Creditable tale of Troy and the Greeks. Good characters, smooth story,; like how the gods and goddesses flit in and out.

Part love story, part war epic, this is the legend of Troy told through the eyes of the women in the city. Full of love, revenge and mischievous gods and all told in a flowing pose that grabbed my attention from the first page. ( )

in a sentence: a story about sisters, friends, gods and goddesses, war, love, pain - with a particular focus on a love triangle (more like love-hexagon) all set by the backdrop of the Trojan War.

Marpessa and Xanthe are sisters. Marpessa is Helen's personal assistant, and Xanthe is the nursemaid to Andromache (Hector's wife). the trojan war has been going on for 10 years now, and the gods on Mount Olympus are both bored and frustrated with the events unfolding, and are ready for a change...unfortunately, that's not the worst of it for Xanthe and Marpessa. love, loyalty, and divine intervention permeate their beings - for better or for worse.

from the fiery love of Paris and Helen to the loyal and tragic hero Hector, the weaving of the gods and goddesses like Zeus, Athena, and Hermes into the story is creative, without being cheesy. the love hexagon is scandalous and juicy, which left me craving for more. i loved the omniscient narrator combined with the alternating scenes for chapter titles as a way to break the monotony of the storyline. Geras uses the Trojan war as a backdrop for the story, but also to serve a greater purpose - the war itself is vital to the situations created and a macrocosm of the events. most of all, i am impressed at the deeper "greek mythology" feel to the story...that nothing turns out quite right for the characters. there is always a tinge of regret, sorrow, or frustration with their situation. how true to real life, no? the character development is solid and leaves your heart smiling with theirs and hurting when they hurt until the very end.

this is a great read for historical fiction fans, those looking for a little scandalous romance, and pretty much anyone looking to score an enthralling and passionate read. According to the VOYA standards, I give this a solid 4Q 4P.

favorite quote: "The fire was not enough. The swords and the spears and the shrieking and the blood and the broken bodies were not enough. Anger and revenge and hatred and bitterness and darkness were not enough." (301)

fix er up: when the characters see the gods and goddesses, they generally forget them almost immediately after they leave - with the exception of Marpessa. near the end i found myself getting a bit frustrated with the "and they forgot what happened" or "as soon as Ares left, so did the thoughts"...could have gone unsaid by the 3rd or 4th time. ( )

Imagine the battle from Troy from the female perspective!. This story shows the various battles, which are played out away from the battle field. While this is enjoyable story, it lacks the poetry of Homer's Iliad: "Sing, O Goddess!" Perhaps this modern telling will make Homer's prose make accessible. ( )

This book was really amazing. I already knew most of the story surrounding Troy, but the cast of characters and the brilliant storytelling really made this an instant favourite. ( )