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Phaedra
Debut novelist Laura Shepperson offers a powerful feminist retelling of Phaedra and her unyielding quest for justice, perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes.
Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus’s control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus.
When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra’s world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning.
The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. Until now.
Timely, unflinching, and transportive, Laura Shepperson’s Phaedra carves open long-accepted wounds to give voice to one of the most maligned figures of mythology and offers a stunning story of how truth bends under the weight of patriarchy but can be broken open by the force of one woman’s bravery.
Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus’s control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus.
When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra’s world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning.
The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. Until now.
Timely, unflinching, and transportive, Laura Shepperson’s Phaedra carves open long-accepted wounds to give voice to one of the most maligned figures of mythology and offers a stunning story of how truth bends under the weight of patriarchy but can be broken open by the force of one woman’s bravery.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 2023
271 people are currently reading
16601 people want to read
About the author
Laura Shepperson
2 books128 followersLaura Shepperson was born in the UK and has always been fascinated by myths and myth retellings, studying Classical Studies at the University of Auckland. Her first novel, The Heroines, was a Sunday Times bestseller. In 2017 she was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction. Laura holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. Laura lives outside London with her husband and two children. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @LauraShepperson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 904 reviews
January 25, 2023
Structured like a Greek tragedy with three acts and a Chorus, this was billed as "a powerful feminist retelling" of Theseus's wife, Phaedra. While the Chorus was a very effective element in giving voice to the women of Greece, casting all of the men as arrogant, self-serving villains does not a 'feminist retelling' make. 🤔
June 15, 2022
This work examines the mythology of Phaedra, who married Theseus after he slew the minotaur and her sister disappeared. She is naïve and hopes that her new life will be easy, but she soon draws unwanted attention from her stepson. This work continues to follow Phaedra’s story, her demands for justice, and the struggles of women during this time.
I had high hopes for this work – it promised to be an intense examination of Phaedra’s story and the roles of victims in Greek mythology. The author did do an excellent job at showing the dichotomy between male and female expectations, roles, and beliefs during this time. However, the rest of the work fell short. There was no description of the setting or exploration of worldbuilding, which created a bland backdrop for this story.
The story is told from the POV of many different characters. However, it was all told from the first-person view of these characters, and unfortunately, they all sounded and felt the exact same. There was nothing different or unique in Phaedra’s tone versus Xenethippe’s tone versus Kandake’s tone, etc. If it weren’t for their name at the beginning of their section, there would have been nothing to differentiate the characters. Similarly, none of the characters were alive. They all felt flat, with no real emotion conveyed, which made it impossible to connect to them or the story. This was especially unfortunate as the author set up this story to have the tone of a tragedy. The character development was also lacking. Phaedra’s didn’t go beyond her being naïve and liking painting, and she had the most development out of all the characters.
There was only one scene of the story that I found compelling. After the conclusion of the trial, Theseus approaches Phaedra and makes demands of her to redact her story. His responses and the way he thought and responded concerning the assault on her were very well written. Similarly, the way she thought and reacted to the situation was also well written, creating an interesting, realistic, and emotional scene.
On to the technical aspects. The formatting of this work was abysmal on the kindle. New paragraphs started in the middle of words, sentences, and even dialogue. Page numbers, sometimes with the author’s name, sometimes with the book’s name, appeared in the middle of random pages. There were also many errors throughout the work, including some sentences beginning with lowercase letters, awkward wording with unclear meanings, and convoluted run-on sentences. This work doesn’t appear to have been edited.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend reading this work and was disappointed by it.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I had high hopes for this work – it promised to be an intense examination of Phaedra’s story and the roles of victims in Greek mythology. The author did do an excellent job at showing the dichotomy between male and female expectations, roles, and beliefs during this time. However, the rest of the work fell short. There was no description of the setting or exploration of worldbuilding, which created a bland backdrop for this story.
The story is told from the POV of many different characters. However, it was all told from the first-person view of these characters, and unfortunately, they all sounded and felt the exact same. There was nothing different or unique in Phaedra’s tone versus Xenethippe’s tone versus Kandake’s tone, etc. If it weren’t for their name at the beginning of their section, there would have been nothing to differentiate the characters. Similarly, none of the characters were alive. They all felt flat, with no real emotion conveyed, which made it impossible to connect to them or the story. This was especially unfortunate as the author set up this story to have the tone of a tragedy. The character development was also lacking. Phaedra’s didn’t go beyond her being naïve and liking painting, and she had the most development out of all the characters.
There was only one scene of the story that I found compelling. After the conclusion of the trial, Theseus approaches Phaedra and makes demands of her to redact her story. His responses and the way he thought and responded concerning the assault on her were very well written. Similarly, the way she thought and reacted to the situation was also well written, creating an interesting, realistic, and emotional scene.
On to the technical aspects. The formatting of this work was abysmal on the kindle. New paragraphs started in the middle of words, sentences, and even dialogue. Page numbers, sometimes with the author’s name, sometimes with the book’s name, appeared in the middle of random pages. There were also many errors throughout the work, including some sentences beginning with lowercase letters, awkward wording with unclear meanings, and convoluted run-on sentences. This work doesn’t appear to have been edited.
Unfortunately, I can’t recommend reading this work and was disappointed by it.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
September 22, 2022
After finishing this book I want to know who on the editing team thought this was well developed enough to make it to being published. As the book went on the writing quality became increasingly juvenile until it was almost unreadable. Various POV chapters from random characters have no meaning to the story and instead made reading disjointed and confusing.
This book is more of a Greek mythology fanfiction than a myth retelling. Characters spoke, acted, and displayed modern values and language. The sparse descriptions of the setting and lack of world building made me question is the author knew anything about Ancient Greece before writing.
One star because I'll read anything Greek mythology related.
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review. **
This book is more of a Greek mythology fanfiction than a myth retelling. Characters spoke, acted, and displayed modern values and language. The sparse descriptions of the setting and lack of world building made me question is the author knew anything about Ancient Greece before writing.
One star because I'll read anything Greek mythology related.
**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review. **
June 19, 2023
THE MANY CHARACTERS MADE A MESS OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD RETELLING
As a great fan of Greek Mythology retellings, I was really looking forward to Phaedra's story. Sadly, I was let down. The main problem, for me, was the characters. There were too many and the main character, Phaedra, never really found her voice or her place.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Plight of the women: The one thing that really got under my skin - in a good way - about this book was the visceral portrayal of the plight of the women in the palace. Though many of them were unnamed, they still had voices to be heard. I liked hearing them tell their own stories, even if those stories were bleak and depressing.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Phaedra: Our leading lady should have been the star of the show. She should be the one carrying the story, leading us as readers on in the pursuit of her conclusion. But I almost felt like I had to drag Phaedra through her own story. She never really came into her own as a character. She showed little to no growth throughout the story. And her only personality trait was naivete. That is a good starting point for a character, but without any growth, it just becomes tiresome really fast.
