Storm of Olympus by Claire M. Andrews

Storm of Olympus picks up where the previous novel, Blood of Troy ended. 

The Trojan War is over and Troy has been destroyed. Not only that but Daphne battled her nemesis, Nyx, who warped the mind of her beloved brother Alkaios into attacking her. The resulting battle saw the release of the Titans who had been imprisoned beneath the city by Zeus as punishment for the Titanomachy. Close to death, she was fed an ambrosia seed by Apollo unleashing her immortal powers as the daughter of the titan, Oceanus. Daphne fled the city along with others including Odysseus and his men. Now on Aeaea Island, Daphne struggles to come to terms with all she has lost: her mother, her beloved brother Alkaios, her kingdom and her queen. 

Aeaea is the prison and sanctuary of the titaness, Circe. Daphne is now a titan with the ability to control the sea and the sky. Circe encourages Daphne to use her emotions to call up her new powers, but even the pain she feels over the death of her brother Alkaios fails to work and almost leads to Daphne drowning. Meanwhile on the beach below Circe's cottage, Odysseus and his men work on rebuilding their ships.

Asleep in Circe's cottage, Daphne is awoken by screams. She races down to the beach where Circe and Odysseus are pulling bodies from the waves. One of the bodies is that of Hermes, the messenger god, who is barely alive. Circe manages to save Hermes, removing the poison of Nyx from him.

When Daphne falls asleep that night, Hypnos, the god of sleep, shows her the destruction of the Olympian gods by the Titans. She sees Hera get impaled, a dead Poseidon, the death of Demeter, Persephone and Hades. Apollo, her lover, warns Daphne to leave before she too is killed. Horrified, she watches as Apollo and Zeus are killed by the titans.  Hypnos tells Daphne she can still save them. When she awakens, Daphne tells Circe that the titans have stormed Olympus, killing the gods and have claimed Mount Olympus for themselves. She was unable to save them, but Circe tells her that's because she isn't ready yet to use her powers.

When Hermes regains consciousness, he tells Daphne that she is able to save the gods including her lover, Apollo, because they are not dead but trapped in Tartarus (the Underworld), a sort of purgatory or cage. He tells her must free the gods from the Underworld. Hermes informs Daphne that because of the curse on him, the titans will know where Daphne has fled and they will come to Aeaea. He was a spy in the titan's camp during the Trojan war. He also tells Daphne that Helen of Troy, Lykou, and Hippolyta are safe in Mount Kyllini and that in the seven months that she has been on the island, the titans have attacked Olympus, while Agamemnon's army has conquered Athens, Crete and Salamis. The Spartans have rebelled against Menelaus but likely will not defeat him. 

Eventually Odysseus and his men finish one ship and Daphne and Hermes set sail for Eleusis where they know there is still an entrance to the Underworld. During the journey there, Hermes reveals that Cronus is likely leading the titan army which includes Perses the titan of destruction, Phoibe and  Oceanus, Daphne's father. Daphne will not only have to free the gods from Tartarus, but she must also reclaim Mount Olympus and save the Garden of Hesperides. But can Daphne accept her fate, as the Storm of Olympus, to save those she loves?

Discussion

Storm of Olympus is a book of battles from beginning to end with plenty of gore and death. Andrews draws from Greek and Norse mythology to create a lengthy saga involving a secondary goddess, Daphne while incorporating many other facets of Greek mythology.

The end of the Trojan war has seen the release of the titans from their prison beneath the city of Troy. They waste no time in attacking the gods on Mount Olympus, defeating and imprisoning them in Tartarus. Their ultimate goal is to take over the world. Daphne, now a titan, is the gods' only hope of regaining Mount Olympus. But to do this she must learn to wield her immense powers over sea and sky. With the help of Hermes and the mortal, Odysseus, she journeys to Eleusis, the location of a door to the Underworld. There, after battles with sea monsters and the god Ares as well as titans, Daphne, with the help of the souls of the Underworld including her beloved brother Alkaios and her friend Theseus, frees the gods. Escaping the Underworld takes Daphne and the gods to Lemnos, the site of the resistance's camp and Hephaestus's forge. In an attempt to win the battle against the titans, Daphne is initially unsuccessful in enlisting the help of the gods of Asgard: Odin, Thor, Freyja  and Loki. This, despite her reminding the AEsir, that should the titans and gods succeed in controlling the Garden of the Hesperides, they will come for other gardens including Yggdrasil.

Eventually, Daphne along with Zeus and the other Olympians, their mortal and centaur allies engage the titans and their allies, the armies of Menelaus and Agamemnon in an epic battle on Mount Olympus. Daphne is fighting to restore balance to Mount Olympus because she, along with some of the Olympian gods and the mortals, believes the gods/titans have abused their powers. They have used the mortals, causing wars and other calamities for their amusement. Mortals like Clytemnestra, princess of Sparta also believe that the gods allowed Troy to fall, and that they have led mortals "astray with their selfish interests  for too many centuries." 

Once they take Mount Olympus, Daphne must now protect the Garden where Zeus and Poseidon have fled. The AEsir do eventually respond and come to their aid in this final battle, helping defeat Zeus, Nyx and Poseidon. Daphne explains what must happen next:

"A thousand years ago, the Garden spoke to the goddess Hecate and told her to give the Olympians and titans ambrosia, creating the immortals we know today. They were chosen as the Hesperides's protectors, to keep the power from falling into the wrong hands and destroying the world. Some - the titans - went mad with power. Over the centuries, it consumed many of the gods, too." Now the Garden has asked for new protectors, balance and sacrifice. Hecate arrives to help decide who will be the protectors, allowing the Garden to be reborn.

Storm of Olympus is plot-driven, with a wealth of battles, gore and gruesome death, but also sacrifice and heroism. There are so many characters and various monsters in the novel that unless the reader is well versed in Greek and Norse mythology, they may feel overwhelmed. Andrews, to her credit, does attempt to identify characters and beasts within the story. There is a list of characters at the back of the novel but this by no means covers every character or monster involved (for example, Perses, a recurring character is missing). This list should be more extensive, perhaps in order of appearance in the story, and placed at the front of the book. 

A subplot is the relationship between Daphne and her lover Apollo. He is the impetus for her drive to save the Olympians from Tartarus. Seeing his gruesome death at that hands of the titans fuels her rage which leads her to develop and learn to control her power over sea and sky. They are reunited after his rescue from Tartarus and survive many battles. Another storyline is the relationship Daphne has with her brothers, Alkaios who was warped by Nyx and whom Daphne killed, and Pyrrhus who considers her a Spartan traitor. She is reunited with both at various points and they each experience the power of forgiveness.

Not surprisingly, the major character, Daphne is a strong, determined, courageous immortal who risks everything to try to save those she loves. Along the way she learns to trust not only her own abilities, but her friends too.

Storm of Olympus ends happily, after many battles, hardship, suffering and sacrifice. Andrews has crafted a unique story, focusing on a minor figure in Greek mythology, Daphne, beautiful daughter of a river god, loved by Apollo. This trilogy will appeal to those adults and older teens who have a good knowledge of mythology and who grew up on the Greek and Norse myths!

