Cover Image: Phaedra

Phaedra

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Member Reviews

Retellings of Greek mythology are on the rise, and such a great way to get into these classic stories. This retelling was good, but I would have liked to see a little bit more from Phaedra's point of view. The other POV's did not add enough to justify their voices as often as they were heard.

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I haven't read much mythological retellings, so I initially was excited to read this book. But unfortunately, it just did not captivate me as much as I thought it would.

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I liked is book well enough. The writing style was enjoyable, and the plot moved at a decent pace. It is an interesting take on the story of Phaedra, but something was missing for me. I


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

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As somebody interested in Greek mythology and specifically feminist retellings, this intrigued me and I was looking forward to the author's take on Phaedra. It threw light on how women were treated and it felt really sad. But Phaedra was always an interesting and polarizing character and it felt like more of her story but from female perspective. I felt multiple POVs made it more disjoint and also the charcater remains unlikeable which made the book lacking pace. A bit trimming of the length would have made it more interesting!

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This felt very YA in a bad way. The writing was very simple, not poetic or lyrical in any way, which in my opinion does not suit a greek myth retelling. The beginning was just a literal repeating of the original Greek myth, maybe it improved a bit as it went on, but I had to DNF because I can't read a literal retelling with no reimagining. I'd prefer to just read the original.

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Phaedra by Laura Shepperson

2.5 rounded to 3 stars.

A quick thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the trend and theme of reviving Greek mythology and creating feminist retellings, I have been thriving. It has been such a fun time in the literature world with all these new views of old stories. But unfortunately Phaedra fell very short to what it was advertised to be and what I expected of it.

Most of the story was very poorly paced, it was so slow in the beginning, half of the book taking a long time to get through and dwelling on things that didn’t seem relevant to the overall outlook on Phaedra that the author was intending, whereas the last quarter where everything interesting and devastating was happening…was barely touched upon and was so rushed that there was no effect of the original tragedy.

This book could have been so much more, and I think that it needed a few more revisions to be ready to come into the world, especially with the competition that is out on the market with Greek retellings at the moment. Or, the book could have had better justice being written by someone else.

Phaedra felt like someone using high middle grade language to try to make a serious adult or later YA novel and nothing hit the way it was supposed to, especially with the topics touched on in the story. I wish I liked it more, but all the characters were very two dimensional with very little progression.

Not only did this book take quite a while for me to get through, but the thought of trying to seriously recommend it to someone who is used to the content we get from other authors just doesn't seem appealing. In the end, the book didn't make me feel anything but slight annoyance that I sat through it and didn't have an outcome that made me want to read it again.

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I am always a fan of Greek mythology books. They are my jam. Especially when it's on lessen known stories.

This was.... not great. Bad, even.

The multiple POVs were confusing as everyone one of their voices sounded the same, to the point that if you missed the POV marker in the beginning (or forgot), you could honestly be completely lost. The writing was quite flat. Honestly, maybe it gets better but I got about 70% in and just gave up.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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I was really excited for this book as a Classics major. The story of Phaedra is one that I am fascinated with and I was excited to see Laura Shepperson's take on it. Ultimately though I was left underwhelmed and disappointed by the story.
I can see the direction that Sherpperson wanted to take this story and I can applaud her for that, but otherwise, the retelling fell flat and did not mesh with the original story in any way that I thought was meaningful.
The 'feminist' take on the novel felt cheap and rushed and the arcs and personalities of the other characters in the story suffered for it.
Overall, I was left unsatisfied and disappointed by Phaedra.

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I’m going to round up to 3 stars for this one. The description says this is a feminist retelling and I don’t think I would call it that. I would say it’s a retelling from a female perspective and shows the female experience. The author’s note at the end talks about her interpretation of the story and what sources she based her retelling on, which I was interested in.

This multiple POVs made the story feel a little disjointed to me. There were a couple of characters that I felt reiterated what was already being conveyed without added anything new.

The way female characters were treated throughout felt honest. It was difficult to read at times but I think it should be.

I did find myself looking up the stories surrounding the characters while reading this. It’s definitely reawakened my interest in Greek Mythology.

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love a new greek mythology story. I'm always excited for new literature that highlights such a rich culture of storytelling and folklore.

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I generally like Greek Mythology retellings and love the currrent crop of feminist slants given voice to all the frankly mariginalised female characters. I loved Madeline Miller’s Circe and Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne so I was keen to read this.

