Book Review: ‘The End Crowns All’ by Bea Fitzgerald (sapphic rivals to lovers mythology retelling)
Bea Fitzgerald’s debut, ‘Girl, Goddess, Queen’ was in my top 3 books of the whole of 2023 (you can read my review right here) so I was SO excited to get my hands on an early copy of her follow up, ‘The End Crowns All’, via NetGalley.
We’re heading back to the Ancient world for another retelling, this time focusing on Helen of Troy and Cassandra, a Princess of Troy and Apollo’s Oracle, during the Trojan War. There’s been a real resurgence in recent years of retellings of classic myths from a female perspective, and this is just that, but it’s also YA and sapphic.
Love caused this war. At least, that’s what the stories will say.
When Cassandra’s patron god, Apollo, offers her the gift of prophecy – and all the power that comes with it – she seizes the opportunity. But when she fails to uphold her end of the agreement, she discovers just how very far she has to fall. No one believes her visions. Which all seem to be of one girl – and she’s going to start a war.
Helen fled Sparta in pursuit of love – though that’s proving more elusive than she’d hoped. Far from home, Helen’s navigating all the politics and backstabbing of the Trojan court.
And one princess seems particularly intent on driving her from the city. . .
But when war finally strikes, it’s more than the army at their walls they must contend with. Cassandra and Helen might hold the key to reweaving fate itself – especially with the prophetic strands drawing them ever closer together.
But how do you change your future when the gods themselves are dictating your demise?
While ‘The End Crowns All’ is technically still YA, it feels much more grown-up and complex than ‘Girl, Goddess, Queen’.
For a start, the mythology is much more important and present in this novel. We find ourselves in Troy as the Trojan War begins up until it’s end, and the politics is high across the novel. We see a whole lot from the Royal court of Troy and the machinations behind the war, but also a lot of action in and among the gods and goddesses and the alliances, betrayals, and rivalry between them. It very much paints a portrait of Ancient Greece/Troy at the height of the mythology that we know and how much these characters were pawns of their deities. The brutality of their lives and the lack of freedoms afforded to them under the ministrations of the gods becomes very apparent and very clearly moves away from the un and playful tone of Fitzgerald’s first novel.
If you’re not already at least somewhat familiar with Greek mythology and the Trojan War, I can imagine that starting this book will feel extremely overwhelming, but Fitzgerald has a gift for retelling mythology and everyone soon settles into place. Everyone is so vividly drawn and distinctive that it’s easy to get to grips with the world and the characters, even through the split perspective.
Cass and Helen’s romance is a true rivals to lovers - Helen has become the trigger for a war that will level Cass’s home and kill her family, after all - and it’s a real slow burn in the best way. They grow to be companions, then co-conspirators, then friends, then lovers. It’s a joy to watch them slowly begin to fall in love without even realising it, fighting against all of the endless restrictions placed upon them and the battles that they’re facing throughout the war. It is YA so it’s not spicy in any way, and it didn’t need to be - their feeling shone through the novel.
‘The End Crowns All’ will be released on 18 July 2024 by Penguin.
Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the review copy.
Written by Sophie
