Loved the wide variety of cultures in this book! Only complaint is that I wish it was longer! Artwork is beautiful and I enjoyed the fresh take on some of the mythologies presented.

This is a refreshing take on mythology that highlights the power, complexity, and agency of ancient deities. I love that I can flip to any page and quickly find engaging insights about a figure I’m curious about, whether it’s Demeter, Medusa, or the Morrígan. The writing is sharp and witty, making it a fantastic reference book that challenges traditional narratives. There are also many figures I was previously unaware of. A truly enjoyable read. This would be a great resource in an English class for exploring voice and perspective, or in a classical history course to examine how ancient myths can be reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.

Thanks to Netgalley and Benbella Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A great compilation of strong mythological women! I always love when a collection has goddesses I haven't heard of before and this one definitely did that. The illustrations were also extremely well done.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

History is written by the victors, and mythology is written by men.

Bad Bitches of Antiquity turns that on its head, featuring the wronged women that misogyny has turned into monsters, telling their side of the stories and showing their power and determination in the face of horrifying adversity.

This is such a good book! These myths are retold with a modern, feminist voice (and editorial asides that say what we're all thinking) - detailing the myth, the woman's side. the mythological backstory behind the legends, and of course, the badass power move of each woman that makes her legendary.

This book is filled with 50 goddesses, sorceress and witches from across the globe - not just the familiar Greek stories we know, but African, Welsh, Hindu, Chinese, Hawaiian, Shinto, Mesopotamian, Norse, Mayan, Sumerian, Colombian, Egyptian, Irish. Many cultures are represented here, with stories of strong women.

Each story is only a handful of pages, so this would be a good book to dip in and out of, particularly if one is learning about mythology). The artwork includes simple, clear motifs alongside illustrations of each goddess.

I purchased the audiobook in addition to this, and the narration by Ozzie Jacobs was perfect for the book with equal measures of sass and gravitas .

~This is a NetGalley ARC. All opinions are my own~

Who doesn't love a good deep dive into mythology? This will delight fans of the Goddesses of the world pantheon.

I honestly feel so empowered, like when I read about women's history during women's history month and really identified with the the song "The Man" by Taylor Swift.

I love folklore and mythology so this one was right up my alley!!!! First of all I think this would do best in the format of a coffee table book. It’s definitely something you could read in one sitting, but the stories are so short they don’t have a ton of impact if you read them one after the other. I think this is a book I’d love to see in home and decor stores and boutiques because I think it would really excel as thag style of book. My expectations were for the stories to be longer and focus on fewer goddesses/witches/mystical creatures but it was a LOT of info dumped in pretty short (3 page) chapters. It didn’t work for me in the way I was expecting but I still enjoy it as a concept.

Let me start with a few admissions so you know where I am coming from with this review. I was a huge Greek mythology fan in school and watched Hercules and Xena weekly. Many of the greek b's in the book are villains in one form or another in those two shows. This book looks at those same woman from another side. However, as the beginning of Hercules points out "Ancients Gods were Petty and Cruel." That cruelness rings through in many of these stories. Medusa is a monster if you watch the popular version of her. However, if you read these story, a story told by a woman, she suffered and was punished for being victimized. Truthfully, jealous Athena found an excuse to hurt someone pretty than her. Medusa may have changed and she may have become a monster but that change that made her a bad b was inspired by a worse b. Woman are strong and the myths we know only tell the story from the perspective of the story teller. If I again look at Hercules, he encountered Arachne and she was a monster killing men indiscriminately. However, there was more to her story as well. Yes, she did suffer from being boastful and cocky but that was no reason our goddess b made her a spider. Here again we have a story that has two sides but one is more commonly told.
The author did a nice job of compiling these stories and making them interesting by telling both sides. Yes, Medusa was a monster but she was a monster because others made her that way. She was also a mortal woman with a kind heart but that Medusa does not make a good story.
I will admit to only reading the stories of the Greek woman in this pass because they are familiar. However, even the familiar stories were eye opening when the other information was added.
There are some great paranormal romances that pick up on the greek b's in this story and flesh those characters out and give them another side. I would recommend if you enjoyed reading this as I did that you also check out Medusa's story by Alessa Thorn. Her Medusa is this Meuda, a bad b who deserves a life and in the story I mentioned fights to get it.
The book reminds us that as woman we are judged through a male eye many times and what we as women see as strong a man may see as us being a bad b. I enjoyed the stories, Each story is short and you can pick and choose which ones to read and in what order. In my case, I mixed in a few stories at a time instead of reading in one seating.
Thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books | Ninth Bridge and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC..