Phaedra is a polarizing character - depending on whether you see her as the lusty middle aged woman who tried to seduce her stepson and when scorned proceeded to accuse him of rape or perhaps as a woman who was manipulated and subjected to the whims of the gods. In this version, she’s a teenage girl taken to a new lane and forced to navigate a new court without support, friends or family. She’s also frighteningly naive and battling a lot of internal anger and grief.

I feel like the writer changed a lot of things to make her more likeable and make you feel her plight. Unfortunately the writing and the plot didn’t work for me. I couldn’t relate or connect with her. It felt a bit much especially when you add in all the other voices and POVs of the other women in the background. I can kind of see what she was trying to do but it didn’t connect with me personally. Phaedra still ends up unlikeable and makes a series of decisions that make no sense to me. The ending is also quite improbable. Sigh. Chalking this up to a not for me but other people might enjoy it.

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It’s the classic tale of Greek woe, boy meets girl & whisks her away from her home in a marriage for political gain. But for Phaedra, the youngest daughter of King Minos of the island of Crete, it marks the beginning of a unique & particularly tragic tale in this debut novel by Laura Shepperson.

After Theseus slays her Minotaur brother, he takes Phaedra to Athens to be his queen, but seemingly only in name. When she is assaulted by her husband’s son, Hippolytus, she is determined to prove him guilty among his peers in a newly formed system of trial. In this new form of democracy, the men still reign supreme & the women remain in the shadows, silently hoping to be unseen & unheard in order to protect themselves. Phaedra refuses to be silent.

I absolutely adore Greek Mythology, so I jumped at the opportunity to read an early release of Phaedra. The cover is absolutely stunning. I quickly became immersed in this tale Shepperson adapted—she creates tension that kept me turning pages and explores ideas of bravery, perseverance, and motherhood. This intricately woven tale is told from multiple perspectives—Phaedra, Madea, and the Night Chorus. A unique chorus can be one of my favorite attributes to mythology stories.

It’s a dark, haunting tale, so make sure to check out trigger warnings if you need to. I also wanted to note that some early reviews & ratings are suggestive of the poor quality of the e-arc offered to early readers.

Phaedra’s tragic tale is not one that I will soon forget. If you’re a fan of Greek Mythology be sure to add this to your TBR. It’s beautifully written & incredibly heartbreaking.

Thank you to @alcovepress for the opportunity to read and review this book. Available now wherever books are sold.

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A fantastic win of a novel for anyone who is a fan of mythology; the writing was captivating and well done, and is undoubtedly a great selection for anyone who is a fan of similar titles.

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This book was filled with intense drama, the love of power, connection, and structure within an organization. I was fortunate enough to receive an arc of this book. The complexity of the characters kept me on the edge of my seat with this story. #phaedra #netgalley

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I generally love mythology retellings/imaginings, particularly those that focus on the often lost voices of women. So of course I was excited to jump into this one. Unfortunately, this fell short of my expectations. DNF at 30%

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"A woman descended from a god still has to be either a good woman or a witch. What would it take to be called a heroine?"
"It happened to me. And me. And me. Me, too."

In the greek myths, Phaedra is the daughter of King Minos, sister to Ariadne and the Minotaur, wife of Theseus. In myth she falls in love with her step-son Hippolytus who is sworn to the goddess Atemis. When Hippolytus spurns her she is said to have falsely accused him of rape for which he is punished by his father Theseus, King of Athens. Out of guilt Phaedra then commits suicide. But, we know almost all ancient texts and myths were written by men. Here, Laura Shepperson tells Phaedra's story from a feminist perspective.

This is an amazing retelling. I loved that this book is essentially the Me, too movement told as a greek myth. Especially poignant is the Night Chorus, which gives voice to the common people, the servants in the palace. This book also demonstrates how strong women can be when we come together, but also how hurtful and devastating it can be when we turn on each other. I do which there was more character development, especially with Phaedra and Medea, I was just left wanting more. I was able to also listen to the audiobook and highly recommend it as it is read by a cast of narrators and the audio of the Night Chorus is wonderful.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Alcove Press, Dreamscape Media, and the author for an advanced copy of the book and audiobook. All opinions are my own.

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This retelling of phaedra really well done and I really did enjoy it. The writing was lucid and the character development was quite clever.

I felt it did kind of get away from itself in places and I felt some of the storyline could have been trimmed back a bit but as a debut in this genre.... Very well done! 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads.

Some real talent on the pages

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This book tells the story of Phaedra; sister of Ariadne and the Minotaur, and daughter of Minos and Pasiphae. After Thesueus enters the labyrinth and kills the Minotaur he takes Phaedra back to Athens to become his bride. Whilst there she encounters Theseus’ son Hippolytus and although in the myths we are led to believe she seduced him, in this re-telling the author has Hippolytus rape Phaedra, leading to her becoming pregnant. Determined to get justice she demands he be put on trial.

