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Goddess of the Hunt
A poetry collection about the mythic life of Artemis, Greek Goddess of the hunt. Told through the perspective of Artemis herself with the contributions of a few other Greek Goddesses. This collection reimagines and follows Artemis navigating her lifelong vow of chastity and, rather than suffering through it, owning it as a facet of her aromanticism and asexuality. Immerse yourself in a cultivated tempest of poems illustrating Artemis as a warrior, whose shoulders have known an excessive weight of responsibility, and who always fights to remain her authentic self among people who would change her.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2019
22 people are currently reading
1665 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
September 3, 2020
11 January 2020
At this point everyone knows I'm obsessed with Artemis, so if you have any recommendation, please, please, write a comment. It can be anything from books to paintings. Literally anything.
7 January 2020
Guess what?! My copy just arrived!
2 December 2019
I don't even like poetry, but this is about my queen, Artemis, so I. NEED. THIS. NOW.
At this point everyone knows I'm obsessed with Artemis, so if you have any recommendation, please, please, write a comment. It can be anything from books to paintings. Literally anything.
7 January 2020
Guess what?! My copy just arrived!
2 December 2019
I don't even like poetry, but this is about my queen, Artemis, so I. NEED. THIS. NOW.
February 25, 2019
Once again, Shelby Eileen has created a masterpiece. The way she uses Greek goddess Artemis as a metaphor for independence, self-love, strength, queerness, and keeps a cohesive storyline through her poems is astounding. Her poetry is mythical and magical, the words fitting together like puzzle pieces. I love the way she describes what it’s like being aroace and characterizes Artemis as such. As someone on the aroace spectrum it’s really nice to feel seen through these poems and through Artemis’ story.
November 4, 2019
Wow. I can’t say I read poetry very often, in fact it’s pretty rare for me, but this. I can’t even put into words.
Some of this was so relatable it genuinely felt as though it was speaking to me.
It does deal with some heavy topics, but it was beautifully done!
———
In case anyone is interested this is free on kindle (for five days I believe)
Might as well take advantage and get it :)
Some of this was so relatable it genuinely felt as though it was speaking to me.
It does deal with some heavy topics, but it was beautifully done!
———
In case anyone is interested this is free on kindle (for five days I believe)
Might as well take advantage and get it :)
February 9, 2019
Do you ever read a poetry collection and you find yourself unable to stop reading? Don't exactly know why, but you just can't. There is something there, grabbing your attention. And it's okay if you don't really know why, you're just happy it's there. That's how I felt about this poetry collection.
Shelby Eileen has a way with words. I love her poetry collections for how they make me feel, understood. I love the way her words snap their fingers at me, “hello, we're here, read us, we're worth your time.” And they are. Worth my time.
In this poetry collection, you follow the goddess Artemis and several other goddesses and how they perceive Artemis or simply the world. I loved the different themes it deals with and how much I could relate to these words.
This poetry collection talks about the weight of expectations Artemis feels on her shoulders, the way she was thrown into this world without being given the love she deserved from her father, Zeus. But also without the tools she needed to survive, how she had to learn it all by herself.
She is creating victory before there is even battle.
It also shows how Artemis learns that she belongs to herself and no one else. That her feelings are valid. That she does not need to please everybody else, all that matters is that she's happy with who she is. She learns that she was born whole, not missing something, that there is nothing wrong with her having no romantic feelings or sexual attraction. She's whole. She's herself.
She looked at me and said, “I don’t bring people together because they need to be completed. You are a Goddess, whole, Artemis. Trust me to know this; love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you.”
This is about Artemis learning that she will forever be imperfect, no matter she does, and that's okay. She was born imperfect, and she doesn't need to fight again and again to become something she is not. She is good enough just the way she is. There is no need for her to carry on her shoulders everybody else's expectations. Her own are enough.
I have so much love for this poetry collection. And I hope you will love it just as much as I do.
(4.25)
Thank you to the author for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Shelby Eileen has a way with words. I love her poetry collections for how they make me feel, understood. I love the way her words snap their fingers at me, “hello, we're here, read us, we're worth your time.” And they are. Worth my time.
