I was really excited to read this - the blurb sounded great! However I just couldn’t connect with it and found myself skim reading it from about 20% in. This one wasn’t for me I’m afraid

Haunted by Myth by Barbara Ann Wright was a novel I was looking forward to reading. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to.

The premise of the story is intriguing and I have always enjoyed reading anything that included Greek mythology, even in an urban fantasy. Ms. Wright is an excellent author, and I’ve enjoyed reading many of her novels.

For some reason, though, I could not bond with this story. I even tried putting it down and reading something else for a while, then trying it again. I still couldn’t get into the tale.
While I can’t recommend this particular book, I do suggest you check out the many other titles by Barbara Ann Wright.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for allowing me to read and review this novel.

As a greek mythology nerd (thanks to Percy Jackson), I had an amazing time reading this book. A great mix between the "official" mythos and the author's ideas. I was enthralled in the story, couldn't put it down and I finished it in a few hours. I thought the romance was quite touching and endearing and it was overall a great read which I would totally recommend to my fellow greek mythology nerds! 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the e-arc!
The premise of this book immediately drew me, and I knew I had to read it! Monster hunters with sapphic Helen of Troy? Sign me up! I do think this could have been a longer story or even a series. I still enjoyed this, especially with all of the different mythological characters. I love it when the author uses different types of mythology and pantheons throughout the story.
This is definitely a very fast-paced read with the action starting almost immediately when picking up the story! The romance as well picks up very quickly with a very insta lovey vibe. While in the story it wasn't so much a negative it is some thing to note.

Thank you netgalley for this arc copy of the book.

I went into this story really excited. I’ve been on a paranormal kick, and ghost? Hunting ghost? What else could a girl want from a book. But I think the idea I had in my head was a little different than how the story played out, so I don’t think it’s a bad book or badly written I think I accidentally went into it with expectations and the book was just different from that. Not to say it was bad, just not for me.

I'm pretty sure I ended up requesting this waaaay too close to when it was published. I probably won't be able to get to this one.

This was a really exciting and well-written inversion of Greek myth. I enjoyed how it harked back to the myth often. For me, the highlight was watching how Chloe and Helen's relationship developed, especially in spite of everything happening around them.
A really fantastic, exciting book to read!

'Haunted by Myth' by Barbara Ann Wright was not necessary what I imagined when I first read the blurb.
It's very much a fantasy book, that didn't win me over, despite my interest in Greek mythology. And reading that while studying in Greece I expected to enjoy more unfortunately.


I liked the concept but the writing itself wasn't very convincing and catching as I expected.


Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this captivating book. From the first page to the last, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, unable to put it down. The characters were well-developed, the plot was gripping, and the writing was superb. Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fellow readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this wonderful reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Haunted by Myth by Barbara Ann Wright

Mythology is one of my favourite genres! Loved the sapphic relationship, love it when LGBTQ+ and mythology meets.

This is a romp through gods, monsters, ghosts, and lore as Chloe, who works with an Egyptian god to put rogue ghosts to rest, crosses paths with Helen of Troy and a pair of sibling monster-hunters. Initially all opposed, these factions find ways to work together to figure out why there are suddenly more ghosts, monsters, and chaotic events. The romance between Helen and Chloe is cute and charming, and all of the characters eventually get some depth and quirks. I hope there will be more books with these characters.

A fun book! I love the world that was built in this story, and would gladly read more based in this world. I absolutely fell in love with the relationship between Chloe and Ramses.

This book was one of those where the idea felt better than the execution in theory. An enemies-to-lovers, sapphic love story based on every mythology ever sounds right up my alley, especially when one of the women is Helen of Troy, but that, in itself, was the problem.

The story felt rushed, so the existing characters couldn't be fleshed out as I would have liked. Some of the mythological monsters felt like they were only added to up the word count rather than having an actual place in the story. I also wish the author had chosen just one mythology set instead of incorporating all of them. While modern paganism uses multiple pantheons, novels should stick with only one to avoid confusion or overcrowding. This novel felt very overcrowded with too many characters and too much lore squeezed into one book. Additionally, as a young adult novel, it used beginner terms, seemingly to avoid overwhelming the reader with history, mythology and knowledge. Also the romance felt forced.