POVs: All in all, there were simply too many POVs. I can handle a fair amount of POVs. As long as they add something to the story. Sadly, they did not in this case. Especially not since they all sounded the same, had the same voice. It only made the story less coherent and more bungled.
Medea: One character in particular didn't sit well with me. The infamous Medea makes an appearance throughout much of the book. Her presence could have been great. But it wasn't well utilized. She wasn't an active participant. She was more of a watcher. She made no difference in the story. She should have been the sole narrator, for her presence to work in this capacity. Hearing Phaedra's story through Medea's experience and words could have been really interesting. In stead we just got two separate stories that never really came together - on their own or together.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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As a great fan of Greek Mythology retellings, I was really looking forward to Phaedra's story. Sadly, I was let down. The main problem, for me, was the characters. There were too many and the main character, Phaedra, never really found her voice or her place.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Plight of the women: The one thing that really got under my skin - in a good way - about this book was the visceral portrayal of the plight of the women in the palace. Though many of them were unnamed, they still had voices to be heard. I liked hearing them tell their own stories, even if those stories were bleak and depressing.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Phaedra: Our leading lady should have been the star of the show. She should be the one carrying the story, leading us as readers on in the pursuit of her conclusion. But I almost felt like I had to drag Phaedra through her own story. She never really came into her own as a character. She showed little to no growth throughout the story. And her only personality trait was naivete. That is a good starting point for a character, but without any growth, it just becomes tiresome really fast.
POVs: All in all, there were simply too many POVs. I can handle a fair amount of POVs. As long as they add something to the story. Sadly, they did not in this case. Especially not since they all sounded the same, had the same voice. It only made the story less coherent and more bungled.
Medea: One character in particular didn't sit well with me. The infamous Medea makes an appearance throughout much of the book. Her presence could have been great. But it wasn't well utilized. She wasn't an active participant. She was more of a watcher. She made no difference in the story. She should have been the sole narrator, for her presence to work in this capacity. Hearing Phaedra's story through Medea's experience and words could have been really interesting. In stead we just got two separate stories that never really came together - on their own or together.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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April 10, 2024
A fantastic, gripping Greek myth retelling, with amazing character development and such powerful themes. I heartily recommend it, especially if you like your myth retellings more on the realist side rather than the magical side.
June 11, 2022
From the description, it’s obvious that this is another book that is trying to jump on the bandwagon of Circe’s acclaim. So you cannot blame me if I have judged the book from the same perspective.
The book follows Phaedra, a controversial and tragic character from Ancient Greek history. While she makes for an excellent choice as a portrait of a misunderstood character, the author fails to give her character much substance other than the bare essentials of empathy, one hobby and being naïve. She never grows out of it. Hippolytus’ portrayal is pretty fleshed out but does not grow either.
The writing left me very dissatisfied. The language is bland and does not do justice to the content at hand. There wasn’t any geographical exploration. The scene setting was poorly executed.
The chapters follow multiple PoVs which can get a bit confusing and annoying at times. Medea’s povs, dialogue and role until just before the end of the book was fairly redundant and frustrating to read.
What the author gets right is making the reader empathise with the women - Phaedra, The maids, Medea. The suffering, anguish and the helplessness is reiterated with brutal honesty and interesting modes like the night chorus.
The book offers a breathtaking reasoning for Medea’s infamous actions which fit in so well into the psychology of the narrative. Her cryptic dialogue throughout the book pays off in the end.
Another splendid part of the book was the political machinations. Trypho and his train of thought as a politician is really satisfying to read. I really appreciate the way the main story arc fit into the politics of the Ancient Greek court.
Thank you for the ARC.
The book follows Phaedra, a controversial and tragic character from Ancient Greek history. While she makes for an excellent choice as a portrait of a misunderstood character, the author fails to give her character much substance other than the bare essentials of empathy, one hobby and being naïve. She never grows out of it. Hippolytus’ portrayal is pretty fleshed out but does not grow either.
The writing left me very dissatisfied. The language is bland and does not do justice to the content at hand. There wasn’t any geographical exploration. The scene setting was poorly executed.
The chapters follow multiple PoVs which can get a bit confusing and annoying at times. Medea’s povs, dialogue and role until just before the end of the book was fairly redundant and frustrating to read.
What the author gets right is making the reader empathise with the women - Phaedra, The maids, Medea. The suffering, anguish and the helplessness is reiterated with brutal honesty and interesting modes like the night chorus.
The book offers a breathtaking reasoning for Medea’s infamous actions which fit in so well into the psychology of the narrative. Her cryptic dialogue throughout the book pays off in the end.
Another splendid part of the book was the political machinations. Trypho and his train of thought as a politician is really satisfying to read. I really appreciate the way the main story arc fit into the politics of the Ancient Greek court.
Thank you for the ARC.
June 18, 2022
2.5 Stars
A retelling of the mythological character Phaedra in which the author attempts to throw back the veil on convention and uncover/connect often-overlooked female characters and events.
It offers a contentious alternate version of the classic tragedy casting Phaedra in a distinct light and ferociously highlighting women’s challenges and frustrations within a patriarchal society.
The outcome is a not-too-subtle feminist tale that left me feeling uncomfortable rather than empathetic.
On the face of it, this should have appealed to fans of Saint, Miller, Barker, et al., and at times there was some very engaging character dialogue and interaction. However, I wouldn’t place it at the giddy heights of 'Ariadne' or 'Circe'.
It felt rushed; the characters could have been more rounded, and the plot fleshed out. The narrative was occasionally superficial and more appropriate for a YA audience.
My thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A retelling of the mythological character Phaedra in which the author attempts to throw back the veil on convention and uncover/connect often-overlooked female characters and events.
It offers a contentious alternate version of the classic tragedy casting Phaedra in a distinct light and ferociously highlighting women’s challenges and frustrations within a patriarchal society.
The outcome is a not-too-subtle feminist tale that left me feeling uncomfortable rather than empathetic.
On the face of it, this should have appealed to fans of Saint, Miller, Barker, et al., and at times there was some very engaging character dialogue and interaction. However, I wouldn’t place it at the giddy heights of 'Ariadne' or 'Circe'.
It felt rushed; the characters could have been more rounded, and the plot fleshed out. The narrative was occasionally superficial and more appropriate for a YA audience.
My thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 24, 2023
⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️
I’ve become very addicted to Greek mythology retellings and when I saw this title I just had to read it!
The Heroines by Laura Shepperson is unputdownable, what a stunning debut, I absolutely loved it! The writing is modern and very engaging, I found it a fast read.
I enjoyed the inclusion of a night chorus, the different POV’s and the way the book is structured like a Greek play with three acts and a chorus. Like most Greek mythology tales it’s packed full of violence and deceit, it made me feel so angry at times and shocked.
Sister of the more famous Ariadne, Phaedra is the young and neglected bride of the much older King Theseus, she is taken to his homeland in Athens where it seems barely civilised compared to Crete.
Phaedra has accused Hippolytus (her stepson) of rape. As the trial begins we soon learn Phaedra is the one on trial, her reputation soured by her own mother’s reputation. There is barely any respect for the women in Athens, will their truths ever be heard?
Wow this is haunting, the story of Phaedra is so tragic and heartbreaking. What a cruel ancient world.
Publication Date 31 January 2023
Publisher Little Brown
Thank you so much to the wonderful team @hachetteaus for sending me a copy of the book.
I’ve become very addicted to Greek mythology retellings and when I saw this title I just had to read it!
The Heroines by Laura Shepperson is unputdownable, what a stunning debut, I absolutely loved it! The writing is modern and very engaging, I found it a fast read.
I enjoyed the inclusion of a night chorus, the different POV’s and the way the book is structured like a Greek play with three acts and a chorus. Like most Greek mythology tales it’s packed full of violence and deceit, it made me feel so angry at times and shocked.
Sister of the more famous Ariadne, Phaedra is the young and neglected bride of the much older King Theseus, she is taken to his homeland in Athens where it seems barely civilised compared to Crete.
Phaedra has accused Hippolytus (her stepson) of rape. As the trial begins we soon learn Phaedra is the one on trial, her reputation soured by her own mother’s reputation. There is barely any respect for the women in Athens, will their truths ever be heard?
Wow this is haunting, the story of Phaedra is so tragic and heartbreaking. What a cruel ancient world.
Publication Date 31 January 2023
Publisher Little Brown
Thank you so much to the wonderful team @hachetteaus for sending me a copy of the book.
August 31, 2023
3'5✨
Tenía muchas ganas de leer esta novela porque creo que ya sabéis que me encanta la mitología grecolatina. Además, la autora nos da un punto diferente a la tradición mitología pues, como sabéis y como se demuestra entre sus páginas, la Historia es contada desde el punto de vista de los vencedores.
Fedra es la protagonista (para nada algo obvio dado el título): una cretense, la hermana de Ariadna y el Minotauro, que deberá viajar a Atenas por unos motivos que descubriréis en el libro. Es un personaje del que se ve claramente la evolución y eso me gustó mucho dado que al final del libro es evidente pero a lo largo de sus páginas no es forzada.
También cuenta con otros personajes femeninos muy fuertes. En especial me gustó mucho Medea y, de nuevo, toda la historia que cuenta en el libro (la mujer de Jasón que mató a sus propios hijos).
Como personajes masculinos, tenemos a Teseo, Hipólito, Heracles... Y no os voy a comentar mucho sobre ellos.
Tiene una trama bastante dura con escenas muy violentas (⚠️abuso, violaciones). El coro de las mujeres también incrementa esta atmósfera de opresión. Es cierto que me resultaba muy complicado leer estos pasajes.
La pluma de la autora es muy precisa y consigue atrapar la atención del lector. Sus descripciones son muy detalladas y evocan perfectamente las imágenes que pretende.
En conclusión, es una lectura que me ha sacado un poco de mi zona de confort, pero que me ha abierto nuevas perspectivas y que al final recomendaría. Ha sido un libro que, sin duda, no te dejará indiferente.
Tenía muchas ganas de leer esta novela porque creo que ya sabéis que me encanta la mitología grecolatina. Además, la autora nos da un punto diferente a la tradición mitología pues, como sabéis y como se demuestra entre sus páginas, la Historia es contada desde el punto de vista de los vencedores.
Fedra es la protagonista (para nada algo obvio dado el título): una cretense, la hermana de Ariadna y el Minotauro, que deberá viajar a Atenas por unos motivos que descubriréis en el libro. Es un personaje del que se ve claramente la evolución y eso me gustó mucho dado que al final del libro es evidente pero a lo largo de sus páginas no es forzada.
También cuenta con otros personajes femeninos muy fuertes. En especial me gustó mucho Medea y, de nuevo, toda la historia que cuenta en el libro (la mujer de Jasón que mató a sus propios hijos).
Como personajes masculinos, tenemos a Teseo, Hipólito, Heracles... Y no os voy a comentar mucho sobre ellos.
Tiene una trama bastante dura con escenas muy violentas (⚠️abuso, violaciones). El coro de las mujeres también incrementa esta atmósfera de opresión. Es cierto que me resultaba muy complicado leer estos pasajes.
La pluma de la autora es muy precisa y consigue atrapar la atención del lector. Sus descripciones son muy detalladas y evocan perfectamente las imágenes que pretende.
En conclusión, es una lectura que me ha sacado un poco de mi zona de confort, pero que me ha abierto nuevas perspectivas y que al final recomendaría. Ha sido un libro que, sin duda, no te dejará indiferente.
January 21, 2023
Boy did this book get my blood boiling! If I had been in a more private place while reading & listening, I would've screamed with rage at some of the scenes & dialogue. I listened to the audiobook which had a cast of narrators. The bard... man. I hated him but thankfully his scene is short. There are many pronunciations in here that are way different than any I have ever heard. They are jarring and take you out of the story. At the time of this review, I have not looked up the reason why they went with them. The Night Chorus is done so beautifully. I loved how that was executed. Anyways, I thought the author did a great job of making this myth relatable to the modern day. It's really, really sad women are still having this fight. You'll see what I mean when you read this and you should. I've read many of these mythology retellings and this one is just as good as all of the previous ones I've read. It did take a minute to get invested in the story (side eye that freakin bard) but don't give up on it. I would most definitely read more from this author.
TRIGGER WARNING violent sexual assault and rape.
TRIGGER WARNING violent sexual assault and rape.
January 7, 2023
Let's get this over with...
-The dialogue was too modern.
-The writing felt juvenile. Like it was written for a young audience.
-Too many perspectives that all felt the same.
-a dumbed down version of the myth.
-No world building.
-The MC was weak and annoying
There’s more but I’m over this book.
Just read the Wikipedia description of Phaedra’s story. It’s better than this.
