The Lost Daughter of Sparta

by Felicia Day, Rowan MacColl (Illustrator)

Helen of Troy. Clytemnestra. Timandra.

Three sisters, infamously cursed by the goddess Aphrodite to betray their husbands, are known the world over. But few know about the fourth sister: Philonoe. Lost to historical record, all we know from ancient texts is that she avoided the curse placed on her family, and was granted immortality by the goddess Artemis. But why and how did this happen?

Now, Felicia Day is determined to bring Philonoe to vivid life and fill in the missing pieces with this graphic novel retelling. Her story is a traditional hero’s journey with a feminist twist. Born as both a Spartan princess and with a wine-stain birthmark on her face, Philonoe is destined for a different fate than her sisters. Her remarkable but overlooked life is finally revealed in this clever and engaging graphic novel that is perfect for fans of The Palace of Eros and Lore Olympus.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology, Historical Fiction, Comics, Fiction, Greek Mythology

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2026

About the author

Actress, New Media Geek, Gamer, Misanthrope. Voracious reader.

Felicia Day is a prolific multi-hyphenate. She's the New York Times Bestselling author of "You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)" and the creativity book "Embrace Your Weird", and she recently wrote the Audible series "Third Eye" that won "Best Audio Drama" at the Audie Awards in 2024. She has appeared as an actor in numerous television shows such as “Supernatural”, “Eureka” and “The Magicians” and she can be heard as a voice actor in such shows as "Adventure Time" and "Monster High."

She is perhaps best known for her work in the web video world. Felicia co-starred in the internet musical sensation “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” which won an Emmy. She also created and starred in the seminal web series “The Guild” which ran for six seasons, won numerous awards for web video excellence, and spawned a hit comic book series with Dark Horse Comics. Recently, her outfit from the show was added to the Smithsonian American History collection as an example of early web media pioneering.

Felicia produced dozens of shows with her former digital company Geek and Sundry, including Wil Wheaton’s “Tabletop” and the RPG sensation “Critical Role”, and currently streams, writes and acts for her audience of six million fans across socials as she attempts to slow down now that she's a mother. (She is failing at it, badly.)

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fantastic sapphic graphic novel retelling about the lost fourth daughter cursed by aphrodite — philonoe. the lost daughter of sparta focuses on changing your destiny and identity with an emphasis on educating oneself through empathy.

the black & white art and story were absolutely gorgeous, and i cannot wait to see a physical copy!

[Jenny Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic novel retelling of the lost fourth daughter cursed by Aphrodite. Very good.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, this didn't do as much for me as I wanted it to.

It's the 'epic' adventure of a forgotten daughter, shunned by all because of a birthmark on her face. She wants to find love, but is cursed to betray the husband that's been chosen for her.

What follows is a bit of a soft adventure in which everyone and everything tells her she needs to love herself, society is gonna hate her no matter what, etc. It gives the message of loving yourself then doubles down, then TRIPLES down. It is really hammered home again and again and it was just a little too overbearing for my tastes.

There's also maiden goddess Artemis following along, and the relationship between the two felt a little odd. None of it was subtle, but Artemis also never acts like a goddess unless she's getting mad about something so it didn't really convince me.

The art style doesn't add much to the story - it's basic, black and white with splashes of red. I didn't really understand the symbolism of the colouring - I get the reasoning behind colouring in her birthmark and other oddities, but clothing and action marks seemed like odd choices to colour. So that might have been a little over my head. Instead, I was just a bit bored by the style. A fantastic adventure in black and white is a bit of a washed out thing.

There's an interesting idea here, but the delivery didn't really work for me. Those interested in forgotten myths may enjoy this little piece of creativity, and those who need it hammered home that they're worthy of love no matter their appearance should definitely give this one a go.

With thanks to NetGalley for a digital ARC

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I don't usually read graphic novels, but I will read anything by Felicia Day, no matter the genre ♥️ The story and illustrations were absolutely amazing, and, being a lover of non-fiction, I especially loved the historical information included in the author's note. Would recommend this to anyone, especially those looking for a good sapphic romance.

[Krissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an e-graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable read with a good message behind it. It shows the struggles of Philonoe, cursed by Aphrodite along with her other sisters to leave their husbands and never gain happiness/acceptance in their lives. She tries to break this by going on missions of Aphrodite and receives unexpected help from Artemis. While the two journey with each other they learn more about life and themselves leading to something neither thought they would receive. The illustrations were nice and the story was very engaging.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rec. by: A Goodreads Giveaway, but also previous work in more than one creative area
Rec. for: Circeans

Felicia Day gets top billing for this graphic novel, and that does make sense—after all, she did conceive of and script the story of Philonoe, the Lost Daughter of Sparta herself—but the spirited art of Rowan MacColl must not be ignored as at least half the reason for this tale's success.

