Ariadne: A Novel

LOVED, BUT SOOOOOOOO DEVASTATING

Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop

Jennifer Saint makes Ariadne more than a mother, a sister, or a wife; she makes her a woman with power and heart.

Perfect for fans of Greek Mythology, Ariadne reclaims her identity, delving deeper into her story while giving readers a deeper look into the myths surrounding her.

Storytelling
I absolutely loved the storytelling here and the style of Saint’s prose. The strong opening gives insight into Ariadne, her father, and how he views and treats women.

A lot of lore surrounds Ariadne, from the Minotaur, Theseus, Phaedra, and Dionysus. Her story is connected to so many figures in mythology, and Saint explores that connection.

We start with her relationship with the Minotaur, her little brother, born of a godly curse and a being that grows into a monster. And yet, Ariadne feels compassion for it. Ariadne has a kind, resilient heart, which makes her such a strong character, and it is the connection between the stories, her compassion, and her heart.

But what Saint does is she builds the story. She builds the tension, capturing the emotions of those moments in Ariadne’s life to draw the reader into the story.

It feels like a myth come to life, one that makes the storytelling so captivating. Reading about myths is one thing, but through Ariadne, we experience them. The pain, the love, and the heartache resonate off the pages.

Ariadne is, simply put, breathtaking.

Final Thoughts
A perfect fun murder mystery, Manslaughter Park is perfect for fans of Jane Austen and cozy mysteries.

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I thought I’d love this because I love Greek mythology and I loved Circe and the Song of Achilles, but this was missing the magic of those. I spent the first third of the book wanting to throttle Ariadne for her naive and ridiculously trusting nature that has zero basis for existing. The constant suffering of the women at the hands of men became cloying in its consistency. I was also extremely disappointed in one character who I initially thought was a strong and capable, and turned out to be completely delusional.
Also, on a writing style note, the lack of timeline or ages or literally anything to figure out how much time had passed was obnoxious.

Beautiful, Beautiful, beautiful! Such a great story of young women wanting to live and experience more. This was such a great read. I love Greek myology, and Jennifer made me feel like I was on the Island with Ariadne.

Beautifully written but don’t read if you already hate men.