Queens of Themiscyra

I have been sitting on this review for almost a week trying to decide where to rate this last book in the trilogy. I loved the first two books in the series with the first being my favorite, but the third book - not so much.

I was never a fan of Theseus in Greek Mythology. I always found him to be arrogant and self-centered. He always seemed to think he was better than everyone else and boasted about his heroic deeds. Despite his bravery and skills as a warrior, I couldn't get past his egotistical nature.

I also found his treatment of women to be reprehensible. He abandoned Ariadne and Phaedra, two women who loved and supported him, without a second thought. His abduction of Hippolyte and his treatment of her as a trophy rather than an equal also left a sour taste in my mouth.

This was the daughter of Ares, God of War, owner of the zoster, whom she willingly gave to Heracles because he needed it for his twelve labours. She was the Queen of the Amazons, a woman who went to battle even against men.

She turned him down time after time and it seemed that Theseus does not like to talk NO for an answer. Any other good hero would have bowed his head in knowing defeat and moved on. Nope, he drugs her, abducts her from her world and when her sisters come to save her, she tells them she doesn't want to leave...that she knows he loves her in his way.

If this isn't a case of Stockholm Syndrome, I don't know what is.

While I love that Ms. Lynn is expanding on other myths outside the heavily saturated world of Hades and Persephone, this book was not my favorite. It may be due to that I found Theseus's character unbearable, arrogant, and selfish. I never liked him at all, which may be why I found this tale not to my taste.

I hope Ms. Lynn continues to dive further into the Greek and Roman world of myths and bring us tales that need retelling.