Dark of the Moon: A Panoramic Review

"Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.


So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.

Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . . ." (from Goodreads)

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

My reaction: I found the first half more interesting, but it started to get repetitive and somewhat boring partway through. (I should note here that I've never studied the Theseus/Minotaur legend and so I'm not very familiar with it.) The story that the Cretan religious belief system is founded on (that of Velchanos and Goddess) is complex and difficult to follow in all its intricacies. While it keeps getting re-hashed and added to in detail, there isn't a lot of action or major plot points until the climactic scenes toward the end. The tone is rather dark and for much of the story the prospects of the main characters are bleak indeed, so don't go into it expecting a light or fun retelling.

The main characters Ariadne and Theseus are well-defined and multi-dimensional, but I didn't personally connect with either of them. Ariadne's acceptance of the religion and her role in the rituals irritated me at times; I'm sure it was realistic for the way she'd been brought up and the times she was living in, but I wanted to see her question and doubt the system more. However, her love for her brother was endearing; it was nice to see that she cared deeply for someone outside of herself. I can't really say the same for Theseus, who often acted out of selfish motives.

I did appreciate there is no black-and-white romance going on between Theseus and Ariadne. They share more of a tentative alliance, each by turns using the other, than anything else. While Ariadne briefly flirts with the possibility that she may have fallen for Theseus, their relationship never ventures beyond the merest beginning of a friendship.

As for other characters: Ariadne's mother Pasiphaë isn't really likable, but the relationship between Ariadne and her was quite interesting, the mother-daughter dynamic taking on an unusual tone as Pasiphaë also has the role of "mentor," so to speak, to She-Who-Will-Be-Goddess. The villains seemed a bit caricature-ish and could have been fleshed out more to make them less stereotypical.

Best aspect: I enjoyed seeing how fundamentally a belief system can affect everyday lives. The close connection between their religion and nature and the harvest made sense, and although we don't know a whole lot about ancient Cretan society, many societies in ancient times had a strong correlation between the farming schedule and their spiritual traditions (i.e. paganism). The atmosphere of ancient Greece was well-evoked, the writing painting a rich picture of life back then.

If I could change something... Well, for a book being touted as a retelling of the myth of the Minotaur...we don't actually *see* the "Minotaur" (Asterion) very much! This is unfortunate, as I thought his character had a lot to offer; the way Barrett has re-interpreted the Minotaur — as a mentally challenged and physically deformed young man, rather than the actual offspring of a bull and woman — brings into play the potential for many questions of morality and empathy. I think there's more that could have been explored with Asterion, but it's overshadowed by the complexities of the Goddess/Velchanos legend and the plot surrounding Theseus and Prokris.

Also, I was a bit iffy on how the religion is handled. Through most of it, the religion is portrayed merely as a belief system without concrete evidence — which is fine. But there's one part where this shifts and the presence of a deity is implied, though granted it is told from Ariadne's perspective. I found it difficult to accept Ariadne's belief in Goddess and her presence given that we don't really get to know Goddess' character at all. However, towards the end Ariadne herself acknowledges her uncertainty about this scene, which helps to remind the reader that this is all being filtered through Ariadne's point of view. In a way, it gives it a bit more mystery to not have the question resolved one way or another.

Read if: you like Greek legends, ethics, and characters with questionable motives. 

Final verdict: 3.5 shooting stars. I like the more realistic interpretation Barrett has taken of this legend, but I didn't really empathize that much with either of the leads and thought the complexities of the religious belief system swamped the storyline in a way. 

Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.

Song of the Sparrow: Review

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell, read for my "Read Outside Your Comfort Zone" Challenge. 

  
Goodreads' description:

"Since the days of King Arthur, there have been poems and paintings created in her name. She is Elaine of Ascolat, the Lady of Shalott, and now there is a book all her own. The year is 490 A.D. and 16-year-old Elaine has a temperament to match her fiery red hair. Living on a military base with her father, brothers, and the rest of Arthur's army, Elaine pines for the handsome Lancelot, and longs for a female friend. But when the cruel, beautiful Gwynivere arrives, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry. Can Elaine find the strength to survive the birth of a kingdom?"

