I have really enjoyed many retellings of the Greek myths and so was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

The voices of the three goddesses narrating the stories didn’t feel right, there was no individuality for the narrators, each just a vessel of the same flaws and ego. There is nothing new being brought to the myths so, as someone who has been reading many different novels based on these characters, it gave me nothing new. This may be a better novel for someone who is new to the current Greek myth trope.

This was an okay book and would be worth reading if you are dipping your toe into this genre.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is touted as a feminist retelling, and it is not that. A retelling of the broad plots of the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Aeneid from the three goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, it is narrated by the goddesses but certainly does not have a feminist angle, merely feminine narrators. The voices show very little differentiation, and there are some relatively troubling tropes - for example, bad characters are evoked as 'swarthy'. There are also some definitely unnecessary sex scenes - while not explicit, they certainly felt out of place next to others that are very present in the mythology.

That aside, the book offers a pretty accessible way into the mythology that makes up the three epics it is based on. I really liked how the Odyssey was put into conversation with the Aeneid, although the narrating of the same episode by different goddesses made it a little repetitive. Athough it doesn't make the novel feminist to have the female narrators, I also liked that the framing of the three goddesses in conversation highlighted their significance to these narratives, and did make space to start challenging some of the 'heroic' behaviour.

I didn't mind the appendices but they weren't strictly necessary, and I would have preferred the author to comment on the sources rather than to give short essays on the nature of the gods and freewill. The novel doesn't really deviate from the source versions of the mythology, so those especially familiar with Greek myth might be surprised by some of the Aeneas parts that are directly contradicted by Greek sources. An acknowledgement of the variations within myths and across cultures would have been welcome, as it can otherwise seem like the author is giving the definitive version of the epic tradition.

All in all, an easy read and a good primer for the three source epics - but not particularly engaging or innovative on any particular characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner for providing an ARC on exchange for an honest review.

I was so drawn to this book when I saw the cover, and then I read the description and was so eager! Unfortunately for me, it just did not deliver.

I was intrigued by a new perspective that allowed these Goddesses to tell their own stories, however, it lacked definition and the mythology of their stories isn’t portrayed well.

The POV switches don’t work and the personalities and dynamics of such powerful characters have been lost.

This book could be a good introduction to mythology for some readers, but I have read a lot of mythology and have a lot of knowledge so it did nothing for me. However, it reads more as if it’s for teens, but then the sexual content doesn’t work.

Thank you to Cranthorpe Millner and Netgalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed Dan O'Sullivan's short novel. Retellings of Greek mythology have been some of my favourite fiction of all time (Percy Jackson was my childhood) and Rivals in Love and War solidifies this sub-genre as a growing must-read genre for any historical and fantasy fans. I love how O'Sullivan writes the main goddesses, Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. He writes them as how they are in a matter-of-fact, unapologetic manner showing them as both relatable and unattainable. All three have made mistakes or selfish decisions that bleed into the mortal realm. Reading them as three beings who "know" they're above humans, as the protagonist justifying their actions and selves, is really interesting and a narrative I didn't know I needed.

Overall, Rivals in Love and War is a well-researched and enjoyable read that any Greek Mythology, Fantasy or Historical Fiction fan should delve into. I also recommend it to any Percy Jackson fans because it has the same writing vibe when gods/goddesses appear.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this, it uses the Greek mythology element perfectly. I enjoyed how everything felt like a memoir for these powerful women. It uses the elements perfectly and glad I got to read this. Dan O'Sullivan has a great writing style and enjoyed the idea of this book. I loved the historical fiction element to this and enjoyed how everything worked overall. The cover was everything that I was hoping for and glad I got to read this.

DNF at 4%

After reading that awful prologue and really not liking the first part of chapter one I decided to look up the reviews for this.

I would rather spend my time watching paint dry then to waste it reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rivals in Love and War is a short, easily accessible take on the classic Greek/Roman epics of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. These stories are told through the POVs of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and interspersed with some scripts of the goddesses meeting and discussing how they will tell the stories.

This would be a good book for anyone looking to learn the basics of the classic stories, though if you are familiar with them, this book doesn't really offer anything new and would likely be boring. The three goddesses aren't terribly different in their narrative voices, especially when recounting well-known episodes like Odysseus insulting the Cyclops -- as an educator who's been teaching excerpts from The Odyssey for years, I skimmed through the parts I was already very familiar with. There are also a few episodes told twice, from opposing POVs, which makes for some repetitive reading.

There are a few descriptions of sex scenes or sexual thoughts that are a little more adult than the rest of the book seems to be going for. I think this book would work well for teen readers looking to understand the classics, but I would definitely caution any educator to thoroughly vet the book first for those few scenes that are a bit risque.

Thank you NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for this ARC Copy!

