Daughter of Sparta – Claire M. Andrews – Daughter of Sparta #1 – Jimmy Patterson Books – Published 8 June 2021

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Synopsis

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.

My thoughts

For every reader who loved Percy Jackson or Greek Mythology, Daughter of Sparta is the book for you. I get so many requests in my school library for books that feature mythology, especially Greek mythology. Daughter of Sparta is a thrilling adventure. It is fresh yet fans of the mythological legends will recognise some familiar characters and quests.

There is so much in this story. The author could have used just one legend to inspire the story but we have multiple, with multiple gods, creatures and challenges that Daphne must face. It makes this book endlessly engaging and there is never a dull moment. I did find it a little confusing to keep track of all the characters, but having the familiar Greek gods and characters was helpful.

Daphne is as strong and brilliant a warrior and main character  as you could want. She wants to prove herself and is determined to rescue her brothers and make Sparta proud. She has been allowed certain liberties within Sparta that she would not have been allowed in other parts of Greece, but she is still determined to prove the strength and power of women.

Apollo – yes, the sun god – joins Daphne on her quest, along with Daphne’s friend/love interest who has been turned into a giant wolf. It creates an interesting love triangle, but the chemistry really builds between Daphne and Apollo, even though Daphne knows Apollo has a long, long history of breaking hearts. It’s hard to resist him, especially when they have to work so closely together to complete their quest.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Young adult fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: Greek mythology, quests, Sparta, women, gods, magic, myths and legends, romance.

Reading age guide: Ages 13 and up.

Advisory: Sexual references, references to sexual relationships. War, fighting, injury, death, torture, abduction, death. Occasional coarse language, sh** (2).

Published: 8 June  2021 by Jimmy Patterson

Format: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook. 400 pages.

ISBN: 9780316540070

Find it on Goodreads