Member Review
Review by
Ana M, Reviewer
I received a free e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
[This review will be posted on my blog on 1 July 2021]
Ariadne Unraveled was not what I thought it was going to be. And judging from other reviews, it isn't what other people thought it would be either.
So let me tell you what it is: Ariadne Unraveled is an adult historical fantasy romance retelling of Dionysus’ and Ariadne's stories. Emphasis on the adult, and on the romance. This book has sex scenes. Mostly they are between men and women, but there are one or two short scenes between women, and it's implied that men also have sex with men.
Ariadne Unraveled is very much rooted in Greek and Minoan history, meaning that the more unsavoury aspects of those cultures, including slavery, pederasty (mentioned), and human (and animal) sacrifice are present. If you are uncomfortable with any of these things, this may not be the book for you.
Ariadne Unraveled is told from two points of view: Ariadne's and Dionysus'. I have to admit I wasn't aware of their connection in Greek mythology until I read this book, only some of their individual myths, so I found this quite intriguing.
In this retelling, Ariadne is high priestess of Crete, devoted to the Great Goddess (Artemis). Dionysus, meanwhile, is a new god, only a few hundred years old, and is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semele. Ariadne Unraveled is about Dionysus' journey to becoming a god: gaining followers and spreading his cult, and finding his place in the world. Ariadne is on a seperate journey of her own; struggling to follow the Great Goddess whose favour she has lost, and eventually giving up everything and everyone she loves.
For me, the highlight of the novel was the twining of numerous versions of their myths into one cohesive story, as well as the inclusion of historical facts (such as the architecture of Knossos, including plumbing.) The author has clearly done a lot of research to place this into its socio-cultural and historical context. There are obviously elements that have been imagined, such as the details of Minoan religion, since we have only a general idea of the symbols of their worship, but I enjoyed that too. Those are the places that give an author space to play a bit, and make a story their own. I particularly enjoyed how the author developed the culture and belief system of the Minoan people. Ariadne is the feminine aspect, devoted to the Great Goddess above, while her half brother Asterion, the Minotaur, is the masculine aspect, and represents worship of the bull (Poseidon).
I've seen other reviewers criticise the romance as being a case of insta-love between Dionysus and Ariadne. I can't say they're completely wrong, but for me it read more as lust to begin with, and then grew into love. I would have perhaps liked to have seen more of this development on page, but there were a lot of other things going on in the plot so it didn't bother me too much. I wasn't a huge fan of the sex scenes, mostly because I wasn't expecting them, and I wasn't really in the mood for a sexy book.
I think the only thing that let me down a tiny bit was the character development. It's not that there isn't any, but I felt as if the other elements of the story took precedence, such as the plot and the romance. Oftentimes, the parts of the story where Ariadne and Dionysus had opportunities for reflection were quite rushed, so I understood their character arcs, but they felt a bit forced in order to move on to the next part of the plot. Still, I liked the direction they were going in. Dionysus is the child of Zeus and a mortal, yet he has the powers of a god. He struggles with feeling abandoned by his father, and all he wants is acceptance, which he believes he will get by proving himself equal to his siblings and his divine family. Meanwhile, Ariadne struggles with her faith, and how the goddess she is devoted to is becoming a stranger to her, asking her to do the unthinkable - betray her family and her people.
The themes of the novel are about change and transformation. Ariadne Unraveled is set in a time of change; a new crop, grapes, are being planted, and the harvests are turned to wine; the Athenian people's star is rising; and the dynamics between the gods and humans are shifting.
Overall, I actually quite enjoyed Ariadne Unravelled. I liked the plot, and how the different versions of Ariadne and Dionysus' myths were entwined. I loved the worldbuilding - it felt expansive and magical. And I did like Ariadne and Dionysus, and the direction the author sent their characters in.
I think this book would appeal to fans of mythology retellings, especially if they don't mind a bit of heat in their romances. It reminded me of Circe by Madeline Miller, and of Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett, which is a YA retelling of Ariadne and Theseus' myths.
CW: sex scenes, violence, murder, human sacrifice (not on page, but mentioned), blood, animal sacrifice, slavery, pederasty (mentioned), ritual self harm (not graphic), partial nudity (breasts), physical and sexual abuse (mentioned)
[This review will be posted on my blog on 1 July 2021]
Ariadne Unraveled was not what I thought it was going to be. And judging from other reviews, it isn't what other people thought it would be either.
