When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment.
Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta, is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis.
Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men?
I found out about Atalanta that morning, scrolling through Twitter looking at other peoples recent reads. I hadn’t realised that another Jennifer Saint book was coming out, and was taken back by how excited I was when I saw Atalanta on somebody elses feed. I persuaded my Other Half to include a trip to the book shop in our jobs for the day and happily availed myself of my new treasure.
I had finished it by the next day.
To be frank, the author does not shy away from uncomfortable events in her stories, and this is Greek Mythology, not a genre noted for being kind to women, or mortals. Atalanta has a rocky start which soon sees her under the protection of the goddess Artemis, she grows up surrounded my nymphs in a beautiful forest and everything is wonderful. The only shade of sadness is the consequences of men, and the goddesses cold consequences to any who are soiled by them. Atalanta grows to be a formiddable huntress, and impresses her patron with her skills. She is asked to represent Artemis in the quest for the Golden Fleece, and goes to join the Argonauts, but is warned never to marry, as it will be her undoing. You can see where this is going – go join a crew full of men, but stay away from men….
The adventures themselves are entertaining, and an interesting insight into the adventures of the argonauts. I had read about them previously in ‘Nobody’s Prize’ ( Book Review: ‘Nobody’s Princess’ and ‘Nobody’s Prize’ by Esther Friesner ) and they appeared in Circe as well, but Atalanta’s version was fresh somehow, and gripping. I tore through it.
As for what happens after, I will leave that to you to find out. Needless to say, Atalanta has a prime place on my bookshelf – partly for being by one of my favourtie authors, and partly for beings so damn pretty. The three of them sat next to each other are extremely satisfying to look at, and I have no shame in admiring these books for their covers.
For me Jennifer Saints books are meant to be read in the sunshine with the smell of suncream in the air, a good snack and nowhere to be for the rest of the day – Which is what I did. I have glorious memories of first reading Ariadne and Elektra under the same circumstances, and look forward to many more new Jennifer Saint books being read under the same circumstances.
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