Characters/Depth/Growth – 3
Atmosphere/World - 2
Writing Style - 2
Plot - 3
Intrigue -2
Love/Relationships - 2
Enjoyment/Memorable - 1
Total: 15
Divided by 7 = 2.1 (1 star)
1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
-The dialogue was too modern.
-The writing felt juvenile. Like it was written for a young audience.
-Too many perspectives that all felt the same.
-a dumbed down version of the myth.
-No world building.
-The MC was weak and annoying
There’s more but I’m over this book.
Just read the Wikipedia description of Phaedra’s story. It’s better than this.
Characters/Depth/Growth – 3
Atmosphere/World - 2
Writing Style - 2
Plot - 3
Intrigue -2
Love/Relationships - 2
Enjoyment/Memorable - 1
Total: 15
Divided by 7 = 2.1 (1 star)
1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 8, 2023
"I was to learn the truth: that any man can throw words up into the air, and it is women who must pay when those words land."
The story of Phaedra, sister of Ariadne, Helius's grandchild and the Cretan king Minos' daughter was a very sad and odd retelling I have ever read!
Phaedra HAD to marry Theseus, an Athenian prince twice her age, his son Hippolytus is about her age. This wasn't from passion, Phaedra is his hostage, something that Theseus use against King Minos.
Well, from this point nothing makes sense, there are so many WHYs, Why did Phaedra accept his proposal? Why did Theseus come back after Ariadne? Why were King and Queen kept silent?...
Ok, I even didn't mention about what would happen after they reach Athens, and the unbelievable characters, Medea and Hippolytus.
"Women are capable of far more than lies when they need to be. Medea knows that better than anyone."
Don't make me wrong, this wasn't a bad story! but in my eyes, it just wasn't a mythology retelling. NO gods or goddesses!
"There were no gods after all. Only flawed humans looking for something to pin their faults to. Their exploits they took credit for themselves."
Phaedra is about women's rights, and how they fought during history (still fighting), stood up against men and their cruelty, and how painfully they were defeated most of the time.
"I know that history will judge me, but history is written by men. I did not want to be at any man's mercy, not again."
Thanks to Alcove Press via NetGalley for DRC, I have given my honest review. Publication day is 10 January 2023.
The story of Phaedra, sister of Ariadne, Helius's grandchild and the Cretan king Minos' daughter was a very sad and odd retelling I have ever read!
Phaedra HAD to marry Theseus, an Athenian prince twice her age, his son Hippolytus is about her age. This wasn't from passion, Phaedra is his hostage, something that Theseus use against King Minos.
Well, from this point nothing makes sense, there are so many WHYs, Why did Phaedra accept his proposal? Why did Theseus come back after Ariadne? Why were King and Queen kept silent?...
Ok, I even didn't mention about what would happen after they reach Athens, and the unbelievable characters, Medea and Hippolytus.
"Women are capable of far more than lies when they need to be. Medea knows that better than anyone."
Don't make me wrong, this wasn't a bad story! but in my eyes, it just wasn't a mythology retelling. NO gods or goddesses!
"There were no gods after all. Only flawed humans looking for something to pin their faults to. Their exploits they took credit for themselves."
Phaedra is about women's rights, and how they fought during history (still fighting), stood up against men and their cruelty, and how painfully they were defeated most of the time.
"I know that history will judge me, but history is written by men. I did not want to be at any man's mercy, not again."
Thanks to Alcove Press via NetGalley for DRC, I have given my honest review. Publication day is 10 January 2023.
January 9, 2023
As a lover of greek mythology, I found Phaedra by Laura Shepperson superb! It was well-told, well-written, well-developed, and had wonderful pacing. The story of Phaedra is tragic and raw and real and heartbreaking however Shepperson shined in both her storytelling and sequencing. The audio was electric! There was a full cast with haunting voices of the spirits of women who came before Phaedra inserted into various events within the audiobook, just fantastic! Highly recommend!
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the publisher, Dreamscape Media, through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I received a review copy of this audiobook from the publisher, Dreamscape Media, through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
April 16, 2023
terrible. too many POVs, not enough focus on phaedra. every first person POV feels exactly the same as the last; there is no difference between the characters at all. as the novel progresses, the quality of the writing drops exponentially. there are no sensory details to be found, none. this feels like fanfiction rather than an actual retelling of greek myth.
March 27, 2023
That was painful.
Have we reached the peak of Greek myth re-tellings? Are publishers just pushing out anything that follows a trend? So it seems.
Have we reached the peak of Greek myth re-tellings? Are publishers just pushing out anything that follows a trend? So it seems.
January 9, 2023
If you promise a feminist retelling I expect badass woman MCs getting justice and revenge and surviving the story. I was very let down by this.
I am not super knowledgeable about Greek myths and the gods and goddesses but I have previously loved books like Circe and so I was willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately Phaedra just fell so flat. It's told through so many point of views and they're all first-person and so if you miss the two second part at the beginning of a chapter where they say who the character is, you are lost. It would have been beneficial for the audiobook to actually have a second where they say "Chapter One" and then the character's name just to really distinguish between chapters. This was also difficult in the net galley audiobook because if you've ever had a net galley audio the table of contents is just the title of the book over and over and over again and so figuring out what chapter you're on to like go back and figure it out is very difficult.
I want to be really honest and say that one of the narrators really ruined this for me. I want you to picture a pretentious person who accentuates specific words with an over exaggerated accent. A great very popular example of this is Giada DiLaurentis and the way that she over enunciates stereotypical Italian words. (Brief note that Giada is great and just the best example of this overemphasis that I could think of) One of the narrators does this to all of the Greek god and goddesses names except it's incorrect pronunciation. Like instead of saying Artemis she says Art- TEE -mis and instead of saying Poseidon she says Pos-AA- DoHn. Like it is exhausting and so annoying. There were some of the names that she literally said so differently that I had to re-listen to figure out who the heck it was and because I didn't have an e-book or a physical copy I had no way of going back and looking at the spelling. And then because there's multiple narrators when another narrator comes in and says the word correctly, you kind of get confused about who they're talking about because the main woman narrator has continuously mispronounced the word.
Okay but then to just have Phaedra be killed at the end and nothing happened to Theseus. This is supposed to be a feminist retelling full of justice. Where is the justice? Where is the feminism?
This whole book is based on the fact that Phaedra is raped and they go to a trial basically and there's no justice. There is a lot of classism and there's no feminism. Like the other women in this book are so mad at Phaedra for bringing this to trial because it's making their lives more difficult because if they, as maids and slaves were to ever accuse their rapists they would be laughed out and punished where is Phaedra, who is a queen, is allowed this right. And even her right is continuously being laughed at and judged still and still ending in death.
Honestly, a big let down. Would not recommend.
