the entire novel, constantly switching between forgiving and loving him, and wanting nothing to do with him. There are a few other characters who I loved watching their characterization build and change throughout this novel as they grew as people, but none were as striking to me as Kelric. Legitimately, at no point was I certain how, exactly, I felt about this man, and I loved it. At no point could I simply write him off in my head as someone I disliked, and yet, even during the times I was on his side I was still unsure about his true motives or how he would respond to whatever new issue had arisen. I ended Epic hating him and wanting him nothing the worst, and left Oracle unsure about my actual feelings about him because at no point did I not understand his actions.
A huge thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this e-ARC....more
I am only briefly acquainted with the myth of Medea, so there are a bunch of places I am not fully able to consider whether they stick true to the mytI am only briefly acquainted with the myth of Medea, so there are a bunch of places I am not fully able to consider whether they stick true to the myth or whether they are the author’s changes in liberties.I did, however, know enough of the myth to want to read this book to see how exactly our central character decides to enacting her revenge on Jason for betraying her, and I’ll be completely honest, I was a bit disappointed.
Medea in this novel does not have much agency in the actions she takes - I believe the only thing she’s ever done on her own was when she, as a child, turned her brother into a pig. Otherwise, practically every other decision she makes is due to the manipulation of Jason, and she has no agency in these actions. Her father is a terrible man, as is her brother, and yet it is only when Jason backs her into a wall that she decides to kill him to save herself, and she feels guilt for such actions. In the same way, every murder Medea does to help Jason with his goals is a task given to her by Jason - but the instant she faces any backlash for such actions, he gaslights her into thinking it was her own decision and that he is innocent. I have no issues painting Jason as a less-than ideal suitor - but it’s a little disconcerting that practically every decision Medea makes that sends her along her darker path isn’t one she makes on her own. Up until the very end, she practically has no agency and is only a vessel to follow Jason around as he uses her as he wants.
I thought it was interesting that during a conversation with Atalanta, who states that women in stories can only be villains or love-struck damsels, that this book does the exact same thing to Medea. Everyone around Medea sees her as an evil witch - while this book attempts to paint these very same actions as something that she only does out of love for Jason, and not by her own merits. Even her very last actions done to hurt Jason (I won’t say what in case you’re unaware of them) I found to be very lackluster and boring. I was expecting her revenge to not only attack the woman he’s leaving her for, but for the only people Jason cares about - and, yet, in what is probably the most memorable thing Medea does - she’s barely considering Jason’s feelings, and is doing it out of naive love - and not revenge. I also found the ending to be a bit odd, with Medea suddenly doing a full 180 to her previous actions - and yet, she is taking care of her ailing father.
This book felt like it couldn’t decide whether to make Medea a villain or misunderstood damsel, and so instead attempted to do both. She is evil and embraces her darker side when it benefits her, but immediately after she feels guilt for these actions and tries to remedy them. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if Medea was allowed to embrace her more villainous side, instead of Jason almost forcing her into that role until she has no other choice left.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this e-ARC. ...more
In a long line of Greek myth retellings, I was super excited to get the chance to read this sapphic retelling of Eros and Psyche that stars a nonbinarIn a long line of Greek myth retellings, I was super excited to get the chance to read this sapphic retelling of Eros and Psyche that stars a nonbinary Eros. Unfortunately, as you can probably tell from my 3 star rating, it just didn’t fully work for me.
A lot of the writing is very flowery with a lot of similarities to poetry, which can be beautiful but I feel like at times it distracts from the story itself. Conversations would happen between characters, and the thoughts of either Psyche or Eros would sometimes be overshadowed by how it was written. There were a few points I got distracted reading that I missed what was actually going on, and had to re-read closer to clarify.
Also - and this might just be because I’m aroace - but I never fully believed in the relationship between Psyche and Eros. I understand that Eros is the goddess of desire within this novel, but when almost every conversation between the two is them having sex and not much more, I have doubts that their feelings are anything deeper than sexual attraction. Which isn’t wrong, but we would have scenes where Psyche would try to talk to Eros about something she wanted to know, or have clarification on, and then Eros would immediately attempt to distract her with sex (which usually worked) and then we’d rinse and repeat. But then suddenly both are acting like they’re the loves of each other's lives, and I’m just thinking that it’s been 100 years since Eros has had a lover, and this is the first relationship Psyche has ever had - so I just…don’t believe them.