I love this is not just the classic women of myths we all know from Greek or Roman Goddesses. Each chapter covers a different woman with their origins, form, dominion, power move and a beautiful illustration for most. There is not lots of info on each but definitely enough to start with so you can do some more research on the bitches that specifically interest you. It gives you a really excellent overview. I think this is an essential book for young teenage girls and adult women alike. I also think it would be good for boys and men to read because so much of history and legends is seen through the eyes of men.
The book has beautiful illustrations even on my tablet, I’m guessing it would be lovely to have a physical copy and I will buy a copy when it comes out for my own resource.
It’s well written and treats some difficult subjects with a lightness of touch but without being disrespectful.
A Welsh goddess, Rhiannon, included which is lovely to see as it’s not often she is written about in a generic, as in not Welsh book. I also loved the moral of the stories at the end which I think helps to bring the stories into a more personal context.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinions.

This was a fun and fascinating collection of stories! I like that there was a variety of pantheons included and I think the organization was well done.

Thank you, Netgalley, Lorelei Wilder, and BenBella Books, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
I love mythology and especially badass Women. The title alone was enough for me to apply for this arc immediately. They introduced a lot of Goddesses, Heroines, Warriors, and Warriors from different types of mythology, some of which I had never heard of, which was really cool. I just wish it went into a little more depth on each because they are super interesting. The artwork is cool. I still enjoyed this book, and it is a great concept.

I will be back to add the Amazon review link when the time comes!

This was exactly what my mythology loving heart needed! I loved getting to visit some familiar stories. I was also thrilled to be introduced to some stories that I had never heard of before. It was really cool to get to read about goddesses from regions like South America, Africa, and Ireland. All of the women in these stories were certified bosses and I loved getting to broaden my knowledge base to include them all. I can't wait to have a physical copy in my library.

This book contains a collection of stories about women in mythology from all over the world, not only the typical Roman and Greek.
It’s a quick and casual read because it’s in bite-sized chunks. There isn’t a lot of detail, just the basics. I’m a big fan of mythology so I read about it often but I do think that if you don’t know some background, some stories might be a bit confusing.
The tone of the book is pretty casual and modern, mixed with a bit of humour.
There are gorgeous illustrations throughout the book, by the very talented Cinthya Alvarez.

The title and description of this book piqued my curiosity! Inside, the beautiful illustrations and the bite-sized stories had me turning page after page.

This is a super useful book for someone like me who reads a lot of myth retellings because I have more context now. Honestly, it's really hard to keep track of all the relationships going on in Olympus and this is great to come back to and reference.

I also didn't know that a character in my favorite book was named after an ancient queen and now I have more clues for my armchair detective activities of trying to predict plot twists.

Overall an easy and fun read, really enjoyed it! I think the illustrations set this book apart and would love to see other authors adopt this format too.

Cannot give feedback as this cannot be connected to my Kindle. I cannot give feedback if I cannot read it. Sorry!

Thank you, NetGalley and BenBella, for a copy of this eARC.

This was such a fun read. I loved the inclusion of women from different cultures' mythology; it was super interesting to learn about them, especially with the sprinkle of humour dotted throughout.
Having the stories categorised into themes with a little spec sheet at the beginning of each chapter was a nice touch. I feel it gave each woman distinction as well as connected them to the others in their theme.
The illustrations were also beautifully done. I found myself flipping back to look at them often!

This is a fun little collection of badass mythological women told in an accessible manner. The vingettes are short and are frequently placed in a feminist context, exploring how these women overcame obstacles primarily set by men or the patriarchy.

Many felt too short, though. I would have appreciated more context. How did these myths come to be? What was their impact on the lives of the people who worshipped these women?

There was also a strong western bias. Most of the myths originated out of ancient Greece and Rome, and while they did have an extensive pantheon, so did most of the world. There were only a couple of badass bitches from the Americas, Africa Asia, and Oceania, which are all places with myriad cultures that have unique origin myths, many featuring women.

A feminist retelling of mythology, "Bad Bitches of Antiquity" shares the stories of formidable goddesses, heroines, and warriors from ancient tales. The book re-examines the narratives of these powerful women, highlighting their intelligence, strength, and influence on the mortal and divine worlds.

I give this book a four-star rating because it offers a fresh and engaging perspective on well-known myths, making them accessible and relevant to a modern audience. The author, Lorelei Wilder, successfully injects humor and a contemporary voice into these ancient stories without losing the core of their original power, celebrating the fierce and often overlooked women of mythology. While the informal tone might not appeal to all readers, it creates an empowering and enjoyable read that encourages a new appreciation for these timeless figures. The book is a great choice for anyone interested in mythology who is looking for a version that champions strong female characters.

An ok book. The stories were very short and left me wanting more. The gods that were mentioned were interesting and colorful. The book was a quick read. Overall, it had some good pieces, but left me wanting more.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fun little chunks of information on various goddesses/mythological women whose stories are often (always) filtered through the gods/men of myth and legend. Reframing them with their own agency gives a different take on their stories and it's been happening a lot lately which is great in my opinion. Wilder does try to give multiple pantheons their time in the spotlight, but still leans heavily towards European myths. If anyone remembers the Rejected Disney Princesses website this book reads a lot like that much missed by me website.