Caitlin Sweet

Received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is a reworking of the story of the Cretan King Minos, his family and the most famous monster of all: The Minotaur.

Everyone wants to be "GodMarked" (giving them fantastical powers) but not everyone gets so "blessed". Minos has an internal fire burning in him, and this can overspill sometimes with flames blasting from his skin. Pasiphae, his wife, controls water. Her son, Asterion, is born of heat and gods, to become one of the most iconic of figures. Icarus' mark has him sprouting feathers, but ultimately is unable to fly, not matter how hard or often he tries.

Ariadne is not the sweetness and light the myths may have lead you to believe. She is unmarked, jealous and manipulative. She only gets worse as she gets older and her younger step brother develops his GodMark powers into becoming the bull he was destined to be.

Her parents are the worst type of dysfunctional - her father is going slowly mad, frequently confronted with his wife's infidelity with her god, Poisden, every time Minos is with the bull-boy. Pasiphae realises her son is her most powerful tool, and flaunts his status in front of all who care to notice. Ariadne has the chance of friendship when younger, but turns away from this due to jealousy, and it only becomes worse as she gets older. Meanwhile, Minos develops a way to deal with the Bull Boy (and all his other "enemies"), as well as waging war on the Athenians who killed his son, which sets up the story of the Minotaur, the labyrinth and the biannual sacrifice of 14 Athenians.

I knew all the Myths and Legends as a kid (a LONG time ago) and whilst I remembered the important bits - bull, labyrinth, ball of wool so as not to lose one's way, etc etc, I had forgotten enough of the smaller pieces to appreciate that the author has taken some liberties, but none are to the detriment of this story. I dont know if knowing the original myth is a help or not - it allows the reader to predict what happens next (and the likely result of the second/final book in the series) but then the author has made it different enough to beg the question "would it matter if you didnt?".

It did drag a little at the end, but the author has left the story at a point where Theseus has turned up ready to confront the Minotaur. Apparently pitched at the YA market, this is a challenging book - not because of any inappropriate scenes - but because of the need to see it through to the end.



… (altro)

While I enjoyed The Door in the Mountain, by Caitlin Sweet, I’m not jumping up and down with excitement over it. It’s a retelling of the Greek myth about the Minotaur, Asterion, through the eyes of Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and a slave girl, Chara. The story contains all of the major players from the myth, including Daedalus, Icarus, and Theseus. It’s full of vivid imagery, and the world came alive easily in my mind. However, there were times when the pace got slow enough for me to get a bit bored.

I’m fond of the growing trend of telling old stories and myths from the perspective of the “evil” characters. Ariadne is one of those characters. As a little girl, I felt sympathy for her because of how Pasiphae, her mother, treated her. However, I also disliked her. I could see what she was becoming in order to get attention and approval. My dislike continued to grow as she became more and more conniving, deceitful, jealous, and hateful. Near the end, though, there was a moment I pitied her. I never truly hated her. Instead, I understood that she would never be redeemed because that’s all she knew how to be.

Despite the pacing issue, I still recommend reading this book. It’s a quick read, at a little over 200 pages, and anyone who loves Greek mythology will enjoy it.… (altro)

It is always a pleasure to delve into the detailed, gorgeous story-telling of Caitlin Sweet; A Telling of Stars and Silences of Home are no exception to that experience.

In these two linked novels Sweet reveals an epic story spanning centuries, with actions that echo through generations with devastating effect.

In the first, A Telling of Stars, we are introduced to the young woman, Jaele, who has suffered a terrorist attack on her fishing village, with the terrorists a long-accursed race from across the sea. In her quest for vengeance, she crosses her country to the sea, following in the footsteps of a legendary queen, the author of the curse which brought terrorists raiding Jaele’s village.

The story, however, is so much more than a blood-debt. Sweet examines the rejection of contentment, acceptance, and peace in the face of irrationality and shattering grief. The writing is lyrical without being purple, the environmental detail precise and revealing without hampering the narrative. This is, frankly, storytelling at its best.

Silences of Home is the prequel to A Telling of Stars, and the framework of the story deals with the origin of the curse brought down upon the Raiders. It is a complex and compelling story, examining power, deceit and the ambiguities of love. There are shattering moments. And there are moments of redemption.

If you like fantasy which pushes the boundaries, which makes no excuse for intelligence and imagination, I urge you to consider these two novels by Sweet. You won’t be disappointed.… (altro)

It is always a pleasure to delve into the detailed, gorgeous story-telling of Caitlin Sweet; A Telling of Stars and Silences of Home are no exception to that experience.

In these two linked novels Sweet reveals an epic story spanning centuries, with actions that echo through generations with devastating effect.

In the first, A Telling of Stars, we are introduced to the young woman, Jaele, who has suffered a terrorist attack on her fishing village, with the terrorists a long-accursed race from across the sea. In her quest for vengeance, she crosses her country to the sea, following in the footsteps of a legendary queen, the author of the curse which brought terrorists raiding Jaele’s village.

The story, however, is so much more than a blood-debt. Sweet examines the rejection of contentment, acceptance, and peace in the face of irrationality and shattering grief. The writing is lyrical without being purple, the environmental detail precise and revealing without hampering the narrative. This is, frankly, storytelling at its best.

Silences of Home is the prequel to A Telling of Stars, and the framework of the story deals with the origin of the curse brought down upon the Raiders. It is a complex and compelling story, examining power, deceit and the ambiguities of love. There are shattering moments. And there are moments of redemption.

If you like fantasy which pushes the boundaries, which makes no excuse for intelligence and imagination, I urge you to consider these two novels by Sweet. You won’t be disappointed.… (altro)