I had a brief idea of the story of Psyche and Eros, but even still I don’t think I was prepared for how….boring?...the middle part of this book actually was. When Psyche is at the palace spending her days alone, only able to spend time with Eros at night in the dark - in all honesty not much at all goes on during this section. And yet, this is the longest section in the book! We spend days (and days, and days…) with Psyche as she learns how to live with this freedom at the palace, and yet also chafes at the rules inflicted on her by her lover. In contrast, the section where Psyche has to complete the three trials is so extremely glossed over that we barely see them happen on the page. And even the ones we do are resolved in only a few rushed pages, without hardly any conflict in them.
I thought the relationship between Psyche and her sisters to be a bit odd, as well. I understand their jealousy at her being so desired by so many suitors - but I’d think once it became clear that she was never going to be married, but only desired, they’d have understood her position better. During the beginning of the book, while Psyche’s older sisters are closer to each other than to her, they still seem to want to protect her from understanding too soon what being a woman is like in their world. But then suddenly once Psyche is forced to understand this very thing, they resent her for it?
I simply don’t understand why after the first time Psyche had her sisters visit, and the hostilities shown to her, that she even agreed for Eros to bring them around once again. Why not attempt to see her mother, instead? It also didn’t make sense for Psyche to suddenly listen to what her sisters were telling her to turn her against Eros, when their attempt to make her marriage as miserable as theirs was so blatant even Psyche herself notices it.
Also, much of this story, both from Psyche and Eros’ point of view, reads like we are listening to them retell this story to us, the audience. Not that this fourth-wall breaking is bad, per se, but the ending made it blatantly obvious with the over-the-top hopeful monologue by Psyche that I just internally rolled my eyes the entire time I read it. It was unnecessary and preachy, to be completely honest.
Finally, the ending didn’t seem to make much sense to me and felt rushed. Eros devises this entire plan to hide her and Psyche’s relationship from Eros’ mother, but then the minute Aphrodite finds out and (eventually) calms down, all is well? Why is Psyche allowed to become immortal in this story simply because Eros wants to be with her? Why would Zeus even share his cup of immortality with either of them, considering he’s been an antagonist the entire time up until this point?
It also kind of bothered me that every single woman in this book, other than Psyche, is a victim trapped by circumstance. Everyone - including the goddesses themselves. It just felt a little disingenuous that every other woman in this novel, starting with Psyche’s mother and including the goddess Persephone, is a victim of the men around them and without any kind of power to do anything to help their station. I’m not denying that women didn’t have autonomy - but to do this in the book and then make almost every woman Psyche interact with an antagonist and be bitter about her circumstances put a bad taste in my mouth. I think at least one platonic female relationship within this novel would have been nice, but as it is the only woman Psyche had any connection to was her own mother, who she never even attempts to see at all during the events of this book.
I do think if you like Greek myth retellings that this is a good book to pick up and explore for yourself to see what you think. I think perhaps, for me, the plot was stretched weirdly and too much focus was on our two main characters having sex but never really communicating any further than that.
(This doesn’t really have anything to do with anything, but tell me why Psyche masturbates with a tree in this novel. More than once. Hello???)
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review, as well as Atria Books with a physical ARC. ...more
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Ghost Orchid Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book incorporates GrA huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Ghost Orchid Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book incorporates Greek myth starting from the birth of the Olympians, to the marriage of Persephone and Hades, as told by her mother, Demeter. I thought it was very interesting to get into the mindset of Demeter, as despite being the goddess of the harvest, we can see how much rage and control she desires for herself and her own life - as well as her daughters’. I enjoyed getting into Demeter’s head, as there were multiple instances of the Greek myths I had never considered, and this gave a personal in-depth view of the situations and the emotions tied to them.
The story starts with Demeter being swallowed by her father, and we spent a lot of time in that dark place with her and her siblings. I really enjoyed this, as I had never considered the relationship of the gods and goddesses in their father’s stomach, and the differences in their relationships to each other versus with Zeus. I also enjoyed how calculating Demeter could be, with asserting that she would have more power than her sisters and that she would become a mother but not a wife.