The writing style wasn't to my liking either. While younger adult novels can be chatty, this was too casual and read more like a middle-grade book, which made me lose interest as it seemed to read like a middle grade book. I also felt a little misled by the publisher, as this was marketed as fantasy historical fiction, but it turned out to be fantasy contemporary.

I did appreciate how Helen's story was portrayed as the follies of humans rather than her actual history. However, the purist in me wished for a more faithful representation while still offering a survivor's story.

Somehow, this book was simultaneously too much and not enough, leaving me a little disappointed.

DNF at 11%.

The description of the book was what made me want to read it. The concept and the world building was headed in an interesting way direction. Chloe’s complicated family dynamic was set up, and Rameses the spirit guide was a fun idea, all looking like they were headed in the right direction….

But I am a mood reader, so maybe the time just wasn’t right for me, but it was just missing that hook to make me want to keep reading and find out about what happens to the characters in the story. I got to meet both Chloe and Helen and get a sense of who they are and what they are up to , and again, it all seemed promising.

The story even starts with action for both characters in action, so in theory that should have been a really strong hook to get me to want to keep going. Maybe I was missing an emotional connection and was hoping for an early explosion, when I should have been expecting a slowburn.

The concept was good enough so that I am still likely to try more books by this author though, and see if in a different time and place it works better for me.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc!

I have been on a mythology kick lately, so I was super excited to read this one! It was a quick and easy read.

Unfortunately, overall it fell a bit flat for me due to the lack of pacing, the clutter of storylines and characters, and the half-baked romance.

I think others may like it, but it felt very YA and underdeveloped to me.

Love love love! This book is done so well. The sapphic relationship is amazing and I love the use of mythology. I really love the discussion of monsters and rehabilitation surrounding this book.

When a book has so many characters to keep track of and so much going on, the majority of all that busyness needs to be interesting in order to keep my attention. Unfortunately, this was just a whole bunch of boring things happening one after another. It felt like the author was trying to do too much here.

Chloe knew her future would be boring. Every job pales in comparison to the family hunting monsters and banishing ghosts.

This book wasn't terrible, but it was a little boring. I didn't hate it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Chloe is a ghost-hunter who was never supposed to have inherited the family business, constantly operating under the shadow of her dead sister’s memory and her mother’s grief. At her side is the ghost of the pharaoh Ramses, who has been a partner, a mentor, and a father-figure to her family for generations.

Helen is the legendary woman whose face launched a thousand ships, although she resents being defined by one story when she has done so much more over the ages. She is something of a monster-hunter, but only to rescue them from the human world and provide them with sanctuary on her island. At her side is the Sphinx – not to mention Pegasus, naiads, and more.

There’s a whole cast of supporting characters to the story, both human and otherwise, which adds to the wonder, the mystery, and the humor of the world that Wright has create

3,5 stars ✨

Fast-paced, lighthearted entertainment, in the form of mythological adventure meets paranormal romcom.

This was a fun, quick read. Perfect for anyone wanting to dip their toe into mythological retellings and mythology-inspired books. A gateway to some of the more serious stories in the wave of myth-lit of recent years, if you will.

Chloe is something of a Chosen One, thrust into a life she never expected to be a part of after her sister’s passing. Yes, she’s also inexplicably hot and kind and naively charming, but she has her doubts and insecurities. Her sidekick is literal Ramses II in ghost form - one of many mythological and historical crossovers. I appreciated this mix, though it was mainly Egypt and Greece focused.

Strange things have been happening, and Chloe and Ramses set out to figure out what’s going on. From there, they meet Helen - of Troy fame - and shenanigans ensue. The tone is mostly lighthearted, though themes of grief and parental expectations also make several appearances.

Going in, I thought this was going to be single POV, but we get both Helen’s, as well as Chloe’s. Did this add a whole lot to the story? Err… Character voices weren’t super distinct - no matter their age, everyone speaks modern English. Overall, the writing is very accessible, but nothing remarkable. Brace yourself for lots of snorting, breathing, and barking laughs.

The romance was insta-love/lusty, which isn’t really my cup of tea. The adventure part of the plot added enough that I never minded. Also, I like that we get bisexual Helen of Troy, who’s much more (though we only find out part of what more exactly) than a pretty face. Let her have her sappy lovestory and adjust your expectations accordingly.