I was immediately drawn to this book from the beautiful cover to the premise.

I was very interested in a new perspective that could be brought to these powerful goddesses by allowing them to tell their own stories as they want to be seen, however, I feel that the debt into the lore and mythology of this book is a but rudimentary.

This book could be a great introduction to mythology for some readers, but if you have read a lot of mythology already then I feel that there was not really anything fresh or new added to the tale.

Also, as we switch POV between such dynamic characters I would like to see more definition to their personalities and speech.

A generic telling of the trojan war told from the perspective of Hera, Aphrodite and Athena.
Although that concept seemed interesting and I really wanted to like this book it just fell flat for me

Sometimes, all you can say is: yikes.

Pitched as a female-focused Greek Mythology retelling, Rivals in Love and War is a confusing, muddled slog through the events of the Trojan War and the founding of Rome. It’s unclear what this book is trying to be, or what kind of reader will find it satisfying, because the kind of target audience who are familiar enough with Greek myths to pick up a “retelling” are exactly the kind of audience who will find this dull, uninspired, and downright painful to read.

In the interest of time, I’m not going to summarize the events of the book. They are, with only minor tweaks, the events of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. Lines of dialogue are often lifted straight from the source texts, and, without any kind of interiority, complexity, or care given to the retellings, I was left wondering why I was bothering to read someone’s loose Spark Notes retelling of the Trojan War when I could just read Emily Wilson’s translations instead. Or any one in a list of translations; it’s not like there’s a dearth of them.

Chief among the book’s issues for me is that I’m not sure why Dan O’Sullivan decided to write it. What did he feel was missing from the mythology? We are living through a female-focused-Greek-mythology-retelling-industrial-complex renaissance, and amidst that renaissance, you have to work to convince me why I should pick up your version of the mythology instead of any number of Circe copycats. Truthfully, I don’t know what O’Sullivan wanted to accomplish here. The chapters, told in alternating viewpoints from the three goddesses, but their voices are so indistinct that I needed to repeatedly remind myself whose chapter I was reading. Each chapter was full of bland, general descriptions, little dialogue, absolutely no character building, and nothing of substance. Despite the shortness of the book, I had to drag myself from page to page. I could have read the Wikipedia entries for “Trojan War” and experienced the same emotional release (that is: none).

I wish I could find something remotely positive to say about this book, but really, I’m at a loss. I find myself baffled by what this book was trying to accomplish that wasn’t already accomplished hundreds of times over by much more skilled authors and translators. What even drew O’Sullivan to mythology in the first place? What does he find compelling? Reading this book felt like reading a book that was written to fill a quota. Nihil sub sole novum, but honestly? There doesn’t seem to be any joy under the sun either.

The honest truth is that this badly written, badly paced, confusing, objectifying (have I mentioned the strange off-puttingly objectifying way sex between women is written about in this book? I don’t have time —), and, if I’m being brutally honest, lazy. I don’t want to sound overly critical, but this is without a doubt one of my worst experiences reading a book all year. It’s only March, so maybe I’ll find something to surpass it later in the year. God, I hope not. This was legitimately painful to slog through.

Read it at your own risk. This is one mythology retelling I can’t recommend.


(Review will go live March 22)

Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me. I expected a myth retelling. Sadly, this is just the author telling very famous myths with no twist of his own. It doesn't offer a new perspective, it doesn't shine a light on lesser-known characters, it's just a compilation of myths told in their most famous version. Perhaps the one surprise was following Stesichorus in making Iphigenia Theseus and Helen's child, but that's still not an original idea and it also happens to be a version I despise because of how young Helen was in this episode. I also hate any story that tells us a girl is abducted but it's all good and she's in love with her captor. So, not a choice that endeared this book to me.

Maybe it would still be a fun read if the author stuck to the most famous versions of the myths but showed us the personalities of the three goddesses telling them (Athena, Hera and Aphrodite). But again that's a miss: they're completely interchangeable. They talk the same way, exhibit the same flaws. And because the author never goes beyond reciting existing myths like an external narrator, they have absolutely no personality.

I do believe someone who's completely new to Greek mythology might enjoy it, but for someone who knows these myths already, it becomes boring very quickly and I honestly can't find many redeeming qualities. It's a shame because the idea was very interesting.

Yikes. I'm sorry but...

The premise seemed promising, but frankly, it failed to meet my expectations.
When you have your fair share of Greek mythology, there's really nothing new to read here.
The 'retellings' didn't click. The book alternates between the different POVs of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. However, I noticed that there were no discernible tone differences throughout the three Goddesses. Each chapter contains general description after general description and lacks depth and substance which did not engage me at all.

