Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

“I would be Medusa… if the gods held me accountable one day for the sins of someone else, if they came for me to punish a man’s actions, I would not hide away like Pasiphae. I would wear that coronet of snakes and the world would shrink for me instead.”

Myth retelling — four stars. Ariadne is a Circe-esqe retelling of the myth of Ariadne. Beginning in her childhood, we follow her through mythology, from the Minotaur to Icarus to Dionysus. Ariadne spends her early life getting betrayed by men she trusts, and when she flees with Dionysus to an island, she thinks her struggles are over. With a final betrayal, Ariadne loses faith in her husband and takes her fate into her own hands.

Unlike other tragic Greek heroes, Ariadne’s life isn’t controlled by the fates, but by the men around her. Ultimately, Ariadne is a story of female rage. If you’ve enjoyed other feminist retellings, Circe, The Woman of Troy, etc, this is the book for you.