Phaedra is an interesting figure in Greek mythology that’s turned over again and again in Shepperson’s retelling. As it’s classically told, Phaedra is the one to seek out her stepson, Hippolytus, propelled by her own sexual desire, whereas this retelling portrays Hippolytus in the more active role. Traditionally rendered as an agent of her own undoing, she is often passive or vague in this account by her own measure, and yet inaction ultimately cannot save her.

When she accuses Hippolytus of rape, Phaedra incites the court of Athens to all kinds of speculation; even before her allegations there had been rumour of Phaedra’s lust for Hippolytus, the handsome son of the Queen of Amazons. So it’s at great risk that she challenges her husband, Theseus, to realize his vision of democracy in a court of law where the truth will be revealed and the appropriate consequences meted out – or so she hopes.

Apart from its many predecessors, what I thought this book did well was portray the community of women and their collective grief brought on by their male counterparts. Where most stories embedded in Greek myth in the last few years focused on singular women, Phaedra, more so than others, examines the sorrow of women at many levels of state and class, regularly summoning a chorus of voices who inform and debate on the constant indiscretions of male society that go unacknowledged and, as importantly, unpunished. In her coming of age, Phaedra must learn what many will over time: that sometimes, there is no karma, only the status quo that asserts itself despite all efforts to make the wheels of justice turn. In such times, we must take justice in our own hands.

Phaedra may not have been as strong on all counts as Song of Achilles or A Thousand Ships,
but it’s also difficult to judge harshly. Although I was interested throughout, I felt that the ending was especially radical and unexpected, with the story as a whole bringing something new to the well-stocked shelf of Greek myth-based retellings. This novel is a great companion to Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne and I hope others appreciate its powerful message.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for this captivating read.

This retelling of Phaedra fell flat to me. While the author is clearly a talented writer, the story didn't flow right and the tone was not what I expected based on the original myth.

Still, I appreciated the chance to read this galley and wish the best for the release of the book.

Phaedra is a second daughter of a king with lessening power, a murderous abusive husband, and a rapist stepson, this story is not for the faint of heart. Shepperson's narrative fiction is a Greek tragedy of a young woman with little experience with men, boys, and power. Phaedra is doomed from the beginning of her life with multiple power plays from her father, her husband, and her stepson. A tale of the plight of women with no mentor or guardian, male or female.

Unfortunately, the tone of this book didn’t fit for me. It seems that it was researched well, however, the multiple POVs didn’t work in the way I think it meant to. The voices of the different characters did not sound different at all. The editing on the kindle was rough as well, which is more of a formatting issue rather than a writing issue.

Going into this book I didn't know much about the myth of Phaedra, so me being a librarian, I researched a little before reading. I think this author made an interesting choice in how she told the story, but I just had a hard time getting into this one. I typically love mythology retellings, but I think the main thing this book lacked was background ad world building. That's an aspect that is very important to me, but I just thought it fell flat. I was honestly not a fan of how naieve Phaedra was made to be. As the biggest fan of Circe, I was expecting a little more, and maybe that made me a little biased, but this book just wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

I first heard the name Phaedra in a song from the 60's. I recently heard the song again and the same day this book became available. I was hooked. Upon opening the book, I was hooked for the second time.

I studied Greek mythology in school, but have never read anything that was an in-depth look at the presumed everyday life or the offspring of gods who live mortal lives.

This book shows that. It's readable. It's enjoyable. It's a book to be shared and discussed.

Good job Laura Shepperson.

I have really enjoyed retellings lately, and it is really cool when characters overlap from story to story. I got a small dose of Phaedra's story when I read 'Ariadne,' by Jennifer Saint.

This version of Phaedra is very different. Though it makes sense that authors rewrite a character in a new way, I did not love this version of the story. Though the original myth of Phaedra is not happy, this one is almost the exact opposite.

If you don’t mind a retelling that does not mirror the myth, this might still interest you.

