Rivals in Love and War (2024)

Lots of thanks to NetGalley, Cranthorope Millner Publishers, and Dan O’Sullivan for providing me with an ARC of Rivals in Love and War to review!

When I first came across Rivals in Love and War I was immediately drawn in by the premise. A first person retelling from the perspective of three of the most iconic and often widely misrepresented Goddesses in Greek Myth? I was absolutely sold. But it seems I may have had different expectations of this book than what it actually presented.

First things first though, Rivals in Love and War is a great novel for those in the early stages of acquainting themselves with the Greek Myths - all the necessary lore is presented in a quick, easy, and digestible manner, and is quite fast paced as well.

However while that may be a wonderful thing for those not that familiar with the genre, it was my personal detriment when it came to enjoying the book. I felt as though Rivals in Love and War did not truly offer a fresh take on any of the myths; every story recited was one that was explored at surface level and thus left me wanting. I also did not feel any significant change in tone between any of the three Goddesses, leaving me quite bored at times. I felt the language too simple, the structure and the storytelling too direct and too linear, and I did not find myself having any ‘a-ha!’ moments.

Overall, I think Rivals in Love and War is a lovely book for those trying to explore a new genre or learn about the Greek Myths without having to read a 900 page book, however if you’re anything like me and have had your fair share of mythology reading, I wouldn’t say this is a must-read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this really didn't work for me. I expected a myth retelling. Sadly, this is just the author telling very famous myths with no twist of his own. It doesn't offer a new perspective, it doesn't shine a light on lesser-known characters, it's just a compilation of myths told in their most famous version. Perhaps the one surprise was following Stesichorus in making Iphigenia Theseus and Helen's child, but that's still not an original idea and it also happens to be a version I despise because of how young Helen was in this episode. I also hate any story that tells us a girl is abducted but it's all good and she's in love with her captor. So, not a choice that endeared this book to me.

Maybe it would still be a fun read if the author stuck to the most famous versions of the myths but showed us the personalities of the three goddesses telling them (Athena, Hera and Aphrodite). But again that's a miss: they're completely interchangeable. They talk the same way, exhibit the same flaws. And because the author never goes beyond reciting existing myths like an external narrator, they have absolutely no personality.

I do believe someone who's completely new to Greek mythology might enjoy it, but for someone who knows these myths already, it becomes boring very quickly and I honestly can't find many redeeming qualities. It's a shame because the idea was very interesting.

***I received an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
I think this book had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. With so many retellings of mythology, especially Greek mythology, something needs to cause the book to stand out, but I don't think this book did. It was a fast read, but it wasn't always entertaining. I wish there was more exploration into the characters or that the author put a different spin on them because the concept of the three most powerful Greek goddesses taking back their story and sharing it is so powerful because most of the mythology is male-focused. However, I think to write about three popular and powerhouse goddesses, you have to bring something new to the table or put a unique spin on it, which this book was lacking, but I could see the foundation of a great story; it just didn't quite get there.

Yikes. I'm sorry but...

The premise seemed promising, but frankly, it failed to meet my expectations.
When you have your fair share of Greek mythology, there's really nothing new to read here.

The 'retellings' didn't click. The book alternates between the different POVs of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. However, I noticed that there were no discernible tone differences throughout the three Goddesses. Each chapter contains general description after general description and lacks depth and substance which did not engage me at all.

Thank you Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for sending me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Dan O'Sullivan's short novel. Retellings of Greek mythology have been some of my favourite fiction of all time (Percy Jackson was my childhood) and Rivals in Love and War solidifies this sub-genre as a growing must-read genre for any historical and fantasy fans. I love how O'Sullivan writes the main goddesses; Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. He writes them as how they are in a matter-of-fact, unapologetic manner showing them as both relatable and unattainable. All three have made mistakes or selfish decisions that bleed into the mortal realm. Reading them as three beings who "know" they're above humans, as the protagonist justifying their actions and selves, is really interesting and a narrative I didn't know I needed.