Thank you Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for sending me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. With so many retellings of mythology, especially Greek mythology, something needs to cause the book to stand out, but I don't think this book did. It was a fast read, but it wasn't always entertaining. I wish there was more exploration into the characters or that the author put a different spin on them because the concept of the three most powerful Greek goddesses taking back their story and sharing it is so powerful because most of the mythology is male-focused. However, I think to write about three popular and powerhouse goddesses, you have to bring something new to the table or put a unique spin on it, which this book was lacking, but I could see the foundation of a great story; it just didn't quite get there.

Thanks to Cranthorpe Millner, Netgalley and Dan O’Sullivan for an ARC of this book with an honest review.

If I’m completely honest, this book felt a little flat for me. I think from the description I was expecting it to be different than how it was. I didn’t expect it to be almost a collection of stories written in the way that it was. The chapters almost felt like they were written too informally and not as intricate as I would have hoped.

I think some people will get a lot of enjoyment from this, especially if they haven’t read a lot of Greek mythology but for me, it was okay but nothing more.

DNF @ 6%. I really wanted to like this book, the premise and summary were so interesting! However the characters and story fell flat. It read more as testimonials rather than a coherent story and I quickly lost interest in it. Thank you to the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Rivals in Love and War was an interesting short read - one that I would have enjoyed a lot more with just a tad more atmosphere-setting and character depth. I went into the read with the mentioned comp of Circe in my mind's eye, which I fear did the book a disservice in expectation-setting.

This is a retelling in an almost literal sense, like sitting around a table with the goddesses and hearing their spoken word testimonies. The writing feels conversational and casual, sometimes awkwardly like a one-sided conversation. I was yearning for the flowery prose that feels more natural for a retelling in the original setting / era like this one is. There is very little descriptive language around the world and events; far more telling than showing. On a similar note, there is little personality differences between the three goddesses, which I found disappointing!

Pushing through these aspects I enjoyed the read overall for the easily-digestible form of these complex tales, but I'm not sure I am the right reader for this style of retellings. I believe the marketing angle for this book is effective, but I'm not sure it is drawing in the correct audience thus far.

Thank you Cranthorpe Millner and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. I liked that we get the viewpoint of three goddesses. It was interesting to read how each one viewed each situation they faced and their differing perspectives. The way it’s written reminded me of how textbooks in American English literature classes are written. Overall, a pretty interesting read.

Lots of thanks to NetGalley, Cranthorope Millner Publishers, and Dan O’Sullivan for providing me with an ARC of Rivals in Love and War to review!

When I first came across Rivals in Love and War I was immediately drawn in by the premise. A first person retelling from the perspective of three of the most iconic and often widely misrepresented Goddesses in Greek Myth? I was absolutely sold. But it seems I may have had different expectations of this book than what it actually presented.

First things first though, Rivals in Love and War is a great novel for those in the early stages of acquainting themselves with the Greek Myths - all the necessary lore is presented in a quick, easy, and digestible manner, and is quite fast paced as well.

However while that may be a wonderful thing for those not that familiar with the genre, it was my personal detriment when it came to enjoying the book. I felt as though Rivals in Love and War did not truly offer a fresh take on any of the myths; every story recited was one that was explored at surface level and thus left me wanting. I also did not feel any significant change in tone between any of the three Goddesses, leaving me quite bored at times. I felt the language too simple, the structure and the storytelling too direct and too linear, and I did not find myself having any ‘a-ha!’ moments.

Overall, I think Rivals in Love and War is a lovely book for those trying to explore a new genre or learn about the Greek Myths without having to read a 900 page book, however if you’re anything like me and have had your fair share of mythology reading, I wouldn’t say this is a must-read.

I really liked this book! The best thing about it was probably the three pov's from the different godesses. It was a fun read with relatively short chapters, which I enjoy a lot. For anyone who's into greek mythology, this is a must read!

I wanted to like Rivals in Love and War so much. It's largely a retelling of the Illiad and the Odyssey (with a few other myths thrown in) through the eyes of Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. There was so much promise to dig deeper into the goddesses' mind.

But I found that it landed very flat. Despite each chapter alternating between one of the goddesses, I felt like we weren't getting anything new that wowed me from this retelling—which given how saturated Greek myth retellings are right now, I really wanted something new.

I felt like O'Sullivan never got deep into their minds. It was a LOT of general description and a lot of telling v. showing. There wasn't a ton of a dialogue, which didn't help that feeling of just being retold the same myths again, just from a different perspective. And even the different perspective felt more surface level. There wasn't as much emotion as I hope but it also didn't feel intentionally like the goddesses were un-emotional.

The voices also felt off. They didn't feel regal/like gods, but it also wasn't colloquial either.

The appendixes were interesting but felt out of place as well.

I think Rivals in Love and War had such a good premise but I was let down by the actual novel itself.