I am so happy to read another prayer retelling of Greek mythology from a female point of view. While Phaedra has an easier time than many of the females in the book she is still treated as an object. She has no value as a person but is something to be bartered or used as a broodmare. The atrocities committed against the female servants are so commonplace that they are ignored by all, except Phaedra. While I liked this book and the story of Phaedra, there were a few things that were off the mark in this retelling. First was the night chorus, These sections felt out of place and i thought the message and information could have been woven into the story in a better way. Second there were too many change of point of view. At first I liked the thought of servant voices being part of the story as they are generally excluded from literature, but to have a point of view that only has one or two short chapters. Also including chapters of the king’s advisor in a woman’s retelling unnecessarily diluted the strength of Phaedra’s voice. Finally the compression of the timeline was overreaching In the book Phaedra had no happiness. Her time with her two other children would have made her final choices all the more poignant.

Phaedra is a feminist Greek retelling reminiscent of Madeline Miller’s work while the author maintains her own style and tone. Especially in these times, I know that this book will resonate with so many women. Highly recommended if you were a fan of Circe and The Song of Achilles.

So, I edited this review after reading PANDORA’S JAR by Haynes. I don’t like that this retelling ignores the scholarship around this myth. So my advice is to read Pandora’s Jar as well, at least the chapter on Phaedra

Original review/
. A short and bloody tale. Those sensitive to scenes of sexual assault will appreciate the lack of gruesome description, but the topic of rape is never danced around—it is threaded through the tale.

A reader of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes (and check out ITHACA by Claire North) wills appreciate this book.

I really enjoyed this narrative and retelling of sorts of one of the underserved (and sometimes misrepresented) Greek mythological characters, the infamous Phaedra.

I am a fairly new fan of Greek mythology and have only within the last few years jumped onto the fan base bandwagon. So, of course, I was excited to read about Phaedra and find out more about her. Such a complicated, intricate, flawed, and at times sad, life. The author does a great job of creating a fascinating narrative. A narrative that gives strength, guts, fortitude, and determination not just to our main character, but to a whole group of women that history has glossed over. Now, they too have a voice.

Yet another book trying to jump on the feminist Greek myth retelling bandwagon but failing spectacularly. Phaedra is a tragic character in mythology, driven by Venus to lust for her stepson Hermaphroditus, and killing herself when her advances are rejected by the boy. In classical mythology, Phaedra falsely frames Hermaphroditus as being responsible for raping her and driving her to suicide. Her husband and Hermaphroditus' father Theseus punishes his innocent son, who is thrown off his chariot and killed cruelly.

But in this book, Phaedra is the innocent one and Hermaphroditus is a lewd rapist. (I can hear classicists shouting with rage: WHAT???) While this is a sensational and shocking view, it is wholly unsubstantiated and sickening, to say the least. The author is clearly trying way too hard to cobble together a convincing story. Hermaphroditus was never a morally ambiguous figure, let alone a villain, in classical mythology -- he was the epitome of chastity and single-minded devotion to the virgin goddess Diana. This author goes too far in subverting the story to such a ridiculous extent that it comes across as simply pathetic. Deliberately corrupting the image of an established, innocent, saintly character just for the sake of providing a villain while you portray the true aggressor Phaedra as the innocent woman is not a move that pays off well. The writing style is forced and uninspiring, and I frequently had to put the book down in frustration and say "Enough is enough!" I had high hopes for this book, but have been greatly disappointed, and will certainly not be including it in our library-recommended reading lists.

* I received this book as a Netgalley ARC
I should preface this by saying that this book was generally enjoyable, and worth reading if you're a fan of Greek mythology retellings. It's compassionate, insightful and deals with a tragic character who faces issues that are still relevant today.
That being said, this is also a book that very clearly jumps on the bandwagon of these style of retellings, and it doesn't necessarily add anything to the narrative. Though I hate comparing books to each other, I don't know that this book accomplishes anything that Ariadne didn't already accomplish. It switches POVs frequently, to the point where we struggle to get to know our protagonist, the ending is predictable from the very beginning (though this is expected with a retelling, the narrative structure of the book reminds you that you already know the ending), and there are occasional modern colloquialisms that immediately remove you from the story.
It's good...it's not great. But it might be worth a read if this is a genre you enjoy.

