Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

Synopsis

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?

Review
I love my Greek Myths so have been looking forward to reading Jennifer Saint’s debut novel Ariadne. I know the story of Ariadne, the Minotaur and Theseus from school through Ovid’s poem Ariadne to Theseus and from translating Homer, so was interested to hear the story from Ariadne’s point of view, and how she would deal with the story, as it does change slightly from author to author. Ariadne is a princess of Crete, an Island that fills many with fear due the Minotaur, her brother, kept in a Labyrinth under the palace. When King Minos’s son is killed in Athens, he seeks retributuon by demanding that every year Athens send him seven maidens and seven youths who will enter the labyrinth to be slaughtered by the Minotaur. One year there is a surprising addition to these sacrificial lambs in Theseus, Prince of Athens. Ariadne sees Theseus and is drawn to his tales of bravery and handsome looks, offers to help him kill the Minotaur and end the sacrifices for good, but to do this she will be betraying her family and her country, a big price to pay. Ariadne has choices to make, in a world run by rich men and Gods who toy with humans lives as they see fit, will she survive and what kind of life will she have. Her sister Phaedra also plays a big part in the book and narrates some of the story from her perspective. She has a close bond with her sister and as the tapestry of their lives knits together it reveals a story of love and lies, but also the strength and intelligence of women in a mans world.

I’m going straight out to say I loved this book so much, it was such a joy to read. The idea of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra telling the story is brilliant. Women were very much beholden to men in this time, and in the myths, but if it hadn’t been for Ariadne then Theseus wouldn’t have slayn the Minotaur and found fame. Araidne’s story is a difficult one at times, she is the eldest daughter and has to help and watch her mother give birth to the monster that becomes the Minotaur, who is her brother. She is the one who helps her mother raise the child, loving it like a brother until it becomes too big and strong to control. After her mother sinks into depression, Ariadne also finds herself playing a mother figure to her youngest sister Phaedra, building a close bond that is hard to break. To make the decisions she does shows a strength of character and wisdom beyond her years. This is a choice that changes her life forever, she will no longer be a princess of Crete, and she may pay with her life if the Gods go against her or her father finds her.

Ariadne is very much a tale of bertayal and the consequences that come with it. Minos betrayed the God Poseidon by not sacrificing a bull to him. Pasiphae, Ariadne’s mother, betrays Minos by mating with the bull, whilst in a wooden cow, thus giving birth to the Minotaur. Ariadne then betrays her father and mother by helping Theseus slay the Minotaur, and then finds herself betrayed by Theseus, who also betrays her sister Phaedra, who in turn betrays him. This is a dominoe effect that destroys the lives of all those involved. Jennifer Saint’s prose is simply beautiful as she builds the classical world through the book, and her passion for her subject shines through. Her characterisation was wonderful, she breathed new life into the voices of Ariadne, Phaedra and Theseus, bringing their story to a new audience, and an old one like me. Dotted throughout are also references to other classical myths including Icarus, Perseus, Medusa and King Midas, all brilliant stories in their own right.

Ariadne is such an amazing book to read, I loved this retelling of this myth with its focus on the bonds of sisters. These classical myths are always fantastic stories, quite often with a moral warning in them, and I think it is so important that they are not forgotten. Jennifer Saint, like Pat Barker and Madeline Miller before, has given the characters and the story a new life and a new voice, a female voice. An absolutely amazing read, one to get totally lost in, and a herione you want to succeed. Sublime!!!

I would like to thank Wildfire Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for the invite on to be part of the blog tour for Ariadne in return for my honest review.