The Lost Daughter of Sparta fleshes out a single line from the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, into a full-fledged mythic quest centered on Philonoe, daughter of Menelaus and Lena, the youngest sister of Helen (she of Troy, about whom so much has been written elsewhere). Philonoe, in contrast, has received very little attention... which gave Day an opportunity to take her story in some very interesting directions.

"Ha! Like every other hero, you have been made a criminal by one desperate to keep their immortal hands clean."
—Echidna, p.93

Philonoe has a birthmark, on her face—impossible to hide without a veil. MacColl illustrates this very effectively; her art is in black and white, but Philonoe's birthmark is in vivid red.

And although Philonoe is a princess, that's not enough to keep her safe. Her family, and her society, see the mark on her face as nothing but a curse. (Thank goodness we know better now, eh?) And Philonoe must treat with not one but two goddesses—Aphrodite and Artemis—in her search for a way to lift that curse.

It isn't easy.

But then, that's the way these myths go, isn't it? And that's why we keep coming back to them. Felicia Day and Rowan MacColl's graphic novel fits right into, and expands, Greek mythology in all the right ways.

*

Now, the gold standard for reimagined Greek myths centered on the women in them is Madeline Miller's novel Circe, and Felicia Day acknowledges Miller's influence (along with many others, of course) in her Author's Note at the end of The Lost Daughter of Sparta.

But I also want to put forward this paragraph, in Day's own heartfelt words:

There is a lot of me in The Lost Daughter of Sparta. As a homeschooled child raised in semi-isolation, I was floored when I got into the real world and encountered so many people who treated me as an oddity. I genuinely didn't understand the way things worked, and I was confused when men looked at me as lesser, or merely a tool to be exploited, in business and in private. I've put all of my feelings about that time of transition on the page: the confusion, the rage, the rebellion. And I've tried to give hope through Philonoe's story that there will always be a path forward for anyone to exist as they truly want to be seen.
—p.197

I hope you can find The Lost Daughter of Sparta as worthy of consideration as I did.

[Feyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicia, what did you do to my poor heart?! Broke it, healed it, broke it again, healed it. This is phenomenal! If you are in the least bit interested in Greek mythology, heck, even if you are not, read this. It tells the Story of a woman forgotten by history and mythology. It tells a story of finding and excepting yourself. Felicia hast a passion for Greek mythology and my gosh, it shows.
Long story short: I laughed. I cried. Cried some more. I loved it. I need everyone to buy this so Felicia can make more of these. 🥹❤️

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be my longest review yet, I apologize in advance!

As a huge Greek mythology nerd, I was so excited when I discovered this! It checks all of my boxes, Greek mythology, graphic novel, queer, and an MC who has very little written about her, not to mention the main goddess of the story being Artemis!

I will say I was also a little wary going in, knowing that in recent years people will do Greek mythology retellings without care or respect for the original source material, however that is most definitely not the case with this book!

I was super excited to learn about Philonoe, as I'd heard the name, but as said in the acknowledgements, not much is written about her. I felt like this was a gorgeous blend of what we do have written about her, and taking creative liberties!

The story itself was beautiful, learning to love yourself as you are, and that you are deserving of love no matter how "different" you may be.

I really appreciated the portrayals of the mythological characters, the gorgons were done very well, showing that they're not monsters, that's just what the world has made them into, same with Echidna!

Artemis and Aphrodite were very well done as well, and I really loved their relationship! One of my favorite parts was how Artemis came to love Philonoe, and her journey of accepting that she was in love.

I think most people, when they think of Artemis, assume that she swore off love and relationships entirely, as she is "the virgin" or "the maiden" goddess. However, this doesn't take into account that romantic love can exist without sex. And that in ancient Greece, as most things are written through the eyes of the patriarchy, women weren't often seen, so love between women was really considered "real" love, or sex between women wasn't considered "real" sex as it has nothing to do with men.

I feel like this perfectly shows that in the society in this book. The way that it all revolves around the men. It feels very accurate, and well put together.

The art in this was also absolutely gorgeous!!!

I will say, it did bother me that they called Herakles by his Roman name, Hercules, since at this point in time, the Romans did not exist, and therefore did not have their versions of Greek mythology. But aside from that, this was very accurate and beautifully done!

As I'm writing my own graphic novel of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and have spent HOURS of research on ancient Greece, and other related things, I can tell that there was so much care and research put into this. From the clothing, to the architecture, I was noticing many little details regarding those things, that I'm sure the average reader would not care about.

