It’s almost a year since lovely Caitlin Raynor sent me a surprise copy of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint and with the paperback release a month away it’s high time I got round to sharing my review. I’m delighted to do so today.

Atalanta will be released in paperback by Wildfire on 4th January 2024 and is available for pre-order through the links here.

Atalanta

When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment.

Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta, is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis.

Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men?

My Review of Atalanta

The story of the legendary Atalanta.

Steeped in mythology Atalanta is a magnificent, completely immersive tale that I adored because I found it both incredibly absorbing and thrillingly exciting. 

It’s beautifully and poetically written with vivid descriptions that transport the reader into the settings so effectively. There’s such a visual quality to the writing that it has a cinematic quality I thought was astounding. The appeal to the senses, particularly the use of sound, is simply gorgeous so that the reader truly feels part of the story.

Jennifer Saint’s assiduous research into Greek mythology takes reader’s the half-remembered or partially known understanding of the subject and combines it into a narrative that is mesmerising, dramatic and far more emotionally moving than I had anticipated. With a dynamic, fast moving plot Atalanta is both impressive and gripping.

The balance of characters works so well. Jealous gods, duplicitous royalty, valiant and dangerous argonauts, gentle nymphs and a wide range of beasts, birds and so on, all weave into a rich tapestry. Reading Atalanta has the effect of lighting a flame of interest into these mythological people that is simply irresistible. I found it spell-binding.

I thought Atalanta herself was riveting. Representing unalloyed strength and a multi-layered feminism she leaps from the page as a surprisingly realistic person despite being part of a mythological world. This has the effect of drawing in the reader to her adventures. Physically and intellectually at least the equal of, and often superior to, any man, Atalanta is by no means perfect. She is flawed, being stubborn, proud and in some ways quite cold hearted. Her willingness to kill is both admirable and terrifying. However, there is also a tenderness to her that balances her personality so that she feels like a true heroine. I feel Jennifer Saint has made this mythological woman entirely plausible and real.

I could not have enjoyed Atalanta more. It’s skilled, spellbinding and a totally terrific read. I’m only delighted I have Jennifer Saint’s other books on my TBR as reading Atalanta has convinced me I have missed out on real treats by not getting to them sooner. Atalanta is just brilliant – don’t miss it! 

About Jennifer Saint

Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. Since September 2022, she has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics Department there. In between, she spent thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. Ariadne was her first novel, Elektra her second, and Atalanta is her latest mesmerising mythological retelling.

For further information, follow Jennifer on Twitter/X @jennysaint, or find her on Facebook and Instagram.