I am not super knowledgeable about Greek myths and the gods and goddesses but I have previously loved books like Circe and so I was willing to give it a shot. Unfortunately Phaedra just fell so flat. It's told through so many point of views and they're all first-person and so if you miss the two second part at the beginning of a chapter where they say who the character is, you are lost. It would have been beneficial for the audiobook to actually have a second where they say "Chapter One" and then the character's name just to really distinguish between chapters. This was also difficult in the net galley audiobook because if you've ever had a net galley audio the table of contents is just the title of the book over and over and over again and so figuring out what chapter you're on to like go back and figure it out is very difficult.
I want to be really honest and say that one of the narrators really ruined this for me. I want you to picture a pretentious person who accentuates specific words with an over exaggerated accent. A great very popular example of this is Giada DiLaurentis and the way that she over enunciates stereotypical Italian words. (Brief note that Giada is great and just the best example of this overemphasis that I could think of) One of the narrators does this to all of the Greek god and goddesses names except it's incorrect pronunciation. Like instead of saying Artemis she says Art- TEE -mis and instead of saying Poseidon she says Pos-AA- DoHn. Like it is exhausting and so annoying. There were some of the names that she literally said so differently that I had to re-listen to figure out who the heck it was and because I didn't have an e-book or a physical copy I had no way of going back and looking at the spelling. And then because there's multiple narrators when another narrator comes in and says the word correctly, you kind of get confused about who they're talking about because the main woman narrator has continuously mispronounced the word.
Okay but then to just have Phaedra be killed at the end and nothing happened to Theseus. This is supposed to be a feminist retelling full of justice. Where is the justice? Where is the feminism?
This whole book is based on the fact that Phaedra is raped and they go to a trial basically and there's no justice. There is a lot of classism and there's no feminism. Like the other women in this book are so mad at Phaedra for bringing this to trial because it's making their lives more difficult because if they, as maids and slaves were to ever accuse their rapists they would be laughed out and punished where is Phaedra, who is a queen, is allowed this right. And even her right is continuously being laughed at and judged still and still ending in death.
Honestly, a big let down. Would not recommend.
July 14, 2022
I admittedly have a soft spot for Greek Mythology retellings - I see one, I bite. In the case of "Phaedra", however, this might not have been a good thing.
"Phaedra" unfolds the story of the titular character, daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphae, and sister to Ariadne as well as half-sister to the famed Minotaur - the half bull, half man monster that roamed the labyrinth underneath Crete. After Theseus arrives on Crete and slays the Minotaur, she eventually is offered as his bride after her sister disappears. Phaedra marries Theseus with the optimism of a naive princess, but after returning with him to Athens, her hopes of a joyful marriage are immediately crushed, despite bearing Theseus two sons: Acamas and Demophon. She's relegated to being no more than a prisoner in her own home, constantly monitored by her stepson Hippolytus.
Where Shepperson takes liberties in her retelling is having Phaedra as the victim of assault by Hippolytus; in the classics, she falls in love with him and betrays her own husband. Nevertheless, Phaedra is branded as an adulterer and put to trial before the court of Athens. Phaedra's position an outsider and, more importantly, as a woman is ultimately what decides her ultimate fate - not the truth.
While first glance this should have been a promising novel, there's a number of things that fell short for me. First, Shepperson's writing style and voice fell flat; the sentence structure is limited and terse, and hardly varies from the different perspectives utilized in the storyline. There's little character development of complexity here either; our protagonist doesn't seem to evolve or grow throughout the story, and there's little that I found that I could connect with her on. I also found that there was little context or backstory provided for readers that may not be familiar with Greek mythology; as an avid reader of these types of stories, I had enough background and familiarity with the characters to understand the events that unfolded, but newer readers would most likely struggle.
A (somewhat) minor complaint, specific to the ARC: the formatting (or lack thereof) also detracted from the reading experience for me. New chapters weren't separate from previous ones, titles weren't formatted any differently from the rest of the text, and line breaks were put in the middle of words.
I personally wouldn't recommend this to others to read. For alternative, more successful retellings: Madeline Miller is a master of this genre, and Jennifer Saint's "Ariadne" is a fantastic look into what happened Phaedra's sister after the killing of the Minotaur.
Thank you Alcove Press for the advance copy of this novel!
"Phaedra" unfolds the story of the titular character, daughter of King Minos of Crete and Pasiphae, and sister to Ariadne as well as half-sister to the famed Minotaur - the half bull, half man monster that roamed the labyrinth underneath Crete. After Theseus arrives on Crete and slays the Minotaur, she eventually is offered as his bride after her sister disappears. Phaedra marries Theseus with the optimism of a naive princess, but after returning with him to Athens, her hopes of a joyful marriage are immediately crushed, despite bearing Theseus two sons: Acamas and Demophon. She's relegated to being no more than a prisoner in her own home, constantly monitored by her stepson Hippolytus.
Where Shepperson takes liberties in her retelling is having Phaedra as the victim of assault by Hippolytus; in the classics, she falls in love with him and betrays her own husband. Nevertheless, Phaedra is branded as an adulterer and put to trial before the court of Athens. Phaedra's position an outsider and, more importantly, as a woman is ultimately what decides her ultimate fate - not the truth.
While first glance this should have been a promising novel, there's a number of things that fell short for me. First, Shepperson's writing style and voice fell flat; the sentence structure is limited and terse, and hardly varies from the different perspectives utilized in the storyline. There's little character development of complexity here either; our protagonist doesn't seem to evolve or grow throughout the story, and there's little that I found that I could connect with her on. I also found that there was little context or backstory provided for readers that may not be familiar with Greek mythology; as an avid reader of these types of stories, I had enough background and familiarity with the characters to understand the events that unfolded, but newer readers would most likely struggle.
A (somewhat) minor complaint, specific to the ARC: the formatting (or lack thereof) also detracted from the reading experience for me. New chapters weren't separate from previous ones, titles weren't formatted any differently from the rest of the text, and line breaks were put in the middle of words.
I personally wouldn't recommend this to others to read. For alternative, more successful retellings: Madeline Miller is a master of this genre, and Jennifer Saint's "Ariadne" is a fantastic look into what happened Phaedra's sister after the killing of the Minotaur.
Thank you Alcove Press for the advance copy of this novel!
August 4, 2022
I try to be fair in my reviews and acknowledge where an author does well even if I don’t like the book. That being said, I didn’t like anything about this. This book is meant to be a feminist retelling of Phaedra, the sister of Ariadne and wife of Theseus. The most common original story (though there are variations) is that Phaedra fell in love with her stepson, Hippolytus. Hippolytus rejects her advances because he has sworn a chastity vow to Artemis, and Phaedra then accuses him of rape. What happens to Hippolytus next varies based on which story you’re reading: in some versions, he is killed by a sea monster sent by Poseidon, and in some, Theseus kills him. Out of guilt, Phaedra commits suicide.
