An Unexpected Ally, Sophia KouidouGiles
An Unexpected Ally, Sophia KouidouGiles
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An Unexpected Ally
A Greek Tale of Love, Revenge, and Redemption

Author: Sophia Kouidou-Giles

Narrator: Daniela Acitelli

Unabridged: 5 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/14/2023

Synopsis

Powerful Circe, daughter of the sun-god Helios, is sad to see Odysseus, King of Ithaca, depart from her island, Aeaea—but her heartbreak is eased after dolphins take her to Delos, where she explores a new love relationship.

Circe has a strained relationship with her mother, Perse, but when she finally listens to Perse's encouragement to seek out the amphibian god Glaucus, she's glad she's heeded her advice. Together, the two embark on underwater adventures, and Circe shares with Glaucus her knowledge about the healing and harmful power of herbs. While in Delos, she also meets and befriends Skylla, a local beauty with whom Glaucus is enthralled, although the girl is indifferent.

Circe eventually returns to Aeaea, but one day she learns, upon consulting her scrying mirror, that there is trouble in Delos that requires her immediate action. In the turbulent world of gods mingling with mortals, our heroine shifts shapes, flies, and uses her superpowers to reverse the course of evil.

In a tangle of love, hate, and the final righting of wrongs, An Unexpected Ally is a newly woven set of tales that brings to life ancient Greek myths and revives issues familiar to contemporary listeners.

About Sophia Kouidou-Giles

Sophia Kouidou-Giles was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and was university educated in the US. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's in social work. In her more than thirty-year child welfare career, she served as a practitioner, educator, researcher, and administrator and published articles in Greek and English professional journals. Her writing has appeared in Voices, Persimmon Tree, Assay, The Raven's Perch, The Time Collection, and The Blue Nib. Her poetry chapbook is Transitions and Passages. Her work has appeared in anthologies, including The Time Collection, Visual Verse, and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis. In 2019, her memoir, Return to Thessaloniki, was published in Greek. The English version, Sophia's Return: Uncovering My Mother's Past, was published in 2021. She is also author of An Unexpected Ally: A Greek Tale of Love, Revenge, and Redemption. Sophia lives in Seattle, Washington, near her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Julie on September 27, 2023

I never tire of mythological retellings, and this story of Circe, a powerful sorceress in Greek mythology, is captivating. It follows her during and after Odysseus’s time on her island and presents us with a strong, fearless, and layered woman. In The Odyssey, Circe’s character is a bit one-dimension......more

Goodreads review by Theresa on November 10, 2023

More fan fiction than Greek retelling.......more

Goodreads review by Heather | Nerdy By Nature Blog on September 24, 2023

*I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review* Circe is a powerful sorceress living on the remote island of Aeaea. For the past year, Circe has been joined on her island by Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and his men, but now the time has come for them to continue their jour......more

Goodreads review by Mary on May 12, 2023

What a wonderful mix of adventure, mythology, age-old relationship issues; the reader encounters engaging, unusual characters and visual images that take them out of the daily grind and into another realm, including under the sea, into the sky. A true adventure tale with just enough history and psyc......more

Goodreads review by Christine on October 19, 2023

An Unexpected Ally brings ancient Greek myths to life in modern times. It is an entertaining story that shows a powerful Circe who uses her limitless skill and prowess in the face of opposing forces. A wonderful shift in perspective, relevant today.......more

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