This book was a different take on the story of Lilith and parts of the bible. Told from a view where importance of women is continually misunderstood and ignored which I absolutely loved.
While I did find parts of this book slow it didn't dampen my experience
Thank you to net galley for the chance to read and review

3.5 stars

This is going to be a must read for anyone who identifies as a woman. As Marmery says at the onset of the book, “For women everywhere. Be your own gods. Your Mother commands it.”

This book is from the POV of Lilith, the actual first woman who was cast out of the garden after gaining knowledge, being raped by Adam, and refusing to put up with being unequal to a man. In this very interesting retelling of Hebrew myth and the Bible, we follow Lilith over the span of millennia as she tries to battle the erosion of women’s equality and other religions in which goddesses (just new names for the Mother) are worshiped. It spans from Adam and Eve, to Noah’s Ark, to Lilith spending time with Jezebel, to Lilith preaching against male superiority and one God with Maryam (Mary Magdalene), to present day.

My thoughts: At times it felt too fast, but this was inevitable with the breadth of the book. At times it also felt slow, but this also closely mirrored how Lilith felt slogging through centuries waiting for her chance to spread knowledge. I adored Lilith’s narrative style and humor. I LOVED Samael and quite a few other minor characters. In the periods in which Lilith hunkered down for extended stays, I really enjoyed the Noah’s Ark and Maryam parts. Jezebel seemed to me just to be a cruel badass.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. As I said, any woman, and especially any feminist needs to read this book. It will make you feel validated and empowered.

Thank you to Net Galley and Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars! The cover of this book is stunning and I was excited to read a mythology re-telling. I understand there were religious elements to the story the author was pulling from, but it did still feel too religious to me. It felt like the story was slotting itself firmly from the Christian perspective. I did really appreciate the feminist narrative of the story. Overall, an average read with some exciting plot points, but not as complex as I'd like.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

For a bulk of this book I was a little confused where we were going plot-wise, but so appreciated the author notes at the end that showed off how many ideas, cultures, and myths she combined to create this new narrative.

I was provided an ARC of this book. I knew a bit about Lilith from reading Rashi’s Daughters - that she was feared after the birth of a baby, that she could “take their life”. This is an interesting perspective on her. A bit long, but we’ll written, good character development and you felt like you were in the scenery- it was described so beautifully. Worth reading if you are interested in creation.

Lilith, the first wife of Adam, brings about the biggest change known to humankind— wisdom— after she eats from the tree of knowledge. From there she is banished from Eden. She spends the rest of her life searching for the Mother (Asherah) who has been relegated to history’s hidden past.

While there were some slow parts, I truly enjoyed this historical fiction account of the first woman. Not only do we hear Lilith’s story, but also the account of Samael, Eve, Norea (wife of Noah), Jezebel, Maryam (of Magdala), and more.

Ultimately this isn’t just the story of Lilith. It’s the story of women throughout biblical times who have been labeled as demonic, whores, or purposefully unnamed and left out completely. It’s the story of finding a woman’s place in history and continuously fighting to be known as the equals, not “made of”, of men.

Thank you so much to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars
I have read a lot of "feminist" retellings of myths and legends recently that fall short of actually being feminist (author gives the character a sword, she kills people and that's it, for example), but I found myself pleasantly surprised overall by this book's approach to a classically demonized figure of Hebrew myth. Lilith is many things: outspoken, brave, loving, tender, etc. She is a whole person despite being humanity's first woman and being held on that pedestal. I also enjoyed that there is some care and research injected into this story, and I appreciated reading the historical notes at the end. I liked that Lilith's story, and some biblical stories, were reframed and examined more deeply.

I did have some issues with this novel that at times detracted from my enjoyment, however. I found the language to be uneven at times (your typical modern dialogue inserted into prose that you would find in the Bible or an older text). Additionally, I was not particularly moved by Lilith as a character. Even though she inserts herself into these women's lives and has very human experiences of her own, I did not feel any real connection to her. I found that she seems to largely be observing and not really doing in parts of the novel that I feel could have benefited from her interference. The pacing also felt a little odd; some parts of the novel could have been a tiny bit longer for better impact. Finally, I didn't really enjoy endless paragraphs of Lilith asking a million philosophical questions and reiterating the main themes of the novel; this felt a little heavy-handed and plodding.

It is a good interpretation of Lilith as a sacred being and as a human searching for women's salvation, but with some undoubted execution issues.