In Shepperson’s version, Phaedra is raped by Hippolytus. I really didn’t see anything feminist about adding rape to a story where there previously wasn’t any. The story was depressing from beginning to end, and instead of a fearless woman fighting for change, Phaedra is naive and sad throughout the whole novel. She was a hard character to root for even as terrible things happened to her. The story is told from multiple perspectives, including a night chorus, but there was very little to distinguish these voices from each other. This was particularly disappointing because I thought the chorus was a cool nod to Greek tragedy. The writing as a whole was pretty lackluster (as an odd note, multiple characters use the word “perambulate”).
I probably wouldn’t have finished this book if I hadn’t received it as an ARC. To me, it just felt like someone trying to cash in on the popularity of Greek mythology retellings.
In Shepperson’s version, Phaedra is raped by Hippolytus. I really didn’t see anything feminist about adding rape to a story where there previously wasn’t any. The story was depressing from beginning to end, and instead of a fearless woman fighting for change, Phaedra is naive and sad throughout the whole novel. She was a hard character to root for even as terrible things happened to her. The story is told from multiple perspectives, including a night chorus, but there was very little to distinguish these voices from each other. This was particularly disappointing because I thought the chorus was a cool nod to Greek tragedy. The writing as a whole was pretty lackluster (as an odd note, multiple characters use the word “perambulate”).
I probably wouldn’t have finished this book if I hadn’t received it as an ARC. To me, it just felt like someone trying to cash in on the popularity of Greek mythology retellings.
January 8, 2023
Dnf at 55% I really tried to get into this story but I just couldn't. The characters were bland, underdeveloped, and lacked depth. The "feminist" slant in my opinion was over the top to a point that it was preachy and annoyed me. The multiple points of view don't work well for me in this book. I believe writing solely from Phaedra's pov and developing her more would have been a better choice.
I did receive the audiobook version and the voice actors did a good job.
2/5 stars.. the potential is here but it missed the mark for me.
I did receive the audiobook version and the voice actors did a good job.
2/5 stars.. the potential is here but it missed the mark for me.
February 3, 2023
I’m a fan of stories involving Greek mythology. I find the Gods and their mortal descendants to be a fascinating topic. This book in particular is a feminist retelling of Phaedra. It is written in the form of a Greek tragedy with three acts and a chorus.
Phaedra is the daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster and the unwilling bride of the much older and callous Theseus, king of Athens. She moves from Crete to Athens to marry Theseus after he kills her gentle brother, the Minotaur, and her sister disappears. Athens is a brutal city ruled by the urges of men. Women in particular are at high risk of being raped and brutalized without consequence. Phaedra is passive and believes that the Gods will seek revenge on these men, including her murderous husband Theseus. But when Phaedra is raped and left for dead by her 16 year old stepson, she begins to question her faith and the need to take justice into her own hands.
This was an epic story, which became increasingly engaging as it went on. I will admit I found the first act confusing and difficult to connect to. I didn’t quite understand the purpose of the chorus, which becomes more obvious as the story progresses. As a result, it lost a star for this reason. However, the second act starts to come together and make way more sense. Perhaps by then I was used to the writing and the different character names and perspectives. The third act was riveting and I ended up listening into the wee hours of night to finish the audiobook.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy retellings of Greek mythology. My advice is to keep on reading if you are finding the first part of the story slow as it will pick up. I will definitely be reading more from this debut author. The audio version had multiple narrators representing the different character perspectives. All the narrators delivered a solid performance using a variety of voices and tones that added to the plot.
A gracious thank you to #DreamscapeMedia and #Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. #Phaedra
Phaedra is the daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster and the unwilling bride of the much older and callous Theseus, king of Athens. She moves from Crete to Athens to marry Theseus after he kills her gentle brother, the Minotaur, and her sister disappears. Athens is a brutal city ruled by the urges of men. Women in particular are at high risk of being raped and brutalized without consequence. Phaedra is passive and believes that the Gods will seek revenge on these men, including her murderous husband Theseus. But when Phaedra is raped and left for dead by her 16 year old stepson, she begins to question her faith and the need to take justice into her own hands.
This was an epic story, which became increasingly engaging as it went on. I will admit I found the first act confusing and difficult to connect to. I didn’t quite understand the purpose of the chorus, which becomes more obvious as the story progresses. As a result, it lost a star for this reason. However, the second act starts to come together and make way more sense. Perhaps by then I was used to the writing and the different character names and perspectives. The third act was riveting and I ended up listening into the wee hours of night to finish the audiobook.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy retellings of Greek mythology. My advice is to keep on reading if you are finding the first part of the story slow as it will pick up. I will definitely be reading more from this debut author. The audio version had multiple narrators representing the different character perspectives. All the narrators delivered a solid performance using a variety of voices and tones that added to the plot.
A gracious thank you to #DreamscapeMedia and #Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. #Phaedra
September 15, 2022
From the title, the reader might expect the story of Theseus and the Minotaur purely from the perspective of Phaedra, but instead, there are many narrators, including one of the young tributes from Athens, a farmgirl, from whom we learn that even fantastic and impressive palaces such as Knossos, Crete, cover up the same inherent dangers as any other place.
In this retelling of the famous Greek myth, the author emphasizes Theseus' greed and ambition over his celebrated bravado. It's easy to see Theseus as the real monster in the story.
The tale is presented by the various characters themselves in individually separate chapters. Much of the book's style seems almost epistolary in nature, often reading as if someone is corresponding with a friend about all the latest happenings, instead of directly living them. This effect makes the reader feel doubly removed from the story. Overall, Phaedra does not quite achieve the level of other Greek retellings: the lyrical writing of Madeline Miller's Circe, the punch of Jennifer Saint's Ariadne, or the wryness of Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships.
One thing that that the author does very well, however, is to highlight the plight of women and their near total lack of power in ancient times. Some elements of the common source material have been changed to highlight this focus.
Thank you to Alcove Press and to #NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this novel.
In this retelling of the famous Greek myth, the author emphasizes Theseus' greed and ambition over his celebrated bravado. It's easy to see Theseus as the real monster in the story.
The tale is presented by the various characters themselves in individually separate chapters. Much of the book's style seems almost epistolary in nature, often reading as if someone is corresponding with a friend about all the latest happenings, instead of directly living them. This effect makes the reader feel doubly removed from the story. Overall, Phaedra does not quite achieve the level of other Greek retellings: the lyrical writing of Madeline Miller's Circe, the punch of Jennifer Saint's Ariadne, or the wryness of Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships.
