Myths retellings are all the rage now. And so, this debut, rather impressively, takes on a story of the man who made both the famous wings and the labyrinth. The former melted and the latter became a slaughterhouse, so you better believe he has some regrets. In life and in death.
This slim novel (or chunky novella) follows him in both, alternating timelines to reveal the "real story" behind the known story.
Daedalus is a dedicated father and a brilliant inventor, but also so much more, his fate inextricably tied to his masters, Minos, his daughter Ariadne, and his son, the Minotaur.
The more Daedalus story unravels, the more his metaphorical wings melt, until he's just another man, faulted and flawed and crashing down.

At first, I thought it was downright courageous of someone to write (and someone to publish) a book with a male protagonist in this day and age in the genre that usually sees female retellings. But as the book progresses, it becomes clear that this was only permitted to dismantle the protagonist, which is, frankly, tiresome and cliched, this "every man's a villain" thing that's happening in fiction.
Still, the story is clever, the writing is lovely (and only slightly overdone in purple), and this is a rather impressive debut. And, it stands to mention, an absolutely stunning cover. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I'm really excited for this book to get published because of how good it is. There's been a huge trend of books retelling old Greek myths but I rarely ever see Daedalus's story told.

Sullivan does a great job of telling this heartbreaking story through the eyes of Daedalus. He may have been a genius architect in Greek mythology but that doesn't make him a good father. I also liked how Sullivan left us wondering about Icarus's last thoughts. The readers and Daedalus are left to decide if we think Icarus was trying to not only escape his prison but also his father as well.

I think this book will be getting a lot of hype when it's released. It really delves into some common themes in Greek mythology while also exposing a side of Daedalus that is never talked about. Overall, great read!