In this poetry collection, you follow the goddess Artemis and several other goddesses and how they perceive Artemis or simply the world. I loved the different themes it deals with and how much I could relate to these words.
This poetry collection talks about the weight of expectations Artemis feels on her shoulders, the way she was thrown into this world without being given the love she deserved from her father, Zeus. But also without the tools she needed to survive, how she had to learn it all by herself.
She is creating victory before there is even battle.
It also shows how Artemis learns that she belongs to herself and no one else. That her feelings are valid. That she does not need to please everybody else, all that matters is that she's happy with who she is. She learns that she was born whole, not missing something, that there is nothing wrong with her having no romantic feelings or sexual attraction. She's whole. She's herself.
She looked at me and said, “I don’t bring people together because they need to be completed. You are a Goddess, whole, Artemis. Trust me to know this; love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you.”
This is about Artemis learning that she will forever be imperfect, no matter she does, and that's okay. She was born imperfect, and she doesn't need to fight again and again to become something she is not. She is good enough just the way she is. There is no need for her to carry on her shoulders everybody else's expectations. Her own are enough.
I have so much love for this poetry collection. And I hope you will love it just as much as I do.
(4.25)
Thank you to the author for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2020
Poetry is often a hit-or-miss for me, and I think Goddess of the Hunt grazes the mark of 'hit'. This poetry collection centers on Artemis and explores themes of aromanticism and asexuality. The words here are beautiful - delicate, tender, yet razor-sharp. I enjoyed the words, how different formats are utilised for different perspectives, and the imagery.
Any lukewarm feelings about this book are largely attributed to me - I struggle to connect with poetry. But! I do think this is a wonderful collection - definitely worthwhile if you are looking for poetry on being aromantic and asexual.
Any lukewarm feelings about this book are largely attributed to me - I struggle to connect with poetry. But! I do think this is a wonderful collection - definitely worthwhile if you are looking for poetry on being aromantic and asexual.
February 23, 2019
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Original review posted on my blog : Word Wonders
*I received an eArc of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review*
Since I read Soft in the Middle and absolutely loved it (review a little farther down) I’ve been looking forward to reading everything Shelby writes, so it’s only natural I was excited about Goddess of the Hunt especially after learning it’s 1/ About Artemis! FREAKING ARTEMIS!!! She’s one of my favourite Greek goddesses. And 2/ It’s hella aroace and I’m here for it. So I jumped on the occasion when the author reached out to me with a review copy and devoured it soon after.
There’s just something about the way Shelby strings her words together to make verses and then her verses together to make poems that works for me. They open me up and pour themselves inside my heart, telling it that it’s not alone in the way it’s feeling, that yes, my feelings are valid.
In this one, we follow Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, the forest, the moon and archery as she grows more comfortable in her chastity vow because it’s not just a vow, it’s also part of who she is, of her identity, as she’s aroace and doesn’t want to be with anyone either romantically or sexually. And my favourite poems were the ones exploring this aspect of her, the ones where she talks about being perceived as harsh, where her softness wasn’t welcomed because the other gods and goddesses needed to fit he into this tiny box that she expanded way beyond. How she struggled not because of who she was -which she completely owns- but because of how the others’ look on her, and that made my aro heart sing.
There are also these “guest” poems from other goddesses’ perspectives. One of which was Leto, her mother. I liked these but, to be quite frank, they didn’t do much for me feeling wise, and I’d always get a little startled moving from Artemis’ perspective that made me feel *so much* to someone else’s that just…didn’t move me. Which is why this was a 3.5 stars read for me. The one exception to this is one poem where Leto talks about what people tell her about Artemis being harsh, unlikable and just not the “right” kind of goddess, the kind that’s sweet and soft. That one really hit me. Especially since Artemis IS soft, the other Olympians just refuse to see it because she doesn’t fit their perception of it and it doesn’t fit their narrative.
Original review posted on my blog : Word Wonders
*I received an eArc of this book from the author in exchange of an honest review*
Since I read Soft in the Middle and absolutely loved it (review a little farther down) I’ve been looking forward to reading everything Shelby writes, so it’s only natural I was excited about Goddess of the Hunt especially after learning it’s 1/ About Artemis! FREAKING ARTEMIS!!! She’s one of my favourite Greek goddesses. And 2/ It’s hella aroace and I’m here for it. So I jumped on the occasion when the author reached out to me with a review copy and devoured it soon after.
