Blood of Troy (Daughter of Sparta, 2)

Blood of Troy is an outstanding story & Clair is an amazing writer. I am clinging to the pages of this book & I hope to read more of Clair’s work in the future. If you’re buying this without reading ‘Daughter of Sparta’, stop. Add Daughter of Sparta to your cart & then check out. You must read the first book before Blood of Troy.PS: Just for Clair. It’s Lauren from The Shack! I’m so excited & proud of your work. Right from the start & the short stories you’d share with me, I had a feeling I’d see you published. Great work, my friend!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book for free and am writing this review of my own volition and not at the request of the author or the publisher.When I read Daughter of Sparta, I knew immediately it needed a sequel. Way too many unanswered questions, and hell, I just needed more Daphne + Apollo! Little did I know I also apparently needed more Daphne + Hermes, Daphne + Helen, Kassandra, Lykou, Paris, Artemis and oh all the rest!Blood of Troy definitely has a darker feel than Daughter of Sparta. The story covers the Trojan war, this time overshadowed by the evil yet unclear machinations of the Titan Nyx. As in Daughter of Sparta, the imagery is vivid, and Andrews' first person present writing style really make the reader feel like they are in the story. The plot itself was an absolute page turner and when I got to the end I was ravenous for more. One thing I really enjoy about Andrews' work is she's not afraid to take the traditional myth and upend it. Definitely some myth twists! Andrews' writing has only gotten better in Blood of Troy and I'm excited to see what else she comes up with. In the meantime, really looking forward to the rest of Daphne's story in Storm of Olympus!

I really enjoyed this take on the Trojan War, especially the diversions from the original story. Going into books about Troy and the war, you come to expect certain key details. Greek Mythology books are some of my absolute favorites, and I have experienced many different takes on the story. Claire's way of handling many of the story beats were some of the best parts of this book, such as Helen's reason for going to Troy, the whole reason the war started, and the gods' role in the war. This book diverged from the original tales quite a lot but still felt true to it.One of the parts that surprised me the most about this book was the fact that I did not hate Paris as much as I usually do. I'm not saying I loved him or anything, but he's not as horrible as usual. He is one of those characters that I never root for at all. This time, I cannot say that I rooted for him, but he's not as bad. Another aspect that surprised me was how much I rooted for the Trojans during this novel. I will not spoil what happens, but I really enjoyed where Claire took this story.My favorite part of this entire novel was the depiction of Helen as a character. I loved her in this telling. In most retellings of the Trojan War, Helen is not given much regarding character. She was not only given a good amount of time in this novel, but she also was so much more two-dimensional than most authors will take her. I liked seeing the friendship that developed between Daphne and Helen. The loyalty that Daphne feels for Helen feels so genuine because of this, and I loved seeing that develop throughout the book.The only aspect of this novel that brought it down for me was Daphne not being honest with her friends around her. I don't like when withholding information in books causes problems between the characters later on.Overall, I really enjoyed this take on the Trojan war and the continuation of Daphne's story. Here's hoping for another book, especially with that ending.

Not a happy book. Daphne is basically hated by everyone everywhere which is a bit tiresome. Not a lot of spunky heart and humor in this one. But wow! This story subverted just about every classical trope and narrative of the Iliad, placing women in power of their own stories, while also being incredibly well researched and I am so here for it.I’m holding out for a happy ending in the third book but also for more of this incredible, grounded mythic world building of Ancient Greece and its gods. Also hoping we get to cover the Odyssey from Daphne’s take as well!

I love this series so much. I get completely swept away in Claire Andrews' fresh spin on classic Greek Mythology. Everytime a new event passes in these books, and I'm feeling certain thst I know what will happen next based on previous translations of popular myths, she takes me on a whole new adventure. One where maybe some Gods aren't so bad, maybe there's a chance for the Fates to be wrong.These books will suck you in like no other. I cannot wait for the final piece of Daphne's puzzle to be completed.

Claire Andrews hits a Greek's myth homerun with Blood of Troy. The challenges for Daphne are many. Where friends and family maybe enemies. And God's take sides. And God's and half God's and mortals have intertwined relationships. Love, hate, jealousy abound as Sparta and Troy fight the war of wars for ancient Greece and an eye opener for Daphne learning about her past and why she is special and the tug of war in her soul. You won't put this one down.