When Kore is captured, we can feel Demeter’s pain as she stops the harvest and poisons the world, almost killing all life on earth in the process. I also thought it was interesting how, while she considers herself different from her brothers, she in many ways thought of and treated humans and lesser immortals the same, if only in a different way. She feels her pain is larger than anyone else could experience, and only her pain matters in the grand scheme of things. Personally, I really liked this selfish take on Demeter, as it helped the reader to understand that even though her pain and emotions are similar to ours, she is still a goddess and considers herself such.
Honestly, I was a bit worried about how the story of Kore/Persephone was going to go, as in this story she was kidnapped without her consent, but the evolution of Kore into Persephone was well done. I liked how originally Hades wished to marry Demeter, but when he found Kore he realized he loved her rather than her mother, and even though he “kidnapped’ her, he did technically go through the proper channels for a marriage by asking her father for permission. And then even after she was kidnapped, he waited until Kore accepted him as her husband and transformed into Persephone, becoming a different goddess altogether, with her newfound power.
If you like Greek mythology focused on the women in the storytelling, and always liked the retellings of Persephone and Hades, but always wondered what her mother felt about it all (other than forcing the changing of the seasons in her grief), this is a great book to read. The characters in this book are both realistic and larger than life, showing that while the gods and goddesses have the same emotions as humans - they are still divine and do not adhere to the same rules. ...more
Medea tells the story of the commonly reviled sorceress Medea from her childhood to after she takes her revenge on Jason in a new light. With new twisMedea tells the story of the commonly reviled sorceress Medea from her childhood to after she takes her revenge on Jason in a new light. With new twists and interpretations present within this story, even those familiar with the story of Medea will find themselves surprised by some of the events present in this retelling.
I’ve recently read two separate retellings of Medea, both of which interpreted the character in their own unique ways, but I may be beginning to think that Greek myth retellings may not be entirely for me. While this book was written in an interesting and engaging way, I think the thing it struggled with most was in refusing to allow Medea to be any kind of villain until the story forces the author to have her be one. Instead, for most of this book, there was some kind of explanation that absolved Medea of any guilt or responsibility - either a complete changing of the myth itself, or having her be forced into those actions by the gods/Fate or Jason himself. Medea herself has very little agency within this story - not with her relationship with Jason, her decision to leave Kolchis, nor many of the deaths she causes along the way. In a way, while trying to make Medea more of a sympathetic character she has been stripped of anything interesting about her to instead become a vessel of the story to be told - rather than the architect telling her own story.
I personally think my biggest issue with this book was simply the fact that Medea was, at no point, ever allowed to embrace being any kind of villain. Instead, this book attempts to absolve her of any guilt for her actions entirely. I won’t spoil exactly how in my review, but I think the change that bothered me the most was with one of the first major things Medea is known for - with the “truth” being almost entirely the opposite of the myth. This, I felt, almost completely defanged her as a character and set the precedent that anything ‘evil’ she does from any point forward will be explained away, rather than being the truth. This, in turn, has the negative consequence that any time Medea does do something that matches the ruthlessness of the myth it feels like a different character entirely. And so, we are left with a character who doesn’t feel natural when she does those violent actions that the Medea in the myth is known for doing.
However, I do think my issues with this book stem more from wanting a retelling of Medea that allows her to embrace being the villain she is known for while telling her side - but that also doesn’t completely remove those actions from her story. As such, I would highly encourage anyone who is a fan of Greek myth retellings, as well as the story of Medea, to check out this book for themselves to see if you get something out of this book that I did not. Overall, this book is written very lyrically and I did enjoy the story told within it, I just felt it was - at times - not a story of Medea.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Atria Books for providing this e-ARC. ...more
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Flatiron Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A fantasy novel where the fouA huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Flatiron Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A fantasy novel where the four seasons are actually gods who enter our world for only 3 months out of the year, and whose presence facilitates is the cause of the changing of the seasons. This novel greatly resembles how the Greeks saw the change of the seasons, with the presence or absence of Persephone in the Underworld, but takes it further to include all four changes - Summer, Winter, Spring, and Autumn.
Our main character, Tirne, is the Herald of Autumn - in charge of bringing the spirits of the dead to rest, and in bringing her god of Autumn into the world when it’s time to change the season from Summer. However, in her sixth year of doing this - when exiting the Mirror to bring the gods into the mortal realm - it breaks, shattering the connection and trapping the world in an endless autumn. Nothing can grow as everything slowly dies, and eventually famine hits the world and the spirits of the dead pile up, with nowhere to go.
