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The Fates
You've heard the legends, now hear their truth . . .
Before Gods and mortals, there were The Fates - three sisters born out of Nyx's darkness, destined to weave the lives, and deaths, of humankind for eternity.
But immortality is a heavy burden, and Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are captivated by the gloriously human lives of the mortals below, especially those of the great warrior Atalanta and her ill-fated lover, Meleager.
However, being a Goddess of Fate doesn't make you a master of it. Will these three sisters find a way to free the couple, and themselves, from their destinies? Or will they be bound by Fate forever?
Before Gods and mortals, there were The Fates - three sisters born out of Nyx's darkness, destined to weave the lives, and deaths, of humankind for eternity.
But immortality is a heavy burden, and Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are captivated by the gloriously human lives of the mortals below, especially those of the great warrior Atalanta and her ill-fated lover, Meleager.
However, being a Goddess of Fate doesn't make you a master of it. Will these three sisters find a way to free the couple, and themselves, from their destinies? Or will they be bound by Fate forever?
391 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
218 people are currently reading
3694 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Garland
25 books135 followersBorn in London to a runaway teenager, Rosie has always been a cuckoo in the nest. She's an eclectic writer and performer, ranging from singing in post-punk gothic band The March Violets, through touring with the Subversive Stitch exhibition in the 90s to her alter-ego Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen, cabaret chanteuse and mistress of ceremonies.
She has published five solo collections of poetry and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologized. She is winner of the DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year and a Poetry Award from the People's Café, New York. Her most recent poetry collection, 'Everything Must Go' (Holland Park Press 2012) draws on her experience of throat cancer.
She won the Mslexia Novel competition in 2012 and her debut novel 'The Palace of Curiosities' was published in March 2013 by HarperCollins. Her second novel, 'Vixen', (Borough Press 2014) is now available in all formats.
She has published five solo collections of poetry and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologized. She is winner of the DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year and a Poetry Award from the People's Café, New York. Her most recent poetry collection, 'Everything Must Go' (Holland Park Press 2012) draws on her experience of throat cancer.
She won the Mslexia Novel competition in 2012 and her debut novel 'The Palace of Curiosities' was published in March 2013 by HarperCollins. Her second novel, 'Vixen', (Borough Press 2014) is now available in all formats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
February 25, 2024
2.5⭐️
The Fates has taken up quite a bit of space in my brain in the days following me finishing the book. Unfortunately, this is not in a good way, as I disliked this book and I have been mulling over why that is exactly and how to put it in to words.
I have not come across many modern day adaptions of The Fates. They’ve been present in other novels, but I have not seen them take such a main role as the one Garland places them in. I do think Garland provides a unique twist which I did not see coming, but I can see this decision being divisive (the person I buddy read this with did not like it all, for example).
I think, despite that one moment of seeming uniqueness, Garland seems to try and imitate the other writers that are existing and thriving in this space and it comes off poorly. It seems to try too hard in all the wrong places, and it never quite seems to properly make its point. For the first half of the novel I was questioning what exactly Garland was trying to do with this as it seemed incredibly disjointed.
The writing tries too hard to be poetic that it comes off as cringey and in some places just plain weird. My two favourite examples of my least favourite lines:
‘I have a cave between my legs and he carries a torch to light the way in between my darkness.’
‘[…] sucks so lustily.’ I feel like there were other, better words to use.
I felt that all the characters had similar internal voices and the narratives began to blend together, making it hard to keep up with the timeline of the novel and events.
I do think there were some moments where the writing was nice and insightful, but it was outweighed by the times were it was not. I think Garland only skimmed the surface level of what she could have explored in terms of gender, womanhood, fate and free will, and that’s disappointing.
It may be unfair to compare but I can not help but think of the quality of other books being produced in this genre/category (Greek myth retellings, to oversimplify) and in comparison this one just does not stand up. It’s just fine.
All in all, I can’t say that I enjoyed this at all and I spent most of the book wishing we were at the end or that I’d turn the page and begin to love it. Only one of those things came true (it wasn’t the latter!). I think Garland has potential as a writer but this one was a miss for me.
Thank you to Quercus Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
The Fates has taken up quite a bit of space in my brain in the days following me finishing the book. Unfortunately, this is not in a good way, as I disliked this book and I have been mulling over why that is exactly and how to put it in to words.
I have not come across many modern day adaptions of The Fates. They’ve been present in other novels, but I have not seen them take such a main role as the one Garland places them in. I do think Garland provides a unique twist which I did not see coming, but I can see this decision being divisive (the person I buddy read this with did not like it all, for example).
I think, despite that one moment of seeming uniqueness, Garland seems to try and imitate the other writers that are existing and thriving in this space and it comes off poorly. It seems to try too hard in all the wrong places, and it never quite seems to properly make its point. For the first half of the novel I was questioning what exactly Garland was trying to do with this as it seemed incredibly disjointed.
The writing tries too hard to be poetic that it comes off as cringey and in some places just plain weird. My two favourite examples of my least favourite lines:
‘I have a cave between my legs and he carries a torch to light the way in between my darkness.’
‘[…] sucks so lustily.’ I feel like there were other, better words to use.
I felt that all the characters had similar internal voices and the narratives began to blend together, making it hard to keep up with the timeline of the novel and events.
I do think there were some moments where the writing was nice and insightful, but it was outweighed by the times were it was not. I think Garland only skimmed the surface level of what she could have explored in terms of gender, womanhood, fate and free will, and that’s disappointing.
It may be unfair to compare but I can not help but think of the quality of other books being produced in this genre/category (Greek myth retellings, to oversimplify) and in comparison this one just does not stand up. It’s just fine.
