I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the DAUGHTER OF SPARTA by Claire M. Andrews! Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Title: Daughter of Sparta

Author: Claire M. Andrews

Publisher: Little Brown

Release Date: June 8, 2021

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Retelling, Greek Mythology

Sparta forged her into a deadly weapon. Now the Gods need her to save the world!

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.

Guided by Artemis’s twin-the handsome and entirely-too-self-assured god Apollo-Daphne’s journey will take her from the labyrinth of the Minotaur to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes, team her up with mythological legends such as Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and pit her against the gods themselves.

A reinterpretation of the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo, DAUGHTER OF SPARTA by debut author Claire Andrews turns the traditionally male-dominated mythology we know into a heart-pounding and empowering female-led adventure.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound 

Book Depository

Preorder a signed and personalized copy of Daughter of Sparta through Claire’s indie bookstore, Barrister’s Book Shop Ltd.!

Author Information

Claire Andrews was raised in both Alaska and Scotland, but currently lives in Vermont; when not writing, she can usually be found outside swimming, skiing or hiking across the state’s famous green mountains. Daughter of Sparta is her debut novel.

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Review

To start, I love a good historical mythology retelling. I honestly love any retelling but especially the books that play on Greek mythology. So you can probably imagine my excitement when I heard about Daughter of Sparta. I placed this book near the top of my 2021 most anticipated reads and, let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Daughter of Sparta is everything I love in retellings and more. This book was by far so difficult to put down; I kept reading because I needed to know more about Daphne and her journey and her relationship with Apollo. I never wanted this story to end, and thankfully, there’s a sequel coming out next year!

While Daughter of Sparta is a fiercely beautiful retelling of Daphne’s and Apollo’s story, it’s so much more at heart. Daughter of Sparta presents the readers with Daphne’s story. Daphne is a brave female protagonist full of wit and courage. She may have been an orphan but her found family is all she needs, as long as she makes them proud. And she does, until Artemis holds her brother hostage. In exchange for his life, Daphne must hunt for lost godly artifacts that will restore the gods and goddesses’ powers. Because at the heart of Olympus – the gods and goddesses are dying and they’re counting on Daphne to save them all.

But ironically, Daphne despises the gods. She wants absolutely nothing to do with them. She still shows respect to them but deep down, she knows they’re wicked and cruel. But she’s left no choice if she wants to save her brother. Daphne must team up with Apollo to collect these artifacts. And so her journey and self-discovery begins. I really enjoyed Daphne as the protagonist. She’s fierce, proud, and deeply devoted to her family. Along this journey, she discovers more about herself (and her past), more than she ever anticipated, and I really liked that aspect of the story. While this is a retelling, I loved that the story illustrated more of Daphne’s life and focused more on the adventure and task at hand than on the romance. But don’t get me wrong, I was here for all the romance, especially when it’s romance as sizzling as this one. 

So while this book is enemies-to-lovers, it’s also a slow-burn romance. And let me tell you, I was here for it all. I was internally screaming at the two characters to kiss. They’re witty banter and arguments were wildly entertaining and made me root for these two even more. I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, especially when it’s done right. And Andrews does this romance 100% right! You will be rooting for these two the entire book and getting impatient for the moment where they finally reveal their feelings (or do they?).

The historical world building really tied everything up nicely. I loved how Andrews described the world and incorporated all these fascinating details. Some details, as Andrews notes in the book, are not exactly 100% factual, but I honestly enjoyed the little twists on the facts. And her writing. I marked up Daughter of Sparta with so many sticky notes; there were so many quotes and memorable scenes that I loved. Andrews’s writing is so lush and beautiful, with magnificently described scenes and epic battle moments. I was, overall, so enamored with this story and the exquisite writing.

All in all, Daughter of Sparta is a stunning debut and captivating first book. I’m looking forward to more Daphne and Apollo. Daughter of Sparta is out today so definitely consider picking up if you love Greek mythology retelling and enemies-to-lovers romance. 

Blog Tour

Check out the other tour stops on this amazing tour!

Week One:

6/7/2021	YABooksCentral	Excerpt
6/8/2021	A Court of Coffee and Books	Review
6/9/2021	History from a Woman’s Perspective	Review
6/10/2021	The Momma Spot	Review
6/11/2021	Momfluenster	Review

Week Two:

6/14/2021	Books and Zebras @jypsylynn	Review
6/15/2021	The Bookwyrm’s Den	Review
6/16/2021	Eli to the nth	Review
6/17/2021	@fictitious.fox	Review
6/18/2021	Book Briefs	Review

Giveaway

3 lucky winners will win a finished copy of DAUGHTER OF SPARTA, US Only.