Book Details:

Storm of Olympus by Claire M. Andrews
New York: Little, Brown and Company    2023
470 pp.

Blood of Troy by Claire M. Andrews

Daphne has returned to Sparta after her successful mission to return to the gods, the Muses, caretakers of the Garden of the Hesperides. They had been stolen by the gods, Ares, Hermes and Nyx, and Daphne returned them to Olympus. This restored power to the gods.

After a poor performance training against Lykou, Daphne finds herself called back by the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, to her palace. Many of the gods are present including Demeter, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Athena, Hades, Hephaestus, Hera, and Apollo. Zeus tells Daphne that there will be a competition in Sparta to be a part of Queen Helen's personal guard and they want her to win it. Zeus wants her to protect his daughter, Queen Helen, who he believes is in danger. King Menelaus has called all the Achaean kings to Sparta for a conclave and when all the rulers of Greece are present, the gods believe that Nyx will seek her revenge.

Daphne returns to the home of her adopted parents, Revna and Ephor Apidanos Diodorus. They inform her that there is to be agon tomorrow. For her brother Pyrrhus, the agon is a chance to redeem himself from being the Deserter of Carneia. Daphne is overjoyed until she realizes that it is she who must win the agon.

As expected, Daphne wins the agon, but just barely, defeating Pyrrhus, who is furious. However, before she moves to the palace, Daphne is visited by the Moirai, "the keepers of destiny and children of Nyx" Each Fate shows Daphne a part of the future. 

The first Fate shows her a bloody battlefield strewn with corpses from Sparta, Tenedos, Athenia and Mycena. The second Fate, Lakhesis tells Daphne "There is a great war on the horizon, like none Greece has ever known. All the kingdoms from every corner of this world will take part and stake their claim. Should you fail in the task assigned to you by the gods, that which you love most will meet its end right here on this battlefield. The Sparta you know will be gone forever more on the bloody fields of Troy."  The third Fate, Atropos tells her they will welcome their destruction and that she will be the ruin of Olympus.  Klotho, the oldest Fate asks her to protect Troy when she fails to protect her queen. Daphne is devastated by what the Fates have revealed to her. And her horror is only compounded by a dream in which Nyx appears and she sees the kings of Greece all murdered on the palace floor.

Daphne quickly discovers that Menelaus, the husband of Queen Helen is a cruel man, determined to control who Helen sees and where she goes. Helen, who is half-sister to Artemis and Apollo, and has a daughter, Hermione, considers the palace her prison. King Menelaus is not friendly towards Daphne. 

Soon the kings from across Greece begin arriving: first  to arrive is Odysseus, Anax of Ithaca, followed by Achilles of Phthia and his Myrmidons, then Alcimedes of Locris, Ajax of Salamis, King Nestor and his sons, and Ariadne Princess of Crete along with the gods Dionysus disguised as Dion of Phrygia and Apollo as Appollodoris. They are followed by the Trojans, dark-haired Hector and golden-haired Paris, two sons of Priam King of Troy. The last person to arrive is Theseus of Athens, who supposedly Daphne killed.

The purpose of the conclave is to arrange potential trades in exchange for the Trojans dropping the Hellesport tax. To the surprise of the Achaeans, the Trojans accept their offer and agree to lift the tax. However, Daphne makes two discoveries that night. Theseus whom she killed is actually Ares, the god of war, and King Menelaus and his hateful brother Agamemnon are plotting a war with Troy. With the Trojans agreeing to lift the tax, initiating a war is now much more difficult. King Menelaus, Agamemnon and Ares decide the only way to bring about war is to capture the Trojan princes who are staying with Daphne's father and family. King Menelaus gives the order to kill the ephor -and his family. 

Horrified, Daphne goes to tell Helen and sends Apollo to warn her father. Helen and Daphne arrive at her father's home, only to find that the Achaeans are only doors away. Daphne learns that her adoptive father is actually Peneios, the river god. Peneios tells the group that the only way to flee Sparta for Troy is by the river Eurotas. The group is pursued to the banks of the river by Ares, Melenaus and the soldiers. At the river Penois won't reveal the name of Daphne's father, but Ligeia tells her that when the Midas Curse is removed, her questions will be answered.

At the river bank, Daphne, Helen, Paris, Hector and Lykou flee in a boat while Penois, Revna, her maid Ligeia and Lykou's family  flee into the forest around Gythium. They are pursued by Ares and the Achaean soldiers. Daphne, Helen, Paris and Hector all manage to flee Sparta. Helen is distraught over leaving her young daughter Hermione. 

Daphne is taken to the wooded throne room in the pantheon. Hera the Queen of Olympus, Dionysus, Athena, Hephaestus, Poseidon, Zeus, Hades and other gods including Apollo, are present. Daphne begs the gods to stop the war but they refuse, telling her there are darker powers at work. Zeus tells Daphne she has failed to protect Helen, instead drawing her into the war. The gods are divided, some side with Zeus, other with Apollo and Daphne. Zeus, furious at Apollo siding with Daphne, binds his son's power. 

When Daphne returns to Earth she finds herself in the beautiful city of Troy. King Priam allows Helen to choose to stay or leave, and Helen decides to stay. Soon after Penthesila, Queen of the Amazons, her sister Hippolyta, along with the Amazons arrive in Troy. Hippolyta reveals that they have heard rumours of Helen being seduced and kidnapped by a Trojan prince. Soon Troy's other allies begin arriving.

As Troy heads towards war, Daphne must not only protect Helen but also deal with the schemes of the gods as they take sides in the war.  Daphne knows the walls of Troy were given a special power by Apollo to protect the city, which can only fall if the invader is invited inside. However, Daphne begins to understand that Troy's walls are protecting something being kept inside from being removed. Too late, Daphne uncovers what that secret is, and its unleashing leads to the destruction of Troy and much that she holds dear.

Discussion

Blood of Troy is the middle novel in the Daughter of Sparta series by Claire M. Andrews. It continues the saga of Daphne Diodorus, who is now tasked to protect Queen Helen of Sparta, but finds herself drawn into the Trojan War.

To understand the relationship between the many characters in this novel, it is helpful to understand some of Greek mythology. It's possible to read the novel without having this background but it makes the novel more enjoyable if the reader already has some knowledge of the gods and goddesses and their relationships to one another. Andrews does incorporate explanations within her novel of the Olympians and the Titans and events like the Titanomachy but a Foreword would also have been helpful in this regard.

The Titans were the twelve children of Uranus and Gaia. There were six sons: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus and Cronus and six daughters: Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. Uranus and Gaia also birthed the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes. The first generation of Olympians, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia (Dionysus), Demeter and Hera were the result of the union of Cronus with his older sister Rhea. 

After the birth of these children, they decided not to have anymore children. When Uranus imprisoned six of their children in the Earth along with several of the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes, Gaia asked her other Titan children to help free them but only Cronus agreed to help because he wanted to rule the cosmos. Gaia wanted him to castrate Uranus, which Cronus agreed to do and accomplished with a special adamantine sickle! Cronus then became ruler of the Titans. Uranus cursed Cronus, that his own children would rebel against him.

