Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Keepers of the Labyrinth is an interesting read because of its take on Greek Mythology but the slow beginning and choppy writing may take away from the enjoyment.

Opening Sentence: The wind blew in from the Aegean and swept toward the Libyan Sea.

The Review:

I was really excited to read Keepers of the Labyrinth because I really love Greek Mythology and I couldn’t wait to see how the Minotaur and the Labyrinth would play out in modern day. My only problem with this book was how long it took me to get into it. The set up took way too long and I just couldn’t quite figure out what was supposed to happen. What I did love about this book was how Erin explained the origin of mythology and gave everything a twist which could only be discovered by going through the labyrinth.

Lilith Bennette’s mother committed suicide a few years before the books opens. Lil didn’t believe her mother would do a thing when her motto for life is, “Min zeis aplos. Zeis tolmira.. Do not just live. Live boldly.“ So when Lil gets accepted to go to Crete to a Future Leaders International conference in order to win a scholarship she jumps on it. It was the same program her mother went through as a teenager. She believes that she can reconstruct her mother’s life on the island through pictures and hopefully a woman who knew her mother at the camp.

At the camp, Lil meets three other girls whom she gets teamed up with in order to win the scholarship. Their virtues and strengths will be tested and judged for worthiness. As the story progresses, Lil stumbles upon some strange occurrences and even over hears the leaders speaking of her mother’s death. Then one night the camp is attacked and Lil and her friends venture into the labyrinth in order to get the answers that Lil needs.

Lil is a strong young female character, along with her friends Charlie, Sydney and Kat. They each have their strengths and weaknesses as pointed out in the novel. They are a little reckless and even when things seem a little bleak they are still in it together. There are some spoilery things that I won’t discuss especially about a team member but when its life and death on the line, some things are said and some things happen which don’t look good for the group.

There are several third person point of views in this novel which I think also kind of threw me off. The main focus is Lil but a couple of the Zephylites, basically the “bad guys”, are shown in order to know their motivation for their attack on the compound in Crete.

The writing was a little stilted and jarring at times and it made it hard for me to focus, especially in the beginning. I would have to reread scenes again in order to make sure I understood what was happening. The writing is very descriptive in the beginning trying to set up everything that is going on with Lilith, the conference and Zephylites. After the girls descended into the labyrinth, I was able to get into the story more and the last half of the book went by in a flash.

I would recommend this book for those who want something a little different and love Greek Mythology but I would warn about the slow buildup. The ending was well thought out and worth it.

Notable Scene:

“The police said it was suicide,” Lil said. “No questions asked.” She shook her head.

“And she had this necklace?” Charlie said, scribbling in her notebook.

Sydney extended her hand for the picture. Lil passed it over to her. “And she knew Bente,” Sydney said, circling Bente’s picture on her own chart.

“Before we arrived on the rock,” Kat said, her knitting needles clicking, “you were talking to her. Did she give any indication of knowing what happened to your mom?”

“That’s just it,” Lil said, pulling her feet up onto the chair. “She said it wasn’t like my mom to commit suicide.” She paused. “My mom had this saying. She said it was an old Greek adage. Min zeis aplos. Zeis tolmira. Do not just live. Live boldly.. Bente must have know this, because she said it to me before I started climbing the rock wall.”

“That’s weird,” Sydney said.

FTC Advisory: Erin E. Moulton graciously provided me with a copy of Keepers of the Labyrinth. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )