Review of The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus
-
Gabriel Elenbalulu
- Posts: 48
- Joined: 10 May 2024, 23:47
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 21
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gabriel-elenbalulu.html
- Latest Review: Shanghai'd by Curtis Stephen Burdick
Review of The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus" by Jeff MacLeod.]
A book where divine encounters are the norm has always caught my attention, especially that of the Greeks. It is really what piqued my interest in this book. In The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus, Jeffrey MacLeod follows Ilia, Danae, and Leda as they continue on their quest to break Hera's ancient curse. Thus, gifted by Apollo and helped by their father, the sisters embark on a dangerous mission to take Daedalus' wings and the Golden Apple of Aphrodite. They pass through many dangers in Greek mythology, from King Minos's maze to Hesperides' garden. It is no longer a mission to save their lives but to avert another disastrous Trojan War.
Along the way, they meet the divine, directly confronting the god Apollo himself, who had guided them from the beginning. They are torn between the intrigue of their curse and the blatant fact that all struggles to break it are already part of the curse, so every action seems ordained to end tragically. The book was exceptionally well-edited and error-free.
As in most mythological books, I did find the vivid and imagined descriptions of mythological settings really compelling. The Labyrinth and the Garden of the Hesperides are so well described in MacLeod's portrayal of legendary locations. The amount of detail in the explanation of the environment increased the dynamic reading experience by quite a bit, in that you can vividly imagine precisely what the sisters are undergoing. This kind of description gives such grounding in tangible reality to the fantastical elements of a story, enriching the entire narrative further.
I also liked the development of Ilia, who has been blessed with divine wisdom. The growth from an ordinary teenager to becoming a wise and strategic-thinking woman was well unfolded. Moments where she uses wisdom to solve problems and guide her sisters show her development. Her ability to remain calm under pressure and her slow decision-making make her likable and admirable; such a character improves the beauty of the story.
All in all, there was nothing I did not like about the book. I was most surprised when I even saw photos of pretty little girls and even the very famous bridge we know of the Stirling Bridge in our present-day Scotland. All these made the lines between myth and reality very blurred, and I loved the book more for it. Sometimes it feels great to wallow in the reality of some fairy tales, and the author made it easy for me. For me, the book is a classical tale of survival and the quest for freedom, well-written, error-free, and edited.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a really interesting blend of Greek mythology and adventure interwoven with family bonding. Mythological locales like the Labyrinth and the Garden of the Hesperides come alive through the descriptions. It is as an average teenager that Ilia comes out to be mature, which inherently makes the story worth it. The smooth flow of myth with reality and the use of real-life locations like the Stirling Bridge really make this read all the more gruesomely captivating. I would recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoy mythological retellings and are fans of strong, dynamic female characters, or if one is looking for complicated characters and deep world-building.
******
The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A book where divine encounters are the norm has always caught my attention, especially that of the Greeks. It is really what piqued my interest in this book. In The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus, Jeffrey MacLeod follows Ilia, Danae, and Leda as they continue on their quest to break Hera's ancient curse. Thus, gifted by Apollo and helped by their father, the sisters embark on a dangerous mission to take Daedalus' wings and the Golden Apple of Aphrodite. They pass through many dangers in Greek mythology, from King Minos's maze to Hesperides' garden. It is no longer a mission to save their lives but to avert another disastrous Trojan War.
Along the way, they meet the divine, directly confronting the god Apollo himself, who had guided them from the beginning. They are torn between the intrigue of their curse and the blatant fact that all struggles to break it are already part of the curse, so every action seems ordained to end tragically. The book was exceptionally well-edited and error-free.
As in most mythological books, I did find the vivid and imagined descriptions of mythological settings really compelling. The Labyrinth and the Garden of the Hesperides are so well described in MacLeod's portrayal of legendary locations. The amount of detail in the explanation of the environment increased the dynamic reading experience by quite a bit, in that you can vividly imagine precisely what the sisters are undergoing. This kind of description gives such grounding in tangible reality to the fantastical elements of a story, enriching the entire narrative further.
I also liked the development of Ilia, who has been blessed with divine wisdom. The growth from an ordinary teenager to becoming a wise and strategic-thinking woman was well unfolded. Moments where she uses wisdom to solve problems and guide her sisters show her development. Her ability to remain calm under pressure and her slow decision-making make her likable and admirable; such a character improves the beauty of the story.
All in all, there was nothing I did not like about the book. I was most surprised when I even saw photos of pretty little girls and even the very famous bridge we know of the Stirling Bridge in our present-day Scotland. All these made the lines between myth and reality very blurred, and I loved the book more for it. Sometimes it feels great to wallow in the reality of some fairy tales, and the author made it easy for me. For me, the book is a classical tale of survival and the quest for freedom, well-written, error-free, and edited.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a really interesting blend of Greek mythology and adventure interwoven with family bonding. Mythological locales like the Labyrinth and the Garden of the Hesperides come alive through the descriptions. It is as an average teenager that Ilia comes out to be mature, which inherently makes the story worth it. The smooth flow of myth with reality and the use of real-life locations like the Stirling Bridge really make this read all the more gruesomely captivating. I would recommend this book to young adult readers who enjoy mythological retellings and are fans of strong, dynamic female characters, or if one is looking for complicated characters and deep world-building.
******
The Three Sisters - The Progeny of Daedalus
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Shanghai'd by Curtis Stephen Burdick