Cronus, fearful of the curse, swallowed each of his children as they were born. But his wife, Rhea was able to save her youngest child, Zeus who grew to manhood. Zeus tricked his father into vomiting up Zeus's siblings. They, along with the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes, rebelled against Cronus and the Titans. After ten years of war, called the Titanomachy,  Zeus and the Olympians were victorious. The major Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus (a type of dungeon of torture) with the Hecantonchires as their guards.

In her Author's Note, Andrews asks, "What is the true story of Helen of Troy?...In actuality, we do not know much about the Trojan War, other than that the archeological evidence points to a war between the Achaeans (known then as Ahhiyawa) and Troy (known then as the city of IIius/Wilusa)..." From her considerable research, Andrews "sought to create a story that was both authentic and original, that does not diminish the myth that has persevered for many millennia, and that would still be a new experience for readers." 

In Blood of Troy, the story of the Trojan War is told from the perspective of a female warrior, Daphne Diodorus. who is an acclaimed Spartan warrior. It also includes other female characters, including Helen Queen of Sparta, Hippolyta and Penthesila of the Amazons, as well as the goddess of the night, Nyx. The retelling is fresh and engaging. Helen does not flee Sparta with her lover Paris, but flees while helping save two of the Trojan princes, Paris and Hector, as well as Daphne and her family who have been hosting the princes. In the novel, as in the Iliad, the gods take sides in the war, some helping Sparta and others like Apollo, Artemis, and Demeter on the side of Troy. The wooden horse, given as a departing gift to Troy by the Spartans, never enters the city unopened. In Blood of Troy, Daphne warns against bringing the wooden horse into the city and instead the Trojans set fire to it outside the gates, exposing the hidden Achaeans within, who are then taken prisoner. While the Spartans do massacre the Trojans, the city is destroyed when Pandora's jar containing Nyx's family is inadvertently uncovered by Daphne.

In Greek mythology, the gods are often busy interfering in the lives of humans, sometimes helping them, other times creating chaos. And in the novel,  the Trojan War is one such event where they interfere in a big way. When Daphne asks the gods of Olympus to help stave off a war between Sparta and Troy they refuse, telling her there are darker forces at work. Lykou  notes the absence of funeral games, their brilliant leader Paidonomos Leonides and the unusual Spartan battle formations, suggesting something evil is in the Achaean camps. When Nyx appears on the battlefield, Daphne begins to suspect that she is working for the downfall of Troy, but to what end she doesn't know. 

Between the deadly skirmishes, Daphne must deal with various gods who are either trying to help or hinder her. Some of the gods help her: Apollo gives Daphne a bangle to wear around her bicep with golden stones that glow different colours. This bangle, he tells her, will protect her when she cannot, and does save her life. Hermes takes her to the island of Lemnos where the god Hephaestus makes her armor and weapons to fight the gods. He also trains Daphne further, so she will be able to fight Ares who has already challenged her.  Other gods are more interested in killing her, including Hera, Ares and Nyx.

Since the Trojan War takes up much of the novel, the story features Daphne in battles against both Spartans and various gods with plenty of blood, gore and death.  Daphne, who is an accomplished Spartan warrior, has struggled all her life to be accepted in her adopted home of Sparta. She doesn't know the identity of her father, which adds to her internal conflict. In addition to this, she must deal with the gods who continue to ask for her help, while never fully divulging their reasons. Her devotion and loyalty to her family comes into conflict because of the tasks the Olympians set for her. By the time Troy falls, she feels she has betrayed by everyone she loves. 

Andrews offers her readers a map of the Greek world and of the city of Troy. Historical fiction should seek to portray the setting as accurately as possible and Andrews definitely accomplishes this. At a whopping 461 pages, Blood of Troy is not a quick read, but it is exciting, filled with action, and a touch of romance. Blood of Troy is suitable for older teens and those adults who love Greek mythology.

Book Details:

Blood of Troy by Claire M. Andrews
New York: Little, Brown and Company     2022
461 pp.

Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews

Seventeen-year-old Daphne is a Mothakes, an outsider, someone not born in Sparta. She and her brothers, Alkaios and Lykou were adopted by an ephor after the death of their parents. It is Carneia, the annual festival honoring Apollo. The festival includes duels, drinking, feasting and the agon. Daphne is being challenged by her brother Lykou as King Melenaus and Queen Helen watch.  Paidonomos Leonides gives them both a dory, a spear used by Spartan soldiers. A glancing blow is enough to end the duel and declare a winner. 

After a short battle, Daphne's dory grazes Lykou's side, tearing part of his black chiton. She wins the duel, her win acknowledged by the king. As she leaves, Daphne is reminded by Paidonomos Leonides to pay her respects to the king and she kneels briefly before him. Lykou praises Daphne for her victory, telling her she has shown that the Spartan army needs women warriors like her.

The time arrives for the agon, the climax of the Carneia. In this event, "...five unmarried men are chosen by Sparta's five ephors to chase a deer. If it is caught, the year will be a superb one for the harvests and army. And if not...disaster awaits." It is especially important they succeed as Menelaus and Helen are to meet with the mad king of Crete. Daphne's brother, Pyrrhus has been chosen as one of the five men to run the agon. He believes he will easily win the race and brags about it to Daphne during the party. 

However, when the racers are summoned with the call of a horn, Daphne is shocked to see Pyrrhus hasn't shown up. So amid gasps of dismay, she steps forward to take his place. A deer is brought out, with a garland of laurel branches and flowers around its neck. King Melenaus tells the runners they must retrieve the garland before dawn to prevent the failure of Sparta's crops, the Eurotas from drying up, and disaster befalling the Spartan army. The race is to ask for Apollo's divine favour and his strength. The winner will receive many gifts, including a beautiful dory.

Daphne along with Castor and Lykou and two other runners make for the Taygetus Forest. But once inside the forest, in a moonlit glen, Daphne comes upon the deer as well as the goddess of hunt, Artemis who reveals that her powers and that of her family, the gods of Olympus are dying. Just then Pyrrhus emerges into the glen, his face bloodied and bruised begging Artemis to forgive him. She turns him into a stag and turns on Daphne, slicing her with a golden arrow that was a gift from her Uncle Hephaestus. 

Artemis reveals to Daphne that something very dear to her father, Zeus has been stolen and without it, the powers of Olympus will fail. This will mean disaster for humans, and the armies of Greece will be overrun. Only one person knows who stole them and where they are hidden. To be certain Daphne won't betray her, Artemis drives the golden arrow into her abdomen causing a solid gold line to begin to form. This, the Midas Curse, blossoms and slithers across Daphne's torso, binding her to Artemis, but threatening to kill her too. If she cannot find where the Olympian powers have been hidden away, she will die as will her brother Pyrrhus. She gives Daphne the laurel to claim the prize of the Carneia, telling Daphne she has until the harvest moon to meet her obligation to Artemis.

As winner of the agon, Daphne receives the dory from Queen Helen who along with King Menelaus return to the palace while the Carneia continues. Daphne sets out on her journey, asking Ligeia, her handmaid, to make an explanation for her sudden disappearance. Her promised escort turns out to be Artemis's twin, Apollo, who tells her they are travelling to Mount Kazbek where "an old friend...has the answers...". Apollo is accompanying her in an attempt earn his father's favour and forgiveness.

