A good start for those interested in mythology retellings, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne does what most myth retellings fail to do: fill in the gaps. Rather than take chapters to follow the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, a highly referenced classic, Saint instead pours life into the moments the original story never addressed. Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will Ariadne’s decision ensure her happy ending? And what of Phaedra, the beloved younger sister she leaves behind? Due to a lifelong ...
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