Helen of Sparta

Helen of Sparta by Amalia Carosella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Telling the story of Helen before she was Helen of Troy, this book does a good job of marrying real world answers to some of the mysticism of legend. You almost believe gods could talk and a hero could go to Hades to steal Penelope as a matter of course. I liked that it was the story of Helen and Theseus, which isn't a story told that often, but Carosella stays true to what is known of the story and skillfully fills in the gaps and gives us plausible motives and emotions. I really enjoyed her characterization, but the pacing was slow...several pages, maybe even chapters seemed to be devoted to Theseus sacrifices to the gods and Helen wandering around the castle. Despite that, it made me think that maybe kindle first does have a few gems hidden in their monthly free books after all.

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