All in all, I can’t say that I enjoyed this at all and I spent most of the book wishing we were at the end or that I’d turn the page and begin to love it. Only one of those things came true (it wasn’t the latter!). I think Garland has potential as a writer but this one was a miss for me.
Thank you to Quercus Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review
December 6, 2023
*I was lucky enough to receive an arc from Netgalley and Quercus Books in exchange for an honest review.*
The Fates is an incredible exploration of fate, time, the patriarchy and love in Greek mythology. It had me hooked from the first page and is one of the most unique books inspired by mythology that I have read.
As soon as I saw Atalanta and Meleager were characters I was worried this book would be overshadowed by my opinion of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint. But this was never the case. By incorporating the fates, Blythe was able to comment on the interpretations of a patriarchal view on the mythology of Atalanta.
The way Zeus is presented throughout this novel is exactly how I have read him in ancient texts. The cruel meddling he demonstrates in this story allows him to become the villain that he rarely is in these kinds of stories. Themis is probably my favourite titan and I loved her character in this book too. She was such a calming presence amongst the chaos of the multiple stories interwoven into this novel.
The Fates is an incredible exploration of fate, time, the patriarchy and love in Greek mythology. It had me hooked from the first page and is one of the most unique books inspired by mythology that I have read.
As soon as I saw Atalanta and Meleager were characters I was worried this book would be overshadowed by my opinion of Atalanta by Jennifer Saint. But this was never the case. By incorporating the fates, Blythe was able to comment on the interpretations of a patriarchal view on the mythology of Atalanta.
The way Zeus is presented throughout this novel is exactly how I have read him in ancient texts. The cruel meddling he demonstrates in this story allows him to become the villain that he rarely is in these kinds of stories. Themis is probably my favourite titan and I loved her character in this book too. She was such a calming presence amongst the chaos of the multiple stories interwoven into this novel.
June 8, 2025
Wow, I loved this one! Very different to other Greek myth retellings. Having the Gods portrayed as whining, petulant and all powerful was a breath of fresh air. Zeus’ chapters were always a joy to read. I loved Atalanta’s origin and while I wasn’t a fan of the big twist I can’t deny it was foreshadowed well.
March 6, 2024
This was a totally brilliant read, it was sooo much more than I expected, the characterization was on point and the story pieces together very cleverly. This is the way I like my mythological tales to be written, I like them to be original and interesting and this had it in spades. It was gripping and difficult to put down, just what i needed!
I will be on avid lookout for future books by the author.
I will be on avid lookout for future books by the author.
June 21, 2025
4.5✨️A unique feminine take on Greek mythology ! Following the story of various individuals featured in Greek mythology, the descriptive storytelling in this was immersive and powerful. Anyone with a passion for Greek mythology, this is a must-read !
🌌🌍🇬🇷
🌌🌍🇬🇷
January 17, 2024
First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Quercus for giving me an Arc in exchange for an honest review.
Total rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you couldn't tell from the speed I read this book, I couldn't put it down. I went into this book with little to no knowledge on Atalanta and Meleager, and have enjoyed learning along the way both in my own research of the people and in the way they are written in the book.
At first, it took me a while to get used to the pacing of the book, as they give detailed history on each character from their own points of view, but once I was getting into the book I was extremely glad they had gone into such detail. It made it so that I found it so much easier to connect to the characters, hanging on to each word by a thread (get it? Like threads of life? cuz it's the fates? no? okay).
Also, just to put it out there, the gods are absolute a**holes in this book and I LOVE IT. Give me egotistical Zeus any day.
The author has also managed to make this book their own with their own twists. I can't even describe how it was done, but it was clever.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology (with and without it's accuracies), as it's a lot of fun to read.
Total rating: 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you couldn't tell from the speed I read this book, I couldn't put it down. I went into this book with little to no knowledge on Atalanta and Meleager, and have enjoyed learning along the way both in my own research of the people and in the way they are written in the book.
At first, it took me a while to get used to the pacing of the book, as they give detailed history on each character from their own points of view, but once I was getting into the book I was extremely glad they had gone into such detail. It made it so that I found it so much easier to connect to the characters, hanging on to each word by a thread (get it? Like threads of life? cuz it's the fates? no? okay).
Also, just to put it out there, the gods are absolute a**holes in this book and I LOVE IT. Give me egotistical Zeus any day.
The author has also managed to make this book their own with their own twists. I can't even describe how it was done, but it was clever.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology (with and without it's accuracies), as it's a lot of fun to read.
July 10, 2024
1.5 stars.
I typically have an affinity for Greek retellings & reimaginings but this book just didn’t do it for me. While it was clearly trying to emulate the recent trend of feminist retellings, it simply didn’t hit the mark. These messages were so heavy handed that they occasionally seemed to satirize the ideas they were meant to uphold.
Throughout the book, the motives of the fates were explained clearly to the reader rather than trusting them to piece it together on their own. It became frustrating, as it felt as if the narrators were talking down to the reader.
The language was vivid and flowery, and I was interested by the exploration of romantic versus platonic love. I just wish the rest of the narrative bolstered these points rather than diminishing them.
I typically have an affinity for Greek retellings & reimaginings but this book just didn’t do it for me. While it was clearly trying to emulate the recent trend of feminist retellings, it simply didn’t hit the mark. These messages were so heavy handed that they occasionally seemed to satirize the ideas they were meant to uphold.
Throughout the book, the motives of the fates were explained clearly to the reader rather than trusting them to piece it together on their own. It became frustrating, as it felt as if the narrators were talking down to the reader.