I truly recommend this to anyone who loves Greek mythology, queer retellings, or just queer stories in general!! I can't wait for this to be out in the world and to get my hands on a physical copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Annu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the myth. Execution of the retelling made me want more depth to the story.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felicia Day tells the tale of the lost sister of more famous Greek women, Helen, Clytemnestra and Timandra, all who eventually betrayed their husbands. Philonoe, seemingly double cursed by the innate likelihood she too will one day betray a husband, and the massive port wine stain birthmark that makes everyone look down upon her. All she wants is to be rid of the curses and to be loved and accepted. Goddess Aphrodite sends her on a quest to have the curses removed, and as she sets out to face the dangers before her, Artemis sometimes intervenes, sometimes merely berates her. But with or without aid of the gods, Philonoe will face not just monsters, but herself before her quest is over.
This was a tale that had so much at heart. The perils of being seen as different. The yearning to be accepted and to find true love. The truth of having to look inward to find the value in oneself. The acceptance one needs versus what society says one needs. The control men, society and other women have always forced upon young women. It's a very poignant, relatable and heartbreaking story, and a great quick lesson in Greek mythology from a female perspective.

[Lys · Rating 4 out of 5]

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

I loved it!

I never knew Phylonoe existed. Everyone's heard of Helen, of course, and Clytemnestra. People know Castor and Pollux, though not necessarily their relationship with Helen. Some folk have heard of Tymandra. And maybe some folk know Phylonoe ... but I did not. Imagine my surprise when I got to the end and there were citations and she wasn't just a creation of the author but a rabbit hole of scholarship. I would have been cool with Day creating a sister to explore the themes...but she didn't have to, turns out. Mythology ... there's always more to learn.


Phylonoe just wants to be a good daughter and a good wife. She just wants to prove that she has value. She just wants to be loved.
Phylonoe has to learn to love herself and see herself as worthy of love. She needs to recognize how poorly women are treated by the patriarchy. She has to find value in herself to fight the cage - all of the cages that are offered to her (even that of being a Goddess' companion). And, in so doing, she finds love and companionship.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine contribution to mythology. This satisfies as both a modern and historic explanation of a throwaway line. And sure our pov character has to grow into herself. And to be fair, so does Artemis. Actually the Greek Gods are not as bad in this as they usually are. Aphrodite in particular is about as sympathetic as I've ever seen her. Is this high art? no. But it is a fair shot. 4.5 of 5

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun, between adult and ya, and I love that it was based on a real person from Greek mythology. The art was very unique, intense but I prefer that to twee or overly sexualized. And it was cathartic to have a human stand up to the gods and call them on their bullshit, and actually change things! A great story, playing with tropes and subverting them as well as fulfilling them.

[Brini Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

very beautifully done. love the LGBTQ representation and messages about being who we are for ourselves and not others. will be buying a physical copy once I can 💚

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great story. It's a beautiful message of love, acceptance, and freedom of choice, a true feminist story. In just a short story, Day speaks to many of the problems that women face and champions the choice of being true to oneself.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It was the ultimate punishment I could bestow on a man like Tyndareus. Daughters who know their own minds.”

3.5 stars. I liked the concept and the overall themes but it seemed to be quite heavy-handed/repetitive.

[Stephanie Langmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I want my daughter to read! ❤️🖤🩶

[Mel Rose (Savvy Rose Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5 stars

A graphic novel rendering of the story of Philonoe, youngest sister of Helen of Troy and a figure almost entirely lost to history.

I attended an author talk and signing for this one at a local bookstore with the author and the incredible Leigh Bardugo, and sat down with my copy of the book at 5:40pm to “read a couple pages.” By the time the event started at 6:30pm I’d finished the book because I simply could not put it down.

This is such a sweet story (Leigh called it compassionate and that’s the perfect adjective) but also one with a core of feminist rage and feminine power that really stands out. I felt for Philonoe and her experiences so much, and I absolutely loved the ending and the overall message. I highly recommend this one!

Also, the event was phenomenal and both these woman are SO funny (can we be best friends????)

CW: Misogyny/sexism; mentions of past sexual assault; mentions of violence

[Tod Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique and enjoyable parable built within the known stories of Greek mythology. I would describe the art as minimalistic, mostly black and white with focused linework (versus expansive and detailed) and it works for the story. Admittedly, I've been a fan of Felicia Day's since The Guild and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (oy, almost 20 years ago) and curiosity drove me to buy this, her first graphic novel. Worth it.

[remy ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so interesting and I was shocked it was a graphic novel.

Great storytelling, good quotes and hits on some great points in Greek myth.