There’s just something about the way Shelby strings her words together to make verses and then her verses together to make poems that works for me. They open me up and pour themselves inside my heart, telling it that it’s not alone in the way it’s feeling, that yes, my feelings are valid.
In this one, we follow Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, the forest, the moon and archery as she grows more comfortable in her chastity vow because it’s not just a vow, it’s also part of who she is, of her identity, as she’s aroace and doesn’t want to be with anyone either romantically or sexually. And my favourite poems were the ones exploring this aspect of her, the ones where she talks about being perceived as harsh, where her softness wasn’t welcomed because the other gods and goddesses needed to fit he into this tiny box that she expanded way beyond. How she struggled not because of who she was -which she completely owns- but because of how the others’ look on her, and that made my aro heart sing.
There are also these “guest” poems from other goddesses’ perspectives. One of which was Leto, her mother. I liked these but, to be quite frank, they didn’t do much for me feeling wise, and I’d always get a little startled moving from Artemis’ perspective that made me feel *so much* to someone else’s that just…didn’t move me. Which is why this was a 3.5 stars read for me. The one exception to this is one poem where Leto talks about what people tell her about Artemis being harsh, unlikable and just not the “right” kind of goddess, the kind that’s sweet and soft. That one really hit me. Especially since Artemis IS soft, the other Olympians just refuse to see it because she doesn’t fit their perception of it and it doesn’t fit their narrative.
July 4, 2020
Actual rating: 4.5
I had high expectations for this poetry collection. Mostly, I was so excited to see own voices aro-ace rep! And I ended up loving this even more than I thought I would.
The representation felt so validating, and on top of that, the message of these poems as a whole was really empowering as well. I wasn't having the best day, and reading them had me pretty emotional at times, but in the best way possible: it made me feel seen, and told me there was nothing wrong with me for being who I am.
All this would have already been amazing in itself, but Eileen's writing is just so beautiful as well. The poems are set up in different but recurring styles and formats, which could have easily ended up feeling messy. It's impressive to me that all the poems together still made a very cohesive collection.
I had high expectations for this poetry collection. Mostly, I was so excited to see own voices aro-ace rep! And I ended up loving this even more than I thought I would.
The representation felt so validating, and on top of that, the message of these poems as a whole was really empowering as well. I wasn't having the best day, and reading them had me pretty emotional at times, but in the best way possible: it made me feel seen, and told me there was nothing wrong with me for being who I am.
All this would have already been amazing in itself, but Eileen's writing is just so beautiful as well. The poems are set up in different but recurring styles and formats, which could have easily ended up feeling messy. It's impressive to me that all the poems together still made a very cohesive collection.
January 22, 2022
01/22/2022
3.5★
“She is confident enough in her Goddess mantle to accept everything about herself, wholly. The forest is mother, teacher, savior, mirror. It reveals to her what is natural and therefore what is true. It told her, so sweetly, that her lack of desire doesn’t take away from her brilliance. Nature sighed in complete authority, and it told her she was composed expertly. Crafted beautifully. She knows better than to answer Nature with disbelief.”
This was such a good poem collection, there were quite a lot of very powerful poems that really stood out! Definitely looking forward to other works from this author.
3.5★
“She is confident enough in her Goddess mantle to accept everything about herself, wholly. The forest is mother, teacher, savior, mirror. It reveals to her what is natural and therefore what is true. It told her, so sweetly, that her lack of desire doesn’t take away from her brilliance. Nature sighed in complete authority, and it told her she was composed expertly. Crafted beautifully. She knows better than to answer Nature with disbelief.”
This was such a good poem collection, there were quite a lot of very powerful poems that really stood out! Definitely looking forward to other works from this author.
February 16, 2022
5/5 stars
TW: Acephobia, arophobia, blood, self harm, self hate, intoxication, madness
Asexual poetry about rage and existence and the lush forests and the desire to be free? Sign me up. I knew this would get five stars. I only wish I could read it every night.
