Helen of Sparta

Helen of Sparta

By: Amalia Carosella

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Long before she ran away with Paris to Troy, Helen of Sparta was haunted by nightmares of a burning city under siege. These dreams foretold impending war - a war that only Helen has the power to avert. To do so, she must defy her family and betray her betrothed by fleeing the palace in the dead of night. In need of protection, she finds shelter and comfort in the arms of Theseus, son of Poseidon. With Theseus at her side, she believes she can escape her destiny. But at every turn, new dangers - violence, betrayal, extortion, threat of war - thwart Helen's plans and bar her path. Still, she refuses to bend to the will of the gods.

A new take on an ancient myth, Helen of Sparta is the story of one woman determined to decide her own fate.

The sequel to Helen of Sparta will be published by Lake Union Publishing in May 2016.

©2015 Amalia Carosella (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Cliffhanger

This story was entertaining, characters engaging and believable for a mythical tale, but it left the reader in an unfinished place. in my opinion.
Too many unresolved issues and not a good place to end the tale.

Interesting Adaptation, Bad Narration

WARNING: the novel contains a graphic rape.

Carosella has put forward a new interpretation of Helen of Troy's story. Giving Helen the gift of foresight, she presents the character as an active player who tries to prevent her visions of war from becoming a reality. At times, this turns her into a bit of a Cassandra-figure as those around Helen don't fully believe her or refuse to take logical precautions.
Another interesting aspect of the novel is that it takes place completely outside of the Trojan War. Helen has visions of the war and spends the book trying to prevent it. But her story and main romance are not with Paris, but with Theseus. This allows for a very unique story to unfold.
Despite many positive aspects to the novel, for some reason I had trouble connecting with the characters. Also, the narrator was awful, especially when it came to male characters. Overall the narration was too modern sounding and none of the voices used were particularly different from each other.

Reader has an annoying delivery.

I just started this book, but so far I am unimpressed. The reader puts a sob in her voice in the most boring of passages raising everything to high drama. If the delivery improves, I will change my rating.

well worth reading

I loved this book. I enjoyed seeing the story of Helen in a new light.

Couldn't Stop Listening

I bought this book because I wanted to know more about Sparta, the culture and the myths. Not only did I learn a great deal, the narrator made the story so riveting I really felt I was there! I highly recommend this book.

Helen of Sparta

Excellent mythical storyline, easy to follow and very intriguing. I recently took an online course about mythology and this book brought the characters that I ?earned about to life. I rreally have enjoyed the audio.

entertaining

The woman who is narrating was good but i thought it was a wrong choice for this story. It was a different spin on a classic tale though. very entertaining.

Lackluster Heroine, Whiny Narration

I wanted to like this. I gave it a couple of tries.
First of all, I quickly tired of Helen going on and on about her beauty. There was an element of rebellion and defiance in her, but it was glossed over by the narration and the storytelling. She was a Demi-God! Give her some credit as a strong confident young woman!
The narration was whiny, seemingly in an attempt to add drama. The narrator made Helen sound fearful, anxious and near tears in every single sentence.
The men, who were battle tested warriors sounded fearful. Even the Goddess Athena sounded anxious, rather than confident. Geez, if an Olympian Goddess is whiny, what hope is there for the rest of the book?
I'm guessing it's a "dramatic" technique for narrators who can't dig deep and cinvey the actual drama inherent in the scene. I've heard this tone in other audio books and it was equally annoying.