I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I ended up really enjoying reading this book, and it's been great to see that I still enjoy Roth's writing, even if we've both grown a lot since Divergent. It was interesting to see her blend this sci-fi setting of a broken world with Antigone, and I really liked how it ended up working together. I hadn't been too familiar with Antigone before reading this, but after reading a summary after finishing this novella, I only appreciated how Roth used the source material even more.

Since Arch-Conspirator is a novella, it's overall quite a quick read, and I can see that being an issue for some in this specific instance. The world is such a fascinating one, but we don't actually get the chance to fully explore it. There was a lot to fit in to these 128 pages, and that meant a lot of the further world explanation had to be skipped over in order to keep the story moving and developing. While I didn't necessarily mind not fully diving into the world, I do think this book could've easily been full-length as well. I would've loved to see more about how the world got this way, and more of it's politics and inner-workings. I also feel like it would've given us more space and time to truly connect to the characters, especially Antigone, her sister, and her betrothed, which would've made the final ending even more hard-hitting.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this quick retelling of Antigone, and I quite liked the futuristic spin that Roth added to it! It's made me excited to dive into more of her more recent releases.

I reviewed this book online at The Horror Tree: https://horrortree.com/tag/arch-conspirator/ - go check it out!

Sharp to the point of piercing and liquid smooth, as though coated in blood. Kind of like if Margaret Atwood didn't belabor her metaphors to death.

3.5 for me. I haven’t read Antigone since high school but as with so much of the literature of that time, it was a tragedy. Taking that story and setting it in a dystopian future sets us up for what could be a really interesting commentary on politics, women’s autonomy, and wisdom. Arch-Conspirator hits on all of those points, although shallowly so. I’d like to see this developed as a full length novel (~100 pages was too short!!!!) and give the final third of the book the attention it deserves. [As an aside, the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters in the book is mostly used to get at another point - bodily autonomy - instead of the actual queer experience. If the book is expanded, tread carefully.] Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

this is a dystopian retelling on Antigone, which I haven't read since HS. It would of been helpful to have a character chart, but this was still a masterful story.

thank you to the author and publisher for providing this ARC on netgalley for me to review

In the far future, much of the world is uninhabitable due to high radiation levels. The entire population lives safely behind the walls of the city. Kreon, the High Commander, has taken in Tig and her sibling after their parent’s death. Tig did not take well to her uncle’s tyrannical rule. After he died in an uprising, Tig went against her uncle’s wishes to perform the last rites on her brother. Irate, Kreon sentences Tig to death. Kreon’s wife and son try to change his mind and spare Tig’s life. Unmoved by their pleas and warnings, Kreon loses everything when he puts his rule and pride above family.

Arch-Conspirator is the latest novel by the bestselling author Veronica Roth. This is a fantastic and thought-provoking adaptation of Sophocles’ play Antigone. While still using the character’s names, Roth’s story takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The lessons of hubris, the importance of family, and spiritual beliefs remain prominent at civilization’s end. This is a fantastic read for fans who enjoy modern interpretations of classic literature. Arch-Conspirator is a Greek tragedy reimagined by a master of dystopian storytelling.

A rich retelling of the tale of Antigone! Arch- Conspirator is a short book by the fabulous author Veronica Roth.
Roth takes us into a new dystopia where women are prized for the ability to reproduce and all of humanity depends on it.

If you are familiar with the tale, I think you will like it quite a bit. If it's not something you read in hs, then you are in for a surprise. Antigone, or Tig is a hero relevant to today. Roth provides multiple viewpoints to the characters which add complexity to the story. If you love a greek myth, a strong and stubborn woman or just a fan of dystopian tales, Arch Conspirator is for you! #Tor

3.5 Stars

This is going to be a very polarizing book, and I don't think most people are going to like it.

A scifi retelling of greek mythology (I'm not familiar enough with Antigone's story to know how close of a retelling this is). Because I was not familiar with any of the characters of their 'official' backgrounds I had to keep going back and forth between chapters to figure out who was who. I wish there had been a character chart, although maybe the finished version will have one? That would be extremely helpful.

I found the world fascinating. Veronica Roth does a great job with set up, and I could see where she was trying to go with this story. I'm not sure if she achieved it, and the open ending is not going to still well with most readers.

I do wish this story was longer.

I think I enjoyed it, and for the right few this book is going to be great. Do not expect "Divergent".

Dystopian future. Scifi elements. Reflective of current political... issues. A lot going on all at once. All about greed and the power hungry. It's a retelling of Antigone, which not many enjoyed the original, so keep that in mind. If you enjoy mythology retellings, This might just be the book for you. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

I am so sad to write a negative review but I could not get into this book. I ADORED Divergent (though the series did lose steam) and actually made my English class do longer SSR because I was SO into it, and then I would read excerpts to them. This, was not that. :-(

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

3/5 stars. I might've expected too much from author Veronica Roth, but it seems so might she. This book had a great set-up, but seemed to be doing too much all at once and made for a kind of chaotic, not very cohesive or insightful story.

Haven’t read the story of Oedipus Rex in a long time, and never anything with Antigone, so I was a bit lost on who these characters were. Not really sure why the Antigone story needed to be part of it - could have been any story or any characters set in this world.

The book is set in a future world after nuclear war where when you die your gametes are uploaded to the Archive. There are also no physical books, only digital ones. Genes are edited because mothers pass abnormalities down through their line and the edits give a clean slate. Archivists were used to help with this - there are no naturally made children.

The sci fi world seems similar to the place we are headed towards in the real world where wombs are controlled by the government.

Veronica Roth’s recent books have been excellent but I can’t say this is among them. It was fine and I’m glad it was a short story. I think it would be fine to skip this one.

This was an interesting take on Antigone, Roth puts the tale into a dystopian future with science fiction elements. The change in time period and setting shows the lessons fro m the orti al play still hold true to todays society. Greed and a hunger for power will only lead to harm.