Hello! We're so excited today to be participating in the blog tour for Phillip W. Simpson's newest book, Minotaur! We're huge fans of retellings of classic stories and myths, so this book was something that we knew we just had to read and spread the word about. Ashley has her review for you today, and there's also a giveaway for you to win your very own copy of Minotaur, so be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.
And don't forget to visit all of the other stops on the tour! You can find the official schedule by clicking the banner above.
About the Book
Title: Minotaur
Author: Phillip W. Simpson
Publication Date: September 29, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC
Synopsis: “Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.
Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”
Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began.
So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra. And of course what really happened in the labyrinth.
This is the true story of the Minotaur.
About the Author
Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many novels, chapter
books and other stories for children. His publishers include Macmillan,
Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press.
He received both his undergraduate degree in Ancient History
and Archaeology and his Masters (Hons) degree in Archaeology from the University
of Auckland.
Before embarking on his writing career, he joined the army
as an officer cadet, owned a comic shop and worked in recruitment in both the
UK and Australia.
His first young adult novel, Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1),
was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best Youth novel in 2012.
He is represented by Vicki Marsdon at Wordlink literary
agency.
When not writing, he works as a school teacher.
Phillip lives and writes in Auckland, New Zealand with his
wife Rose, their son, Jack and their two border terriers, Whiskey and Raffles.
He loves fishing, reading, movies, football (soccer) and single malt Whiskeys.
Ashley's Review
I was so excited when I first heard about this book - the story of the labyrinth from the Minotaur's perspective? Where has this been all my life!? I expected to enjoy this book, and I was not disappointed. I was even pleasantly surprised by the background and the history of both the Minotaur and the labyrinth!
I think my favorite part of this book was how it's written. Most of it is Asterion, known to most as the Minotaur, telling Ovid about his past and his time in the labyrinth. It's been thousands of years since the events have taken place, but Ast remembers them as if they happened yesterday. It's finally time for the world to know his story, and it was so interesting to watch him grow from a young boy into the fearsome beast of legend. There's so much more to him, and I found myself sympathizing with him on so many levels.
Even though this book kind of reads like a history lesson, it's so full of adventure and romance and friendship and everything else a great fantasy book should have that I never found myself bored or wanting to skip ahead to something more exciting. It's paced just right, even with the breaks back to the present. I really enjoyed how they broke up the story to let us see Ovid's reactions to this new information.
Although Ast is the most well-rounded character, his siblings and friends, and even some of the more minor characters, are still well-developed. I felt like I knew each one of them personally, and I even disliked some of them so much that I cringed whenever something went wrong because I just knew they were behind it. I was always excited to read about Ast's times with Phaedra, and it was interesting to see the real sides of Theseus. He's a hero with a dark side, and that's not something I've really seen before in any of the stories about him.
This book is just incredibly well written, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read a YA take on the story of the Minotaur. It's engaging, exciting, and will leave you wanting more! I love when I come across a book that challenges and recreates classic myths, and this one definitely exceeded all of my expectations. 4/5!
I think my favorite part of this book was how it's written. Most of it is Asterion, known to most as the Minotaur, telling Ovid about his past and his time in the labyrinth. It's been thousands of years since the events have taken place, but Ast remembers them as if they happened yesterday. It's finally time for the world to know his story, and it was so interesting to watch him grow from a young boy into the fearsome beast of legend. There's so much more to him, and I found myself sympathizing with him on so many levels.
Even though this book kind of reads like a history lesson, it's so full of adventure and romance and friendship and everything else a great fantasy book should have that I never found myself bored or wanting to skip ahead to something more exciting. It's paced just right, even with the breaks back to the present. I really enjoyed how they broke up the story to let us see Ovid's reactions to this new information.
Although Ast is the most well-rounded character, his siblings and friends, and even some of the more minor characters, are still well-developed. I felt like I knew each one of them personally, and I even disliked some of them so much that I cringed whenever something went wrong because I just knew they were behind it. I was always excited to read about Ast's times with Phaedra, and it was interesting to see the real sides of Theseus. He's a hero with a dark side, and that's not something I've really seen before in any of the stories about him.
This book is just incredibly well written, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read a YA take on the story of the Minotaur. It's engaging, exciting, and will leave you wanting more! I love when I come across a book that challenges and recreates classic myths, and this one definitely exceeded all of my expectations. 4/5!
The Giveaway!
Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson (INT)
Contest ends October 23, 2015
