A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Queens of Moirai by Rhiannon Hargadon

Series:
Descendants of Atropos #1

Genre:
Greek Mythology, Mythology, Mythology Retellings, BookSirens, ARC from Author, Steamy Romance, Dark, Folk Lore, First Person Point of View, Cliffhanger, The Three Fates, Clotho Lachesis Atropos, Love Triangle, Paranormal, Supernatural, High Fantasy, Arranged Marriage

Publication Date:
September 5, 2023

Pages Numbers:
370

Read Date:
August 28th, 2023

Date Finished:
August 28th, 2023

Rating:
5/5

Blurb:

The stories were all wrong — The Grim Reaper was never a man.

In the snow fields of Moirai, a child is buried as she screams. In the morning, she is found wrapped in a blue blanket—still very much alive. Thus begins the strange life of Morena, the last descendant of the Fate Atropos. Doomed with dark gifts of death and destruction, and imprisoned for all of her life in a stone tower, Morena’s only view is the Obsidian Sea. Those she loves are taken away from her or used against her - what choice does she have but to serve as assassin?

Hiding her strength and her soft heart, Morena hones her murderous abilities, serving as slave to an unstoppable villain - her mother, Malinda the Mad Queen of the Blood Throne. There’s no hope of escape until the arrival of a mysterious prince who claims to be her betrothed. He's there to finally rescue her, and Morena is all too willing to throw herself into his muscular arms. But all is not as it seems with the gray-eyed prince of her girlhood fantasies... and soon his lies began to unravel, plunging Morena into a love-triangle of forbidden love and arranged marriage.

Will Morena remain doomed to her dark destiny? Or will she step into her place as one of the Three Fates?

Set in an epic fantasy world in a timeline of hundreds of years, this most unlikely of heroines will surprise and defy all readers’ expectations and assumptions about the Grim Reaper and how she came to be. This dark romantic fantasy features the Three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, and their last descendants.

Ideal for fans of folklore and mythology retellings like ACOTAR who want the spice of Fourth Wing.

(Note: This book contains adult material and various trigger warnings, including steamy scenes, death, dismemberment, imprisonment, an abusive parent, and suicide.)

Review:

Normally, the aspect of retelling in Greek Mythology tends to focus mostly on the Gods and placing them into modern situations while keeping to their Greek Mythology storylines. This happens a lot with the Hades and Persephone myth. We see their story being told many times over but always with the ending result of the two remaining together. You rarely see characters outside of the Gods have their moment in the spotlight, but this changes with this series.

The Three Fates, also known as the Moirai, were three goddesses that held responsibility for the life and death of, not only the gods themselves but also those within the mortal realm. They were believed to have governed over the aspects of human life from the moment of birth to their death. Each one is responsible for the threads of life - Clotho, the beginning of life, Lachesis, the middle of life, and Atropos, the ending of life. They were also known as the maiden, the mother, and the crone.

In The Queens of Moirai, Malina, the mad Queen of the Blood Throne, has always believed that any child she births is destined to be cursed by the House of Atropos. Each child she births, she sends to shallow graves just outside the castle, but one night all that changes a child is rescued from her cold fate. Raised within the tower, Morena and her siblings eagerly wish to leave the dreaded castle walls...that is until Fate changes the fate of Morena's sibling. Morena's life becomes even more lonely when she makes a deal with her mother - become the Grim Reaper and wield the Scythe she was meant to do.

But things change for Morena one night. The world she has known all her life is about to change. Her engagement to the first prince of Lachesis has come to claim his bride and bring her to the Epiphany where the other two descendants of the Fates are waiting for her.

As the web of tangled threads begins to unravel, Morena must navigate through the lies and betrayal that lay before her feet and learn the truth behind the curse of Atropos.

The Three Fates. Rarely seen. Rarely talked about especially when it comes to the world of Greek Mythology fiction. Most of their appearances are mere mentions or brief glimpses when it comes to sharing a piece of someone's fate. These are the Goddesses that most of the Greek Gods, including Zeus, feared them. If there were to be any tale of them, how would their story be told?

In the Queens of Moirai, these are the descendants of the Three Fates. Each one carrying the mark that would place them on the thrones of the Fate. Children would have to learn to wield their gift to make sure the balance of nature remains, but Morena's reputation already precedes her. The Grim Reaper. The one who wields the Scythe and ends the lives of those she touches. This is a girl who has always felt alone..burdened by the mark and the duty she would have no choice to carry. This was a girl who watched her siblings be taken from her and her own life become lonely and be nothing but the enforcer of her mother's desires.

Morena could see the life threads. Could see when someone was set to die. Could even go as far as to make sure their life can be changed. She does this when she comes across a stag in need. When she has managed to save the stage, the others see her as nothing more than the Reaper she is. This is where I felt tremendously sorry for her. They had already deemed what her character was - a killer. They didn't really bother to see the lonely girl beneath the layer.

There are flaws in Morena's character. She has grown up with not a single piece of affection from her mother. Her siblings were everything to her and when they were taken, she felt the loneliness spread through her making her numb to whatever her mother desired, but even beneath those layers this was a girl who craved affection and when she finally thought she would have it, she found betrayal.

Although one would consider her a sympathetic character, there was more to her. This was a girl who had survived being thrown away. This was a girl who desired affection and love. This was a girl who believed that when she found the descendants of the other two Fates, she would find a home.

The world-building gave us a devastating look beyond the wall. Creatures were nearly wiped out because of the Cullen. Cullens creeping around the castle and outside feasting on anything and everything. Worlds out there are not quite explored yet. And a world filled with three castles for the descendants of the Fates.

I am looking forward to seeing how this story plays out, especially after that cliffhanger. Things seem about to become interesting.

Final Thought:

While this story does have dark themes woven through it, I recommend this tale highly especially if you are looking for something outside the Greek Gods' retellings.

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Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Elektra by Jennifer Saint


*Disclaimer: Thank you to the author, her publishers, and BookSirens for allowing me to read and review this book. The opinions of this review are mine and mine alone.