TW: Acephobia, arophobia, blood, self harm, self hate, intoxication, madness
Asexual poetry about rage and existence and the lush forests and the desire to be free? Sign me up. I knew this would get five stars. I only wish I could read it every night.
July 14, 2022
1.25
.25 for the representation only
First things first the rep was nice but I just DID NOT like this. It was so confusing and I didn’t feel any emotions or anything while reading it. It gave me that feeling of reading something for school ya know?-like when you’re told it’s easy to understand but you just can’t read between the lines and the words smash together and it’s just a tangled mess. I felt like it was a chore and I didn’t understand what the author was trying to convey.
.25 for the representation only
First things first the rep was nice but I just DID NOT like this. It was so confusing and I didn’t feel any emotions or anything while reading it. It gave me that feeling of reading something for school ya know?-like when you’re told it’s easy to understand but you just can’t read between the lines and the words smash together and it’s just a tangled mess. I felt like it was a chore and I didn’t understand what the author was trying to convey.
May 18, 2022
She looked at me and said, “I don’t bring people together because they need to be completed. You are a Goddess, whole, Artemis. Trust me to know this; love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you.”
To be able to see Artemis as more than a virgin goddess, an aro-ace representative, is something rarely interpreted through the endless mythology retellings. While I may not be a huge fan of poetry, being able to read about her journey through discovering her independence and inevitably her imperfections that set her apart from the other gods was something to truly behold. Unknown to Artemis, many of her fellow goddesses looked up to and worshipped her for being able to do something unfathomable, something never before seen with anyone else during that time. For anyone who resonates with this representation or simply loves Artemis, I would highly recommend.
To be able to see Artemis as more than a virgin goddess, an aro-ace representative, is something rarely interpreted through the endless mythology retellings. While I may not be a huge fan of poetry, being able to read about her journey through discovering her independence and inevitably her imperfections that set her apart from the other gods was something to truly behold. Unknown to Artemis, many of her fellow goddesses looked up to and worshipped her for being able to do something unfathomable, something never before seen with anyone else during that time. For anyone who resonates with this representation or simply loves Artemis, I would highly recommend.
October 23, 2019
ok wow i loved this!!! 4.5 stars
I think whatever hurt or hollowness you feel when you see someone who is peaceful in their solitude is your own loneliness.
February 27, 2019
Oh boy, why is everything Shelby writes unlike anything else I've ever written, and even unlike everything else she's ever written! I just.. if there is a more original poet out there at the moment, I don't know who it is.
Honestly, I get all excited and flustered whenever I hear there's going to be a new collection by Shelby (even if I am woefully behind in reading them). This collection was about as fantastical and mythical as anything I have ever read. It was such a breath of fresh air to read about the gods and goddesses of Greek myth as supportive of each other rather than sniping at one another. Persephone and Hestia's support was gorgeous to read.
But by far my favourites were the two poems of a mother's love from Leta's PoV.
I will admit that it took me a little while to get used to the format that the author used for this collection. Each poem comes in two sections, the italicised section advising us of the goddess and the age which was more of a current position of the immortal it was about to depict. Then came the opinion, the poem, from that goddess.
Once I was used to it though, I liked the way that the collection combined poetic prose with poetry all the way through. It was another aspect of the difference that I liked about this collection and like about Shelby's collections more generally.
The content, of course, was that of Artemis being not just the virgin goddess, but the aromantic and asexual goddess viewed through other peoples' lenses. It's made incredibly clear that it's not her identity that makes her lonely but the way that she isn't accepted by the rest of the world around her. It's a strong and heartbreaking message.
Honestly, I get all excited and flustered whenever I hear there's going to be a new collection by Shelby (even if I am woefully behind in reading them). This collection was about as fantastical and mythical as anything I have ever read. It was such a breath of fresh air to read about the gods and goddesses of Greek myth as supportive of each other rather than sniping at one another. Persephone and Hestia's support was gorgeous to read.
But by far my favourites were the two poems of a mother's love from Leta's PoV.
I will admit that it took me a little while to get used to the format that the author used for this collection. Each poem comes in two sections, the italicised section advising us of the goddess and the age which was more of a current position of the immortal it was about to depict. Then came the opinion, the poem, from that goddess.