The language was vivid and flowery, and I was interested by the exploration of romantic versus platonic love. I just wish the rest of the narrative bolstered these points rather than diminishing them.
February 17, 2024
I'm a sucker for Greek mythology so when I saw a book about The Fates, I was immediately intrigued. The book starts off slow but once the story really takes off, it's a hard one to put down.
I thought this book would fully focus on the Fates but a large part of the story actually talks about Atalanta and Meleager. I was a bit disappointed by this at first but wow, did I end up loving it! Rosie brought together the stories of the Fates and Atalanta and Meleager in such an interesting and beautiful way, I'm definitely a fan! She gave it her own twists and brought us a great Greek mythology retelling.
Besides POVs of the Fates, Atalanta, and Meleager, there were also some chapters from the POV of Zeus. Now, Zeus will never be one of my favorite characters in Greek mythology but the way Rosie portrayed him was just perfect. He was exactly as the Greeks saw him: selfish, ignorant and so very full of himself. Basically, a jerk. It was a joy to read such an honest depiction of the mighty God.
All in all, a very enjoyable read that I can definitely recommend!
Thank you Netgalley and Quercus books for an e-arc of this book.
I thought this book would fully focus on the Fates but a large part of the story actually talks about Atalanta and Meleager. I was a bit disappointed by this at first but wow, did I end up loving it! Rosie brought together the stories of the Fates and Atalanta and Meleager in such an interesting and beautiful way, I'm definitely a fan! She gave it her own twists and brought us a great Greek mythology retelling.
Besides POVs of the Fates, Atalanta, and Meleager, there were also some chapters from the POV of Zeus. Now, Zeus will never be one of my favorite characters in Greek mythology but the way Rosie portrayed him was just perfect. He was exactly as the Greeks saw him: selfish, ignorant and so very full of himself. Basically, a jerk. It was a joy to read such an honest depiction of the mighty God.
All in all, a very enjoyable read that I can definitely recommend!
Thank you Netgalley and Quercus books for an e-arc of this book.
August 8, 2024
I was super duper excited to read a retelling of the Fates but I was a little let down by this book. It merged the POV of the Fates but also Atalanta, Meleager and Zeus. The way their stories were weaved together was interesting but I found the most boring chapters to be the ones of the Fates which was disappointing. I did like how the Fates were portrayed as young women instead of old hags though and I did not see the twist at the end coming. Atalanta and Meleager’s stories are the page turners here. Their somewhat platonic relationship was so lovely to me.
May 25, 2025
2,5 ⭐️ - Helaas vond ik dit boek een tegenvaller. De schrijfstijl en het taalgebruik vond ik niet lekker lezen en ik vond het verhaal warrig en vlak.
February 18, 2025
4.5 Stars
A deeply compelling and refreshingly unique take on Greek mythology, that focuses on the weavers of fate themselves: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Which I have to say, I genuinely loved every second of it!
The Fates (or Morai) are such an intrinsic part of soo many tales in the Greek mythology but seldom do we ever explore their persons, so getting the chance to finally do so (and explore their rather intricate and twisty backstory) was amazing!
Weaving Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos’ experiences of life before both gods and mortals, to the golden age of Zeus’ rule and even the interwoven fates of the mortals they preside over. Rosie Garland has crafted a rich, multilayered and compelling cast of protagonists whose personalities, motivations and flaws really bring them all to life.
I especially loved that (inspite of immortality or godliness) none of their flaws are sugarcoated or glazed over, which added a depth and human-esque complexity to of all their individual struggles.
I have to say, it’s really hard to talk about this one without spoiling the twists. But, I will say the strong focus on female voices (many of whom are either voiceless, or whose stories are much reduced in the original versions) was fantastic; and those twists that arose (and intertwined as the story unfolded) held me thoroughly in thrall.
The themes we explore were really interesting and timely too! With thought provoking topics such as: Power, Fate, women’s autonomy, the of reclaiming forgotten voices (both marginalised and female) and the strength (and sometimes weaknesses) in the bonds of sisterhood and family. And I think would make this an amazing contender for a book club read.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I love retellings with a strong female presence (or feminist slant.) And The Fates— I’m glad to report — has both in spades!
It’s incredibly engaging and wonderfully immersive (though , with multiple POVs, and interconnected plot-lines, some may feel the narrative loses its way slightly at the halfway point.) But by the end, everything ties together nicely and the bigger picture Garland has been cleverly weaving becomes phenomenally clear.
Overall, this was such a magically realist, emotionally deep and original retelling that fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will definitely want to consider picking up.
Also, thanks to Quercus Books for the gorgeous PB copy.
A deeply compelling and refreshingly unique take on Greek mythology, that focuses on the weavers of fate themselves: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Which I have to say, I genuinely loved every second of it!
The Fates (or Morai) are such an intrinsic part of soo many tales in the Greek mythology but seldom do we ever explore their persons, so getting the chance to finally do so (and explore their rather intricate and twisty backstory) was amazing!
Weaving Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos’ experiences of life before both gods and mortals, to the golden age of Zeus’ rule and even the interwoven fates of the mortals they preside over. Rosie Garland has crafted a rich, multilayered and compelling cast of protagonists whose personalities, motivations and flaws really bring them all to life.
I especially loved that (inspite of immortality or godliness) none of their flaws are sugarcoated or glazed over, which added a depth and human-esque complexity to of all their individual struggles.
I have to say, it’s really hard to talk about this one without spoiling the twists. But, I will say the strong focus on female voices (many of whom are either voiceless, or whose stories are much reduced in the original versions) was fantastic; and those twists that arose (and intertwined as the story unfolded) held me thoroughly in thrall.