The aim of Shepperson is clear here and that’s to give a voice to all of the lost women throughout history that have been unfairly maligned and stigmatised. History is written by men after all. We are even introduced to Medea, famous for killing her own children, who eventually confides in Phaedra that the reason she killed them was not for the reason believed. This goal is applauded but unfortunately it’s let down by its execution.

The character of Phaedra was just too bland to warrant any strong feelings. She starts off as a young, naive girl who believes the Gods will protect her and punish Theseus for killing her brother. She sadly never matures or becomes anything other than a passive character in her own story. Medea is woefully underused and in the end doesn’t affect the story at all although we get several chapters from her point of view. You end up asking yourself what the point of her was other than underscoring the message that women are often misunderstood in myth.

Theseus and Hippolytus were almost pantomime-like in their villainy without any nuance or depth and other secondary characters were so indistinct that it was hard to keep track of whose point of view we were now following. I was really looking forward to reading about Phaedra as I always found her to be a fascinating character, but unfortunately this just didn’t work for me.

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This is a feminist retelling of the Greek myth of Phaedra. The daughter of King Minos and the sister of Ariadne and the Minotaur, she becomes the wife of Theseus and is taken to Athens from her home in Crete. She becomes pregnant after being raped by her stepson Hippolytus and insists he be put on trial.

The novel is structured like a Greek tragedy complete with three acts and a Chorus. In this case the Chorus consists of women who have been misused and abused by men. These are women who have no voice but gather at night to commiserate and warn others. Of course, the Chorus also underscores theme. At one point, the women chant, “It happened to me. And me. And me. Me, too” so the reference to the #MeToo movement is obvious.

The author admits that she re-arranged and re-invented Phaedra’s story. In the Greek myth, Phaedra tries to seduce her stepson, and when he repulses her advances, she accuses him of raping her. In this version, Hippolytus does rape his stepmother. The author’s point is that “history is written by men” so women’s truths are hidden. Here Phaedra is shown not to be the temptress the men accuse her of being but a victim of brutal sexual assault. Even Medea makes an appearance, and though she admits to killing her children, she insists, “Everyone always focused on the killing of the children. No one ever asked why.” Her explanation to Phaedra suggests she acted out of love, not revenge, but men have the power and shape narratives to portray themselves as heroes and women as seductresses and sorceresses: “any man can throw words up into the air, and it is women who must pay when those words land.”

The author wants to emphasize the sexual abuse women have suffered and how they have been silenced. Women in mythology, like Phaedra and Medea, have been maligned when in fact they should be more correctly identified as heroines. The problem is that the author’s approach is very heavy-handed. Over and over again, the plight and powerlessness of women and men’s manipulation and victim blaming are shown. No woman, from the lowliest servant to the granddaughter of two Olympian gods, is safe. All of the men are villains, all untrustworthy and self-serving. For me, the absolute vilification of men actually weakens the message.

The title is supposed to suggest that Phaedra is a tragic heroine. Unfortunately, Phaedra gets lost in the narrative. Various points of view are presented, and Phaedra’s perspective becomes one of many. For instance, even Medea’s maidservant is given a chapter in which she witnesses Phaedra’s rape. It would have been much more effective to have Phaedra narrate. Since Phaedra is only one of many narrators, the reader struggles to know her. In addition, there is nothing to differentiate the many characters whose points of view are given: there are no distinctive voices so everyone sounds the same.

It is also difficult to see Phaedra as more than a naïve young girl. Given her age, her naivety is appropriate and justified, but her continued naivety is less credible. Some growth would have made her more admirable. As is, it is difficult to see her as a brave heroine. Other characters are also one-dimensional. Hippolytus, for instance, is arrogant and obsessed with horses. The lack of depth in the portrayal of characters is a definite weakness.

In fact, most elements have a lack of depth. There is little world building; all we know is that the palace in Athens suffers in comparison with the palace in Crete. Instead there is much needless repetition. How often must we be told that the table placed in Phaedra’s room is too large? Why is there so much focus on the chiton she wears on each occasion?

This book is a disappointment. Though the theme is noteworthy, the writing style is uninspired. The lack of psychological depth and inclusion of irrelevant perspectives are particular problems. It’s another case of good intentions but poor execution.

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My thanks to NetGalley and Alcove press for the opportunity to review this book.
Love a Greek mythology re telling and this was exceptional. Especially enjoyed the multi points of view.
A definite page turner and highly recommended

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