Overall, Rivals in Love and War is a well-researched and enjoyable read that any Greek Mythology, Fantasy or Historical Fiction fan should delve into. I also recommend it to any Percy Jackson fans because it has the same writing vibe when gods/goddesses appear.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is touted as a feminist retelling, and it is not that. A retelling of the broad plots of the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Aeneid from the three goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, it is narrated by the goddesses but certainly does not have a feminist angle, merely feminine narrators. The voices show very little differentiation, and there are some relatively troubling tropes - for example, bad characters are evoked as 'swarthy'. There are also some definitely unnecessary sex scenes - while not explicit, they certainly felt out of place next to others that are very present in the mythology.

That aside, the book offers a pretty accessible way into the mythology that makes up the three epics it is based on. I really liked how the Odyssey was put into conversation with the Aeneid, although the narrating of the same episode by different goddesses made it a little repetitive. Athough it doesn't make the novel feminist to have the female narrators, I also liked that the framing of the three goddesses in conversation highlighted their significance to these narratives, and did make space to start challenging some of the 'heroic' behaviour.

I didn't mind the appendices but they weren't strictly necessary, and I would have preferred the author to comment on the sources rather than to give short essays on the nature of the gods and freewill. The novel doesn't really deviate from the source versions of the mythology, so those especially familiar with Greek myth might be surprised by some of the Aeneas parts that are directly contradicted by Greek sources. An acknowledgement of the variations within myths and across cultures would have been welcome, as it can otherwise seem like the author is giving the definitive version of the epic tradition.

All in all, an easy read and a good primer for the three source epics - but not particularly engaging or innovative on any particular characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner for providing an ARC on exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rivals in Love and War is a short, easily accessible take on the classic Greek/Roman epics of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. These stories are told through the POVs of the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and interspersed with some scripts of the goddesses meeting and discussing how they will tell the stories.

This would be a good book for anyone looking to learn the basics of the classic stories, though if you are familiar with them, this book doesn't really offer anything new and would likely be boring. The three goddesses aren't terribly different in their narrative voices, especially when recounting well-known episodes like Odysseus insulting the Cyclops -- as an educator who's been teaching excerpts from The Odyssey for years, I skimmed through the parts I was already very familiar with. There are also a few episodes told twice, from opposing POVs, which makes for some repetitive reading.

There are a few descriptions of sex scenes or sexual thoughts that are a little more adult than the rest of the book seems to be going for. I think this book would work well for teen readers looking to understand the classics, but I would definitely caution any educator to thoroughly vet the book first for those few scenes that are a bit risque.

Thank you to netgalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like Rivals in Love and War so much. It's largely a retelling of the Illiad and the Odyssey (with a few other myths thrown in) through the eyes of Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. There was so much promise to dig deeper into the goddesses' mind.

But I found that it landed very flat. Despite each chapter alternating between one of the goddesses, I felt like we weren't getting anything new that wowed me from this retelling—which given how saturated Greek myth retellings are right now, I really wanted something new.

I felt like O'Sullivan never got deep into their minds. It was a LOT of general description and a lot of telling v. showing. There wasn't a ton of a dialogue, which didn't help that feeling of just being retold the same myths again, just from a different perspective. And even the different perspective felt more surface level. There wasn't as much emotion as I hope but it also didn't feel intentionally like the goddesses were un-emotional.

The voices also felt off. They didn't feel regal/like gods, but it also wasn't colloquial either.

The appendixes were interesting but felt out of place as well.

I think Rivals in Love and War had such a good premise but I was let down by the actual novel itself.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dan O'Sullivan and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for Providing Me with This Arc!
I really enjoyed the initial premise of this book. The reading was quite easy, the book is incredibly fast paced with immense mythology references packed into less than 200 pages. My only criticism of this book is really the fact that it is so short and so rushed. I would love the book to be longer, slower and to deepen the various characters mentioned, although I understand that this would be difficult given the amount of myths that are mentioned by the goddesses throughout their autobiographies. My favorite part of the book was Annex II in which the author reflects on the interference of the gods and goddesses on the life of mortals and the impact it has on human free will.