Once I was used to it though, I liked the way that the collection combined poetic prose with poetry all the way through. It was another aspect of the difference that I liked about this collection and like about Shelby's collections more generally.
The content, of course, was that of Artemis being not just the virgin goddess, but the aromantic and asexual goddess viewed through other peoples' lenses. It's made incredibly clear that it's not her identity that makes her lonely but the way that she isn't accepted by the rest of the world around her. It's a strong and heartbreaking message.
March 7, 2020
Possibly one of the most interesting poetry collections I've read in a while. These poems are told in mostly Artemis' POV, though other goddesses make an appearance as well.
I really liked quite a few of these poems and several struck a chord with me. I'll be thinking about the topic of these poems for some time to come.
I really liked quite a few of these poems and several struck a chord with me. I'll be thinking about the topic of these poems for some time to come.
October 25, 2019
Available now here!! Perfectly on time for #aroawarenessweek ━ if you want to support aroace authors and creators, here's a great place to start!
A book about Artemis. Fierce, powerful, feminist, aroace. Warrior and moon child. Devoted, to herself and her cause. A weight on her shoulders. Not quite the earth (that job went to Atlas), maybe the sky (the stars, and all those lost in the night).
and, if there is any of it left in me,
breathe tenderness back into the dark
Poems that start with ages captured in the most wonderful way i have ever seen. Stories and struggles of a lifetime. Other goddesses that show up, show power in other ways. Alike and different. Strong, beautiful and tired women (women who are all those things). No men get the soapbox, gods or not.
Artemis, age; To be told you're not good enough is a hard bed to lie in, even as a God. She doesn't think of mortals often but she does wonder how they survive under the weight of it all. Even her shoulders ache and they're made of otherworlds and ichor.
I loved this collection, these words, the mentions of her relationship with her brother Apollo. How we see Artemis grow, struggle, fill out and on page be proud and herself without romantic love. How this book shows, with ownvoices rep.
Self-hatred vibrates her bones, prolonged, until even the ichor in her veins is tired of hating itself. Blood with no life cycle finally gives into how bright it can shine; it is gold and unknowable and self-making.
I highlighted so many parts and cannot wait to hold a copy in my hands. (For this review, an arc was graciously provided by Shelby herself in exchange for my honest opinion.)
TW: implications towards sexual assault/non-consensual touching, mention of cheating, anti aro and anti ace rhetorics (not condoned).
this is not what you came into the forest for
but i am not sorry
that it's what you found in me
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
the cover...i don't have words
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
i had the absolute pleasure of reading an early copy/draft of this and it was already amazing. i can't wait to see it in full glory.
everything shelby has written so far has been the best, so here's your regular reminder to check them all out!
A book about Artemis. Fierce, powerful, feminist, aroace. Warrior and moon child. Devoted, to herself and her cause. A weight on her shoulders. Not quite the earth (that job went to Atlas), maybe the sky (the stars, and all those lost in the night).
and, if there is any of it left in me,
breathe tenderness back into the dark
Poems that start with ages captured in the most wonderful way i have ever seen. Stories and struggles of a lifetime. Other goddesses that show up, show power in other ways. Alike and different. Strong, beautiful and tired women (women who are all those things). No men get the soapbox, gods or not.
Artemis, age; To be told you're not good enough is a hard bed to lie in, even as a God. She doesn't think of mortals often but she does wonder how they survive under the weight of it all. Even her shoulders ache and they're made of otherworlds and ichor.
I loved this collection, these words, the mentions of her relationship with her brother Apollo. How we see Artemis grow, struggle, fill out and on page be proud and herself without romantic love. How this book shows, with ownvoices rep.
Self-hatred vibrates her bones, prolonged, until even the ichor in her veins is tired of hating itself. Blood with no life cycle finally gives into how bright it can shine; it is gold and unknowable and self-making.
I highlighted so many parts and cannot wait to hold a copy in my hands. (For this review, an arc was graciously provided by Shelby herself in exchange for my honest opinion.)
TW: implications towards sexual assault/non-consensual touching, mention of cheating, anti aro and anti ace rhetorics (not condoned).
this is not what you came into the forest for
but i am not sorry
that it's what you found in me
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
the cover...i don't have words
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
i had the absolute pleasure of reading an early copy/draft of this and it was already amazing. i can't wait to see it in full glory.
everything shelby has written so far has been the best, so here's your regular reminder to check them all out!
