Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews || A Greek-Inspired Odyssey

Daughter of Sparta (Daughter of Sparta, #1)

Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!

Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis—who holds Daphne's brother's fate in her hands—upends the life she's worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods' waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother's life will be forfeit.

Guided by Artemis's twin-the handsome and entirely-too-self-assured god Apollo-Daphne's journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves.

A reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, Daughter of Sparta by debut author Claire Andrews turns the traditionally male-dominated mythology we know into a heart-pounding and empowering female-led adventure.

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Perfect for readers who want:

• Adventure that will drag the reader to hell and back … literally?
• A more true-to-the-stories portrayal of the Greek gods.
• A strong woman saving the world despite what men tell her.
• Characters with big personalities and lots of banter.
• Some of the most fearful creatures out of Greek mythology.

Many thanks to Jimmy Patterson Books and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I’m an absolute sucker for Greek mythology and have been ever since I was a kid. I’m always a little hesitant going into books based on Greek mythology, though, because they seem to have a tendency to kind of nice-wash the gods. Nope. Mm-mm. The Greek gods are messed up, so give me something that shows that, please! I was happily surprised to find this book does exactly that . . . and so much more!

Daughter of Sparta is an epic adventure through not only ancient Greece but the world of mythology, with a darker portrayal of the gods, creatures straight out of mythology, and a strong female protagonist.

I absolutely had fun with this one. The journey is interesting, and seeing the gods on the paper was fun (and slightly frightening, as it should be). You never quite knew what they would pull next. There were some instances that felt too easy for Daphne, but that’s also partially wrapped into the idea of this being akin to an odyssey. All in all, I absolutely can’t wait to read more books in this series!

Daughter of Sparta is filled with adventure that will sweep the reader across Greece, through dangerous realms, and leave them face-to-face with some of the most dangerous creatures from Greek mythology.

So . . . you know . . . fun! I’m already fairly familiar with Greek mythology, so it was exciting to read and wait to see which creatures would pop up next. For readers who are less familiar, the author does a great job explaining why these creatures are so feared, as well as bringing them to life on the page. Greek mythology, for me, is one of those “oldies but goodies,” where I’m always excited to see what someone’s going to do with it next, and I enjoyed Andrews’ portrayal of Greece and the mythology.

The adventure in this is fast-paced, but not enough where the reader gets left behind. It moves along at a nice clip without getting bogged down. A lot happens in this book, but it’s easy to get swept into it, and I enjoyed visiting a whole host of interesting places and meeting interesting characters.

Andrews weaves an accurate (yet endearing) portrayal of the gods, true to actual mythology, in which the gods are less than perfect and, at times, less than benevolent.

If you’ve ever read Greek mythology, you know that that’s putting it nicely. The Greek gods are messed up. Even that doesn’t do it justice. Andrews paints a picture of gods that are not without their petty squabbles and childish antics, gods that are surprisingly (and painfully) more human than they’d care to admit. Even right down to the fact that there’s a betrayer among them. I mean, okay, this is Mount Olympus, so of course there’s a betrayer among them. But still. Exciting!

The gods, in many ways, have larger-than-life personalities, and each of them different, but there’s also a certain sadness to them, too, which I think Andrews captured really well. It’s hard to live that long and do all that they’ve done without having some amount of baggage, one would imagine. Andrews does a fabulous job of rounding out their characters and making them entirely messed up but also wholly sympathetic, too.

The main squad in this are wildly different, with each one facing their own challenges and bringing their own thing to the collective table of would-be heroes.

Daphne is our main hero, the outsider who just wants to be accepted as a Spartan yet knows she never will be. As far as strong female protagonists go, she’s got it all. This woman knows her stuff, but she also knows not to do it alone and manages to gather a little squad around her, quite unintentionally. I thought Daphne’s plight was quite relatable: the struggle to fit in, wanting to save her brother, and, ultimately, just wanting to do what’s right, even in a moment when no one else is.

Apollo is … Apollo. I’m not sure there are really proper words to describe him. If you’ve ever read Greek mythology, he’s everything you would expect and a little more. Because gods have feelings, too. He brings a much-needed sarcastic banter component to the group dynamic.

Theseus is an Athenian, and for anyone familiar with Ancient Greece, I feel like that’s all I should have to say. Especially given that Daphne is a Spartan. Perhaps an unlikely pairing for a squad, but it works, and I like it. What can I say? I have a soft spot for Athens, and Theseus is everything I would want him to be and then some.

Lykou is a devoted companion for Daphne. Some might even say . . . man’s (or woman’s, I suppose) best friend? *cough* There’s definitely some romantic tension going on between them, and they’ve been friends for a long time. Even though Lykou inhabits a rather unique, shall we say, role in the group, his personality still comes through.

There’s a little whiff of romance in this with a baby love triangle, for those who prefer it. For those like me a little less enamored with love, have no fear: it doesn’t make up a large part of the story.

I’m going to say, right upfront, that I’m not a fan of love triangles, and this wasn’t an exception. There are times when they can be done okay and they don’t bother me, but this one felt a little weird/off to me. That being said, romance really isn’t my thing to start with, so take that with a grain of salt. If you’re like me, rejoice! The romance definitely takes a backseat to the adventure and personal soul-searching Daphne does.

On the other hand, if you enjoy romance, there’s enough of it where I think romance readers will enjoy the will they/won’t they love triangle aspect of it. Honestly, I had no preference for whom Daphne ends up with, and that’s weird for me, because usually I have very vocal opinions on matters such as these. I’m sure you haven’t noticed. *cough* I suppose that just means that both matches are well suited enough, so take that however you want!

About Claire M. Andrews

Claire Andrews was raised in both Alaska and Scotland, but currently lives in Vermont; when not writing, she can usually be found outside swimming, skiing or hiking across the state's famous green mountains. Daughter of Sparta is her debut novel.

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3 winners will receive a finished copy of DAUGHTER OF SPARTA, US Only.

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