Hetaera: Daughter of the Gods

When she is just twelve years old, Doricha witnesses her father’s death at the hands of Greek raiders. She and her mother seek refuge in the temple of the Bacchae, where her mother was once a priestess, but a tragic turn of events and the vicious jealousy of another priestess results in Dori losing the one thing she vowed she would always have: her freedom. Her temple training increases her value as a slave, and Dori finds herself in a household where no one and nothing can keep her safe, not even her mentor Aesop. Before long, she finds herself being sold again, this time to a master who is willing to keep her safe in Egypt and shower luxury upon her if she will only love him in return, but Dori has no desire to be kept by anyone. In a world where a woman’s only value is her beauty, will Dori ever find someone who values her for her mind?

J.A. Coffey’s novel Hetaera: Daughter of the Gods is a richly-detailed escape to an ancient past. Dori is willful to the point of stubbornness, so beautiful that it endangers her, smart and witty in a world where women are to be seen and not heard. It is easy to get lost in this novel, and readers will find themselves rooting for this woman who only wants to be in control of her own future once more. While the author does have a tendency to gloss over long points of time without much detail that some readers might be interested in—such as Dori’s daily life in the temple, or how she and Aesop managed to build up her reputation as the mysterious Rhodopis in Egypt—most chapters are rendered in such brilliant detail that the novel is difficult to put down.