June 27, 2019
I received a free ebook copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review, I reached out and asked for this book on Twitter.
I've spent probably over half my life learning myths from around the world, they fascinate me, because people and the way they interact with stories in whatever form they come in now is the same as how we have for thousands upon thousands of years. We see ourselves in stories, in myths, in poetry.
The author of this work, Shelby Eileen, is aromantic and asexual, she sees Artemis in the same light. It doesn't matter if you agree or don't, or even if I am undecided, it's brilliant, that kind of connection is what I think poetry is about, myths, stories. I know myths which could challenge or change Goddess of the Hunt, but I won't, because it's poetry that is doing as it's supposed to.
It tells of Artemis, a Artemis who is goddess of the moon and hunt, who's life is vast and immortal and yet whole for all that it's perceived as painful or loveless. She sees pain of all kinds and types, yet lends protection, her voice is joined in at times by the voices of other goddesses Leto her mother, her sisters Persephone and Athena, her aunts Demeter, Hera and Hestia.
I would have liked to have heard from her more famous hunting companions, or the Amazons, or grandmothers Rhea and Phoebe, or aunt Asteria and cousin Hecate. Yet the Artemis we come to know is herself bright faced as the moon, yet still with it's blemishes and shadows, perhaps it's best not to be distracted by other voices and lights between winding words that might lead astray from the path of Artemis as the Will-o-the-wisp was wont to do in the night.
I've spent probably over half my life learning myths from around the world, they fascinate me, because people and the way they interact with stories in whatever form they come in now is the same as how we have for thousands upon thousands of years. We see ourselves in stories, in myths, in poetry.
The author of this work, Shelby Eileen, is aromantic and asexual, she sees Artemis in the same light. It doesn't matter if you agree or don't, or even if I am undecided, it's brilliant, that kind of connection is what I think poetry is about, myths, stories. I know myths which could challenge or change Goddess of the Hunt, but I won't, because it's poetry that is doing as it's supposed to.
It tells of Artemis, a Artemis who is goddess of the moon and hunt, who's life is vast and immortal and yet whole for all that it's perceived as painful or loveless. She sees pain of all kinds and types, yet lends protection, her voice is joined in at times by the voices of other goddesses Leto her mother, her sisters Persephone and Athena, her aunts Demeter, Hera and Hestia.
I would have liked to have heard from her more famous hunting companions, or the Amazons, or grandmothers Rhea and Phoebe, or aunt Asteria and cousin Hecate. Yet the Artemis we come to know is herself bright faced as the moon, yet still with it's blemishes and shadows, perhaps it's best not to be distracted by other voices and lights between winding words that might lead astray from the path of Artemis as the Will-o-the-wisp was wont to do in the night.
November 28, 2019
"You must remember how strong you are
when you feel like an entire ocean is pressing down on your chest
when you feel like a whole galaxy of emptiness is swallowing up your voice
you must remember that I sincerely believe you have the power
to change the world."
Title: Goddess of the Hunt
Author: Shelby Eileen
Release date: 20/02/19
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rep: Own voices for aromantic asexual representation
Big thanks to the author for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
To start off, I just want to say that I fell in love with Shelby Eileen's writing style after reading "Soft in the Middle" and "Sunfish" so I was extremely happy for the chance to read an early copy of this one!
"I don't bring people together because they need to be completed. You are a goddess, whole."
"Love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you."
I love everything Greek mythology inspired and in this poetry collection, we follow the goddess Artemis.
This collection is basically the journey to finding out who you are and revelling in it in spite of what everyone tells you to be. It's about courage and bravery, to be able to be who you are with no shame, even when people tell you to change, to be different.
"No one makes it through anything difficult alone...and yet I try."
A brilliant mix of Greek mythology, encouragement and bravery and discussions on sexuality and gender.
"The girl who everyone told would fall in love one day...no matter how loudly I screamed...it's not what I wanted...it was never what I needed."
when you feel like an entire ocean is pressing down on your chest
when you feel like a whole galaxy of emptiness is swallowing up your voice
you must remember that I sincerely believe you have the power
to change the world."