Soon Apollo discovers Daphne's friend, Lykon has been following them. To prevent his interference, Apollo turns Lykon into a wolf but allows him to accompany them. They arrive at the foothills of Mount Kazbek after seven days. While Lykon stays with the horses, Daphne and Apollo climb the rocky, treeless mountain. At the top, Daphne finds Prometheus chained between two stone columns. But when she questions him about what was stolen from Olympus and where Apollo can find it, he refuses unless Apollo leaves. 

Prometheus reveals that nine things were stolen from Olympus and must be returned because these "pieces" are the power of the gods. Whoever has them can harness this power, making it dangerous. He tells her a traitor took them. After showing her a vision of the circumstances of her birth and the death of her mother, Prometheus gives her several clues. In the vision, Daphne learns that "three have been traded to the anax of Crete as playthings for his unruly son... three more have been given to the plague of Thebes as a sacrifice so that the power may never return..." and that "Their only salvation lies behind doors opened through a test of wit and words."  Finally, the god tells her, " A sacrifice will reveal two at the limits of Okeanos, mean to sow dissent, their fates bound to the river of the dead. And the last, the most celebrated, joins Tantalus, demanding body and soul." 

With these clues, Daphne, Apollo and Lykon set out for Crete knowing they must enter the palace of King Minos whose "unruly son" is known as the Minotaur.  There they will learn more about the missing "pieces", who is responsible and who is working to thwart them. Their battle with the Minotaur will be the first of  many brutal battles as they work to restore the powers of the gods!

Discussion

Daughter of Sparta is a remix of Greek mythology that includes most of the Greek gods and goddesses and their stories. In Greek mythology, Daphne was a naiad, a nymph who becomes a victim of Apollo's infatuation as a result of a curse made by Cupid on the god.  She was pursued relentlessly by Apollo. When he finally caught her, Daphne prayed to her father, the river god Peneus, who changed her into a laurel tree. In Daughter of Sparta, the myth of Daphne is re-imagined, transforming her from a victim of the gods to a fierce warrior.

Andrews writes in her Author's Note that her " goal was to bring to light the often-underappreciated women of Greek myth and history..." Instead of "...the jealous wives and damsels - here are strong, nuanced women who tell their own stories. Women in ancient Greece were allowed very few, if any liberties: places like Sparta, where they were allowed many more privileges and rights, were the exception, and make for some exciting storytelling, both in historic and contemporary writing." As a result, Andrews does mess with timelines and stories a bit: Daphne kills the Minotaur instead of the Athenian hero, Theseus, who in turn is later killed by King Minos instead of Lycomedes, King of Scyros

Daphne's quest is truly Olympian in nature and breadth. She initially doesn't know what the "pieces" are that have been stolen from Olympus, nor who has stolen them and betrayed the gods. Her escort, Apollo insists that this task is now his responsibility but he doesn't divulge why. It is in the palace of King Minos that Daphne learns the truth about her task: it isn't objects that have been stolen but the nine Muses from Olympus. The Muses, who "are the sacred caretakers of the Hesperides, the source of all the power of Olympus", are under the protection of Apollo who somehow lost them. Daphne realizes that Apollo knew all along what was stolen.

Although Daphne has fulfilled her duty to Artemis - to obtain clues from Prometheus, she decides to help Apollo despite his deception. She angrily tells Apollo, "You and Artemis never intended for me to save all the Muses. You just wanted to use me to get Prometheus to speak."  As they travel to Thebes, Daphne learns through a vision that Ares stole the Muses, that their efforts have been betrayed by Hermes, and she eventually learns how Apollo lost the Muses from the Garden of the Hesperides. 

During her quest, Daphne engages in many battles: she fights the Minotaur (whom she slays), she also battles the Kentauroi of Foloi who are led by Eurytion and allied with Nyx, goddess of the night, she fights the Sphinx in the Cithaeron mountains, out-witting and slaying her, she kills King Minos and the two demons who attempt to avenge the Minotaur's death, and she takes on Ares, stabbing him. In fact there are so many bloody battles that by the time the novel gets to the climax, which involves Daphne confronting Nyx to free the last Muse, the events are almost anti-climactic and the reader somewhat battle-weary.

At times Daughter of Sparta reads like a romance novel, as Daphne's feelings for Apollo grow throughout their journey. Eventually the two kiss. "Warm and sweet, our lips fold together in a warm embrace. A fire erupts inside me, turning my fears and doubts to ashes. And from the ashes rises a wanting so intense my entire body aches....." In the end however, Daphne, furious at his betrayal, repudiates the god, telling him he has to earn her trust again.

Although this novel isn't true to the stories in Greek mythology, it should appeal to those who enjoy this genre and who grew up on the Rick Riordan Percy Jackson novels and who have read the D'Aulaire's Greek Mythology. For those who have a more limited knowledge of Greek mythology, a Glossary of the Greek gods and goddess as well as a cast of characters would have been very helpful. Andrews does include a map of ancient Greece and a Greek Glossary of some of the words used throughout the novel.

Daughter of Sparta is the first novel in a trilogy. The conclusion sees Zeus asking Daphne to become the Storm of Olympus. He promises to give her the means to become the greatest warrior in Sparta, but Daphne only will agree if they will protect her family. Because Nyx is only wounded, Zeus tells Daphne that she will continue to be hunted by the goddess of the night. He tells he they will empower her to take on Nyx but only if she becomes their "emissary to the realm of men." Persephone and Hades give Daphne tokens of the debt they owe her, telling her she can claim them when needed. Athena offers her the answer to a much needed question in the future, while Aphrodite and Hera refuse to offer even their thanks. Dionysus offers Daphne a drink of wine, Hephaestus promises weapons and armour designed just for her, while Artemis offers nothing. Hypnos, son of Nyx also offers Daphne help in the future, betraying his own mother. Andrews has fashioned a fitting ending, open to Daphne's new adventures in the next book in the series.

Book Details:

Daughter of Sparta by Claire M. Andrews
New York: Jimmy Patterson Books, Little, Brown and Company   2021
375 pp.

Lovely War by Julie Berry

In Lovely War, Berry uses the frame story, a literary device in which one of the characters in a story narrates another story. In this case, the frame story, that of Aphrodite, Ares and Hephaestus leads readers into a second, main story narrated by Aphrodite about lovers during the First World War.

Although not necessary, it's helpful to know the story of the Greek gods and goddesses referenced in the frame story. Hephaestus, the god of fire, forges and metalworking was the son of Zeus and Hera. Hephaestus, unlike the other gods and goddesses was very ugly while Aphrodite, the goddess of love was so beautiful that she was desired by most of the other gods. To prevent a war between the many gods seeking to marry her, Zeus forced Aphrodite to marry Hephaestus. As a result, Aphrodite was unfaithful to Hephaestus, having affairs with both gods and men. One of those gods was Ares, the god of war and Hephaestus's brother. To catch his unfaithful wife, Hephaestus designed a golden net which he used to catch Aphrodite and Ares making love.

