By Tracy Barrett
Harcourt Children’s Books, $16.99, 320 pages
ISBN 9780547581323

Ariadne will someday become goddess of the moon, but she’s bored with her life of religious training from strict priestesses. Ariadne feels isolated and alone until a ship brings a young man named Theseus from Athens. Theseus is here to slay the Minotaur, a monstrous creature rumored to live in a maze beneath the palace. The problem is, the Minotaur is just a myth. The creature that lives in the maze is Ariadne’s brother, Asterion. Will Ariadne have to choose her new friend over her brother?

Dark of the Moon manages to escape the downfall of many myth retellings. That is, rather than just retelling the expected story, the book manages to take the roots and make the story its own. One of the most fascinating aspects is the examination of religion and the effect it has on this myth. The result is not the characters you expect to see, but a mentally ill brother, a boastful hero, and a young woman who is conscious of her duty as future goddess. The religion aspect also adds plenty of gore (human sacrifice and bullfighting for a start) so this may be better suited for older teen readers.

Reviewed by Alyssa Feller