Title: Goddess of the Hunt
Author: Shelby Eileen
Release date: 20/02/19
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rep: Own voices for aromantic asexual representation
Big thanks to the author for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
To start off, I just want to say that I fell in love with Shelby Eileen's writing style after reading "Soft in the Middle" and "Sunfish" so I was extremely happy for the chance to read an early copy of this one!
"I don't bring people together because they need to be completed. You are a goddess, whole."
"Love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you."
I love everything Greek mythology inspired and in this poetry collection, we follow the goddess Artemis.
This collection is basically the journey to finding out who you are and revelling in it in spite of what everyone tells you to be. It's about courage and bravery, to be able to be who you are with no shame, even when people tell you to change, to be different.
"No one makes it through anything difficult alone...and yet I try."
A brilliant mix of Greek mythology, encouragement and bravery and discussions on sexuality and gender.
"The girl who everyone told would fall in love one day...no matter how loudly I screamed...it's not what I wanted...it was never what I needed."
June 28, 2022
I am obsessed with this idea of using the goddess Artemis to embody the author's real life experiences. The poetry is written with such elegance and emotion. Combining greek mythology and poetry to create an empowering story of hurt, healing and the journey towards self-acceptance is simply brilliant. The themes of aromanticism and asexuality are my favourite!!! We NEED more aro/ace-spec poetry and stories in this world. 💚🖤🤍💜
September 3, 2021
looooove to finally see this representation!!! and some of the pieces were rly hard hitting, but i don't think it was truly my cup of tea. would still highly recommend it to those who are looking for a poetry collection which helps you understand you are enough
February 20, 2019
3.5/5 stars.
Check out my review on Youtube!
love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you.
Goddess of the Hunt is an own voices aro/ace poetry collection which revolves around the goddess Artemis. I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review - thank you so much to Shelby for sending this to me!
Several things really stood out to me about this collection. Firstly, it has incredible description. The collection is very visual and the descriptive language is absolutely stunning, painting an extremely vivid picture for the reader. Secondly, it has an interesting format, as the poems alternate between a first and third person perspective, describing Artemis and a number of other gods/goddesses. It was also my first time ever reading a book with aromantic representation, so I was really excited about that!
However, something I struggled with when reading was a lack of clarity. The collection seemed to have an overarching narrative and felt as though it were telling a story, but I found that aspect to be unclear and had some difficulty understanding what that narrative was supposed to be. Admittedly, this could be due to my own ignorance; I have no knowledge of Artemis and went in completely unaware of the character's history, so perhaps if I had more background knowledge going in then the collection would have made more sense to me. Overall I did feel quite distanced from the book, since I really enjoyed the descriptions but couldn't feel a true connection to Artemis as a character. I acknowledge that this is on me; I probably should have done some research going in to ensure I got the most out of this reading experience - however, I do want to let people know that this may be one of those books where you do need knowledge of the original myth in order to truly understand the connotations of the book.
Shelby's writing style is ever-evolving and I continue to enjoy reading their books and seeing how their work progresses. As I said, there's some really gorgeous use of language in this collection and some highly interesting metaphors. It has a very rich aesthetic and stands out nicely against her other works - for example, this has an entirely different tone to her previous release, 'Sunshine, Sadness and Other Floridian Effects.' It proves that Shelby has great versatility and I will definitely continue to check out their future releases - I just feel that this book didn't resonate with me personally.
Check out my review on Youtube!
love happens to some people, but it does not have to happen to you.
Goddess of the Hunt is an own voices aro/ace poetry collection which revolves around the goddess Artemis. I received an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review - thank you so much to Shelby for sending this to me!
Several things really stood out to me about this collection. Firstly, it has incredible description. The collection is very visual and the descriptive language is absolutely stunning, painting an extremely vivid picture for the reader. Secondly, it has an interesting format, as the poems alternate between a first and third person perspective, describing Artemis and a number of other gods/goddesses. It was also my first time ever reading a book with aromantic representation, so I was really excited about that!
