Daughters of Sparta: A tale of secrets, betrayal and revenge from mythology's most vilified women

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Ancient myths take on new life and humanity in Daughters of Sparta, Claire Heywood’s moving debut….Fans of Circe by Madeline Miller and the Avalon series by Marion Zimmer Bradley will be enthralled.” —Shelf Awareness, STARRED review

Alone of the women at Troy, Helen does get something of a happy ending, though it’s one marred by a bit of ambiguity. Having been rescued by Menealos, the two of them begin the long homeward journey toward Sparta and, for the first time since they were married, they actually talk about their feelings, after which they gaze out at the sea. Will they manage to find some measure of happiness, now that Helen has at last returned from abroad? Will Helen ever be able to fully mend the damage she has caused by leaving her husband and daughter behind? The novel refuses to definitively answer the question, and the ambiguity is both disturbing and brilliant. 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. Daughters of Sparta has such a compelling narrative; it is utterly absorbing from beginning to end. I found it both captivating and poignant; an enthralling and powerful tale of family politics, gender constraints, love, betrayal and revenge, with a masterful handling of feelings and emotions that truly resonates down the ages. Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaos, never to meet again. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect. But when the weight of their husbands’ neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves – and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.I loved this book. Accessible to those who don’t know much about Homer or Troy or Greek Mythology and special treat for those of us who do.” —The Satellite Sisters As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivaled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. But such privilege comes at a cost. While still only girls, the sisters are separated and married to foreign kings of their father’s choosing—

You are a gift to this world, my kataigida,’ he says. ‘A storm, calamitous and powerful. You take root where you want to, listen to no voice of command but your own.’

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And I understand your upset about the quote at the beginning, wholeheartedly. I think that it was a careless choice, especially because, as you say, she doesn’t include any explanation for it in her author’s note. I think it was done without a lot of reflection, unfortunately. The motivations for one of the “villains” involved also didn’t quite hold enough weight in my opinion; it didn’t make sense to me that he would be willing to participate in a plot that would destroy his own immense powers. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at that.