Thank you NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for this ARC Copy!

I was immediately drawn to this book from the beautiful cover to the premise.

I was very interested in a new perspective that could be brought to these powerful goddesses by allowing them to tell their own stories as they want to be seen, however, I feel that the debt into the lore and mythology of this book is a but rudimentary.

This book could be a great introduction to mythology for some readers, but if you have read a lot of mythology already then I feel that there was not really anything fresh or new added to the tale.

Also, as we switch POV between such dynamic characters I would like to see more definition to their personalities and speech.

I was so drawn to this book when I saw the cover, and then I read the description and was so eager! Unfortunately for me, it just did not deliver.

I was intrigued by a new perspective that allowed these Goddesses to tell their own stories, however, it lacked definition and the mythology of their stories isn’t portrayed well.

The POV switches don’t work and the personalities and dynamics of such powerful characters have been lost.

This book could be a good introduction to mythology for some readers, but I have read a lot of mythology and have a lot of knowledge so it did nothing for me. However, it reads more as if it’s for teens, but then the sexual content doesn’t work.

Thank you to Cranthorpe Millner and Netgalley for the ARC

So this was actually a rather fun read. There have been quite a few Greek mythology retellings in recent years - particularly from the perspective of female characters. This seemed to me to be in a similar vein, but on the whole, more lighthearted in its approach.

It was unusual to hear the myths being shared from the perspective of this triad of goddesses, and to hear their version of events that have often been described quite differently in previous versions of their telling.

Recommended to those who enjoy reading about Greek mythology and its pantheon of deities. It gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to Cranthorpe Millner, Netgalley and Dan O’Sullivan for an ARC of this book with an honest review.

If I’m completely honest, this book felt a little flat for me. I think from the description I was expecting it to be different than how it was. I didn’t expect it to be almost a collection of stories written in the way that it was. The chapters almost felt like they were written too informally and not as intricate as I would have hoped.

I think some people will get a lot of enjoyment from this, especially if they haven’t read a lot of Greek mythology but for me, it was okay but nothing more.

I love a Greek retelling but have never read any from the perspective of the triad of Goddesses before. It was interesting to see the same events but from their very different views on how it went down. I have to say, I didn't enjoy the way Helen was portrayed in this book but I appreciate everyone has different opinions on that. The appendix notes at the end were very interesting and informative, as was the reference list.
Overall, a very enjoyable short read.

Thank you to Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. I liked that we get the viewpoint of three goddesses. It was interesting to read how each one viewed each situation they faced and their differing perspectives. The way it’s written reminded me of how textbooks in American English literature classes are written. Overall, a pretty interesting read.

2/26/24
DNF @ 6%. I really wanted to like this book, the premise and summary were so interesting! However the characters and story fell flat. It read more as testimonials rather than a coherent story and I quickly lost interest in it. Thank you to the publisher for offering me the opportunity to read this ARC.

An interesting retelling of the Trojan War and the adventures of Odysseus and Aeneas. However, I can’t help but feel the market for stories about Greek myths, and especially the Trojan War has become over saturated. I would read another book by this author if it was about something else.

I have really enjoyed many retellings of the Greek myths and so was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

The voices of the three goddesses narrating the stories didn’t feel right, there was no individuality for the narrators, each just a vessel of the same flaws and ego. There is nothing new being brought to the myths so, as someone who has been reading many different novels based on these characters, it gave me nothing new. This may be a better novel for someone who is new to the current Greek myth trope.

This was an okay book and would be worth reading if you are dipping your toe into this genre.

A generic telling of the trojan war told from the perspective of Hera, Aphrodite and Athena.
Although that concept seemed interesting and I really wanted to like this book it just fell flat for me