The themes we explore were really interesting and timely too! With thought provoking topics such as: Power, Fate, women’s autonomy, the of reclaiming forgotten voices (both marginalised and female) and the strength (and sometimes weaknesses) in the bonds of sisterhood and family. And I think would make this an amazing contender for a book club read.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I love retellings with a strong female presence (or feminist slant.) And The Fates— I’m glad to report — has both in spades!
It’s incredibly engaging and wonderfully immersive (though , with multiple POVs, and interconnected plot-lines, some may feel the narrative loses its way slightly at the halfway point.) But by the end, everything ties together nicely and the bigger picture Garland has been cleverly weaving becomes phenomenally clear.
Overall, this was such a magically realist, emotionally deep and original retelling that fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint will definitely want to consider picking up.
Also, thanks to Quercus Books for the gorgeous PB copy.
Read
March 8, 2025I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
I can't give a rating to this book for the simple fact that to me, this is two stories forced to share the same breath and space as one another, and while I liked one story, I did not like the other, which is probably why this ARC took me over a year to read (almost a year and a half).
The first story is a story about free will, and how mortals are given it. That story relies on themes of love and determining your own path, and is told with a prose that is at once both purple but also fits the feeling of being told an ancient myth. That tale I enjoyed. The second story is a retelling of Greek mythology, but that I did not enjoy, because so much of it was bent out of shape and distorted in order to tell the first tale.
This is the problem with retellings. One portion of your audience demands for the tale to be told faithfully to the myth, and there, any deviation will be met with scorn. Another portion of your audience will demand that the tale be given originality and reinvented, and will scorn any attempts to be faithful to the source material. Authors must choose which side they will let their story land on, and ride the consequences, because inevitably, one portion of the natural audience for this tale will be unhappy, and I was unfortunately a part of that.
In this tale, the Olympian gods are all terrible, drunk on their power and spiteful and cruel. The only gods worth their salt are the Fates themselves and a singular Titan that remains behind, the first of the inaccuracies. For someone who enjoys the Greek gods as being a take on divinity that runs closer to the capricious and complexity of humans, to see them painted in such broadstrokes both bored and annoyed me. It was clear to me from that that this book takes the framework of Greek mythos and shakes it and bends it until it fits the story the author actually wants to tell. There is nothing wrong with the tale being told about how humanity is given its free will, nor the way that the story delights in such freedom and self determination of your own path, but I didn't see the need then to take a tale and force it into something else.
For me, this story would have been better served to be split in two, one a tale of Atalanta, and one a tale of mortals finding free will, and the disservice was done by trying to force the two together.
I can't give a rating to this book for the simple fact that to me, this is two stories forced to share the same breath and space as one another, and while I liked one story, I did not like the other, which is probably why this ARC took me over a year to read (almost a year and a half).
The first story is a story about free will, and how mortals are given it. That story relies on themes of love and determining your own path, and is told with a prose that is at once both purple but also fits the feeling of being told an ancient myth. That tale I enjoyed. The second story is a retelling of Greek mythology, but that I did not enjoy, because so much of it was bent out of shape and distorted in order to tell the first tale.
This is the problem with retellings. One portion of your audience demands for the tale to be told faithfully to the myth, and there, any deviation will be met with scorn. Another portion of your audience will demand that the tale be given originality and reinvented, and will scorn any attempts to be faithful to the source material. Authors must choose which side they will let their story land on, and ride the consequences, because inevitably, one portion of the natural audience for this tale will be unhappy, and I was unfortunately a part of that.
In this tale, the Olympian gods are all terrible, drunk on their power and spiteful and cruel. The only gods worth their salt are the Fates themselves and a singular Titan that remains behind, the first of the inaccuracies. For someone who enjoys the Greek gods as being a take on divinity that runs closer to the capricious and complexity of humans, to see them painted in such broadstrokes both bored and annoyed me. It was clear to me from that that this book takes the framework of Greek mythos and shakes it and bends it until it fits the story the author actually wants to tell. There is nothing wrong with the tale being told about how humanity is given its free will, nor the way that the story delights in such freedom and self determination of your own path, but I didn't see the need then to take a tale and force it into something else.
For me, this story would have been better served to be split in two, one a tale of Atalanta, and one a tale of mortals finding free will, and the disservice was done by trying to force the two together.
June 19, 2025
WOW. I will keep this review spoiler free so I can encourage people to pick this book up.
I have been inching my way through this book for months because I haven't had the time to read, but gosh what a beautiful book to take the time to slowly appreciate instead of ripping through it. Until I read the first page I'd never thought about the fact that there are no stories about the Fates, only those that they forsake, and this version of events is now my ultimate greek mythology canon; any other story that concerns Atalanta or any of the Greek world's women are simply mis-told interpretations that have taken root in society's perception due to the events of this book.
Aside from the beauty in the prose itself, each element delivers a profound message to reflect upon in context of the time itself and the one we live in now. I never thought that a text set approximately 2500 years ago would be so rich in meaning and relevance to the lives we live in present day, all whilst weaving an incredible, bold, compelling tale. The non-linear structure blends chronology and non-chronology in a brilliant harmony, and each thread (pun intended?) of the story comes together with great execution; the excerpts from Zeus & the three girls come in just when we need to be reminded of what is happening outside of the mortal realm we follow the story through. By the end of this book I feel quite liberated in my existence as a woman in modern day choosing to defy traditionalism in how I live, and a queer person, which are some of the most prominent themes; however, even if you don't identify with any of these imperatives, I truly believe there is something to be gained from the stark way in which this novel holds a mirror up to our own sociology.
