Showing posts with label greek myth retelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greek myth retelling. Show all posts

Saturday, 19 March 2022

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Review: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

A photo of A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, diagonal, with the top facing the top left corner and the bottom facing the bottom right. It's half on a dark blue scarf with metallic silver stars and suns, and half on a fluffy, light grey duvet. On it's right, and slightly underneath, is a postcard of Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse, and on it's left is a white Venus de Milo ornament.

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A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes


Published: 2nd September 2020 | Publisher: Picador | Source: Bought
Natalie Haynes’ Website

This is the women’s war, just as much as it is the men’s. They have waited long enough for their turn...

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all...

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.

A woman’s epic, powerfully imbued with new life, A Thousand Ships puts the women, girls and goddesses at the centre of the Western world’s great tale ever told.
From The StoryGraph.

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Monday, 14 March 2022

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Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

A photo of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, half on a gold, circular tray, and half on a fluffy, light grey duvet. The book is diagonal, with the top facing the top right corner of the photo, and the bottom facing the bottom left corner of the photo. Next to the book, on the right, is a small, white Venus de Milo staue.

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller


Published: 21st September 2017 | Publisher: Bloomsbury | Source: Bought
Madeline Miller’s Website

Greece in the age of Heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the kingdom of Phthia. Here he is nobody, just another unwanted boy living in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles.

Achilles, “best of all the Greeks,” is everything Patroclus is not—strong, beautiful, the child of a goddess—and by all rights their paths should never cross. Yet one day, Achilles takes the shamed prince under his wing and soon their tentative connection gives way to a steadfast friendship. As they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something far deeper—despite the displeasure of Achilles’ mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess with a hatred of mortals.

Fate is never far from the heels of Achilles. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
From The StoryGraph.

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Monday, 27 September 2021

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Review: Medusa by Jessie Burton

Medusa by Jessie Burton

I was sent this proof for free by Bloomsbury for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Medusa by Jessie Burton


Published: 28th October 2021 | Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books | Source: Publisher
Jessie Burton's Website

A dazzling, feminist retelling of Greek myth from the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist, stunningly illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill.

Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love, betrayal, and destiny itself.

Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill, this astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of Circe and The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the girl behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation.
From Goodreads.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads


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Wednesday, 21 April 2021

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Most Anticipated 2021 Retellings

Most Anticipated 2021 Retellings

Ad: Titles with an asterisk (*) were gifted to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Links with a circumflex (^) are 
Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Most Anticipated 2021 Retellings


As regular readers will know, I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I've recently discovered a few coming out this year that I'm super excited about.

I know, I know; it's April, and we're over a quarter of the way into the year, so I'm quite late in writing this post. But hopefully there'll be a few titles to add to your TBR here, so you'll forgive my lateness. On with the list!
Continue reading Most Anticipated 2021 Retellings

Monday, 30 March 2020

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Review: Mythos by Stephen Fry

Mythos by Stephen Fry

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Mythos by Stephen Fry

Published: 26th July 2018 | Publisher: Penguin | Source: Bought
Stephen Fry's Website

No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses.

In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld. We shiver when Pandora opens her jar of evil torments and watch with joy as the legendary love affair between Eros and Psyche unfolds.

Mythos captures these extraodinary myths for our modern age - in all their dazzling and deeply human relevance.
From Goodreads.

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Having had my interest in the Greek myths reignited by Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill, I dived right into Mythos by Stephen Fry straight after. However, while it was interesting, it wasn't what I expected, and I felt quite disappointed.
Continue reading Review: Mythos by Stephen Fry

Monday, 23 March 2020

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Review: Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill

Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill

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Great Goddesses by Nikita Gill

Published: 5th September 2019 | Publisher: Ebury Press | Source: Bought
Nikita Gill on Instagram

Empowering life lessons from myths and monsters.

Wonder at Medusa's potent venom, Circe's fierce sorcery and Athena rising up over Olympus, as Nikita Gill majestically explores the untold stories of the life bringers, warriors, creators, survivors and destroyers that shook the world - the great Greek Goddesses.

Vividly re-imagined and beautifully illustrated, step into an ancient world transformed by modern feminist magic.

'I watch Girl become Goddess
and the metamorphosis is more
magnificent than anything
I have ever known.'
From Goodreads.

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Monday, 26 August 2019

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Review: The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale (#Ad)

The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale

I received this eProof for free from Simon & Schuster Children's Books via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

The Cold is in Her Bones by Peternelle van Arsdale

Published: 7th March 2019 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books | Cover Designer: Sonia Chaghatzbanian | Cover Illustrator: | Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Peternelle van Arsdale's Website

One girl must uncover secrets of the past to save her friend from a terrible curse in this dark and mesmerizing story of love, revenge, and redemption inspired by the myth of Medusa.

Milla knows two things to be true: Demons are real, and fear will keep her safe.

Milla's whole world is her family's farm. She is never allowed to travel to the village and her only friend is her beloved older brother, Niklas. When a bright-eyed girl named Iris comes to stay, Milla hopes her loneliness might finally be coming to an end. But Iris has a secret she's forbidden to share: The village is cursed by a demon who possesses girls at random, and the townspeople live in terror of who it will come for next.

Now, it seems, the demon has come for Iris. When Iris is captured and imprisoned with other possessed girls, Milla leaves home to rescue her and break the curse forever. Her only company on the journey is a terrible new secret of her own: Milla is changing, too, and may soon be a demon herself.

The Cold Is in Her Bones is a novel about the dark, reverberating power of pain, the yearning to be seen and understood, and the fragile optimism of love.
From Goodreads

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features abuse and neglect of children, possession, an exocism of a sort, and torture.
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Friday, 3 May 2019

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Once Upon a Retelling: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Once Upon a Retelling

This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

I am so excited to have Natalie Haynes stopping by the blog today to discuss her retelling of the Trojan War, A Thousand Ships.

Natalie Haynes - © James BettsCan you tell us a little about A Thousand Ships? What kind of a retelling of the Trojan War is it?

Well, it’s retelling the war from the perspectives of the women involved in the war – it goes forwards and backwards in time from the Fall of Troy (thanks to the Trojan Horse…), and follows the consequences of the war in one timeline and the causation of the war in the other timeline. We see the goddesses, women, demigoddesses, wives, daughters, etc. of the men whose stories we’re used to reading. Often these stories did exist in the ancient world but have been lost, so I decided to reimagine them for the 21st century.
Continue reading Once Upon a Retelling: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Tuesday, 23 April 2019

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Once Upon a Retelling: Cassandra by Kathryn Gossow

Once Upon a Retelling

This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to Once Upon a Retelling! I'm a huge fan of retellings, and I'm really interested in hearing about authors' own love of the original stories, and what inspired them to retell those stories. And so Once Upon a Retelling was born, a feature in which I interview authors about their versions of well-loved tales.

Today, YA author Kathryn Gossow is stopping by to discuss her Greek myth retelling, Cassandra.

Kathryn GossowCan you tell us a little about Cassandra? What kind of a retelling of Greek myth of Cassandra is it?

Cassandra is inspired by the Greek myth of Cassandra, the princess of Troy who is given the gift of prophecy but is cursed to never be believed. She had a reputation for being quite mad but she saw every calamity that would fall on the Trojans, and her own violent death. It would be difficult to maintain your mental health under these circumstances.
Continue reading Once Upon a Retelling: Cassandra by Kathryn Gossow