I love retellings. Myths, fairytales, all of it. It’s like candy to me. So when I got to read Pandora Unleashed by Amanda Warne, I was thrilled.
1. Thoughts on the plot
This novella is a reimagining of the original Pandora’s Box myth, involving Prometheus and the other gods as well. It deals with Pandora (or Ora) and Prometheus (or Rome) as they try to curb the greed and disinterest of the gods towards the humans. Pandora is banished for her actions, and Prometheus tries to find her, all while hiding from the gods the fact that he stole the sacred flame. They love each other, and there is nothing in this world stronger than that bond. Not even the gods.
This was a very quick read, so the plot moves fast. That’s perfectly fine, though; I don’t need the politics or the descriptions of the gods’ wrongs towards the humans. It’s primarily a story about justice and love, and I think those themes come through very well. I will say that the ending was very quick (almost quicker than the rest of the story) and I would have liked to linger just a bit on the final outcome. However, it fit well with the rest of the story and I liked it.
2. Thoughts on the characters
Ora is, at first, a difficult character to get to know, simply because Zeus stole her memories. I happen to enjoy the “lost memories” trope, though, so I was happy to discover who Ora was right along with her. Rome was a more complete character right from the beginning, which made his journey very intense, as he had a distinct purpose and goal in mind, and was trying to hide that goal from his fellow gods. I think the contrast between the two in terms of development was very well done, and I like them both quite a bit.
3. Favourite part
The bit where Pandora goes slightly crazy when dealing with the gods? Yeah, that bit is definitely my favourite.
4. Critique
My only real critique is what I stated in part 1: the ending was a bit abrupt and I wish it had lingered just a bit. However, given that the ending fit well with the rest of the story, I can’t complain too much.
Overall, I would say that Pandora Unleashed is an imaginative, entertaining reimagining of the Pandora’s Box myth, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Very good.