In Lovely War, Berry sets this illicit romantic encounter in December, 1942 in a swanky hotel in Manhattan, New York. Ares and Aphrodite are captured by Hephaestus who uses his golden net. Hephaestus offers her a bargain, to renounce Ares, come home with him and be a faithful wife or he will take her to be tried before Zeus and the other gods on Mount Olympus. The thought of going on trial before the other gods, especially her virgin sisters Artemis and Athena makes Aphrodite blanche. So she offers him a third option, a trial in the hotel room where Hephaestus can be both judge and jury.

Aphrodite pleads guilty and Hephaestus shows her the evidence he has complied of her trysts with Ares. The goddess reveals to Hephaestus and Ares that she doesn't love either of them or anyone else, that although she is the source of love, no one can ever love her, not gods nor mortal men. Instead, Aphrodite is embedded in every love story, true and trivial. So she offers to tell Hephaestus two true love stories, in which she played an important part in bringing about. Hephaestus agrees and so begins the second story, about two couples who fell in love amidst the turmoil and butchery of World War I. As she tells her stories, Aphrodite will call other gods as witnesses.

In November, 2017 nineteen-year-old James Alderich first sees eighteen-year-old Hazel Windicott at a parish dance held at her London borough church, St. Matthias in Poplar.  The fall dance is a benefit to send socks and Bovril broth powder to the troops in France. Hazel, the daughter of a music hall pianist and a factory seamstress, is wearing a mauve lace dress. Tonight she is responsible for playing the piano at the dance. She doesn't notice James until Aphrodite sits beside her and directs her gaze towards him. James does approach Hazel, telling her how much he enjoys her playing and when Mabel Kibbey takes over the piano, James and Hazel dance. James and Hazel quickly learn some basic details about one another, that James has two younger siblings, Maggie and Bobby and that he worked for a building firm.

After the dance James asks Hazel if he can see her again before he ships over to France. Hazel agrees, kissing James on the cheek and telling him her address. James decides to walk to her home above the barbershop at the corner of Grundy and Bygrove. Hazel isn't asleep either and when she sees James she drops a note to the pavement telling him to meet her at the J. Lyons tea shop on Chrisp Street at Guildford at 8am. The two meet the next morning, their breakfast filled with discovering the basics about one another. James invites Hazel to attend a concert at the Royal Albert Hall with him the next day.

The concert featuring Miss Adela Verne was divine, James loved the music and Hazel knew this man was for her. Hazel wants James to kiss her but her tells her that he will, only it will be "on the train platform at Charing Cross next Saturday. Before I set off overseas." This however, does not happen as James is required to travel to Calais the next morning, board a ship to Boulogne and then take a train to the British Expeditionary Force base camp at Etaples in France.

Hazel unable to stay quietly at home, waiting for James to return some day from war, decides to join the war effort as an entertainment secretary in a YMCA relief hut in France where she will play piano for soldiers.Hazel arrives in Saint-Nazaire, France on January 4, 1918.It is here that she meets Colette Fournier, a beautiful blond Belgian girl with a sultry voice.

Aphrodite's first witness is Apollo, the god of dance, music, healing and plagues. Apollo's narrative introduces the male half of another couple in Aphrodite's story.  It begins back in 1912 at Carnegie Hall where James Reese Europe's Clef Club Orchestra is about to perform a "Concert of Negro Music". The orchestra includes over one hundred performers including fifteen-year-old Aubrey Edwards who plays piano. Aubrey discovers his love of performing that night. Five years later Aubrey is playing for the now Lieutenant James R. Europe in the Army Band of the Army National Guard, 15th New York Infantry Regiment in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Their black regiment is stationed at Camp Wadsworth. Aubrey and his friend Joey Rice had enlisted in the regiment in the spring of 1917, to play ragtime with Jim Europe for the troops over in Europe. In early January of 1918, Aubrey Edwards along with forty soldiers from the 15th New York travel across the Atlantic Ocean on the USS Pocahontas, and then travel by train to Saint-Nazaire, the American military training base on the coast of France. It is here that Aubrey will meet Colette.

Aphrodite's second witness, Ares, who tells about James's training for trench warfare and his ability to excel at shooting, a skill that will save his life later on.

Her third witness is Hades, god of the underworld.  Aphrodite now begins her story about Colette Fournier, a girl who, in 1914 lived in the town of Dinant, Belgium with her brother Alexandre and her parents. In 1914, Colette's childhood and best friend, Stephane has fallen in love with her. On a walk up to the medieval citadel overlooking the town, Stephane tells Colette of his feelings for her leading to their first kiss. Ares and Hades take up the story. The young couple, hopelessly in love, do not see the tragedy about to overtake them. On August 15, after the citadel is captured by the Germans, it is quickly retaken by the French. On August 23,  Germans enter the village setting fire to homes, and executing men, women children and babies in retaliation for firing on German troops. Almost seven hundred civilians are massacred including Colette's father, her brother and many other relatives as well as Stephane. In the aftermath, Colette flees to her Aunt Solange in Paris where she enlists into the YMCA, arriving at Saint-Nazaire.

At Saint-Nazaire, Hazel and Colette meet Aubrey Edwards who Hazel dubs "The King of American Ragtime" for his ability to transform any piece of music into jazz. But it is Colette and Aubrey who are taken with one another and who begin a forbidden relationship because Colette is a white female volunteer and Aubrey a black male soldier. Volunteers are forbidden to fraternize with the soldiers and even more so white women and black men. But Aubrey, transfixed by Colette's voice, stung by the tragedy she has endured, falls for her.

At this point all the main characters have been introduced and their connection to one another described. James is at the front, now a sharpshooter, Hazel and Colette and Aubrey are at Saint-Nazaire. From this point on Aphrodite weaves her story of  prejudice, love, war, and death. With the help of Apollo, Ares and Hades the story of Hazel and James and Aubrey and Colette is brought to its satisfying conclusion.


Discussion

Lovely War is a mashup of Greek mythology and historical romance fiction that works marvelously. Berry has crafted a poignant novel that blends the passion of first love with the horrors of war and prejudice. It is a masterful story of acceptance, loss, and second chances told by Aphrodite, the goddess of love who has been caught in a tryst with Ares, the god of war by her husband Hephaestus.

It turns out the entire thing is a setup in an attempt by Aphrodite to get Hephaestus to accept her love for him. Readers don't learn of this until the very end, when Aphrodite confronts Hephaestus. For the gods, perfect in every way (except for Hephaestus), love is easy but shallow. It's easy to love Aphrodite, perfectly beautiful and desirable. Aphrodite envies mortal men because their frailty and mortality make love true and enduring, something she cannot experience as a god. Her story is told in an attempt to teach the other gods what real love is.

Although Aphrodite tells the tale of two couples, the focus is on the story of Hazel Windicott and James Alderidge's relationship. In the beginning, James and Hazel are attracted to one another in a somewhat superficial manner. They find each other attractive. When Hazel meets James he is wearing a forest-green necktie and a gray tweed jacket. His figure is slim, his face grave, his shoes shined and his dress shirt crisp. His lean, smooth cheeks look soft and he has "the scent of bay rum aftershave and clean, ironed cloth..." about him.  James is entranced by Hazel's exquisite piano playing, her lilac-scented hair, her mauve lace dress. Their feelings for one another are intense but will need the passage of time to develop. The few times they are together both before and during the war, see their affection for one another grow. But it will be soon tested in the furnace of war.

