Denise

"We are the killers of beasts and men. Wild ourselves, we inhabit the wild places. Freedom courses in our blood, and death whispers at the tip of our arrows. We fear nothing; fear runs from us. Try to stop us, and you will feel our rage."

This was an absolutely magical book that manages to transport readers to the Mediterranean region during the late Bronze Age. This book alternates between the past and the present and between two main characters, Diana Morgan and Myrina. Diana is a lecturer at Oxford who has somewhat become obsessed with Amazons ever since she was young when her grandmother came to live with her family and she claimed that she was an Amazon. Her grandmother eventually disappeared and ever since then Diana had wanted to learn as much as she could about the mysterious women warriors.

I don't want to really go into that much about Myrina because I don't want to really spoil much of the book. Myrina is a girl from Northern Africa and she and her sister Lilli find themselves struggling to survive after their mother's death. Myrina and Lilli experience a lot of hardships but they still manage to stay strong with the help of some other women. A lot of Myrina's parts touch on some events in Troy that happened in Homer's Iliad. It is quite a bit different than the Iliad though. I loved reading Myrina's story and felt as though I was transported back to Troy.

I love how dedicated Diana became in her search during this book for proof that the Amazons existed. You could tell that her passion really came from her memories of her childhood with her grandmother. During her search Diana finds it hard to know who she can trust. Not everyone is really who they seem they are. I fell in love with James right away and hated Nick when he was first introduced into the story. I don't want to give anything away but I was really happy with what happened in regards to their relationships with Diana.

I really liked the action in this book, both in the present day and the past, but I do have to say that the events in Finland just seemed a bit awkward to me. The book up until then was amazing and then this final confrontation comes around and I just wasn't 100% satisfied with it. I did really enjoy what happened after Finland though.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who enjoys historical fiction and who is looking for a fresh take on not only Amazons but also on events in Troy during the late Bronze Age.

(I received this book from a Librarything Early Reviewer's giveaway. The content of my review is not affected by that in any way.)