Tirne is the main suspect for the breaking of this Mirror, and she must investigate on her own to try to uncover the real culprit before time runs out on the living. With her connection to Autumn, she has a bit of his magic, and the ability to feel his emotions - as the longer he remains in the world of the mortals, the more mortal he becomes.This is dangerous, as if he spends too long in the mortal realm he may no longer be an immortal god, and instead simply a man.
I wanted to like this novel more than I did. Even with its very Greek retelling feel, this novel never fully did it for me. I’ll explain further in detail with more specific spoilers, but as I believe this novel to be a standalone I felt much of the worldbuilding and character relationships left much to be desired. (If there is a sequel, then I will revise my statement.) I think if this book had a sequel, it could account for much of the issues I had with this novel, as much of my issues are things feeling unfinished with questions left unanswered.
There are issues with the religion in this novel - much of which are things assumed to be factual, that Tirne discovers to be untrue - that is simply brushed over at the end of this book as things go back to Square One. In the same way, she has 3 relationships throughout this novel, all of which do not really go anywhere and end with none of them together - which makes the reader feel a bit empty when the book ends. There were also parts of this book near the end that felt rushed, and as I was reading it (and especially after the ending) it felt like a good 100-200 pages of plot was removed and only the main events were kept. However, near the middle there is a bit of a stagnation where nothing really happens, which I think should have been the parts that were edited for brevity instead.
However, overall I did enjoy this novel and would recommend it for a reader who enjoys novels that feel like Greek myth retellings. As I was reading it, I was never bored and I cared about the characters and what happened to them. I enjoyed some of the romances in this novel, and thought the character relationships to be interesting and diverse. I also enjoyed the disability representation with the main character and her chronic headaches.
SPOILERS AHEAD: I kept these at the very end, so you could read my full review without reading any spoilers. These are more specifics with the issues I had with this book, but in describing them I’d be spoiling those events. Also, I may or may not get mean so don’t shoot the messenger, I warned you.
RELATIONSHIPS:
I thought the development and inclusion of some of the relationships in this novel to be unnecessary, and a few times it felt like they were included only to keep this novel from being classified as YA.
Our first look at this is when Tirne returns from the ceremony with the broken mirror, and meets up with her childhood friend. Instead of communicating, they immediately have sex to distract herself from her issues - and apparently, them hooking up when she’s back in the mortal realm is a regular occurrence, despite him having another relationship. I’m not a prude or saying friends with benefits can’t exist, but this felt like an abrupt change of pace when it happened and I was more surprised than anything. Reading this didn’t do anything for me, and I kind of just read it waiting for it to finish so we could continue the novel. (Also, I clearly missed something when he was introduced because I legitimately thought he was her brother before this point, but clearly I was wrong, lol. That’s how out of left field this development was.)
The other relationship that I kind of thought was unnecessary was her attraction to her god Autumn. I have to admit, while this concept drew me in (the relationship between the two developed kind of like in Gods of Jade and Shadow), with Tirne’s other more prominent relationship this never impressed me. The description says this is a forbidden romance between the two, but it’s more of a blink and you’ll miss it - and then, he’s back in the realm of gods and no longer has human emotions so it’s done. We suddenly go from her being his Herald, to her noticing how “attractive” he is, and then as Autumn becomes more human with more and more emotions - he starts breaking the rules to be with her. (Also, this is a personal gripe, but they hook up after she’s had months of starvation to the point she can’t eat without severely watering it down for her stomach - the entire time they had sex I was like “hello???? HELLO???? Miss ma’am, how do you have the energy for this?” It’s just hard to get into the idea of them having sexytimes when she’s described as being sunken and skeletal, okay.)
Her final relationship, and the only one that actually fits in this novel, in my opinion, is with a sorcerer named Sidriel. I was kind of surprised this turned into an actual relationship, because he’s such a morally ambiguous man who at times is a significant antagonist. However, their chemistry develops fairly well from hate sex to something more, and I wish the novel focused more on this than her other romantic entanglements. There’s supposed to be some drama between her being attracted to the other two as opposed to him, but honestly I feel like the drama could have been even if she wasn’t attracted to Autumn, and just him to her. Also, there’s literally no development to this relationship, as after the events of the novel he breaks it off with her and she mopes on her own. And then, she decides she NEEDS closure and goes to see him again - and once again, he just says no and then she accepts it?
