I guessed every single thing about the plot and yet I am thoroughly impressed. I’m not someone who easily figures out mystery/crime books, and often times I feel the culprit comes out of nowhere, but here I command M. L. Rio’s writing and how she peppered clues all over the narrative.

I found the characters to be attaching, and it left me starving for more. Their dynamic as a group felt realistic in terms of found family, and their characterisation was solid throughout the book. I don’t think they were constricted to an archetype, it’s all a matter of context and our narrator’s subjective view.

I did feel emotional towards a lot of things, and the ending might’ve been the most surprising because I genuinely believed it would go another way.

Lastly, as someone who loves Shakespeare this was a pleasure to read— but it’s not hindering either, so if you’re hesitating whether or not to read this, hesitate no more.

This was delightful. The writing is excellent, I almost felt bad that I was listening to it instead of reading it so I could annotate it— but I probably would’ve stopped every three seconds if I did. The writing simply reinforces the strong message of breaking from the chains of social norms. Not only is this a sapphic relationship, but it’s also so broad in the gender fluidity. It’s beyond everything you can imagine about Greek mythology— which has a lot of violence and misogyny— and reinvents the myth in an encompassing improvement of values.

It’s a gorgeous retelling that doesn’t shy away from exploring complex female dynamics and what it means to be born as a female, expanding in such a marvellous manner that seeps into your heart and mind.