I thought I was just reading another Greek Myth retelling - which I love, but I pick up for fun rather than reasons of substantive commentary - but this was so much more than that. Thank you Rosie Garland, I will be keeping an eye on your work!!
I have been inching my way through this book for months because I haven't had the time to read, but gosh what a beautiful book to take the time to slowly appreciate instead of ripping through it. Until I read the first page I'd never thought about the fact that there are no stories about the Fates, only those that they forsake, and this version of events is now my ultimate greek mythology canon; any other story that concerns Atalanta or any of the Greek world's women are simply mis-told interpretations that have taken root in society's perception due to the events of this book.
Aside from the beauty in the prose itself, each element delivers a profound message to reflect upon in context of the time itself and the one we live in now. I never thought that a text set approximately 2500 years ago would be so rich in meaning and relevance to the lives we live in present day, all whilst weaving an incredible, bold, compelling tale. The non-linear structure blends chronology and non-chronology in a brilliant harmony, and each thread (pun intended?) of the story comes together with great execution; the excerpts from Zeus & the three girls come in just when we need to be reminded of what is happening outside of the mortal realm we follow the story through. By the end of this book I feel quite liberated in my existence as a woman in modern day choosing to defy traditionalism in how I live, and a queer person, which are some of the most prominent themes; however, even if you don't identify with any of these imperatives, I truly believe there is something to be gained from the stark way in which this novel holds a mirror up to our own sociology.
I thought I was just reading another Greek Myth retelling - which I love, but I pick up for fun rather than reasons of substantive commentary - but this was so much more than that. Thank you Rosie Garland, I will be keeping an eye on your work!!
April 15, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Fates!
I loooooooved this book.
Greek mythology and Greek mythology retellings are up there with some of my favourites, and The Fates delivered.
I haven't yet read a story about The Fates, and this was such a wonderful first experience of that. The author has a gift of writing in a way that feels both up to date and ancient. They use wonderful language that makes the whole thing seem like you are truly reading a story that has been passed down through the ages whilst still feeling polished and new.
All of the characters are so well-rounded, the timeline is done extremely well, and the big twist of the story took me completely off guard (which thrilled me).
If you are a fan of Madeline Miller and her greek mythology novels, The Fates is for you.
I loooooooved this book.
Greek mythology and Greek mythology retellings are up there with some of my favourites, and The Fates delivered.
I haven't yet read a story about The Fates, and this was such a wonderful first experience of that. The author has a gift of writing in a way that feels both up to date and ancient. They use wonderful language that makes the whole thing seem like you are truly reading a story that has been passed down through the ages whilst still feeling polished and new.
All of the characters are so well-rounded, the timeline is done extremely well, and the big twist of the story took me completely off guard (which thrilled me).
If you are a fan of Madeline Miller and her greek mythology novels, The Fates is for you.
December 27, 2024
When I go into a book, I sometimes quick peek at the summary, maybe listen to the narrator and go for it.
So when I started this book already weary after listening to so many retellings of myth this year, I was happy for it to be about the Fates. Until I realized it was about Meleager and Atalanta, making it the third time I'd have to listen to it.
Then the book just turned out better than the others in my opinion. I loved that these characters had some actual back story and added plot on the emotions and thoughts of the characters. I found it interesting that Zeus is shown, without all the glamor of wise and paragon of justice. Like we all know these myths man, you're just doing what you want, Inalmost did a double take when instead of this guy trying to keep on the down low, you have someone that gets pleasure from killing random beings.
Best part, though, in my opinion, was when the plot twist of a character was revealed won't spoil it, but I was like, mind blown, lol.
So when I started this book already weary after listening to so many retellings of myth this year, I was happy for it to be about the Fates. Until I realized it was about Meleager and Atalanta, making it the third time I'd have to listen to it.
Then the book just turned out better than the others in my opinion. I loved that these characters had some actual back story and added plot on the emotions and thoughts of the characters. I found it interesting that Zeus is shown, without all the glamor of wise and paragon of justice. Like we all know these myths man, you're just doing what you want, Inalmost did a double take when instead of this guy trying to keep on the down low, you have someone that gets pleasure from killing random beings.
Best part, though, in my opinion, was when the plot twist of a character was revealed won't spoil it, but I was like, mind blown, lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2025
'The Fates' is a change of direction for Rosie Garland. Historical fiction with a wave to the weird comes naturally to her, but this is her first dip into actual mythology (to my knowledge).
This novel concerns the Fates, and their desire for a gracious retirement from the affairs of humanity. It tells a tale of Atalanta, a great huntress, and Meleager, a hero. It's a great read, with an absorbing storyline and vivid characters. Zeus and his court are portrayed as a squabbling, terrified playground ruled by a nasty boychild with more powers than he can safely handle. I quite liked that, and I LOVED Zeus' self reinvention at the end of the book.
This novel concerns the Fates, and their desire for a gracious retirement from the affairs of humanity. It tells a tale of Atalanta, a great huntress, and Meleager, a hero. It's a great read, with an absorbing storyline and vivid characters. Zeus and his court are portrayed as a squabbling, terrified playground ruled by a nasty boychild with more powers than he can safely handle. I quite liked that, and I LOVED Zeus' self reinvention at the end of the book.
June 8, 2024
This gets four stars alone because of how Garland depicted Zeus. An obstinate, headstrong, arrogant, cruel and petulant manchild and I love Garland all the more for it.
I feel this took some creative liberties with the source material, but because it was done with flourish and a clear feminist point of view for both Atalanta and the Fates, I am not mad at it at all. Garland wove (he-he) a gorgeous reimagining of Greek myth.
