Daughter of Sparta: 1

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA adventure, and its take on the Daphne/Apollo myth. I was particularly glad to read a YA book that did not have a main character crushing on the handsome male character 24/7 -- don't want to give any spoilers, but will say that when you're busy saving the world there's not a lot of time to spend mooning over spoiled greek gods. Which is a good thing -- seems sort of predictable to fall in love with someone who's been getting folk to fall in love with him for thousands of years... It also piqued my interest in some other characters from Greek mythology, and I look forward to reading about some of them in the second book.

It takes a good writer to balance on the line between modern day and ancient history. Claire Andrews manages just that. There is enough realism and culture references to situate the story in Ancient Greece, without losing the reader with stilted dialogue or too much explaination. There are no jarring anachronistic moments that jerk the reader out of the story. Well done! Personally, I'm a sucker for a strong female driven plot and Daphne's story delivers! Also, I had tons of fun refreshing my meager knowledge of Greek mythology There are so many well crafted easter eggs in here!

A retelling of the classic myth of Apollo and Daphne, but completely turned on it’s head, and with a fierce and ferocious female protagonist. In order to save her brother’s life, Daphne must partner with the dashing and distracting Apollo to recover nine, mysterious items stolen from Mt. Olympus. Daphne meets lots of familiar faces on her journeys, learning more about her past and who she is along the way. While I’ve been a fan of Greek myths since I was a child, I’ve always been frustrated at the often weak human female characters in the stories. They are usually easily manipulated by the Gods and rarely the heroes of their own stories. In her debut novel, Claire Andrews gives young women the version of the story of Daphne and Apollo I wished I’d had when I was a teen. The protagonist Daphne is a young fierce and strong Spartan woman, who embarks on a daring mission to save her brother, held captive by the beautiful Artemis, by finding nine, mysterious objects stolen from Mt. Olympus. She is accompanied by the ancient and distracting god Apollo, who seems to have his own motives as the journey progresses, and dances a fine line between romantic interest and almost antagonist. Set in ancient Sparta, Andrews has clearly done her research, painting a rich environment where you can smell the dust of the sparring arena, hear the roars of the many monsters Daphne encounters and feel the tension in your heart as Daphne confronts her own, clouded history. There are plenty of fun characters along the way, many of which readers will recognize from the classic tales. While people who are Greek mythology purists might bristle at some of the liberties Andrews takes, the novel is a romping fun time and deserves a place on any young teenage girl’s bookshelf, and is a good reminder that to be feminine is also to be fierce, and to be brave is to be beautiful. Andrew’s debut novel shows a ton of promise for this young author, and she will be one to watch. I can't wait for the sequel!

ATTRACTIVE WOLF SHIFTER BFF is like the new(ish) YA fantasy trope and I am so here for it! ❤️🐺❤️🐺❤️ I’m now convinced that in order to have a successful YA fantasy book it must include a sexy man who shape shifts into a wolf! (Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash etc) 🐺💜🥰 ANYWAYS, the wolf shifter friend is only one of the many things that makes this book so enjoyable. I feel like SO MUCH HAPPENED! It was non stop action!! I loved it all. I was worried that there would be a love triangle🤮 but there was not so that made me very happy. I am concerned for the rest of the series though. Im really hoping that the author doesn’t follow the real story of Apollo and Daphne, I would just be devastated if it ends like the myths say it does. So I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 I saw someone compare this book to a female version of Percy Jackson and I would have to agree. It doesn’t copy it so that it feels like the same story, it definitely felt like a new plot and it keeps you guessing the whole time but you will see some similarities for sure. Im really looking forward to the next book!❤️💙💜

4.5 ⭐️ I just loveee loosely based Greek mythology inspired stores, especially when it’s about characters you don’t really see retellings of. This one did not disappoint. Daphne is such a strong heroine. Brave, kind, witty, clever, fierce, and protective. She fights for her friends and family, even the gods. The wit and banter between her and Apollo had me laughing. The bickering was fun. Theseus had me cracking up too. Lykou is an awesome character. I really liked him. He brought some laughter too on top of being an integral part of the team trying to save the gods’ power. There were many others we meet along the way. The betrayals and by whom were interesting and not at all who I thought it would be. Lots of action and the pacing was great. There is some romance, but it’s small and not a big part of the plot. Maybe in the next book, which I will def read. Highly recommend this book if you’re into Greek mythology inspired stories!

Daughter loved