However, something I struggled with when reading was a lack of clarity. The collection seemed to have an overarching narrative and felt as though it were telling a story, but I found that aspect to be unclear and had some difficulty understanding what that narrative was supposed to be. Admittedly, this could be due to my own ignorance; I have no knowledge of Artemis and went in completely unaware of the character's history, so perhaps if I had more background knowledge going in then the collection would have made more sense to me. Overall I did feel quite distanced from the book, since I really enjoyed the descriptions but couldn't feel a true connection to Artemis as a character. I acknowledge that this is on me; I probably should have done some research going in to ensure I got the most out of this reading experience - however, I do want to let people know that this may be one of those books where you do need knowledge of the original myth in order to truly understand the connotations of the book.
Shelby's writing style is ever-evolving and I continue to enjoy reading their books and seeing how their work progresses. As I said, there's some really gorgeous use of language in this collection and some highly interesting metaphors. It has a very rich aesthetic and stands out nicely against her other works - for example, this has an entirely different tone to her previous release, 'Sunshine, Sadness and Other Floridian Effects.' It proves that Shelby has great versatility and I will definitely continue to check out their future releases - I just feel that this book didn't resonate with me personally.
Read
June 1, 2020I don't rate poetry because I wouldn't know how to rate it :) and I feel its a different sort of system than a full novel because poetry is little pieces of art put together to make such a wonderful book full of different styles of poetry and through vignettes
June 18, 2021
"when you feel like an entire ocean is pressing down on your chest
when you feel like a whole galaxy of emptiness is swallowing up your voice
you must remember that I sincerely believe you have the power
to change the world"
when you feel like a whole galaxy of emptiness is swallowing up your voice
you must remember that I sincerely believe you have the power
to change the world"
Read
December 31, 2019I have a bad track record with poetry so this was average to me writing wise but I loved the idea and that we said aro/ace rights for life!!!
September 1, 2022
3.5 stars
March 17, 2019
Wow
I knew i wanted to read this but I didn't realize just how stunning it would be. You have to read this.
I knew i wanted to read this but I didn't realize just how stunning it would be. You have to read this.
June 27, 2022
A quick read, but I loved so many of the words on these pages! This explores the myth of Artemis as she grows as a goddess and as she learns she is whole and complete as an aroace person (the term is not explicitly stated but it’s very clear and I believe this was the author’s intention too!)
I loved so many of the poems and writing throughout this, it’s well worth the read and I’ll be picking up more from this author as soon as I can 💗💗💗
I loved so many of the poems and writing throughout this, it’s well worth the read and I’ll be picking up more from this author as soon as I can 💗💗💗
December 21, 2019
For all aces and aros, everyone who has to be, or chooses to be, their own north star. I dedicate this whole book to you, with love. I hope one day we have more books to hold like mirrors and see our own normal reflected back at us.
I think this is one of my fav poetry book of all time. I loved the way Shelby Eileen used different format (prose and verse) to tell different stories and how it focused mostly on women, their struggles and their queerness. It was lovely and as someone who loves mythology it was satisfying to read. I would recommend this to anyone
June 3, 2019
4.5/5 Stars
I treat the forest as my kingdom
because it is the only place that's ever given me
strength
without asking for something in return
Shelby Eileen has crafted a powerful poetry collection that explores themes of asexuality and aromanticism through the lens of the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. Here, we see a character who is strong, resilient, and complete. In a world were romantic love and desire are almost forced upon us, Artemis lives with purpose and lacks for nothing. I was extremely moved by this work and would love to read more of Shelby Eileen's poetry in the future.
I treat the forest as my kingdom
because it is the only place that's ever given me
strength
without asking for something in return
Shelby Eileen has crafted a powerful poetry collection that explores themes of asexuality and aromanticism through the lens of the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. Here, we see a character who is strong, resilient, and complete. In a world were romantic love and desire are almost forced upon us, Artemis lives with purpose and lacks for nothing. I was extremely moved by this work and would love to read more of Shelby Eileen's poetry in the future.
November 18, 2019
I used this book as a resource for a research project I did on asexuality. In that aspect, it was very useful and I would recommend. Some of the poems were very moving and beautiful but in general I wasn’t too impressed artistically. But I think it’s so important as ace and aro representation, and the themes in the poems are important.
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