I feel this took some creative liberties with the source material, but because it was done with flourish and a clear feminist point of view for both Atalanta and the Fates, I am not mad at it at all. Garland wove (he-he) a gorgeous reimagining of Greek myth.
April 6, 2024
Thank you to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
(This review contains spoilers for the book!)
I honestly have no idea where to start on this review, because I have a lot of very conflicting opinions on this book.
As you can probably tell from the rating, this wasn’t a favourite. It wasn’t bad, by all means! But I think that, in the end, everything I feel about this book boils down to how inconsistent the quality of my reading experience was: the highs were very high, but the lows were almost insufferable.
Let’s start with the good stuff first. From the get-go, I was super intrigued by the premise itself: I love retellings of Greek myths, but I’ve never seen anyone decide to centre a story around the Fates before! And I’ve never really read more than short summaries of the myths surrounding Atalanta or Meleager before, so I was excited to dive deeper into their story.
I’m a big fan of the story’s non-linear narrative – how very appropriate for a story told partially from the perspectives of the Fates, beings that transcend time and space. I don’t necessarily agree with which parts were chosen to be told on which order, but overall, the non-linear structure worked to great effect.
I also really liked the writing style! It’s worth mentioning here that the prose is extremely purple, so if you have trouble with that, then this book might not be for you. However, as I was reading, I kept thinking that there was something quite familiar about the writing: a turn of phrase here, a particular word choice there, some of the more foreign sentence structures. It’s been almost a decade since I studied Ancient Greek, but Blythe’s phrasings sometimes sounded to me exactly like something we’d translate in class, which I thought was really neat and which really help sell the Ancient Greece setting.
I adored all the POV chapters told from the Fates’ perspective, and those were without a doubt my favourite parts of the entire book! I thought the plot was quite clever and a good choice for further intertwining the stories of the Fates and the stories of Atalanta and Meleager. I also really enjoyed the twist, and while I didn’t see it coming, looking back, it was clear to see the foreshadowing throughout the book prior to the reveal.
I think Blythe’s portrayal of Meleager and Atalanta individually was very compelling, but I remain unconvinced – or perhaps more accurately, simply apathetic – of their love story. It was super cool to see some nice polyamory rep, in the form of Atalanta’s relationships with both Antiklea and Meleager, as well as the two love interests’ acceptance and support of each other, but I find myself wishing that the development of both relationships had been given more space, had been made grander perhaps. And, I gotta say, I really wish we got to know Antiklea better, in order to learn why Atalanta loves her so, instead of just establishing their relationship early on and pretty much leaving it at that, with only few glimpses into Antiklea’s personality.
Now, onto the not so good stuff. Aside from the relatively minor issues previously mentioned, I have two fairly major ones to discuss. Let’s start with the less egregious offender: the rushed ending.
As for my primary issue with this book? Mother. Fucking. Zeus. What an awful guy – this we all know. That’s not my problem. My problem is that Blythe chose to give him extremely bad, entirely unnecessary POV chapters. Like, I cannot overstate how bad these chapters are. Luckily they were all very short, probably about 3-5 pages each, but man, reading them was like pulling out teeth and hair and nails, slowly, one at a time, without painkiller. Reading these chapters was like reading the inner-monologue of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum mixed with a rich white fratboy’s boredom and entitlement. I swear to all that is both holy and unholy, it sometimes took me more than 30 minutes to fight my way through these chapters because I kept getting distracted by other things, simply because everything in me was fighting against reading about this divine man-child. I am not kidding when I say, that every time Zeus’ POV came up, I seriously considered DNF’ing the book. There was no real reason to include his POV, there was nothing there that couldn’t have been alluded to in other ways, and I think that the inclusion of his POV chapters was a major misjudgment on Blythe’s part, a misjudgment which heavily drags down the quality of the entire book, as well as my final rating. In short, it's just a damn shame.
(This review contains spoilers for the book!)
I honestly have no idea where to start on this review, because I have a lot of very conflicting opinions on this book.
As you can probably tell from the rating, this wasn’t a favourite. It wasn’t bad, by all means! But I think that, in the end, everything I feel about this book boils down to how inconsistent the quality of my reading experience was: the highs were very high, but the lows were almost insufferable.
Let’s start with the good stuff first. From the get-go, I was super intrigued by the premise itself: I love retellings of Greek myths, but I’ve never seen anyone decide to centre a story around the Fates before! And I’ve never really read more than short summaries of the myths surrounding Atalanta or Meleager before, so I was excited to dive deeper into their story.
I’m a big fan of the story’s non-linear narrative – how very appropriate for a story told partially from the perspectives of the Fates, beings that transcend time and space. I don’t necessarily agree with which parts were chosen to be told on which order, but overall, the non-linear structure worked to great effect.
I also really liked the writing style! It’s worth mentioning here that the prose is extremely purple, so if you have trouble with that, then this book might not be for you. However, as I was reading, I kept thinking that there was something quite familiar about the writing: a turn of phrase here, a particular word choice there, some of the more foreign sentence structures. It’s been almost a decade since I studied Ancient Greek, but Blythe’s phrasings sometimes sounded to me exactly like something we’d translate in class, which I thought was really neat and which really help sell the Ancient Greece setting.
I adored all the POV chapters told from the Fates’ perspective, and those were without a doubt my favourite parts of the entire book! I thought the plot was quite clever and a good choice for further intertwining the stories of the Fates and the stories of Atalanta and Meleager. I also really enjoyed the twist, and while I didn’t see it coming, looking back, it was clear to see the foreshadowing throughout the book prior to the reveal.