Involved in Operation Michael, the German offensive intended to break through the Allied lines and seize the Channel Ports, James sees his friend Frank Mason blown to bits by a shell. James survives, killing many Germans but is so shell-shocked he refuses to leave his bunker and is eventually carried out by another soldier. He is shipped back to England to Maudsley Military Hospital where he spends a few weeks before being sent home. James, suffering from shell shock refuses to respond to Hazel's letter or to see her. He decides he is unfit for her affection and he must kill it. "He was no more eligible for the love of any girl, good or bad. He was on a shell of a man. A shell of a boy, cringing in the small bed in his childhood bedroom in his parents' home. Utterly unfit to be what any girl might want now."

Hazel however feels very differently.  She visits his hometown and upon their first meeting she tells him, "I came to see if you were alive,...and to be with you, if I could, to help you with your recovery, if you weren't well." Hazel's love for James is not superficial, she has no intention of abandoning him simply because he is unwell.  "The sight of him frightened her. He looked pale and thinner than in Paris. And he was changed.....But he was still her beautiful James." It soon becomes apparent to Hazel that James' scars are deep and hidden. This doesn't matter to her and she pursues James, following him on the train to Lowescroft as he goes to see Frank Mason's widow. Hazel's faithfulness allows James to begin to heal, knowing that he is loved unconditionally. James' kindness towards Frank Mason's widow is returned when Frank appears to him as he and Hazel are on the beach. Frank urges James not to give up Hazel, that she will help him heal. James tells Hazel, "You know that I can never be the boy you used to know...What I've done, and what I've seen, will always be with me." Her response is to ask him to let her too always be with him.

Only months later, the tables are turned. Hazel almost loses her life (Aphrodite intervenes) when the train she is on is hit by a shell. Hazel is badly injured and her face deeply scared. In contrast to James' wounds, Hazel's are exposed, can be seen by all and will never get better. Now it is Hazel's turn to refuse love. She tells him "I can't let you promise our forever to this out of pity, or noble duty." Echoing James' words only months ago she tells him "I'll never be the same..."  Hazel seems to think that James is better and therefore should not burden himself. James challenges this notion, pointing out that he still struggles. He points out that just as she could see past his wounds, so he can see past hers, despite them being more visible. He admonishes Hazel, telling her that she has no right to ask him to stop loving her. The war has changed them both, but their love has grown to accept those changes.

In the relationship of Aubrey and Colette, Berry explores interracial love, between a black American man and a white French woman, very forbidden in 1918. Such relationships were severely punished during this era. When the American marines learn that Aubrey has been seeing a white woman, he is targeted for death. In a twist of fate, it is his best friend Joey who dies.  Aubrey is shipped out to another city in an effort to save his life. Discouraged and racked with guilt over his friend's death, Aubrey decides to abandon his relationship with Colette but Aphrodite has other plans and will not see her efforts thwarted.

Lovely War is a multi-layered novel that explores the depth and challenges of love, and the unlimited strength of the human spirit. Through her work with Hazel and James, and Colette and Aubrey, Aphrodite demonstrates to her fellow gods how human love, tried in the furnace of conflict, misunderstanding, physical and emotional trauma, can blossom and become an enduring love.

Berry's novel sets these relationships within the turmoil of World War I, although the gods themselves are currently meeting during World War II. The title of the novel,  Lovely War, is taken from a World War I song, "Oh, Its a lovely war" performed by Courtland and Jeffries. It's purpose was support troop moral in the trenches but also to promote the idea that joining the war effort was exciting and fun. Berry's considerable research is evident in the realistic portrayal of war, in this case, the Great War, a conflict that was touted as the war to end all wars. Berry portrays the life of soldiers as they prepare (mostly inadequately) for hand to hand battle, which they never really encountered. Also well portrayed is the physical and psychological trauma of trench warfare as experienced by James Alderidge, and the culture around war in the early 20th century. She also portrays civilian life in England, America and France during this time, the social norms that were common and how women contributed to the war effort. Berry touches on the atrocities of war, mentioning the Dinant massacre by Germans and how this would have effected those like Colette who survived. 1918 saw the beginnings of what was to be come the Jazz Age and Berry's makes mention of soldiers becoming ill, the beginning of the influenza epidemic that kill millions.

Despite this, Lovely War ends on a hopeful note mainly because of the enduring spirit of both Hazel and James, and Colette and Aubrey, who marry and have families. As well Aphrodite begs Hades not to undo her work and to leave their children untouched as they fight in the current war, World War II.

At a whopping 450 + pages, Lovely War is clearly one of the best young adult novels written in the past few years and is not to be missed. Readers will revel in the romance, the detail, and find themselves thoroughly engaged to the finale.

For more information on the Battle of Dinant please see The Capture and Punishment of Dinant, 1914.

 Book Details:

Lovely War by Julie Berry
New York Viking      2019
468 pp

The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald

Twelve-year-old Martha O'Doyle has been expelled from Blessed Name of Our Holy Mother parish school for not knowing her catechism and for arguing with Sr. Ignatius in catechism class. Her ma takes her with her to her job as head housekeeper at a Fifth Avenue mansion. Perhaps a year working as a maid will make her see the value in attending school.

Martha's mother's employer is Mr. J. Archer Sewell, owner of one of New York's most successful newspapers. Sewell's wife, Rose Pritchard is an invalid who hasn't left her rooms in years. Her father made his fortune from the West Virginia coal mines and then moved to New York where Rose was sent to the best schools and attended the society parties. Before her marriage to Mr. Sewell, Rose had a reputation for causing scandal, working in a sweatshop sewing neckties or running off to Paris.

The Sewell mansion is more than Martha ever imagined, with turrets and spires. Martha's mother gives her a quick tour of the house, showing off the opulent rooms with their gold pianos and sofas of satin. However, Martha notes that the walls are entirely bare "a chessboard of discolored squares and rectangles on the silk wallpaper, nails left behind like you'd see in a chap boardinghouse." When Martha asks her mother where all the pictures are, her mother tells her that Rose keeps them in her rooms as a comfort to her.

Martha is assigned to work in the kitchen under the supervision of Monsieur Leblanc and after a week she quickly learns the work of the kitchen. The other staff include two housemaids, Bridie and Magdalena and the footman, Alphonse. Besides preparing special meals for Mr. Sewell's guests, Martha also must prepare the same meals every day for Mrs. Sewell. So she is not "overstimulated" her meals of toast and tea and porridge with a "fancy sugar stirred into it that Mr. Sewell secured from some specialty grocer..." are loaded onto the dumbwaiter in the kitchen. The meals are sent to her rooms in the turret on the top floor and when she's finished the empty plates are sent back down in the dumbwaiter. After a month of working at the mansion, Martha meets Mr. Sewell who talks to her about politics and tells her she should read a book about becoming rich.