One thing that that the author does very well, however, is to highlight the plight of women and their near total lack of power in ancient times. Some elements of the common source material have been changed to highlight this focus.
Thank you to Alcove Press and to #NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this novel.
September 17, 2023
Siempre me han gustado los libros sobre mitología y de este ,esa es la mejor parte. El retelling creo que se quedó flojo en las motivaciones de los personajes para hacer lo que decidían hacer.
Si que tiene momentos poderosos,pero básicamente lo que conocía de antes.
La nueva historia no me convenció.
Si que tiene momentos poderosos,pero básicamente lo que conocía de antes.
La nueva historia no me convenció.
January 9, 2023
“That any man can throw words up into the air and it is women who must pay when those words land.”
This unique debut novel takes a look at the life of Phaedra, youngest daughter to Minos and sister to Ariadne. For me, this one is unique in structure rather than in content. The layout was a bit Shakespearean and did take some adjusting to before I felt comfortable with the style.
Reading Ariadne last year brought this story more to life. Even just getting to see Theseus’ arrival in Crete from Phaedra’s point of view was fascinating. As far as Greek retellings go this one lands in the middle of the pack. It’s not a bad debut but there were so many characters to keep track of that it got a little convoluted at times. The full cast of narrators did help me appreciate the whole listening experience more though.
Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the alc in exchange for an honest review.
This unique debut novel takes a look at the life of Phaedra, youngest daughter to Minos and sister to Ariadne. For me, this one is unique in structure rather than in content. The layout was a bit Shakespearean and did take some adjusting to before I felt comfortable with the style.
Reading Ariadne last year brought this story more to life. Even just getting to see Theseus’ arrival in Crete from Phaedra’s point of view was fascinating. As far as Greek retellings go this one lands in the middle of the pack. It’s not a bad debut but there were so many characters to keep track of that it got a little convoluted at times. The full cast of narrators did help me appreciate the whole listening experience more though.
Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the alc in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2024
The many, many feminist retellings of Greek myths have all started to blend into each other. What was initially exciting when I read Miller's Circe has started to become routine. I already know that there'll be a firelight on bronze, as many cameos as possible, and vague, repetitive musing on the cruelty of both 'gods' and 'men', with a profound realisation at the end that gods and men are really very similar after all. Which was why I was so excited by Phaedra's story being re-told. Phaedra is neither victim nor badass. She is the villain of her mythology, falsely accusing Hippolytus of rape. Euripedes makes her a fragile, sympathetic monster. I was really interested in how Shepperson was going to make a story about a false accusation of rape resonate in a world where the alt-right are using that same spectre to drum up anti-feminist feeling. And the beginning of the book gave me hope - when Phaedra is praying for revenge against Theseus for seducing Ariadne and killing the Minotaur, I thought Shepperson would make the false accusation Phaedra's way of getting revenge. A terrible crime, but an understandable one in a world where women can't fight back.
Instead, Shepperson just changes mythology to suit herself. Hippolytus does rape Phaedra. Her accusation is true. And the psychological complexity just collapses, along with the book.
What follows is a long, dull story of Phaedra trying to be believed, wrapped up in some dull politicising as the men of Athens try to end Theseus's new democracy. The book is full of a constant background noise of rape, as told to us and Phaedra by the 'night chorus' of women working in the palace. For the first half of the book, I thought this was to add a new, interesting moral dimension - is Phaedra betraying these women by bringing up false charges as they suffer actual violation, or is she standing up for them in some twisted, awful way? But by the end of the book, all I felt was disgusted by this constant, brutal background noise. It didn't feel like it was making a successful point. It just felt like torture to read .
Least forgivable, to me, is the way Shepperson treats Medea. Medea, my favourite character in mythology, who loves her children but hates her husband more, who commits acts which will destroy her own life because it is the only way of destroying Jason. In Shepperson's version, Medea hints that she killed her children because her husband was sexually abusing them. Another fascinating female figure of mythology is collapsed into nothing more than an abused body.
Overall, this book feels pointless. Miller's Circe and Saint's Ariadne gave depth and feeling to women who are treated as little more than plot devices in mythology. But Phaedra and Medea are all interiority, all complexity. The plays we have about them are all about watching them circle, struggle with and finally commit a terrible crime. Euripides' female choruses discuss fate and morality, argue with the main characters, grapple with events and attempt to prevent tragedy. Shepperson's night chorus exist only in broken fragments, discussing their endless victimisation. Two and a half thousand years ago, Euripides gave female characters agency and sympathy, even in the depths of their monstrous actions, leaving us with fascinating figures to wrestle with. Shepperson's 'feminist' re-telling strips away any sense of these women as characters, leaving them nothing but victims.
Instead, Shepperson just changes mythology to suit herself. Hippolytus does rape Phaedra. Her accusation is true. And the psychological complexity just collapses, along with the book.
What follows is a long, dull story of Phaedra trying to be believed, wrapped up in some dull politicising as the men of Athens try to end Theseus's new democracy. The book is full of a constant background noise of rape, as told to us and Phaedra by the 'night chorus' of women working in the palace. For the first half of the book, I thought this was to add a new, interesting moral dimension - is Phaedra betraying these women by bringing up false charges as they suffer actual violation, or is she standing up for them in some twisted, awful way? But by the end of the book, all I felt was disgusted by this constant, brutal background noise. It didn't feel like it was making a successful point. It just felt like torture to read .
Least forgivable, to me, is the way Shepperson treats Medea. Medea, my favourite character in mythology, who loves her children but hates her husband more, who commits acts which will destroy her own life because it is the only way of destroying Jason. In Shepperson's version, Medea hints that she killed her children because her husband was sexually abusing them. Another fascinating female figure of mythology is collapsed into nothing more than an abused body.
Overall, this book feels pointless. Miller's Circe and Saint's Ariadne gave depth and feeling to women who are treated as little more than plot devices in mythology. But Phaedra and Medea are all interiority, all complexity. The plays we have about them are all about watching them circle, struggle with and finally commit a terrible crime. Euripides' female choruses discuss fate and morality, argue with the main characters, grapple with events and attempt to prevent tragedy. Shepperson's night chorus exist only in broken fragments, discussing their endless victimisation. Two and a half thousand years ago, Euripides gave female characters agency and sympathy, even in the depths of their monstrous actions, leaving us with fascinating figures to wrestle with. Shepperson's 'feminist' re-telling strips away any sense of these women as characters, leaving them nothing but victims.