Tirne had an entire dynamic where she had to break up with a significant other because she only spends 3 months out of the year in the mortal realm. However, after the events of the novel she has to remove Autumn’s magic and live there full-time. I thought for SURE that would be the catalyst for her and Sidriel to be together, as he had lost one love to the gods, but gained another - and she learned to prioritize being with others over her obsession with being important. But no, they just say “Nah” and move on. Sure I guess?
RELIGION:
I won’t go as in-depth here as I did the relationships, but there were multiple MUTLIPLE times we see the cracks in the facade of their religion after Tirne is cast out of it.
We begin with her having a less than stellar relationship with her aunt, who has rejected the main religion to follow a more offshoot one that focuses on the creatures who remained after the 4 season gods defeated the master of those monsters. Tirne doesn't believe in those monsters at all, and her aunt thinks that the gods are poisoning the world with their magic - and so, their relationship has frayed beyond repair.
However, when Tirne is cast out of the temple and must live on her own, she reconciles with her aunt and slowly starts to see the legitimacy in what her aunt believes. Tirne is told a hidden truth in the history of their religion by Autumn - a secret so major that she can’t tell a single other person - but refuses to see her aunt’s point of view when she says that there are two sides to every story. Even when Tirne begins seeing the creatures and monsters, she only “joins” that religion when she has nothing else to turn to - and even tells Autumn that she never abandoned him or her beliefs. This I understand, but it seems that the second her aunt dies and they fix the Mirror, Tirne goes back to Square One and never even THINKS about the truths she discovered away from the temple, and from her aunt.
This also goes into the conflict caused by the main bad guy, who is the cast away god from their religion origin story. He doesn’t seem to have much of a plan, and then at the very end he simply just tries to stab Autumn as he is fully mortal, rather than killing him in his sleep - as he could have very easily done. His reasoning is that by doing this he proves to the people that the gods are fallible, but I think a god dying would ALSO do that, no? However, because he randomly does this in a crowd of people he’s immediately caught and his blood is drained to fix the Mirror. The End. (What????)
This is what I mean by saying I think this novel would highly benefit from a sequel. As both the relationships and the religion are kind of shuffled back to the same status quo we had at the beginning of the novel, and unless this is further explored it kind of feels like a “what was the point?” to the reader.
A sequel could explore the issues with the religion, now that Tirne is no longer the Herald of Autumn and an important member of it. It could give context to the villain’s motivation (who was in a relationship with her best friend and may have had feelings for him) - where we could find out that using his blood on the mirror to fix it, and “killing” him, was his original plan all along. We could also learn more about the truths of the religion, and whether or not Autumn and the other gods are really as benevolent and trustworthy as they seem. And finally, we could explore her relationship with Sidriel as they both learn to live with one another without the issue of the Mirror or past lies hanging over their heads.
In all honesty, if we get a sequel I think I’d enjoy this first book much more, as my issues are with this novel being a supposed “standalone,” where it brings up a bunch of issues and then never solves them by the end....more
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger Warning for rapA huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger Warning for rape. (I realize the entire mythos of Medusa originated from this, but on the off chance that someone reading this is unaware, I wanted to give a warning.)
Despite knowing the story of Medusa, this retelling packs a punch with the childhood and eventual rape of Medusa by Poseidon, and the curse cast upon her by Athena. I thought the adaptation of Stheno and Euryale of having also been mortal and likewise cursed by Athena was an interesting take on the myth. My general understanding was that all three of the gorgons were born, but only Medusa was mortal and a priestess for Athena, while the other two were always immortal. I thought this interpretation allowed cohesion between the two stories in a way that made thematically sense.
This book is good at placing the reader into the myth to experience it firsthand, but it is very quick and efficient in doing so. I really appreciated that neither Medusa nor Perseus were set to be the antagonist or villain of this story - both are victims of the wills of the men and gods around them. Typically, depending on the slant of the story that this myth is being retold, one or the other is cast in a less than sympathetic light, when neither has done anything deserving of derision. They are characters in a play, forced into roles that neither wanted but have no choice but to continue until the curtain drops.