Greek mythology seems to be acquiring quite a following these days. If you are one of the many, like me, who enjoy the retelling of Greek myths this one is for you. There are many stories of Phaedra out there. She was young, she was old, she bore Theseus children or not, she loved Hippolytus or was raped by him. This retelling uses several different viewpoints. This keeps the story moving but sometimes you need to flip back to see who "I" refers to. Other than that I totally enjoyed this telling of Phaedra's story. A good read for lovers of Greek mythology.
#Phaedra#NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐
No matter how many times I read the different Greek retellings, I'm still enthralled. Phaedra was a fantastic book, with multiple character points of view and a strong feminist backbone.
At times it was a little confusing to remember who was actually speaking or telling the story, but if you've read Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, then it's a different viewpoint of the story and the missing pieces to what happened to her sister, Phaedra.

Phaedra is the sister of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos (the King of Crete), and the sister of the minotaur. She leaves Crete as the bride of Theseus and we follow her journey to Athens.

Shepperson takes liberty with the story versus the 'original' tales in relation to Ariadne, Hippolytus, and Phaedra, but it's a unique retelling, so why not?

Trigger warning: Rape

I loved learning about a character that we don't see much of in Greek Mythology, Phaedra. The trend of women's stories being told is empowering, and I can't wait to read more. If you are a fan of Jennifer Saint, Madeline Miller, or Natalie Haynes, then yes, you will enjoy this book.
Be warned, like most Greek stories, this isn't a feel-good story, this is a tragedy; a tragedy that leaves you with a hero...or heroine.

release date: 1/10/2023🎉
Thank you to Alcove Press and Net Galley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

2 ⭐️ Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had to push myself to read it and it felt like I was dragging my feet to do so. It seemed like it was trying to ride the coattails of Circe but unfortunately did not follow through. The writing was confusing and the story was hard to follow. A person was there one moment and then the next paragraph the person was on their way back from a long time away. The timeline is confusing and the dialogue feels unnatural and forced. Maybe someone else will enjoy this but unfortunately I didn’t.

A great retelling of the story of Phaedra. I enjoyed that the story was unexpected in moments and that it felt more like a historical fiction novel than something like Circe by Madeline Miller (also a wonderful read). Would recommend if you like Greek myths, feminist stories, and books with dark twists.

Trigger warnings for rape, child death (off screen).

Thank you for the ARC NetGalley and Alcove Press!

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I love Greek mythology and retellings of it, but sadly I couldn’t really get into this one. I really enjoyed how the author described Phaedra’s relationships with people and her life as a woman during this time period. However, I could never get a good grip on the setting, which made things a little difficult. I would have loved more character development. I did enjoy the different POV’s though and learning more about everyone. The politics were really fascinating as well. Overall, this is a solid book, but there are better retellings in my opinion.

Of course I love any Greek mythology, and this one did not disappoint with its creative take on Phaedra’s encounter with Hippolytus and the ensuing tragedy. The characters seemed consistent with how they had been then, but the word choice made the story so accessible. A beautiful retelling of this tragedy!

Phaedra is the daughter of a king, the granddaughter of a god. Life on Crete is good for her and her family. But when the Athenian tributes arrive, one man will change the course of her life forever. Theseus, prince of Athens, comes to Crete and brings nothing but destruction in his wake her brother dead, her sister missing, Phaedra is chosen by Theseus as his bride and his hostage and taken with him back to Athens. Athens is a dangerous place where men claim the bodies of women and though she may be a queen to the men of Athens Phaedra is a woman to be claimed and Hippolytus, son of Theseus, will be the one to claim her.
Laura Shepperson’s Phaedra reimagines Euripides Hippolytus, an Ancient Greek tragedy in which the wife of the heroic Theseus accuses her stepson of rape. Shepperson reinterprets the story with a feminist lens and while it differs greatly from its source material, it is still a story worth telling. My only qualm with this book is to the current publishing trend of naming Greek myth retellings for a single woman yet having the story retold by a cast of different characters.