Daughter of Sparta

By: Claire Andrews

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In this thrilling reimagining of ancient Greek mythology, a headstrong girl does whatever it takes to rise up and become the most powerful fighter her people have ever seen.

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' 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.

©2021 Claire Andrews (P)2021 Jimmy Patterson

Critic reviews

"Nonstop action, drama, and an unforgettable female warrior will keep readers turning pages.... Awe-inspiring." (SLJ)

"A strong female-led adventure story with an underlying romance." (SLC)

Couldn’t get enough

I was a little hesitant about this book after reading some of the reviews. I feel like the low scores were totally unfounded. The characters were well developed and the world was believable. The story and action flowed naturally and overall, this book was worth my time.

A book full of love, loss, betrayal & redemption

Extremely enjoyable book! I could feel myself being pulled into the world of gods, titans & a fearlessly passionate and strong female lead in Daphne. It's definitely a book that once you start, you will not want to put down!

Worth the credit

(No spoilers)
This is my second time reading this, which says enough that it’s at least worth the credit.

The first go round I devoured this book mostly bc I love Greek mythology and romance. The second round it was a little less *amazing* but still pretty great. The characters seemed a little less developed than I originally thought, and some scenes I found myself losing interest/not paying attention and noticed they might have been shorter/removed. Biggest gripe on the second read I noticed is definitely the climax/the end. It felt rushed and kind of anti-climatic. The MCs decision at the end, I understood, but it felt very abrupt and I’d have liked the reader to have more insight into why she felt she had to/wanted to make that choice.

Amazing and Action Packed

This is my honest Opinion of this book which begins with the main character (Daphne). She was aiming to try and be accepted as a Spartan but not surprisingly she wasn’t accepted. That led her to her own discovery of who she is and becoming. I love stories like this because when you have nothing left to loose; you have a lot to gain. I admire Greek mythology a lot because it got me into reading a lot more. Can’t wait to devour book2 of this series!

Sequel now please!

Thought I would like it. Turned out I absolutely loved it.

One review I read before I bought it called this "Percy Jackson series in one book". I understand that review, but to me it was more "Hunger Games in Greece, but with better 'ships'". Yes, you go through a lot of the same trials as every other Greek mythology series you know (they're the trials most remembered, so obviously), but this is not your Percy universe. This is Sparta, after all. These gods are very different than the ones we think we know, and I honestly kinda love some of the things she did with them. Persephone, for the first time ever, I actually like her! And contrary to another review I'd read, I did not find the story predictable at all. I have guesses about the cliffhangers left for book 2, but I honestly don't know, and that's even after searching Wikipedia for clues. It's going to be a long summer for me, waiting for that preorder in September!

As for Daphne, I downright love her. She is one of the first female heroines of this kind of YA story that I don't feel an overwhelming desire to slap. (Maybe book 2 will change that?) At no point in the story do I remember thinking "god, you're an idiot" or "these guys deserve better than you, girl". As for the guys, I absolutely adore both of them. If I could split Daphne in half, I absolutely would. Hopefully she finds a way to make it up to them both in the series. They are equally awesome.

My only issue with the narration was Apollo, and that might have just been my own expectations, after all of the other books I've listened to (Rick Riordan mostly, but others as well). Apollo isn't gravelly in my head, he's sultry. Apollo, more than any other god, has to have a voice that's irresistible, (I mean, THAT is Apollo's jam!), and her voice for him was jarring, especially the first sentence. I got used to it eventually, but I almost went back to the paper copy in that chapter. Everything else was fine. Her pronunciation of certain Greek words was different from what you hear in the Percy series, but she's probably more accurate, and I got used to those a lot faster than I did to Apollo's accent. I think I'll adjust my brain to his voice eventually, as I'm definitely listening to it again and again.

As for the story, without giving spoilers, Daphne is a refreshing female lead. She IS a kick ass girl, and she's a true Spartan (no whining/crying/clinical depression through book after book, thank God), but she is also allowed to be a female. She has her soft side, her temptations and responsiveness to masculinity, and she is not stupidly bound to 'love is weakness' or 'I will never marry', the way so many of these girls are. (She HAD her chance to pledge herself to Artemis, and she didn't do it.) "I have learned that the fire is inside me", as she says herself, and that was nice to see, as were her moments of swallowing her pride and letting the guys be the strong ones. Rescuers need rescued sometimes, and a true relationship is one where you save each other. Brain and strength and heart together in a girl will make this top of my list to proudly hand to my daughter when she's old enough (which unfortunately won't be until high school; there's a lot of blood in here - think Hunger Games). And if you need a god to stand around and be the pretty one while the girl does the fighting, hey, Apollo is your guy! We all already knew that about him. Pretty is something he's good at.

I cannot wait for the next book. in the meantime, I think I'll restart on this one.

woman warrior

This is good storytelling with a basis of traditional myths, but with many new and unusual twists. it may be from a woman's point of view, but there is still plenty of Blood and Guts and battle and weapons and fighting Etc.

Amazing!

I’m obsessed with historical fiction/fantasy twists & this book was the start of a wonderful adventure!! I loved it, the entire series was perfect, it flowed, it shocked, it surpassed my expectations. Definitely worth the credits & will listen to this series again!

90% Rude 21st century teen - 10% Sparta

TLDR - Written for teen girls and people who want a 1st hand perspective on 21st century teen angst shoved into a poorly executed BC Greek society. If you're looking for a fierce, intelligent girl who was born for a battlefield - this isn't it - sadly.

The cover of this book and the description along with some of these reviews makes you think you're going to get a gritty story of a girl who ascends the bloody steps of Spartan society. You're going to get courageous action in a Greece that is ruled by the gods in a time of strife. You get some of that... sparingly. Mostly you get teen angst, insane dialogue from a young girl to the god that accompanies her, and action scenes and combat written by someone who seemingly doesn't want to write action scenes or combat.

The plot is meh. Forgivable though. The dialogue is cringe-inducing. Almost every male is a sitcom punching bag for her to immediately verbally thrash. Luckily for her they just stand around and smile while she throws a tantrum every other page. There is very little sign of her growing up in the harsh unforgiving society of the Spartans. She is thin skinned, mouthy and absorbs nothing new.

I really wanted to like this book. Like - a lot. Perhaps some people will love it and good for them. Alas - I do not. Its just - boring.

Can’t finish

I wanted to like it, but could only get about halfway through before I had to just accept it wasn’t good.

Meh

This book was just “okay”. The characters were rather two dimensional. It seemed more like a screenplay for a B movie mythology action film. I did finish it, but kept hoping for something more.