Artemis Rising

by Cheri Lasota

[inlibrisveritas]

In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received this book through the Early Reviewers Program at LibraryThing.com. The publisher sent me this as an ARC so I will treat it as such, however it seems that this has already been release.

When I first saw this book as a giveaway I was immediately intrigued by it. The cover art was beautiful, the name and summary promised something new and exciting, and it seemed to be well written. It seems this is one of those rare occasions where 'first impressions' ring completely true.

This book is filled with a complex yet fluid retelling of two separate myths that have been intricately weaved together in a way that it pulls you head-first into the story. Throughout it all I found myself completely entranced by this, and I had a hard time putting down my Kindle once I got started. Only for the need of sleep did it take me two days to finish. The plot itself is one that is beautifully written and well thought out, though I will admit if you are reading this halfheartedly you may become confused at times. I adore mythology and I really like when authors come up with a creative way to integrate them into their own stories, and I can honestly say that I found this to be completely original and fresh. I was familiar with the story of Tristan and Isolde but not that of Alpheus and Arethusa, and even now that I've become familiar with both I can see that they have no true connections. However Lasota managed to pull these two stories together and combine them in such a way that I'll probably never looked at them the same again. After all the emotions that pulled me back and forth and though I was sad to see it over, the ending was perfect to me as it felt complete.

I really liked the main character Eva. She was strong willed and determined despite her troubled life, and even in the toughest of times she attempted to keep her chin up and keep moving forward. She made mistakes of course but she learned from them. The growth of her character is wonderful and believable. She goes from being a girl who is scared and alone, to a woman who knows exactly who she is and will not allow anyone else to tell her otherwise. Tristain is just as lovely, and he grew just as much as Eva throughout the story. The relationship between them is sweet and yet so frustrating, which is exactly what the characters feel. Diogo was very easy to hate and very easy to be deceived by in the beginning. Overall Lasota did a wonderful job of creating characters that were truly human in their decisions and desires, and the way she wrote the story really gave you a sense of every emotion that coursed through these people.

Now on to the warnings and notices for others. This book contains Spainish phrases throughout. However if you are not familiar with the language there is a glossary and phrase guide in the back that tells you the meanings. I personally had no trouble figuring out what the meanings of things were, or at least coming close to the meanings, thanks to Lasota's descriptions and explanations. Also there is a some violence that plays a part in the story as well. It is nothing terribly gory but it is present.

I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone though of course those who enjoy romance, re-tellings, and mythology will probably enjoy this more.