ARC Review: Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth

Genre: Adult SciFi/Fantasy Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A SciFi retelling of Antigone? YES PLEASE! As a philosophy nerd, I was so excited when I saw that Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth is a retelling of Antigone by Sophocles. The novel takes place in a futuristic society where it is seen as wrong to have children without first editing your genes. Antigone is one of four children who were conceived naturally, an abomination in her society. When her brother is killed and her uncle decrees that no one can extract his cells in order to place them in the Archive, Antigone knows she must do something. However, with the threat of execution looming over her head, things are not as simple as they seem.

I absolutely loved what Roth did with this wonderful story! There were enough elements that mirrored the original play, but also some interesting touches that updated the story as well. I appreciated the fact that Roth used the original names from the play. I enjoyed how she put a spin on the original twist of incest, but pretty much removed the creepy undertones. The way in which she stuck to the original plot was wonderful as well.

There were a few differences from the original play that I found entertaining. First, the fact that this story takes place in a futuristic and dystopian society added an interesting spin. Roth took Antigone’s original story, which is pretty far removed from our society today, and morphed it into something that feels plausible, akin to what George Orwell did with 1984. The society was not too far-fetched and had elements that made me feel like our world could go in that direction.

Similarly, I thought Roth slightly improved Antigone’s relationship with Haemon. In Sophocles’ play, I felt like their relationship felt a little too forced and inauthentic. In Arch-Conspirator I enjoyed how Roth showed their relationship from both Antigone’s and Haemon’s point of views, suggesting a long-term attraction on his part, and more of an enemies-to-lovers style on hers.

Overall, if there was anything I didn’t enjoy about this book, it was that it is only a novella, and I would have loved to read more about these characters. Whether you’re a fan of the original play or not, I highly recommend this book!