February 6, 2023
This book frustrated me so much. I know nothing of mythology, although I find the subject somewhat interesting, but this retelling was just not it. Why is it called the heroines when at then end we have them choosing the wrong paths?
The writing was great but the plot was lacking.
So many chapter, with so many characters that would come and go, not to talk about the characters that had their own chapters only to die after a couple of pages.
I felt so irritated and angry at how weak this author portrayed women. Feminine writing? Don’t think the author knows what that means.
The writing was great but the plot was lacking.
So many chapter, with so many characters that would come and go, not to talk about the characters that had their own chapters only to die after a couple of pages.
I felt so irritated and angry at how weak this author portrayed women. Feminine writing? Don’t think the author knows what that means.
February 20, 2023
2.5⭐️I’m always up for a good Greek myth retelling. Especially the recent trend to tell stories from the women’s POV. This one was a struggle to get through with a huge cast of characters and multiple narrators. I found it hard to really get behind and root for Phaedra (sister of the Minotaur). There are definitely better books out there written with Phaedra as a MC.
July 28, 2023
I loved this book but I love any and all Greek retellings. This was a great feminist story about Queen Phaedra and her battle for justice. Also thought it was neat to see a retelling with no Gods or magic or beast. Extremely different from Ariadne by Jennifer Saint but I love that about it. A much more realistic telling. Would read again<3
March 30, 2023
This was really a disappointment. Usually, I'm a huge sucker for Greek myth retellings, especially if they are women-centered and feminist. So I went into this with very high hopes.
It started off fine. I did immediately feel that it was attempting to ride the coattails of Ariadne. I absolutely loved Ariadne. It was a perfect book IMHO and was very well-deservedly successful. So, I'm not at all surprised that there seems to be a sudden rash of new women-centered Greek myth retellings. It is one of those things where I'm simultaneously grudging and appreciative that the market is responding to the demand. So I was initially feeling grumbling yet accepting of the fact that Phaedra seemed like a second-rate Ariadne. Gosh, it is even the same story. But it still had the potential to be enjoyable.
With my expectations set, I soldiered on. It was a decently good time. I was enjoying the new interpretation of the different characters and settings. This is a Crete I've never seen before. There was a bizarre chapter that focused entirely on a single character that we only saw in that chapter. Ok, whatever. It was absolutely shameless in copying the way Ariadne had talked about men and women and gods in Greek myths, only in a way more anvilicious way.
The talk about women's oppression was over the top and way too on the nose. Women were raped on the daily and a "night chorus" would lament this going so far as to literally say "me too." Sexual assault of women is a major part of the setting and background. Then there is an extremely violent, gratuitous sexual assault and the rest of the book is about that. Major trigger warnings for that. I was upset about the way the plot went. This wasn't a story I wanted to read.
I'm all for stories that discuss and portray oppression as long as it seems purposeful and sensitive. I thought Ariadne did it really well. Ariadne portrayed and discussed women's oppression while simultaneously being hopeful and portraying women not as completely helpless victims, but as hopeful, dynamic people who were still able to live with some agency. It challenged us to reconsider they way we see "heroes." Phaedra on the other hand, did not. It wasn't nuanced. It didn't invite new ways of seeing things. It did not portray women with any hope or agency. This is a story for anyone who wants to wallow in the hopeless abuse of helpless women.
I'll add in that none of the characters were particularly likable. There were a couple that I liked, but they were minor characters we barely saw. Phaedra herself is naive and bland.
I listened to the audiobook which was done well. The names of characters and places were pronounced differently than I'm used to. Crete was "KREEtee" and Theseus was "theeSAYoos" for example. It was interesting, but did come off a little pretentious to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio advanced reader copy.
It started off fine. I did immediately feel that it was attempting to ride the coattails of Ariadne. I absolutely loved Ariadne. It was a perfect book IMHO and was very well-deservedly successful. So, I'm not at all surprised that there seems to be a sudden rash of new women-centered Greek myth retellings. It is one of those things where I'm simultaneously grudging and appreciative that the market is responding to the demand. So I was initially feeling grumbling yet accepting of the fact that Phaedra seemed like a second-rate Ariadne. Gosh, it is even the same story. But it still had the potential to be enjoyable.
With my expectations set, I soldiered on. It was a decently good time. I was enjoying the new interpretation of the different characters and settings. This is a Crete I've never seen before. There was a bizarre chapter that focused entirely on a single character that we only saw in that chapter. Ok, whatever. It was absolutely shameless in copying the way Ariadne had talked about men and women and gods in Greek myths, only in a way more anvilicious way.
The talk about women's oppression was over the top and way too on the nose. Women were raped on the daily and a "night chorus" would lament this going so far as to literally say "me too." Sexual assault of women is a major part of the setting and background. Then there is an extremely violent, gratuitous sexual assault and the rest of the book is about that. Major trigger warnings for that. I was upset about the way the plot went. This wasn't a story I wanted to read.
I'm all for stories that discuss and portray oppression as long as it seems purposeful and sensitive. I thought Ariadne did it really well. Ariadne portrayed and discussed women's oppression while simultaneously being hopeful and portraying women not as completely helpless victims, but as hopeful, dynamic people who were still able to live with some agency. It challenged us to reconsider they way we see "heroes." Phaedra on the other hand, did not. It wasn't nuanced. It didn't invite new ways of seeing things. It did not portray women with any hope or agency. This is a story for anyone who wants to wallow in the hopeless abuse of helpless women.
I'll add in that none of the characters were particularly likable. There were a couple that I liked, but they were minor characters we barely saw. Phaedra herself is naive and bland.
I listened to the audiobook which was done well. The names of characters and places were pronounced differently than I'm used to. Crete was "KREEtee" and Theseus was "theeSAYoos" for example. It was interesting, but did come off a little pretentious to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio advanced reader copy.
April 4, 2024
I am so excited to get to this book finally!
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.
January 5, 2023
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3.5 stars rounded to 4 on Goodreads
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for inviting me to read Phaedra and for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
A review will be up on my blog on January 5, 2023 at 10 am CST on Honey Roselea Reads for you guys to check out!t
My review on Phaedra will be accessible using this link from January 5, 2023 at 10 am CST and onward.
For now, here is a preview to what the review will look like:
❀❀❀❀
Overshadowed by her sister’s fame, we are shown the life of Phaedra, from her journey in Crete to Athens. As we watch Phaedra grow up, from princess of Crete to Queen of Athens, watching as she grows her quiet life in Athens, amongst people that she does not trust, and people that force her to watch her back. As we dive into Phaedra, we see how this retelling of Phaedra’s life is spun with detail that leaves us wondering the lengths that Phaedra must take to take control as queen of Athens. [ continue reading ]
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