Book Review: The Lost Daughter of Sparta by Felicia Day (2026)
Synopsis: "Cursed" with a deformity on her face, Princess Philonoe is sent away to be raised by goatherders but is eventually called back when her parents want to marry her off to Prince Vasilios to strengthen an alliance. When she learns she and her sisters are victims of another curse, one that will likely cause her to betray her husband, Philonoe, desperate not to disappoint her parents, goes on three quests given to her by Aphrodite with help from another goddess, Artemis. Along the way, she learns more about the second curse and about herself.
Review: I've never been a graphic novel person. I have no issues with that form of media or the people who enjoy them (which includes my daughters), it was just never my thing. However, after coming across The Lost Daughter of Sparta and seeing it was written by Felicia Day, who played one of my favorite characters on Supernatural, I decided to check out a copy from the library and give it a try.
I can honestly say I enjoyed it a lot more than expected.
I'll start out by saying the illustrations by Rowan MacColl were fun to look at. There is a lot of detail, some of which I didn't even notice right away, that does bring the characters, inspired by Greek mythology, to life.
The story is what drew me in though. The "twice cursed" Philonoe was someone I genuinely grew to care for. She was isolated and unloved but yet so determined to please the parents who sent her away and a fiancé who was only marrying her for the political alliance and a lot of money. Both of those motives felt wrong but at the same time, her fate also seemed hopeless because there didn't seem like she'd have any other choices.
The same was true of Artemis, a goddess who had a sad backstory and clearly loved Philonoe even though she refused to admit it and Philonoe was reluctant to accept the goddess's help. I genuinely wondered what would happen between them and I'm not the kind of person who usually gets too invested in character relationships.
The quests she is sent on to end the curse against her entire family were also interesting to read about because, in addition to the danger she was putting herself in, there were clear lessons Aphrodite was trying to teach her. It made me wonder about the goddess's motives - was she trying to help Philonoe or was it because she was trying to help Artemis? This all led to a big reveal about the actual curse put on Philonoe and her sisters that turned out to be a pleasant surprise and a lesson about how a curse could be a blessing depending on the perspective.
Final Opinion: I probably still won't spend too much time in the graphic novel section, but I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it.
My Grade: A
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