There were also a few points I felt that this book incorporated a too modern perspective into the characters, in a way that felt almost confusing. I don’t necessarily disagree with them, as this is a feminist retelling of Medusa, but some aspects I found jarring. For instance, Medusa’s father wants to prevent her from marrying young and so that is the motivation for her becoming a priestess for Athena - and yet, her sister is married just as young as Medusa was when she left. I felt like there could have been a better reason for Medusa to become a priestess of Athena, to account for this discrepancy.
There are also times when the timeline skips around in a way that I found confusing, even being familiar with the entire story of Medusa. The biggest one I noticed was the change from Danae and infant Perseus almost drowning in the chest, to an adult Perseus talking to characters about events that we have not seen. I know the mythology, so I was aware of what was happening, but I felt there should have at least been a chapter or two to cover this timeline change to keep the reader aware of everything going on.
This novel also isn’t the best at letting the reader be aware of the passage of time as it happens. While I obviously knew time had passed from Medusa and her sisters escaping to their island, and Perseus making the promise of beheading her for the king, I was not aware millennia had passed until it was stated explicitly. The writing had led me to believe that maybe a few generations had passed, but not the expansive passage of time that the story explicitly states later.
I believe that as long as a reader is familiar with the myth of Medusa, this story is told very well and really brings to life the characters within the story. Overall, this book is a fairly quick read, so I do suggest giving it a try....more
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Muse and Quill Press for providing this e-ARC in exchaA huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, Muse and Quill Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and despite my intention of reading this for 2-3 days, I finished it in one sitting as I could not put it down. It’s a fresh take on Greek mythology retellings, in that the author has created her own mythos within the story - and yet, it fits perfectly into any other Greek myth retelling. It honestly felt more like reading a mythology retelling that I was unfamiliar with, and less like a brand new original story, as everything fit together into established mythology so well.
(It’s almost frustrating, [in a “I can’t wait for the next book" kind of way!”] that I can’t look up the story of Helinthia to learn what happens next, because part of me is convinced that I’ve simply missed an epic by Homer somewhere. By this I mean, the author has done phenomenal at incorporating her own story into existing Greek myth to the point that it’s near impossible to find the lines of what is taken from the myth, and what is original to this story.)
I did have a little difficulty understanding what was going on at the beginning of this book, as it began already extremely in-depth with the assumption you would know the characters and places - when we, as the reader, do not. However, I felt like this almost enhanced the believability of this being a mythology retelling and not an original story, as every retelling I’ve read begins in the same way. This story isn’t any more confusing, in my opinion, than any other novel on Greek mythology read by someone not overly familiar with the story.
I personally believe it’s better to read through the confusion - which only lasts with the first 2-3 chapters, before we (the reader) start being able to more easily understand and connect the dots. After this point, I had no confusion about anything I was reading, and despite the large cast of characters I found it fairly easy to identify them, their relationships with one another, and their goals. So personally I enjoyed the slight confusion, and the feeling that I should already know this setting and these characters, as it really made Helinthia feel like a real place and a real goddess. It simply felt like an aspect of Greek mythology I wasn’t aware of, and not that I was reading an original story.
The title being The Epic of Helinthia I feel as very apt, as reading this provided similar feelings to when I had read The Odyssey or The Iliad years ago. This isn’t written in the same epic poem format, but reading it definitely provided the feelings of reading an epic poem while still written as a typical novel. And the ending absolutely lends itself to the feeling that this is the first step to an epic journey that will stretch for years and have many twists and turns throughout it - just like the epic poems by Homer.
To be completely honest, I was putting off reading this book for a while because I personally wasn’t in the mood to read a Greek myth book. However, this book quickly and easily changed my mind within the first few chapters and by the end I forgot why I was even putting this off. I wish I had read this earlier, as it’s absolutely worth it.
I will warn readers to absolutely check the trigger warnings, as there are a few parts that could be alarming, but there’s nothing too overly graphic.
