Having, like, no experience with the Trojan War but vague knowledge of various characters involved, this was like a giant crossover episode origin story for me...

Blood of Troy is the sequel to Daughter of Sparta, and gone is the adventure style plot; we're going to war now. It's a bit longer than book one and definitely a bit slower in terms of pacing, but I would consider it more adherent to the "retelling" vibes that the first book was trying to accomplish. Again, my knowledge of Greek mythology comes almost exclusively from a) Percy Jackson, b) Epic: the Musical (I did read The Odyssey), c) The Song of Achilles, and a handful of obscure stories from my short-lived obsession with the gods and goddesses in third grade. So with that in mind, I'm not sure how true this retelling stays to the generally accepted timeline of events from the Trojan War, but again, on its own, I think it stands well as a story.

Daphne has saved Olympus and no longer wants anything to do with the gods, but apparently, they're not done with her. As war approaches rapidly, Daphne is assigned the task of becoming the Shield of Helen and protecting her should battle break out. Where book one was an adventure-type story, book two is highly political and much slower in pacing. The action is replaced by political maneuvering, and despite the fact that half the book literally takes place in a time of war, there is relatively little tension, and most of the scenes feel like brief conversations. I'm hoping this was just a case of second-book syndrome, as I didn't enjoy it as much as book one. It wasn't bad, it was just slow and struggled to keep me interested when most of the scenes felt like repetitive discussions between characters. The ending was a bit more interesting, but also subverted what I know about mythology, so I'm not sure how I feel about it. I liked the integration of other famous characters (like Odysseus and Achilles), and I appreciated how easy the war storyline was to follow as someone not entirely familiar with the Trojan War. Otherwise, I also want to mention that the romantic subplot felt almost completely disregarded; there were only a few scenes that further developed the dynamics. Additionally, I think they feminist themes were strong with this book, but I also find them lacking, though I'm not 100% sure why. I think it could just be because I've read so many feminist retellings that I feel like it's a bit cliche/overdone at times, but this one just doesn't hit right for me.

This book introduces a dozen new characters, most of whom are familiar faces for readers familiar with Greek mythology. We see Odysseus, Achilles and Patroclus (whose entire vibes felt really weird to me for reasons I won't disclose for spoiler purposes), and Hector and Paris. I liked seeing these characters in new lights, especially those whom I've read about in other stories. I wasn't super fond of Helen just because she felt a little bland and her feminist themes weren't super subtle, but I didn't mind her too much. The gods were relevant, but didn't get much development and felt a bit like caricatures. Apollo, too, didn't get much page time, but I enjoyed the little moments he spent with Daphne. I liked Pyrrhus's arc a lot, and I'm excited to see him in book 3. Lykou, on the other hand, I loved in book one, but didn't care for in this one. Maybe it was because he couldn't talk in his wolf form, but he's so rude about his infatuation with Daphne. As for Daphne, she's still not my favorite, but I think she's tolerable. I liked her journey to discovering her past and creating her place in the world, but she's just not super unique when compared to other YA fantasy protagonists, and I'm not super attached to her.

Blood of Troy is the second book in the Daughter of Sparta trilogy, perfect for readers looking for an introductory series into Greek mythology and who enjoy feminist retellings.

3.5/5