Then one night, Rose escapes out the dumbwaiter and the kitchen is set on fire. Rose's antics are published in the Yodel. Martha suspects that Alphonse is the one who leaked the story. When Martha brings tea to Rose's rooms she is astounded. "In just a small suite of rooms were crammed dozens of paintings, stacked three or four deep, leaning against walls or tables or wardrobes. Others were hung haphazardly, some big, some small, some dangling so they half jutted across a window. The walls pulsated with life -- no, with something larger than life. Gods and goddesses fought and frolicked. Dukes and duchesses followed me with their eyes. Winds swept through landscapes and bowls of glistening fruit dangled out of reach."

Mr. Sewell tells his wife she doesn't need to use the dumbwaiter to leave her room but she can leave by the door. The doctor notes that Mrs. Sewell has been reading Ovid and Dante's Inferno. When Mr. Sewell expresses his desire to sell off the books in the library, Rose tells him he cannot because they belong to her. As they try to determine what led to Rose's strange behaviour the night before, she complains that the porridge is too salty. But Martha made the porridge and remembers that she forgot the sugar that night. She notes that Rose has an angry red rash on her face and neck. When Dr. Westbrook suggests removing the paintings, Rose becomes agitated and is given a sedative. Afterwards, Martha confesses to her mother about forgetting the sugar and her mother moves her from the kitchen to upstairs as a maid.

Martha's dad, who is in vaudeville, unexpectedly shows up at home. Her father tells her that he's been very successful with his act but that he cannot stay and has to catch the next train to Syracuse. The next day Martha begins her week as an upstairs maid, cleaning the first floor. When she goes in to clean the gallery, she discovers four paintings hanging on the walls, neatly in a row, each draped over with a sheet. Martha finds the paintings intriguing but doesn't know much about them. The first painting, titled Proserpine by Rossetti looks to Martha like Eve holding the apple. However, Alphonse informs her the painting is not about Eve and the fruit is definitely NOT an apple. Before they can talk further, the two are discovered by Martha's Ma who sends Alphonse off and tells Martha that the paintings are Miss Rose's pride and her ticket into New York society. Ma explains that although the majority of the paintings are in her rooms, "Miss Rose gets it in her head that certain paintings need to be downstairs. For Mr. Sewell's visitors." After her ma leaves, Martha looks at the other three paintings which include Nature morte by Gustave Courbet, Still even by Willem Kalf and The Pomegranate by Pablo Picasso.

Proserpine

Nature morte by Gustave Courbet

Still Even by Willem Kalf

The Pomegranate - Picasso

The next day Martha talks to Alphonse about the paintings and he tells her that "Nothing on that wall is an accident." In response to her questions, Alphonse tells Martha that "Invinculis faciebat" means "made in prison" and that pomegranates are a fruit. Alphonse encourages Martha to make use of Rose's library, telling her he will leave the door unlocked for her. Unfortunately, this doesn't work out for Martha because she is quickly discovered in the library by her mother who tells her the books are extremely expensive and that Mr. Sewell would rather sell them and invest the money in the stock market. He cannot do this however, because the books, the house and the paintings all belong to Rose.

In her determination to learn more about the paintings on display in the Sewell Mansion gallery, Martha takes a side trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art after running an errand. A docent shows Martha the many paintings which contain pomegranates but this doesn't seem to help her. On her way home, Martha purchases a pomegranate from a fruit stand and has Bridie send it up to Miss Rose as a treat. It is returned with the word "HELP" pricked into it.  Martha feels "...those grand, expensive paintings held the secret to something. Something dark and threatening. And the pomegranate was at the center of it."

Discussion

The Gallery is an intriguing story about a young girl who quickly recognizes that the unusual paintings in the abandoned gallery in the mansion are a message to the outside world from a young wife who lives on the top floor. Once Martha deciphers the message her mission is to convince her mother about what is really going on in the Sewell mansion and to save Miss Ruth.

In Martha O'Doyle, Marx Fitzgerald has fashioned a smart, determined heroine who refuses to accept Mr. Sewell's version of events in his home. The paintings, the book by the Roman poet Ovid along with the message pressed into the pomegranate are clues to Martha suggesting something is not right in the Sewell household. When her first attempt to learn about the paintings is thwarted, Martha turns to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then to the public library. "I needed to connect the dots somehow. I needed to go somewhere where I could find all the stories I needed without keys or admission fees or fear of Ma walking in. The public library."  In the library Martha learns about Ovid and his book, Metamorphoses. After reading the story about Proserpina, Martha is convinced that Rose Sewell is trapped in her rooms upstairs and that she is trying to escape. She also becomes convinced that her mother knows what is going on in the Sewell house but because of her attachment to the master, she cannot see the truth behind the events.

The mystery is gradually uncovered as Martha comes to understand the complex relationship her mother has with Mr. Sewell and the alterior motive Mr. Sewell might have for wanting to gain control over his young wife's inheritance. The person Martha needs to convince most is her mother, because her ma truly believes that Miss Rose is mentally unstable. When Martha tells Alphonse what she has uncovered he tells her that Mr. Sewell is powerful and able to create any story he wants because he is wealthy and he controls a newspaper. But he also tells her that "Mr. Sewell has convinced your mother that this bizarre scene is in service to her mistress. So let us just say, the lady of the house is not the only one that Mr. Sewell has imprisoned."

Marx Fitzgerald brings her wonderful story to a satisfying conclusion, tying up all the loose ends and having those who deserve to, get their "just desserts".  In her author's note at the back of the novel, Marx Fitzgerald states that The Gallery came about after she found some fascinating stories in old newspapers from the 1920's and '30's. Into these stories, the author has woven in some of the most famous works of art, giving young readers the chance to learn about them. She also has her main character, Martha learn about the classical Greek myth of Proserpina. This makes The Gallery not only engaging but a great chance for young readers to explore other Greek myths on their own.

In her Author's Note, Marx Fitzgerald answers questions the story in The Gallery brings up, providing background information about the historical setting of the novel. The Gallery takes place in late 1928 and early 1929, before the historic Great Crash of October, 1929. It's a good thing Miss Rose was able to save her paintings and books because had Mr. Sewell sold them and invested in the stock market he would have lost everything in that crash.

The author does mention that Italian immigrants like Alphonso Vanzetti would have been able to easily change their name in this era. This is partly true - immigrants did often anglicize their names - Pasquale became Patrick for example. However many Italian immigrants like my grandfather did indeed have passports issued by the Italian government and young men under the age of 18 in Italy were not allowed to emigrate unless they were travelling with their families. All young men were also registered for armed service at birth and were expected to report on their eighteenth birthday. They had to provide proof as to why they could not fulfill this obligation even if they were in Canada or America.

The Gallery is a wonderfully refreshing and enjoyable novel, suitable for all ages. Well written, completely riveting, complete with a likeable heroine.

Artwork attributions:
Dante Rossetti: Proserpine © [W. Graham Robertson] Photographic Rights © Tate (1940), CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported),http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-proserpine-n05064

Gustave Courbet:  https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/gustave-courbet-still-life-with-apples-and-a-pomegranate

Willem Kalf: Still Life with Ewer, Vessels and Pomegranate Details of artist on Google Art Project [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Pablo Picasso: The Pomegranate http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/222185

Book Details:

The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
New York: Dial Books for Young Readers    2016
321 pp.

Beauty's Daughter by Carolyn Meyer

Beauty's Daughter tackles the story of the Hermione, daughter of Helen of Troy and King Menelaus of Sparta. The novel which is narrated by Hermione, is her story but it also involves the prominent role her mother played. 

