Review: Daughter of Sparta (Daughter of Sparta #1) by Claire M. Andrews

Daughter of Sparta

(Daughter of Sparta #1)

by Claire M. Andrews

June 8, 2021

400 pages

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

Though I'm not a Greek mythology fanatic, I love a good retelling based on the almighty gods. Going into the book with zero expectations, Daughter of Sparta turned out to be a fast-paced adventure I quite enjoyed taking part in.

My favourite part of Daughter of Sparta was the ever-growing tension in the atmosphere. The stakes were high and the writing did not let you forget it. The author does a great job infusing unease and mystery into the story. I gritted my teeth when the characters got in trouble then perked with interest when situations were explained. The book had my full attention.

From the beginning of the story you could tell Daphne was special. Smart and resourceful, she needed little help (though she does get plenty) from others to accomplish her tasks. "Good strategy is a matter of perspective. One is only as strong as the other is weak." (p. 96). Daphne's determination and persistence earned my respect. I'm more curious than ever about her parentage.

As much as I love a good romance sub plot, I didn't really see a point to having one in Daughter of Sparta. Aside from it staying to the original Apollo and Daphne story (I googled and found out there really is one ha...), their evolving relationship didn't contribute much to this retelling. Not that I didn't like the wary banter between Daphne and Apollo because they did make my heart beat faster with anticipation. I look forward to seeing where the author will take things for them.

Fast and full of action, Daughter of Sparta won me over. I'm excited this isn't the last we'll be seeing of Daphne. No official synopsis for the sequel has been released but just from the title, Blood of Troy, I can tell it'll be another sweat-filled trial~

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.