Disclaimer: I study Greek myth as part of my day job, so I went into this wary and honestly a bit weary of the long string of myth retellings hitting shelves in recent years. However, the Author’s Note II at the very end of my ARC summarized what I sensed to be true even as I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) CROWN OF STARLIGHT – This is a thoughtful, sensitive, and yet still saucy and fun retelling of the myth of Ariadne and Dionysius.

As the myth goes, betrayed by Theseus of Athens, Ariadne of Crete is saved by the Olympian god Dionysius. And that’s the main story here too and yet so much more. While I felt the science fantasy setting was at times more stage dressing than anything else (this is a deeply character-driven story, even if in space), Corrain has masterfully added depth to the bones of the ancient myth in a way that actually reveals a more honest reading, in my opinion, of the original story. Themes of identity, sexuality, and fluidity abound amid discussions of “living on the margins” of family and society.

And for those wanting to know: the book is spicy enough, though it kicks in much later than I expected.