[Josh]

From a single line of Greek myth, acclaimed creator Felicia Day builds the story of Philonoe, The Lost Daughter of Sparta—cursed and loved by the gods themselves.

Full review at: https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/202...

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever suffered from insomnia? For Felicia Day, becoming a parent of a child who was up every two to three hours lead to her being forever awake. Day tried everything from adjusting her eating and technology use to eventual medical interventions. The one thing that did help was reading. Day found the classics of Greek and Roman literature most effective. This use of the classics encouraged a re-engagement with them and through a meandering path filled with tangents, brought her to the curse of Tyndareus. Tyndareus was King of Sparta and had angered Aphrodite, who cursed his daughters, including the one who would be known as Helen of Troy, to betray their husbands. After further research, on a single fragment, Day learned of the youngest daughter of the cursed Spartan king, Philonoe.

What is known of Philonoe is what gave the impetus for The Lost Daughter of Sparta. Philonoe is introduced as a new born child, but due to a large facial birthmark, is concerned to be afflicted with a curse. She is sent to the hinterlands to be raised in seclusion, until there is need of her. When Philonoe reaches her age of majority, she is recalled to the capitol to be married off in strategic alliance. Desperate to belong, Philonoe at first agrees, but then learning of the family curse, journeys on a hero's quest to discover both what she is capable of and how to break the curse that has plagued her family.

Day uses the myths as the framework of the story, the plotting following the hero's overcoming challenges with their own talent, skills or discovered knowledge. Philonoe must find three powerful objects, and of course undertakes the journey to do so. Where Day adjust to more modern sensibilities is the conversational tones and feminine focus.

It moves fast with the art being mostly black and white with key scenes, characters or sections highlighted or accentuated with red. As a graphic novel, it is clear a lot of thought went in to the arrangement of panels of overall flow of the story, which is divided into several parts. Something hopeful in dark times.

Recommended to readers of hero journeys, self discovery or Greek Myth.


I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[Adri Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially excited because Felicia Day wrote a graphic novel and THEN I found out it was about Greek Mythology?!

Little sister of Helen of Troy, Clytemnestra, and Timandra, Philonoe is the last princess to grace their parents' lives. However, she is born with a birthmark on her face, and thus it must mean she is cursed. Her parents send her away to live with a pair of goatherds until she is of marrying age and is to be handed over like glorified cattle to a man. Philonoe is determined to not meet the same fate as her sisters, so she asks the goddess Aphrodite to please lift the curse. Aphrodite reluctantly agrees, IF, Philonoe can find her three very specific items. This quest pushes Philonoe to her limits and… you’ll have to read The Lost Daughter of Sparta to find out more.

#ThxNetGalley #FeliciaDay #TheLostDaughterofSparta

[Christina Startt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't typically read graphic novels. I think that my eye becomes overwhelmed by block text and illustrations. But I wanted to read this one because I love Felicia Day's work and her joy for all things nerdy.

The story was beautiful and simply but elegantly stated. And the illustration style was just as much simple as it was elegant and beautiful. I appreciated the monochromatic colorway of black, white, and red.

I loved most that this story bloomed from a enigmatic hint of text that Philonoe existed. It speaks to human imagination and hope, the way we glimpse something and can imbue it with so much love ❤️

[Timothy Juhl · Rating 2 out of 5]

My one graphic novel for the year, hopefully. It's not my favorite thing and I only took up this one because it was written by Felicia Day, who portrayed Charlie on "Supernatural," one of the great characters of the series.

I'm not a big fan of mythology as a genre to read, but I can appreciate Day's efforts to tell the story of Philonoe, a cursed daughter, who only wishes to be loved.

In her quest, she discovers so much more about herself and becomes immortal in the end.

Not a bad way to go.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read many graphic novels so I admittedly have no idea how to rate them. It was great; this would be perfect for teen audience!

I really appreciated that she gave a story to a very briefly mentioned character in Greek mythology who never got her own story but in the one line she does receive, sounds like she would have been awfully interesting. This seems like a worthy possible origin story for her. Fun with good messages and I’m happy to add it to my collection of Greek mythology books.

[Cassie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sapphic romance with our heroine and my favorite Greek goddess, Artemis? I mean, how was I not going to love this? Plus, I loved the messaging around what love is and how Philonoe grows to respect herself over the course of the book, and especially found her interaction with Echidna to be poignant.

[Kara C]

Thank you to Gallery for the finished copy! I’d definitely recommend this to lovers of graphic novels & Greek mythology

[Abigail Hatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this graphic novel. An amazing take on an interesting Greek myth and a beautiful wlw story ✨

[Michele Dechert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Greek retellings and reimaginings. The sapphic storyline was very touching and sweet. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with a meaningful message.