Why is it outside my comfort zone? I've never been a big fan of novels in verse, but I don't think I've given enough of them a try...hence why I'm reading some for this challenge!

Did it win me over? Why or why not? Yes, it definitely did. I actually found myself really enjoying Song of the Sparrow. The writing is so atmospheric, and even the fact that it's written in verse works quite well given the medieval setting, especially with the nod to the Lady of Shalott poem.

It's fun to see how the author incorporated the various Arthurian figures and stories. I always thought Lancelot was pretty much a jerk (come on, he continually messes with Arthur) so I was glad to see him get some comeuppance in this version. I also loved how Sandell tied in that iconic scene from Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott" — the riverboat one replicated in Anne of Green Gables — with her own plot.

I never liked the version of Tristan and Isolde I read (by Gottfried von Strassburg); I studied it in university and thought both Tristan and Isolde were immature and irresponsible, and so instead I just felt sorry for poor King Mark. However, I definitely prefer Sandell's version of Tristan, one who has already experienced the Tristan-and-Isolde love affair. We see him as a young man who's been burnt by love and is now wary of it. Hearing the Tristan/Isolde story after the fact (as Tristan tells it to Elaine) allowed me to respect Tristan's character a lot more and actually sympathize with him.

Best aspect? The expressive writing and richly vivid description that makes you feel like you're really there with Elaine. From lush forest scenery to the rough, dirty tone of the Saxon camp, it's sensuous and vibrant.  

I also liked Elaine as a character — yes, she's girlishly naive at the beginning, but it's the kind of innocence that feels real. And I admired her resourcefulness and her ease in the wild, contrasted sharply with Gwynivere's fashionable style and self-important manner. We can spot Elaine's romantic relationship coming a mile off, but seeing her sort out her feelings and realize the difference between an infatuated crush and a love forged from friendship is rewarding. So too is seeing all the different types of relationships Elaine has with the various members of the camp — her relationship with her brother Lavain is fraught with tension from a horrifying shared memory; she has an easy friendship with Tristan that she undervalues; Morgan teaches and mentors her; she continually longs for Lancelot's attention. Perhaps the lessons Elaine learns over the course of the story are a little obvious — and there are a few oh-so-sappy lines towards the end — but overall the emotions are handled with a light, poetic touch.

If I could change something, I would... I'd flesh out Gwynivere's character. I got the impression we were supposed to see her personality change as character development, but it was too quick for me and ended up feeling more like an odd Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement instead. She is portrayed as such a cold, snooty "ice queen" type at the beginning that I didn't find her "growth" to be believable. Sandell sets us up for one Gwynivere and then gives us another, and that didn't work for me; her later actions just don't fit with the Gwynivere we've come to expect. Spoilery details, highlight to read: Would she really have had the stamina, determination and chutzpah to slog through rough conditions for days on ending, following Elaine? And all so sneakily that Elaine doesn't see her? I doubt it. 


I also had to suspend a bit of disbelief when it came to the climactic scenes. Spoiler: the girls managing to escape so easily from the Saxon camp was a bit much for me. Granted, they're quick-witted (and quick-footed, too) but I found it difficult to believe the Saxons could be fooled with quite so simple a distraction. And Gwynivere being the one to save Elaine worked out a little too perfectly, especially considering I didn't think Gwynivere would have paid enough attention to figure out which herbs were needed.

Just one more thing I want to mention: the first 3/4s of the book are pretty slow-moving. I didn't mind this much, although I did find myself wanting to flip ahead to find out what happens. The slow pace does allow the reader to get to know Elaine and her role in the camp, and shows off the beautiful writing style, but admittedly there isn't a lot of action.

Would I read more like this book? Yes, certainly. I was surprised at how this book drew me in. I hadn't read anything medieval in a while and this got me right into the mood for it.

Quote:




The scent of blood rides high
on the wind,
with its traces of cold, black iron,
rotted earth, dying flesh,
and I stagger backward
as the smell, pungent
and terrible, fills my nostrils.
It stings and brings
tears to my eyes.
         I hate this rank stench. 

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars.

 

If you haven't signed up yet for the "Read Outside Your Comfort Zone" challenge and would like to, you can learn more about it and fill out the form HERE.