For The Immortal

This book begins with Alexander, heir of Tiryns, who lies dying. Admete his sister doesn’t have the knowledge to heal him and so she travels with Hercules to the Amazons in search of a cure. She meets Hippolyta and the story unfolds from there. This is story as old as time and many will be familiar with it, as I was , but that doesn’t detract from story in anyway, The author treats the subject with respect and the multiple viewpoints make the storytelling both sharp and powerful. The voices seem fresh and you can almost forget you the end. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it.
This is the third book in the series but you don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this.

I was given an advance copy by NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Alexander, heir of Tiryns, is dying. His sister Admete is a skillful healer, but her knowledge can’t save him, so she persuades her father to let her join Hercules on one of his labours; they will travel to the Amazons, the legendary female warriors, in search of a cure. The Greek are seen with suspect by the Amazons, but queen Hippolyta gives them hospitality. The encounter will have consequences both on Admete’s and Hippolyta’s lives, and will be the start of an immortal story.

When I requested the book I had no idea it was the third in a trilogy, but luckily it read much like a stand alone. The stories are connected, but I think you don't miss that much reading one without the others. That being said, I will definitely check out the previous novels because I really enjoyed this one.

I wasn’t familiar with the myth, so the story kept me interested. There were some slow parts, but for the most part I enjoyed myself. I liked both Admete’s and Hyppolita’s storylines. They were distinct characters who found themselves in different situations, but they faced similar challenges, the main one being struggling in a male-dominated world. I was glad there wasn’t romance in this book, because the male characters were all awful! I was constantly mad at them, but their behaviour was in accordance with the time period and also made the two heroines stand out more. I admired both of them for what they had to suffer and for how they found their strenght despite everything.

Lastly, the author’s note at the end was great. It is clear Emily Hauser did a lot of research and that she is passionate about the subject. She gives lots of interesting informations about the original sources and also explains how she changed or merged them in order to create her own story.

I came to For the Immortal without having read the first two books in the series, but that didn't matter, because it is a standalone story. I loved Hauser's recreation of the well-known tale. She tells it from an intriguing new perspective, and that worked incredibly well. The different narrators all had interesting and unique voices, and I found myself caught up in their personal dramas and decisions. I particularly enjoyed the chapter lengths, which made it easy to pick up the book and read the odd bit here and there when I had time. Occasionally, during the more narrative passages, my attention wavered, but the action soon drew me back in. Actually, one of the things I found most enjoyable was the author's afterword, in which she discusses her approach to recasting the myth. Overall, this is a good read for those who enjoy fairytale and myth retellings, and I give it a solid 4 stars.

(Review will go live on 11 June)