So let me tell you what it is: Ariadne Unraveled is an adult historical fantasy romance retelling of Dionysus’ and Ariadne's stories. Emphasis on the adult, and on the romance. This book has sex scenes. Mostly they are between men and women, but there are one or two short scenes between women, and it's implied that men also have sex with men.
Ariadne Unraveled is very much rooted in Greek and Minoan history, meaning that the more unsavoury aspects of those cultures, including slavery, pederasty (mentioned), and human (and animal) sacrifice are present. If you are uncomfortable with any of these things, this may not be the book for you.
Ariadne Unraveled is told from two points of view: Ariadne's and Dionysus'. I have to admit I wasn't aware of their connection in Greek mythology until I read this book, only some of their individual myths, so I found this quite intriguing.
In this retelling, Ariadne is high priestess of Crete, devoted to the Great Goddess (Artemis). Dionysus, meanwhile, is a new god, only a few hundred years old, and is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Semele. Ariadne Unraveled is about Dionysus' journey to becoming a god: gaining followers and spreading his cult, and finding his place in the world. Ariadne is on a seperate journey of her own; struggling to follow the Great Goddess whose favour she has lost, and eventually giving up everything and everyone she loves.
For me, the highlight of the novel was the twining of numerous versions of their myths into one cohesive story, as well as the inclusion of historical facts (such as the architecture of Knossos, including plumbing.) The author has clearly done a lot of research to place this into its socio-cultural and historical context. There are obviously elements that have been imagined, such as the details of Minoan religion, since we have only a general idea of the symbols of their worship, but I enjoyed that too. Those are the places that give an author space to play a bit, and make a story their own. I particularly enjoyed how the author developed the culture and belief system of the Minoan people. Ariadne is the feminine aspect, devoted to the Great Goddess above, while her half brother Asterion, the Minotaur, is the masculine aspect, and represents worship of the bull (Poseidon).
I've seen other reviewers criticise the romance as being a case of insta-love between Dionysus and Ariadne. I can't say they're completely wrong, but for me it read more as lust to begin with, and then grew into love. I would have perhaps liked to have seen more of this development on page, but there were a lot of other things going on in the plot so it didn't bother me too much. I wasn't a huge fan of the sex scenes, mostly because I wasn't expecting them, and I wasn't really in the mood for a sexy book.
I think the only thing that let me down a tiny bit was the character development. It's not that there isn't any, but I felt as if the other elements of the story took precedence, such as the plot and the romance. Oftentimes, the parts of the story where Ariadne and Dionysus had opportunities for reflection were quite rushed, so I understood their character arcs, but they felt a bit forced in order to move on to the next part of the plot. Still, I liked the direction they were going in. Dionysus is the child of Zeus and a mortal, yet he has the powers of a god. He struggles with feeling abandoned by his father, and all he wants is acceptance, which he believes he will get by proving himself equal to his siblings and his divine family. Meanwhile, Ariadne struggles with her faith, and how the goddess she is devoted to is becoming a stranger to her, asking her to do the unthinkable - betray her family and her people.
The themes of the novel are about change and transformation. Ariadne Unraveled is set in a time of change; a new crop, grapes, are being planted, and the harvests are turned to wine; the Athenian people's star is rising; and the dynamics between the gods and humans are shifting.
Overall, I actually quite enjoyed Ariadne Unravelled. I liked the plot, and how the different versions of Ariadne and Dionysus' myths were entwined. I loved the worldbuilding - it felt expansive and magical. And I did like Ariadne and Dionysus, and the direction the author sent their characters in.
I think this book would appeal to fans of mythology retellings, especially if they don't mind a bit of heat in their romances. It reminded me of Circe by Madeline Miller, and of Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett, which is a YA retelling of Ariadne and Theseus' myths.
CW: sex scenes, violence, murder, human sacrifice (not on page, but mentioned), blood, animal sacrifice, slavery, pederasty (mentioned), ritual self harm (not graphic), partial nudity (breasts), physical and sexual abuse (mentioned)
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