Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Gu...

I got this e-book for free from Ancient History Fangirl's publisher as a Patreon subscriber. I took full advantage of the promo in return for an honest review which I am more than happy to do!First off, I've been a fan of Ancient History Fangirl's podcast for a few years now (and I'm a passionate History fan, as well, for decades) and I LOVE their take on Ancient History! Always respectfully (and thoroughly) researched with a touch of (sometimes off-colour) humour, I really enjoy the episodes! (I can never think of, or say, "Roman Eagles" without laughing. :D If you're curious as to the reason why, listen to "The Ancient-World Stark Family, Part 1: Germanicus the Manicus" )Now to the book! it is AMAZING! The rich illustrations are AMAZING! Well written, chock full of AMAZING content and information, I LOVED it, from beginning to end! *In fact, the only complaint that I have was that there weren't MORE entries of mythological women! I would have loved to have seen 50 more!*I've been a fan of Ancient Greek and Roman (with some Ancient Egyptian thrown in) mythology for years and I learned something new with each of the women that were covered that I knew something about (such as Athena, Medusa, La Lorona, Kali and Deer Woman), of others that I had only a passing familiarity with (such as Amaterasu, Ishtar and Lilith) or never known at all (such as Atargis, Alcha Kandicha, Amba/Shikhandi and Mami Wata). Each one was covered thoroughly and respectfully (which are things that I definitely appreciate and expect!) and it was a pleasure to read their stories. I also appreciate looking at mythological women from a female perspective since the myths surrounding them, specifically the Greco-Roman ones, were written by men with all of their prejudices against the female sex prevalent in their day. it was quite refreshing, to say the least! I also enjoyed what I call "editorial comments" sprinkled throughout (as they do in the podcast itself); these were sometimes off-colour but always funny and I found myself laughing out loud more than once when I was reading!In conclusion, Jenny Williams and Genn McMenemy have written a wonderfully engaging book. I loved the forward by Liv Albert from Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! and the illustrations by Sara Richard combine to make a very memorable, well written, thought provoking and magical book!I highly recommend Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williams and Genn McMenemy, illustrated by Sara Richard for anyone who loves History and Mythology (or even those that don't because this book is bursting with information on different women deities, female monsters and real-life heroines that I think would spark interest in learning more about them); you're in for a REAL treat!I give this book 5 stars.

Women of Myth by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy, hosts of the amazing podcast Ancient History Fangirl, is THE book that you'll want to read if you are, just like me, a mythology nerd or if you'd like to learn more about mythology and folklore that aren't only centered on western ones. It featured diverse mythological women from all corners of the world and I just loved that so damn much.The book started strong with a foreword by Liv Albert, host of Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast. I could think of no one better for this and her foreword started perfectly with "There's nothing I love more than mythology... except maybe women in mythology." I fully agree!In Women of Myth you'll find no less than 50 mythological women highlighted and they are divided into three parts: goddesses, heroines and monsters.The Goddesses: Some goddesses featured were Amaterasu from Japan, Ishtar from Ancient Mesopotamia, Atargis from Syria, Mami Wata from Africa and more.The Heroines: Some heroines featured were Amba/Shikhandi from India, Princess Bari from Korea, Mulan from China, Thákane from southern Africa and more.The Monsters: Some monsters featured were Alcha Kandicha from Morocco, Clídna from Ireland, Babamik from Papua New Guinea, Medusa from Greece and more.I really liked how the different women were categorized like that and that there was also a little guide with the pronunciation, appearance and what their symbols were. Especially the symbols I found super fascinating to learn about. Like I said above in this review this book features diverse women from myth from all over the world and this is just so great and not to be underestimated. I also love how the authors don't shy away from the bad in mythology like predatory men who pray on women, which is part of a lot of the stories from the featured goddesses, heroines and monsters. Jenny and Genn did this amazingly!Of course I also have to talk about the gorgeous illustrations by Sara Richard. I was already familiar with her work from other illustrated books but she really blew my mind with her art work in this one. I loved how she portrayed the women she illustrated. They were each and every one just glorious to look at.Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena, Your Guide to the Amazing and Diverse Women from World Mythology by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy is a beautifully diverse and illustrated book that's informative as well as a true joy to read.

I am a long time fan of how Genn and Jenny tell stories through their podcast Ancient History Fangirl. This book does not disappoint. They approach each myth respectfully but with the same wry humor as in their podcast. I am an amateur folklorist and I love learning about how different cultures have such rich stories and mythologies. I loved learning about people I hadn’t heard of before and some new things about people I thought I did. I am only sad that it wasn’t longer; I want more of all of these stories! They did an excellent job with this book.The illustrations by Sara Richard are lush, lovely, and full of detail. They bring to life each of the people depicted in such a dynamic way — they look like they are about to jump right out of the page. I will be seeing the Morrigan in my dreams for the foreseeable future. I want the deck I see is coming in July!I highly recommend this book.