A woman who, as a baby, was left to die in the wild but was raised by a bear and later nymphs under the auspice of the goddess Artemis. This is a retelling that fully inhabits the magical realm of myth while losing none of its human heart. Steeped in mythology Atalanta is a magnificent, completely immersive tale that I adored because I found it both incredibly absorbing and thrillingly exciting. I have to admit that I looked forward to the arrival of Medea, and thoroughly enjoyed the way events immediately started to revolve around her – much to Atalanta’s disgust!

As the story progresses Atalanta falls a little out of favour with the Goddess of the Hunt and to try and redeem herself undertakes a quest. In her acknowledgements, Saint says she hopes the novel will make readers fall as in love with Atalanta as she did―and her quest has been fulfilled. Artemis shunned the golden halls of Mount Olympus, the grand cloud-cloaked palace where the other immortals lived.Atalanta really has a story of incredible greatness, and her feats are equal in magnitude to those of her contemporary and well documented male heroes. Across the water, set into the sloping mountainside, was a wide cave with large rocks dotted about in front of the entrance. The scent from the jasmine…spilled out on the breeze, the delicate star-shaped flowers opening to the darkness.

I think this book does rely on you having quite a bit of knowledge beforehand, but for fans of these characters, it’s definitely a worthwhile read. The Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece is filled with impossible challenges, but Atalanta proves herself equal to the men she fights alongside. Adding this to the advantage of being trained and mentored by Artemis herself, creates an extremely formidable young woman.No longer a 2 dimensional figure on the fringes of other hero’s stories - she is now 3 dimensional and has her own story, her own voice. I don’t remember exactly the moment when I first encountered Atalanta in mythology – her stories are quite disparate and episodic, and I didn’t have a strong sense of her as a character particularly.

He tried to get away, he scrambled back toward the trees, but I could see where his hair dripped with water that there was something forming on his head, something that made no sense. This is a must-read for any fans of fantasy stories like “Circe” that feature strong, female characters. About the Author: Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London.Atalanta is the only woman on the ship and she has to prove herself time and time again, not only to those they meet on their journey but also to her fellow Argonauts. Such is the case with Atalanta, a character who is only briefly mentioned as a member of the Argonauts and then has some brief adventures as a runner until, predictably, she’s tricked by a man into marriage and they both suffer tragedy at the hands of the gods. Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published. Her second novel, ELEKTRA, was a Number One Sunday Times bestseller and explores the curse upon the House of Atreus, giving voice to three women who are caught up in its shadows: Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra whose lives are shattered by the Trojan War and who seek to find justice at any cost.