Also, this is only partially a joke but how much money can I bribe to bring a certain character back in the next book? Asking for a friend. (The friend is the same character that I refuse to believe is really dead.) ...more
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you, like me, have heard any vA huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you, like me, have heard any variation of “The Selkie Wife” and were horrified by it and wished you could do something to save the “wife” - this book is for you. I’ve loved the idea of selkies for as long as I’ve loved fantasy and folklore, but that story has always struck me as cruel and violent - and it doesn’t seem to acknowledge it! In the story it’s shown as her being terrible for abandoning her husband and children, and the poor fisherman is left to wallow in his loneliness - as if you’re supposed to forget she was kidnapped and held captive! The selkie “wife” was never a wife - she was a prisoner - and this book absolutely lets you know it.
The tension building in this book is phenomenal - even when you (the reader) know what’s going on, while Jean (the character) doesn’t - it never drags or feels contrived. Like any character in a story - she doesn’t know she’s in one, and would you believe the beautiful woman who randomly showed up during a storm to give birth is actually a mythical creature? Of course not! Her issues with her husband stem from not knowing the language, being a new mother, and being more isolated than she should - all easily fixed and nothing to really concern yourself with. Why would you assume she’s a prisoner in her own home until all the dots start connecting in ways you never expected them to - and now you’re on a time limit to save her before the worst happens.
This book is great at slowly increasing the horror and stress as Jean goes about her day-to-day life. The slowly escalating horror is so well done it feels natural, and makes you anxious about what will happen next. At no point did I know exactly what would happen or how it would turn out, but I certainly hoped for one resolution and feared for the other. Once the horror aspect of the novel picked up I could NOT put this book down and had to finish it.
The characters and their relationships all feel natural and organic. Jean and Muirin have a natural chemistry that just makes them fit together - even through the language barrier. Tobias’ character is phenomenal for appearing like a worried husband - at first - and slowly showing you his true character behind his facade. Even on his best behavior, he brings a kind of uneasiness to the reader that you can’t shake. Jean’s relationships with the other main characters in the novel never feel contrived to move the plot along - it makes sense she’d be close to the midwife who birthed her and who wasn’t able to save her mother from herself, as well as forming a close friendship with her son. At no point when two characters were talking did I feel like I was reading words on a page instead of a conversation.
This book was everything I hoped for and more when I read the synopsis. There were multiple times near the end where I was crying and I had to quickly wipe my eyes so I could keep reading. This is the queer retelling of The Selkie Wife we have been hoping for, and I cannot recommend this book enough....more
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Voyager for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a perfect companion tA huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Voyager for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a perfect companion to read after the Celestial Kingdom duology. These short stories give you insights into the minds of the characters we met and loved during the books, and gives us glimpses into their lives before and during the events of the books. These stories were a perfect way to come back to this duology that I love so much, and felt like visiting old friends. I think these stories provide a perfect accompaniment for reading the books (on a reread, the spoilers are real) to go back and see some of the different experiences that we didn’t get fully exposed to during the initial books. We also get different POVs, and Wenzhi’s chapters had me kicking my feet, I love him so much.
Other than the first section, which is a prequel story of how the Moon Goddess became the Moon Goddess, these stories have spoilers for both books in them and should only be read after you finish both books. I absolutely think this would be a great book to pick up after finishing Heart of the Sun Warrior to help recover from the book hangover, and to gain more insight into some of the little side stories of events that happened. (PLUS THERE’S AN EXTENDED EPILOGUE THAT TRUST ME, YOU NEED.)
I loved this so much, and if you loved this duology I believe you’ll also love revisiting with these characters and storylines....more
This is a story of Medusa, but told through the point of view of everyone involved in the entire story - whether they know they are or not. I wasn't cThis is a story of Medusa, but told through the point of view of everyone involved in the entire story - whether they know they are or not. I wasn't certain I would like the multiple povs throughout this novel but I thought they fit very nicely in telling a bigger picture. It was interesting how everything intersected, as well as getting an inner look at the thoughts of everyone whose story connects with Medusa in some way, when in previous tellings you're told what the character does but not how they feel about it.
However, if you're looking for a story told entirely from Medusa's pov, or telling a different story than the well known myths, this might not be what you're looking for.
I will say that if you're not at least semi-familiar with many of the myths involving Medusa and the surrounding influences, I think some parts might be a bit confusing on figuring out how they all relate to each other. They are explained, but I knew the myths as they were being described so I could have missed something that needed explained that someone who doesn't know them would need....more
Anne (eggcatsreads)
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