Review: The Women of Artemis

The Women of Artemis by Hannah M. Lynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Frances Butt
Presented by Tantor Media

Wow wow WOW I LOVED THIS.

I had no idea what I was getting into, and I'm SO GLAD.

This was FEROCIOUS.

Firstly, I'm really glad I didn't read too much of the blurb on this one (or promptly forgot it, whatever). We begin with Otrera, an abused wife forced to relocate to a small town with her drunk and abusive husband and their aging servant. There, she meets other women in similar circumstances as well as the confidant Phile, and begins to learn of her own power.

At first, when Otrera talked about rising up, I wasn't sure how it was going to go. She seemed too hot-headed for me, but I liked her in spite of it. But then the story just took off and man, I LOVED it.

These women are POWERFUL. The rise is something beautiful to behold, and it ended up being such a great adventure. When I finally figured out where it was heading (a spoiler in some blurbs) I was sucked in completely.

There was just so much to love about this one, but most importantly it is a fierce, feminine tale. It allows women to be strong, capable warriors, while also allowing them the softer side of love and affection, and maternal instinct. The balance in this story was perfect.

If it wasn't for the amount of time spent in the early, weaker days, I probably would have rated this 5 stars. It really drew me in!

The narrator did a brilliant job of voicing so many women, as well as the men. She used distinctive voices and gave appropriate inflections where necessary. Her voice was perhaps too urgent at times, but I did enjoy listening to her performance.

This is definitely a book I'll recommend to fans of Greek Mythology - particularly if you're after something powerfully feminine, without any gender-bending to make a point. An exceptional feminist tale about finding your inner power and using it to build up others around you.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

View all my reviews