I think Blythe’s portrayal of Meleager and Atalanta individually was very compelling, but I remain unconvinced – or perhaps more accurately, simply apathetic – of their love story. It was super cool to see some nice polyamory rep, in the form of Atalanta’s relationships with both Antiklea and Meleager, as well as the two love interests’ acceptance and support of each other, but I find myself wishing that the development of both relationships had been given more space, had been made grander perhaps. And, I gotta say, I really wish we got to know Antiklea better, in order to learn why Atalanta loves her so, instead of just establishing their relationship early on and pretty much leaving it at that, with only few glimpses into Antiklea’s personality.
Now, onto the not so good stuff. Aside from the relatively minor issues previously mentioned, I have two fairly major ones to discuss. Let’s start with the less egregious offender: the rushed ending.
As for my primary issue with this book? Mother. Fucking. Zeus. What an awful guy – this we all know. That’s not my problem. My problem is that Blythe chose to give him extremely bad, entirely unnecessary POV chapters. Like, I cannot overstate how bad these chapters are. Luckily they were all very short, probably about 3-5 pages each, but man, reading them was like pulling out teeth and hair and nails, slowly, one at a time, without painkiller. Reading these chapters was like reading the inner-monologue of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum mixed with a rich white fratboy’s boredom and entitlement. I swear to all that is both holy and unholy, it sometimes took me more than 30 minutes to fight my way through these chapters because I kept getting distracted by other things, simply because everything in me was fighting against reading about this divine man-child. I am not kidding when I say, that every time Zeus’ POV came up, I seriously considered DNF’ing the book. There was no real reason to include his POV, there was nothing there that couldn’t have been alluded to in other ways, and I think that the inclusion of his POV chapters was a major misjudgment on Blythe’s part, a misjudgment which heavily drags down the quality of the entire book, as well as my final rating. In short, it's just a damn shame.
June 22, 2025
Tries to say interesting things about feminism, found family, gender, sexuality, and polyamory (?) but cant seem to find a way to successfully do it through story so instead we get some incredibly dull passages that basically dwindle down to “Girls can do things!! Being a bisexual in a throuple is OK!!”
May 6, 2025
Une petite réécriture mythologique par-ci, un petit Zeus toujours aussi horrible par-là, un soupçon de romance LGBT et une plume supra jolie… hop, on mélange tout ça et on obtient un roman sublime que j’ai dévoré en une journée (l’abus)…
Au départ, je dois vous avouer que la plume était périlleuse. Charlemagne sur nous, j’ai cru que j’allais DNF, parce que mon cerveau n’était pas assez concentré pour comprendre le vocabulaire (pour ma défense, il était 23h30 quand je l’ai commencé — d’habitude à cette heure-là, je regarde Barbapapa, ok ?).
La nuit portant conseil, je l’ai repris le lendemain matin et le miracle a opéré : j’ai dévoré les 250 pages restantes dans l’après-midi.
Dans Les Moires, on suit des personnages mythologiques qu’on n’a pas l’habitude de suivre, et notamment Atalante, la reine chasseresse d’Artémis, que j’ai ADO-RÉE pour sa force, son courage et sa résilience (même si parfois, c’est un peu une “je suis pas comme les autres filles”… mais c’est tout le but du perso, donc j’arrête).
J’ai aussi adoré suivre les Moires, beaucoup aimé la façon dont la réécriture est menée et les plot twists qui viennent parfaire le tout (je m’attendais pas à être chokbar en lisant une réécriture, mais écoutez… slay).
La plume de l’autrice est juste trop belle, le dernier chapitre conclut magnifiquement le récit, et j’ai adoré la dimension féministe, le female rage qui dégouline des pages et la sororité qui se dégage du roman.
C’était vraiment une super surprise, et je vous le conseille de fou !
Au départ, je dois vous avouer que la plume était périlleuse. Charlemagne sur nous, j’ai cru que j’allais DNF, parce que mon cerveau n’était pas assez concentré pour comprendre le vocabulaire (pour ma défense, il était 23h30 quand je l’ai commencé — d’habitude à cette heure-là, je regarde Barbapapa, ok ?).
La nuit portant conseil, je l’ai repris le lendemain matin et le miracle a opéré : j’ai dévoré les 250 pages restantes dans l’après-midi.
Dans Les Moires, on suit des personnages mythologiques qu’on n’a pas l’habitude de suivre, et notamment Atalante, la reine chasseresse d’Artémis, que j’ai ADO-RÉE pour sa force, son courage et sa résilience (même si parfois, c’est un peu une “je suis pas comme les autres filles”… mais c’est tout le but du perso, donc j’arrête).
J’ai aussi adoré suivre les Moires, beaucoup aimé la façon dont la réécriture est menée et les plot twists qui viennent parfaire le tout (je m’attendais pas à être chokbar en lisant une réécriture, mais écoutez… slay).
La plume de l’autrice est juste trop belle, le dernier chapitre conclut magnifiquement le récit, et j’ai adoré la dimension féministe, le female rage qui dégouline des pages et la sororité qui se dégage du roman.
C’était vraiment une super surprise, et je vous le conseille de fou !
May 6, 2024
"A poor beginning does not always betoken a poor conclusion."
July 3, 2025
*2.5 stars*
January 15, 2025
This was actually a retelling of the Atalanta myth, and as such, suffered from deviating so drastically from the book Atalanta which I really enjoyed. I felt like rather than exploring the fates as they exist in mythology already, this basically threw a lot of the lore out of the window and just went off on a tangent. That said, it was enjoyable, it just didn’t read as a retelling for me. And given I was interested in the fates, I was a little disappointed it wasn’t more about their stories as they exist already, to make more sense of them. I think mythical retellings are a bit overdone now and sometimes I wish authors would create something new (albeit from that era, perhaps) which could explore the themes they want to explore but without the framework of a pre existing story.