Mythology retellings are always hit or miss for me, but Lilith is definitely a hit. Telling the story of the first Woman, Mikki Marmery does an excellent job of showing us Lilith's rage and determination. A great tale for feminists everywhere.

I enjoyed this story and appreciate hearing the retelling of the story from Lilith's perspective, but the execution needs some revision I think. The language is kind of... odd? It goes from very modern to very oldschool in a way that feels disjointed. The concept is great, but there is some wording and pacing issues that should be edited, in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Lilith is one of my favorite characters in mythology/theology, and I think this book created a really good and well-rounded story and character for her. I really enjoyed it and I plan to get a physical copy of it when it is released

First of all, thank you to Negalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of Lilith, in exchange for an honest.

I absolutely loved this take on the story of Lilith and many other women from the Bible. As a pagan and as a feminist, it truly spoke to me.

We follow Lilith through her expulsion from Eden, meeting Samael, traveling to the underworld, riding in Noah's arc, encountering Jezebel and Mary Magdalene, trying to save humanity and given women their rightful place as an equal to men. Marmery's descriptions of the places Lilith goes, the people she meets and, oh my goodness, the things she eats, just pull you in as if you're right there with her. I enjoyed the modern language Lilith uses since we find out that she is the author of the story herself, now in modern times, having lived thousands of years as the world developed. As I got near the end, I thought it was going to have a very disappointing ending because, well, look at the state of the world right now. However Marmery expertly diverted us from that cliff the story was rushing towards and I was happy with how the story concludes.

I'm going to absolutely recommend this book to every witch, pagan and woman I know.

The story is very interesting and it is written in a biblical way, kinda. But I found this style a little difficult on the long run and wasn't able to truly get in despite really wanted to know what happened.

This book is a great addition to the genre of retelling of mythology and lore. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of the genre of books and authors who are retelling old myths, legends and stories with a refreshing perspective definitely consider picking up @marmerynikki Lilith, coming Oct 16 2023. After being thrown out of the garden Lilith spends eternity working to give women back their true purpose and power. I love books and stories that take a closer look at what was left out and skipped over. I was not raised with any form of religion so some of the references I definitely missed but it did not detract from my love of this book. Thank you to @netgalley and @alcovepress for letting me review this wonderful book. #bookstagram #readforjoy #lilith #mythsretold #retellings #reading #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #bookreview #bookrecommendations

Nikki Marmery allows Lilith to tell her story as the first partner of Adam, who leaves the Garden of Eden in search of Asherah, the goddess who was married to Yahweh. Both Lilith and Asherah seek balance between male and female, especially a recognition of the role of women in creation. As Lilith walks through centuries, she encounters Noah, Jezebel, Mary Magdalene, and a host of others who appear in the Bible. For readers hoping to find a joyful resolution to Lilith's quest, Marmery sticks to the Bible's version of events. meaning grim endings for most of the women involved. Lilith is a smart, wry narrator. While the ideas presented in the book are worth exploration, the cumulative effect of so many tragedies may leave readers dragging themselves to the end.

Historical fiction that moves away from ancient Greece and Rome, and looks to the very beginning of biblical times.

This was a really well-written book, with a lot of intricate details, and care to show how divine happenings in the initial days had been twisted to suppress women.

I guess my main issue was that after a certain point I couldn't follow the exact storyline properly? It's most possibly because I have no prior knowledge of the mythology used in this book, apart from a few things I know about Lilith, Adam, Eve, and Sammael. I was however able to understand the overall theme and idea behind this story, and I loved the author's note about why they chose to write this story.

TWs - violence, assault, sexual assault, death, death of one's children, misogyny against women, suppressing women

--- ty to the author, published and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I loved this book so much. I love retelli9og myth, legend, or lore. Lilith has always been a favorite of mine. This is probably one of the best retellings of her story I have come across. A must read for strong, independent women

I think this could use a bit of cleaning up story-wise, but overall I really liked it. This held all the same things I loved about the classic myth retellings of late; an overlooked woman of legend, a feminist twist on that legend, and a story that will have you feeling all the feels. Would highly recommend if you liked Circe, The Witch's Heart, etc.

Thank you to Alcove Press for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available October 17,2023 for purchase.

Let me be Frank I did not enjoy this book. It is obviously a deeply religious book which I knew going in. I just don’t vibe with it.

However it is a beautifully written, well researched book about Adam’s first wife. I recommend it to people who enjoy novels written about biblical characters.