Daughter of Sparta

Daphne is seventeen and has trained her body and mind since childhood to become a warrior, hoping Sparta will finally accept her. Her people are unyielding, and she has little to show for years of effort except her skill.

Then she meets the goddess Artemis, who holds the fate of Daphne's brother in her hands. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus. If Daphne cannot recover them, the gods' waning powers will fade, the mortal world will fall into chaos, and her brother's life will be forfeit.

Apollo, Artemis's twin, guides her. He is handsome and far too sure of himself. Her search leads through the labyrinth of the Minotaur and on to the riddle-spinning Sphinx of Thebes. Along the way she teams up with figures from myth, including Theseus and Hippolyta of the Amazons, and she ends up set against the gods themselves.

This is a young adult fantasy adventure set in ancient Greece, with a female lead at the centre of a mythology usually built around men. It reworks the myth of Daphne and Apollo, and it has a sequel, Blood of Troy. Expect a quest structure that moves from one mythic challenge to the next, with a banter-prone pairing at its core.