This book retells nine myths from the perspectives of their heroines. The authors choose stories where young women play an active role in their stories or get to make important choices. Penelope’s story is particularly good. She tells it to Circe in first person and proves that she has been just as clever as her husband Odysseus. Of course, she spots Odysseus in disguise right away, and sets up the archery contest on purpose, just for him. 

Naturally, this book emphasizes the agency of its characters, which leads it to put a positive spin on some of the darker stories. For example, Persephone walks herself down to the underworld out of curiosity and knows exactly what she’s doing when she eats her pomegranate seeds. Atalanta doesn’t have her failed suitors executed when they lose the foot race, as annoying as they have been, and Melanion is just looking for a way to spend time with her when he challenges her to a race. Most interesting is the story of Apollo and Daphne. She thinks about several possible outcomes before she decides to turn into a tree and is very happy with her choice. The authors use the version of the story that Ovid tells in his Metamorphoses, where Daphne refuses to marry Apollo, but does agree to let him wear a wreath of her leaves in his hair. 

The character designs are particularly good in this book. I love seeing Aphrodite as a curvy black woman, and Demeter and Persephone as South Asian. Characters who are white but spend all their time outside, like Daphne and Atalanta, have tanned skin, and dark curly hair is more common than Northern European blond. If there’s one thing that archaeology has proved in recent years, it’s that the Mediterranean Sea was populated by folks of many different racial and ethnic backgrounds, thanks to trade networks and sea travel. It’s a pleasure to see that reflected in this book. – Krishni Burns