The story opens when Hermione is eleven years old, relating her early life and her family history. Hermione's grandmother, Helen's mother Leda, was married to Tyndareus, King of Sparta. The great god Zeus appeared to Leda in the form of a giant swan and seduced her, causing her to give birth to a giant blue egg. Helen hatched from the egg and was accepted by Tyndareus into a family that included twin brothers, Castor and Pollux and a sister, Clytemnestra.  

Helen was extremely beautiful. When she was eleven years old, she was kidnapped by Theseus, the son of Poseidon and taken to his mother Queen Aethra who lived in a small village. Theseus left her and went off on his own adventures and eventually Helen was rescued by her brothers, the Discouri. When Helen was older, she married Menelaus, whose brother was Agamemnon, king of Mycenae.

Agamemnon was married to Helen's sister, Clytemnestra, whose husband, Tantalus he killed in battle. At this time Helen was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father chose Menelaus and at the recommendation of Odysseus, had every suitor swear to defend him. Hermione and her little brother Pleisthenes were born. Hermione developed a close relationship with her father, learning about the gods who seemed to control their lives;  Zeus and Apollo his son, Artemis, Apollos' twin and Athena who sprang from the brow of Zeus.

When Hermione is eleven-years-old, her uncle and aunt, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and her cousins, Orestes, Iphigenia, Electra and Chrysothemis come to visit Sparta. At the end of the summer, as her cousins are preparing to leave, the Spartans learned that Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy will visit soon. King Priam has nineteen children, including Paris and his eldest brother, Hector. He also has numerous children by concubines and servants. Troy is an important city in the trade for silks and spices from the Orient.

On hearing of Prince Paris' visit, Helen decides to refurbish the palace with new couches, beds and fleeces. The handsome Paris arrives and immediately Hermione realizes that Paris and her mother Helen are attracted to one another. However, her father, Menelaus seems oblivious. When Menelaus leaves for Crete, Helen and Paris steal away and leave for Troy. Hermione discovers her mother's absence during the night but cannot wake anyone in the house. As she searches the house, she discovers that her Pleisthenes has left with them and they have taken all her father's treasure from the store house.

Hermione meets Zethus, Prince Paris's servant, who tells her that he saw Aphrodite, the goddess of love,  case a spell over everyone, as Paris is her favourite. Hermione tells Zethus that when her father comes home to discover his wife and son and his treasure gone, he will enlist the help of Helen's former suitors to help him recover her. This will likely mean war with Troy. And that's what happens as the story goes.

When Menelaus arrives home to learn Helen is gone, he travels to Mycenae, to meet with King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. Hermione will stay with her aunt while Menelaus gathers together the men who took the oath to aid him and travels to Troy to retrieve Helen. Menelaus and Agamemnon decide they will send an embassy to Troy to ask for Helen's return and when King Priam refuses, they make war on Troy.  They also decide to consult the oracle at Delphi. Eventually King Menelaus is able to assemble a thousand ships at Aulis, all painted black with huge eyes on the bows. Determined to travel to Troy, Hermione sneaks aboard the women's ship only to learn that it filled with prostitutes for the warriors. Hermione is protected by an older woman and eventually reveals herself to her father on the beach at Troy.

For ten years Hermione stays with the Greeks as they fight the Trojans. Hermione relates many of the events that are part of the Illiad; the fight between Kind Menelaus and Prince Paris, the death of Patroclus, the victory of Achilles over Hector and of course the building of the wooden horse with the Greeks hiding inside.  During this time Hermione and her cousin, Orestes, who has been involved in the Trojan war, become close friends and then lovers. With the war over, Hermione and Orestes decide they will marry. However, fate intervenes and Hermione learns that her father has already promised her to Pyrrhus, the violent and cruel son of Achilles.

Hermione has seen how the Pyrrhus enslaved Andromache, Hector's widow and killed her son, Astyanax and she wants no part of the marriage. Besides, her grandfather, Tyndareus betrothed her to Orestes when they were both children. However, when she tries to seek out Orestes to tell him what her parents have done, she learns that he has sailed with Agamemnon back to Greece. Hermione is forced to marry the brutal Pyrrhus and sets sail with him to Iolkos, the main port in Phthia. After burning all his fleet, Pyrrhus sets out to Pharsalos, the capital of the Myrmidons.

Although Hermione tells herself that she must forget Orestes, she finds it difficult to settle into life with Pyrrhus. When Zethus visit brings news of the terrible events in Mycenae involving Orestes and his family, Hermione makes the decision to leave and search for the man she loves.

Discussion

Beauty's Daughter succeeds in telling the remarkable story of  Helen and Menelaus of Sparta and the war that ensued after Helen was taken to Troy whether by force or by choice, by Paris. This then sets the stage for Hermione's own story which takes place after the Trojan War. The story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War is known because it is was passed on orally and eventually written down in what has come to be known as the Epic Cycle. The Epic Cycle includes the Cypria, the Aethopis, the Little Illiad, the IIiupersis, the Nostoi and the Telegony.  Homer's epic poem, The Illiad, (sometimes included by scholars along with the Odyssey) covers only a small part of the war. Very little is known about Hermione, except that she married Pyrrhus and that she eventually fled his home after attempting to have his concubine murdered by her father. Hermione eventually marries Orestes. It is this part of Hermione's story that Meyer fleshes out.

The storytelling in Beauty's Daughter is well done and is appealing even to those for whom the story of Helen and Paris and the Trojan War is well known. Beauty's Daughter is definitely an engaging read simply because the story encompasses so many literary themes such as love, betrayal, war, and the differing roles of men and women in the Mycenaean Bronze Age. And mixed into this story are the many gods who can't seem to keep out of human affairs.

Where Beauty's Daughter falters somewhat is in the development of characters. Because there's so much "story" to tell, and because the events are told only through the eyes of Hermione, as this is her story, the other characters are not so fully portrayed.  Meyer does develop Hermione better than most of the other characters, focusing on Hermione's struggle to find her place within the Greek encampment, her longing for her mother Helen, whom Hermione feels has abandoned her, and her love affair with Orestes. Hermione is portrayed as a kindly Hermione tending to women who have been captured as spoils of war and heroes who fall in battle. The reader never really comes to know Orestes, who seems to be an important part of Hermione's life for those ten years of war at Troy, during the time the two friends grow into adulthood and love.  Even after he commits his terrible crimes, Meyer does not flesh out Orestes much except to tell us that he is being driven mad by the Furies. The same might be said of the character, Pyrrhus as it is uncertain what drives him to be so cruel to Andromache or so disinterested in Hermione.

Despite this, Beauty's Daughter is an enjoyable read and a good introduction to this wonderful Greek epic. Meyer has done her research and portrays Greek social and religious customs with great realism. It is interesting to see how Hermione and her fellow Greeks viewed their fate as whatever the gods determined, sometimes relieving them of any responsibility for their actions. To aid her young readers, Meyer has included a detailed map of Greece and Troy and a list of the many characters in this saga.

Book Details:
Beauty's Daughter by Carolyn Meyer
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt     2013
337 pp.