April 10, 2024
I was very intrigued by the plot of this book and it was my most anticipated read of March/April. I mean, a retelling of The Fates? I was in before I even started. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I've read too many retellings and the genre is now a staple for me, I don't know. What I do know is that I'm not very convinced by this book. There were undoubtedly moments when the book excelled at delivering a message and a story, and others when it struggled to do both. At times I wondered if this was the work of more than one author, because the difference in tone and style was so stark.
Also, I understand the need for likeable and unlikeable characters, but a caricature of an unlikeable character? It was painful to read certain chapters without skipping a word.
All in all, I found the idea behind the book new, fresh and interesting, but the execution was not for me.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Also, I understand the need for likeable and unlikeable characters, but a caricature of an unlikeable character? It was painful to read certain chapters without skipping a word.
All in all, I found the idea behind the book new, fresh and interesting, but the execution was not for me.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 4, 2024
Read for a book club and found it such a slog the whole way through. I liked how it was a feminist re-telling and it reflected well on the fragility and beauty of life and living each day with all our human experiences. But I just found it boring and poorly written and only finished it so I could talk about the book fully at my book club meeting
April 19, 2025
I wish this had been described as a ‘reimagining’, then I would’ve know to avoid it, since they’re nearly always utter garbage, this being no exception. The story is pathetic, the gods (Zeus in particular) portrayed as giant toddler. He actually stamps his foot at one point. Utter shit.
April 21, 2024
** I received an ARC for an honest review **
The Fates is a new reimagining of an epic tale from Greek mythology from UK author Rosie Garland.
Review
The Fates is a new reimagining of an ancient Greek myth surrounding the legendary female warrior Atlanta and Melegar, the doomed warrior-lord of Calydon.
Garland reimagines this aspect of Greek mythology infusing the characters with new life. The female warrior Atlanta is central to the story which revolves around the love between her and Melegar. There is a new addition to this ancient tale which Garland weaves to entice us into her reimagined and new Ancient Greece. The Fates, who stand beyond time and creation of the Titans, mortals and the Gods of Olympus, are responsible for the birth, fortune or misfortune in mortal lives and for ending life.
Garland imagines this classic Greek myth where the otherworldly figure of Atlanta entices the Fates to break their distance between the weaving of fate and the effects on mortal lives. Entranced by the magic of Atlanta and Melgar, the Fates are drawn like the reader to this new version of a female warrior: lover of Melgar and the female warrior Antiklea . Here, Atlanta is bisexual and the polyamorous relationship between Atlanta, Melgar and Antiklea brings new vision to an ancient tale. There is a new twist to the tale and the breaking of rules as one of the Fates, Clotho dares to confront Hades to reverse Melegar’s fate and restore the love binding Atlanta, Melegar and Antiklea.
Garland writes with meticulous detail from Ancient Greek mythology, history and legends to create a strong world-building in this historical fantasy. If there is a drawback to The Fates, there is often a sense of stilted and overly formal conversation between characters which is at odds with the flowing and passionate writing of actions and intentions. Nonetheless, this queer fiction reimagining of the myth of Atlanta brings a new voice to the genre of myth reimagining and historical fiction.
Conclusion
A recommended read for fans of Madeline Miller and Genevieve Gornichec. A reimagining of Greek mythology incorporating LGBTQI themes, misogyny, feminism, and gender stereotypes. This is great new queer fiction to add the subgenres of historical fantasy. Well worth the read!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
The Fates is a new reimagining of an epic tale from Greek mythology from UK author Rosie Garland.
Review
The Fates is a new reimagining of an ancient Greek myth surrounding the legendary female warrior Atlanta and Melegar, the doomed warrior-lord of Calydon.
Garland reimagines this aspect of Greek mythology infusing the characters with new life. The female warrior Atlanta is central to the story which revolves around the love between her and Melegar. There is a new addition to this ancient tale which Garland weaves to entice us into her reimagined and new Ancient Greece. The Fates, who stand beyond time and creation of the Titans, mortals and the Gods of Olympus, are responsible for the birth, fortune or misfortune in mortal lives and for ending life.
Garland imagines this classic Greek myth where the otherworldly figure of Atlanta entices the Fates to break their distance between the weaving of fate and the effects on mortal lives. Entranced by the magic of Atlanta and Melgar, the Fates are drawn like the reader to this new version of a female warrior: lover of Melgar and the female warrior Antiklea . Here, Atlanta is bisexual and the polyamorous relationship between Atlanta, Melgar and Antiklea brings new vision to an ancient tale. There is a new twist to the tale and the breaking of rules as one of the Fates, Clotho dares to confront Hades to reverse Melegar’s fate and restore the love binding Atlanta, Melegar and Antiklea.
Garland writes with meticulous detail from Ancient Greek mythology, history and legends to create a strong world-building in this historical fantasy. If there is a drawback to The Fates, there is often a sense of stilted and overly formal conversation between characters which is at odds with the flowing and passionate writing of actions and intentions. Nonetheless, this queer fiction reimagining of the myth of Atlanta brings a new voice to the genre of myth reimagining and historical fiction.
Conclusion
A recommended read for fans of Madeline Miller and Genevieve Gornichec. A reimagining of Greek mythology incorporating LGBTQI themes, misogyny, feminism, and gender stereotypes. This is great new queer fiction to add the subgenres of historical fantasy. Well worth the read!
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
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