Brought to life in the Garden of Eden, Lilith is the daughter of Asherah, and Yahweh. When Adam begins to dominate her, Lilith refuses, and is cast out. Searching for Asherah, she realizes that she is missing and Yahweh is behind her disappearance. When Lilith realizes that Eve has been created as Adam's helpmeet, she tries to speak to her, and shows her the Tree of Knowledge. Granted immortality, Lilith move through history, seeking Asherah and finding ways to restore balance and regain Paradise.

I could not put this book down. It was well written, and the character development was master level. I enjoyed the author's interpretations of biblical history and loved how she weaved Lilith throughout. I can't recommend this book enough. I look forward to reading more from this author. ( )

The recent trend for retellings of mythology has been a great thing as far as I'm concerned, and this takes an interesting departure from the usual run of Greek myth by featuring the Hebrew myth of Lilith, said to be Adam's first wife. Made from dust as Adam was, Lilith presumed to consider herself Adam's equal instead of his helpmeet (a term Lilith absolutely despises in the novel), and the usual story goes that she was turned into a baby-killing demon for her insubordination. This book has a different take on both the ejection of Lilith from Eden and the suppression of Yahweh's consort Asherah, lamenting the loss of women's wisdom in the rise of patriarchy. It's an oddly Christian view of Hebrew myth, though, and concludes with a gospel of Mary Magdalene that I'm not sure even the Gnostics would have approved. ( )

I received this book for free from the Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

Lilith is a feminist retelling, beginning with the creation myth, of Lilith, the first woman, and original wife of Adam. The story continues through various key points in (largely Biblical) history to the modern age.

This is subject matter that should interest me, and I did enjoy the story, but it was slow going for me until the last third or so. I did particularly like the sections on Jezebel and Mary Magdalene.

I'd recommend this for people with with a strong interest in feminist history, gender relations, and religious history.

Three and a half stars ( )

"Lilith" by Nikki Marmery offers a feminist reimagining of ancient creation myths, focusing on the character of Lilith, who is traditionally portrayed as Adam's first wife. The book takes readers on a journey from her expulsion from Eden through millennia of history as she seeks to restore balance and equality in the world.

Lilith is portrayed here as a strong and independent character who defies traditional gender roles. I appreciated the plot's originality and the way it challenges the conventional narrative of Lilith as a demon or antagonist.

While Lilith is a well-developed character, some secondary characters needed more work. The pace tended to lag in the middle of the story. I struggled to maintain interest at times.

I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoy feminist retellings of mythological stories.

I did have mixed feelings about the book and realize that it may not be for everyone. ( )

"How easy it is to destroy a woman of ideas. No need to refute her arguments, expose the faults in her philosophy. Merely remind listeners she possesses a woman's body: inferior, the source of all sin."

If you enjoyed Stone Blind I think you would enjoy this one. It is written in a similar vein and humanizes a female character that has been traditionally villanized or erased. I liked this book because it takes elements of the story that everyone knows, but really shows how they have been made to favor the male character by shifting the narrative ever so slightly. The whole premise of the book is that Asherah and God were a couple, with her being slightly more powerful as she had the ability to truly create life. God being jealous of her power and wanting more quickly works to erase her from the narrative. We see Adam also begin to exibit this need for dominion over a woman, and it is this that is the catalyst for Lilith's dismissal from Paradise. Lilith refuses to submit and remembers that Asherah believed in equality and endings.

I enjoyed how so many elements of the creation myth and other major biblical events were shifted some. Lilith's quest to rescue her goddess and restore her power leads us to a new understanding of both Jezebel and Mary Magdalene. I think the story is beautifully written and I like that it picks a few important elements of the biblical story to focus on and shift. I of course enjoyed the woman empowerment elements of the story. I like that the story is told from Lilith's perspective, it really makes it more intriguing and personal. I do believe though that this is one of those books that if you aren't interested in some of the topics, it might not be for you. I think to understand the story you have to have a basic understanding of a lot of the biblical elements it is discussing. However, even if you set that aside it is a beautiful story of women's empowerment and equality. ( )