Title: Legendary Ladies
Author: Ann Shen
Type: Nonfiction
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Art, Feminism
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Date published: April 3, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher and Raincoast Books, in exchange for an honest review.

From the beloved author and artist behind Bad Girls Throughout History comes this lushly illustrated book of goddesses from around the world. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess whose love overcame mortality. Mazu, the Chinese deity who safely guides travellers home. Lakshmi, the Hindu provider of fortune and prosperity. These powerful deities and many more are celebrated in gorgeous artwork and enlightening essays that explore the feminine divine and encourage readers to empower themselves. Ann Shen’s signature watercolors make Legendary Ladies a unique, gift-worthy homage to the mighty women within.

– My Review –

I absolutely adore this book! It’s just so great that something like this even exists. There are so many goddesses that I didn’t know about before reading Legendary Ladies, and I’m so glad that I finally know about them. I think that this book did great in featuring goddesses from a great range of cultures, which is fantastic! And each goddess’s section was informative and also concise. Each goddess had one page featuring an illustration of her, and another page containing all of the important information about her.

I really like Ann Shen’s art, and the fact that each goddess was equally represented by having the same amount of space (one page) and colour. And did I mention the colour?! This book is so colourful, it just made me smile from ear to ear as I flipped through it. Again, I’m very happy to see a good amount of representation in Legendary Ladies, and that multiple goddesses of colour were featured! I always like to learn about new cultures, and this book definitely taught me a lot about goddesses from a great variety of lands and peoples. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will definitely be returning to it again and again. I will also be checking out Ann Shen’s other books, and will also be keeping an eye out to see what she will share with us next!

– About the Author –

Ann Shen is an illustrator, letterer, and author based in Los Angeles. A graduate of UCSD and Art Center College of Design, Ann has created work for a number of publications, campaigns, products, and galleries for children of all ages. She lives with her husband and their small menagerie of animals. She’s written and illustrated two books, Bad Girls Throughout History (2016) and Legendary Ladies (2018), both published by Chronicle Books.

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!