I have really mixed thoughts on this book and I don't feel like writing a novel about them. So, here's the short non-spoilery version.

The book has a couple of slower chapters, but over all is full of excellent writing. Ariadne is a likeable enough character. The book explores life in Crete from her perspective through the first third of the story. After Ariadne leaves Crete we have a few alternating chapters from her sister, Phaedra's point of view. I didn't find her as likeable a character, but she was strong in making the best of her situation and I greatly admired that about her.

This book does have a bit of a timeline problem with Theseus and Perseus, but I didn't mind that.

What really bothered me was the last chapter and epilogue. The theme of mortal female agency the author sets up throughout the entire book is completely unraveled by the book's ending. The upsetting thing about this, for me, is that the original myth's ending would have fit the theme well. The only purpose of ending the book at the point the author chose was for tragic shock value. The fact that the original ending isn't included makes this story feel incomplete because I was expecting more from Dionysus. This ending lessens both his and Ariadne's character arcs, even for those who don't know that there is supposed to be more to the myth. The ending of this book took this adventure from a five star to a three star read.

I'm willing to read more from this author, but I hope she'll pay attention to the thematic arc of her story next time, because this one wound up being the exact opposite of what she spent 250+ pages building and what her team marketed.