Ariadne sees Theseus and is drawn to his tales of bravery and handsome looks, offers to help him kill the Minotaur and end the sacrifices for good, but to do this she will be betraying her family and her country, a big price to pay. One year there is a surprising addition to these sacrificial lambs in Theseus, Prince of Athens. When King Minos’s son is killed in Athens, he seeks retributuon by demanding that every year Athens send him seven maidens and seven youths who will enter the labyrinth to be slaughtered by the Minotaur. Ariadne is a princess of Crete, an Island that fills many with fear due the Minotaur, her brother, kept in a Labyrinth under the palace. I know the story of Ariadne, the Minotaur and Theseus from school through Ovid’s poem Ariadne to Theseus and from translating Homer, so was interested to hear the story from Ariadne’s point of view, and how she would deal with the story, as it does change slightly from author to author. I love my Greek Myths so have been looking forward to reading Jennifer Saint’s debut novel Ariadne. In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition? But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year. Publisher : Wildfire 1st edition (29 April 2021)Īs Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace.

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