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.

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.

The title had me from the start. Loved the organization and it’s a very easy read. Not overly wordy, but still informative. The artwork was wonderful.

Entertaining and funny collection of stories about women in mythology around the world.

As a huge fan of the Hindu goddess Durga, the cover of this book instantly drew me in. I liked that the stories were spread over a wide variety of cultures; some I knew more about and others I had never heard of. The different anecdotes were about four to five pages long, so I could get a quick read in whenever I found time. There were also really cool illustrations. The language was informal and spiced with a lot of dry humour. Sometimes I would have wished for a little more depth, but all in all, this was a worthwhile read.

Thank you, NetGalley and BenBella Books, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book! My opinions are my own and are freely given.

This is the perfect book if you want to learn more about women from mythology, gain a firm understanding on their stories, but don't want to struggle with long boring texts. Each story is told in just a few pages, condensed enough that you get all the details you need without the feeling it was rushed.

The illustrations are amazing. I am so happy to see an author not using AI for their artwork. This illustrator was amazing.

Loved the book so much!

I enjoyed this book. It was funny, informative, and had pretty illustrations. I do wish the sections were more fleshed out and we were able to learn more about each woman featured, but I understand that it is more a brief overview.