Title: Hetaera (Agathon's Daughter: Book One)
Author: Suzanne Tyrpak
Publication Date: December 11th 2011
Source: Received from the author for an honest review
Born a bastard and a slave, Hestia has a gift: the power to read people's hearts. And yet, the secrets of her own heart remain a mystery. Hestia's keen intellect makes her a match for any man. But even a literate slave has little control over destiny. Sold to a prominent statesman with sadistic tendencies, Hestia becomes his hetaera (consort). As her wealth and fame increase so does her despair. She dreams of freedom, but she faces enemies at every turn. When Hestia is accused of murder, the mystery of her past unravels and fate takes another turn.
Hetaera: Agathon's Daughter was awarded third place in the Maui Writers Rupert Hughes writing competition.
Due to the subject matter, there are some sexual scenes--suggestive rather than explicit.
Hetaera: Agathon's Daughter was awarded third place in the Maui Writers Rupert Hughes writing competition.
Due to the subject matter, there are some sexual scenes--suggestive rather than explicit.
My Thoughts
Hetaera is an intriguing and and at times, harsh story of the life of a woman in ancient Greece.
Brought up as a slave in her father's home, Hestia is at the mercy of her ambitious and quite frankly bitch mistress/step mother after her Father Agathon dies under mysterious circumstances.
What ensues is a story of spite, hatred, intrigue and self survival.
I was hoping to have more of her gift explained in the book as it initially sounded as though this was a pivotal part of the book.
Sadly, it didn't really play a huge role in the story, as surely it would of helped her steer clear off some of the obstacles that came her way.
The writing of author Suzanne Tyrpak is smooth and easily engrossing in its descriptions of everyday life in Ancient Greece, even when encountering unsettling subject matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed some elements of this story but wasn't fussed with others.
An interesting 3 Star read :]
Brought up as a slave in her father's home, Hestia is at the mercy of her ambitious and quite frankly bitch mistress/step mother after her Father Agathon dies under mysterious circumstances.
What ensues is a story of spite, hatred, intrigue and self survival.
I was hoping to have more of her gift explained in the book as it initially sounded as though this was a pivotal part of the book.
Sadly, it didn't really play a huge role in the story, as surely it would of helped her steer clear off some of the obstacles that came her way.
The writing of author Suzanne Tyrpak is smooth and easily engrossing in its descriptions of everyday life in Ancient Greece, even when encountering unsettling subject matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed some elements of this story but wasn't fussed with others.
An interesting 3 Star read :]
Good review,
ReplyDeleteI just got one of the author's other books Vestal Virgin while it was free on kindle last week.
-Kimberly @ Turning The Pages
Hi Kimberly, thanks for dropping by...I've heard that The Vestal Virgin is a great read, hope you enjoy it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the review!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the useful feedback. I love hearing from readers. I'm currently writing book two, Priestess--and in this book I will delve more into Hestia's gift. I think the overarching story of her character is one of learning to trust and know herself--but sometimes I don't really understand the story I'm telling, until I've finished writing it!
Thanks for stopping by the blog Suzanne.
ReplyDeleteI like that the story is telling itself, and your title has me guessing as to what comes next for Hestia :)
Cath