Emily Roberson

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book through Edelweiss . I love the concept, it's super weird, but in a really good way. I didn't finish the book, but not because it isn't enjoyable, just because it isn't for me. I think that anyone who has an appreciation for Greek mythology would love this book, I'm just lacking the background knowledge to really appreciate that aspect. That said, the writing is great, it's an easy read but not lacking in emotional depth, and it's super unique. I would recommend it to teens or educators, in particular.… (altro)

If you were obsessed with Greek mythology as a kid, Lifestyles of Gods & Monsters will have you riveted even as you want to look away. The myth of Adriadne, Theseus and the Minotaur is a common enough story that you may go into this book with a vague idea of the narrative. The twist, however, is that this is a retelling set in a vaguely modern Crete, complete with both Gods and Monsters and cell phones and social media. And reality TV. Ariadne's family has been organizing and hosting a yearly competition in which fourteen young competitors from Athens try to kill the Minotaur one at a time. This has gone on for ten years and no one has been successful. They air it like any good reality TV show, complete with parties and dramatic pyrotechnics, and an arena of blood-thirsty fans.


One day, Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives. And then he decides to compete, working out a secret plan with Ariadne's father to replace one of the selected competitors. Too bad Ariadne has already fallen for him. I'm choosing to read this as a romance, but the ending is ambiguous, so bear with me till the end and I'll give a few spoilers so you can choose accordingly.

Ariadne is the only one who can calm her little brother, The Minotaur (Asterion). Her role in the TV spectacle is to guide each competitor to the maze. That is, until her father catches wind of her relationship with Theseus and decides that she needs to have a bigger role in the show. Her older Kardashian-like sisters have their own show that airs during the year while the competition is in hiatus, but Ariadne has never been forced to do the things they do. In fact, she thinks they like it, and there's a whiff of "not like other girls." This is subverted later in the book when Ariadne realizes how horrible their parents are, how none of them have any choices, and how her sisters are actually taking a whole lot of pills to get through the sex tapes and parties.


As for the romance, Minos is a terrible human and he insists on Ariadne giving her virginity to Theseus ON VIDEO for the sake of ratings. (This doesn't happen, thank the Gods.) We learn all his secrets and truths along with Ariadne, though some (the Gods have nothing to do with his demands) are clear to the reader. The relationship between our two young main characters is allowed to grow at a natural pace, with some insta-love elements but nothing out of the scope of the rest of this bananas book. I stayed up until 1:30 am to find out how they'd make it work and how Ariadne would choose between her brother and her first love.


If you like the over-the-top characters and stories in classic Greek mythology, you'll probably enjoy this young adult retelling. It's a bit like a romantic car crash... you can't look away.… (altro)

In this novel, the Minoan royal family hosts a hugely popular annual reality show, The Labyrinth Contest, where fourteen Athenian teenagers compete to survive the maze and battle the minotaur. The winner will get fame and fortune, oh, wait, there hasn't been a winner in ten years. Just lots of attractive young people going to their gristly and televised deaths.

All the major players are here, reinvented for reality show age. Daedalus is the eccentric, not entirely trustworthy, genius designer behind the labyrinth, most of the reality show, and a certain white-heifer contraption. His son, Icarus, is also caught up in the making of the reality show, although he dreams of flying away. The queen of Minos is beautiful, polished, and camera-ready at all times, never mind how the Minotaur came to be... Ariadne's sisters' reality show is mostly about wearing the best dresses to the best parties, with the occasional not-so-leaked sex tape. Theseus' shot, with Ariadne's help, has a real change of defeating the Minotaur, which means a huge ratings boost for the show.

The world and concept are so great that I almost didn't notice that he central couple was a bit flat. Ariadne was occasionally annoying, constantly moaning in a realistically teenage way about being the only one who can do it, and how she's Not Like Other Girls because she wears a hoodie and doesn't dress up. (At one point, older sister Acalle hints at a much darker world than their obedient camera smiles and outre fashions, but in true teenage fashion, Ariadne is too focused on herself to pursue this much further.)

Theseus' main personality trait was Hot, which is pretty much YA romance and pretty much how he was in the myths. Heroic Theseus is handsome and ready to punch things. The two didn't seem to have much spark or relationship beyond constantly saying how they couldn't tear themselves away from each other. I guess when Eros points you at someone, you have no choice but to follow. (See previous re: Minos' queen and the bull.)

Some of the plot points are a bit pointed, but since the classic Greek plays often have convenient information falling into convenient hands at convenient times, I'm more than ok with it. The thread, the maze, and the annual Athenian contestants are all wonderfully and appropriately updated for a reality-show world.

A mild spoiler, if it even counts as a spoiler to reveal that women don't always get good endings in the ancient myths: The end of Ariadne's tale is the most reinvented part of this novel. The closing scene is a perfect update for an escaped reality show, an ex-princess, and a maturing, evolving teen girl.… (altro)