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Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

9 reviews

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I added this book to my TBR last year and I was supposed to start it months ago, but I ended up finally picking it up because of Bridgerton (Cressida saying Penelope and Polin are like Psyche and Eros) and I just knew it was time.

I enjoy Greek Mythology retellings so much and this was not an exception.

I remember reading a bit of the story of Eros and Psyche in that book by Rick Riordan talking about a bunch of different characters from Greek Mythology. But I’m glad I picked up this book that was mainly about this couple because I learn more stuff about their lives (even if it was to the interpretation of the author). It's so interesting to see the differences the authors do in retellings, and yet some major things don't change (like who is married to who, who is child of who, who kills who, who rules what).

It was so interesting to see other characters like Atalanta, Achilles, Patroclus, and especially Clytemnestra, Iphigenia and Agamenon because I just finished the book “Elektra” last month.

I love how Psyche was such a different female character. She was trained, she was prepared, she was ready for a fight with a monster, she literally went to the Underworld for Eros even after learning the truth about the curse. My girl was the hero here.

I just remembered Queen Charlotte (Netflix) saying “I will stand with you between the heavens and the Earth” and that’s so Psyche and Eros coded.

I love how this book made it sound like Persephone was the true ruler of the Underworld. But also made me remember how much of a b*tch Aphrodite and other Goddesses can be. Like, Hecate and Medusa who have “bad reputations” were better women than them.

I enjoyed the dual pov audiobook! I really like his voice but I’m sorry to say her voice was not doing it for me.

Overall, it was a 3.5 ⭐ for my taste. I’m happy for their happy ending <3

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withlivjones's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a great retelling of one of my favourite myths. Psyche and Eros are both fantastically written characters with their own wants and flaws, and their love for each other was so sweet. I also absolutely loved how the myth was inserted into the canon of Greek mythology, with references to the Trojan cycle and appearances from tons of familiar faces - it was definitely fun as a mythology nerd to take note of all the cameos!

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kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

I feel like the characters did not grow from the beginning to the end of the book. They just are "together" now. That's the only difference. No growth of character or anything. There was reflection but the characters felt so similar to their starting points.

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booktalkwithrae's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I enjoyed this book, but I was hoping to love it. I am someone who knows a general amount of knowledge of Greek mythology, so I’m not sure how someone with an advance understanding of Greek mythology would feel about this book as it seems like the author took a lot of liberties with the Psyche & Eros myth.

First off, I loved everything to do with the gods and goddesses. It was so enjoyable and exciting to read about them in a fun setting. Psyche and Eros characters were good but I expected more from Eros especially because he is one of the older gods.

The trials that Psyche had to go through felt very much like your typical Greek mythology, which I enjoyed the nod towards that. I also appreciated the brief instances where psyche was talking to popular characters in Greek mythology, that we all know in love such as Odysseus and Achilles. Even though it did from the myth, I appreciated it.

I think my biggest gripe with this book I wanted more romance. Considering this is a myth about love and desire I really expected to feel a lot more than I did. Although I understand that it started off as a curse and it didn’t really feel like it was love. I was waiting to feel the love that the characters are feeling at the progress and it just wasn’t there for me (maybe I read too many romances).

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sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've always wanted to read a Psyche and Eros retelling, since I fell in love with the myth when I was younger. It is honestly one of my favourite myths.
I thought that this was a great retelling and couldn't put this book down.
A great feminist take on this classic myth. Blended with the stories of a few other heroes and gods. I loved the romance, the adventure and the stakes shown in this story. A must read Greek myth retelling 🏺🏛

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preciouslittleingenue's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read this so remarkably fast. I was completely enthralled almost right away. I knew very little about the original myth so I definitely went in spoiler free, except for what I already knew about Iphigenia because of Song of Achilles. I saw a few people say it was an odd choice to set this in the timeline with the Trojan war, especially because ALL other Greek myth seems to center around it, and had I gone in knowing the original, I might be inclined to agree, but I seriously thought nothing of it. And, in fact, now that I know the things that were added/changed, I think it was brilliant. The use of Iphigenia in this story was stunning. I know Psyche had sisters in the original tale that were the reason she began to doubt Eros, but firstly, using one character instead of two is just better narratively, like that's just common-author-sense. Secondly, Iphigenia, to me, is the very epitome of soft, fragile femininity, and the horror inflicted on those girls. And to use that familiar character with a recognizable archetype to contrast Psyche was brilliant. Having Psyche and Iphigenia love each other so deeply despite being on the opposite ends of girlhood/womanhood was feminism in and of itself. And for Iphigenia's fate to be the conduit through which Psyche makes the groundbreaking realization that she does...chef's kiss. And the general emphasis on the beauty of girlhood in the early chapters was so sweet. The high priestess letting little Iphigenia run around with her cousin when I expected her to be scolded or even hit…ugh. Loved that. You don’t often get to see girls just be girls in stories set during this time.

Anyone who thinks this is a one-dimensional ~girlboss story is completely brain dead. The way the author delivers gut punch after gut punch about the plight of women...yes, all women. Even Clytemnestra, who is characterized so unlikeably in this retelling...once she reveals (after the sacrifice) how she was

raped into marriage by Agamemnon

(which should not have been shocking, by the way, but it was) you just immediately realize how easy and obvious it is for any woman ever to just be completely miserable. Especially after birthing daughter after daughter...Psyche's quotes in chapter 30 that I listed below sum it up beautifully. Just so completely devastating. And the way Psyche comes to realize, through Medusa firstly, that being a "hero" by other people's standards is just...not it, after witnessing horror after horror against WOMEN...it was just chef's kiss. If that nuance flew right over your head enough for you to think this was just a girlbossification story...then I'm sorry, you're just brain dead.

Eros's character growth was just stunning to read. He went from being so completely apathetic to everything and everyone for his entire, extremely long life, to learning how to care about someone. He had to go through all of that to realize he not only needed Psyche, but needed SOMEONE. He even realized that the sister he spent his whole life despising was someone he actually needed as well. The actual romance itself, to me, was not front and center, and THAT'S OKAY. Some people listed that as reasons their reviews lost stars, and I get that, that's valid. But to me, this was a character piece, and an examination of the Greek Myth as a whole through a retelling of one popular one, and I don't mind that the "romance" suffered because of it. I wasn't shipping then any less or squealing any less loudly once they got their happily ever after. Which, by the way, was REALLY NICE. BECAUSE THAT SIMPLY NEVER HAPPENS IN GREEK MYTH LMAO.

10/5 stars. I can't wait to buy the stupid expensive limited edition hardcover and annotate and tab it and have it on my shelf. I adore it. I hope McNamara does more stories like this. This is right up there with Madeline Miller's work for me. Cannot recommend enough.

The following are direct quotes from the book, and the way I've formatted it is not allowing me to hide it with the spoiler feature, so you've been warned. These are quotes that made me go "OH MY GOD" and rewind to make a bookmark. Will be marking these up once I get my physical copy:

Chapter 4 Eros:

“…a young woman at that brief age when mortals seem almost as beautiful as the Gods.”

“Prometheus had designed humanity in the Gods’ image, but he had only succeeded in wrapping all our worst traits in their flimsy mortal shells.”

Chapter 6 Eros:

After he pricks himself with the arrow while looking at Psyche: “Oh,” I whispered. “Fuck.”

Chapter 25 Eros:

“My heart broke upon itself like a crashing wave, throwing up a glittering swarm of needle-sharp diamonds that embedded themselves in my chest like arrow points.”

Chapter 29 Psyche:

“A woman had been taken by the Trojans, and a woman had been sacrificed here, and that was how it should be. It was merely the appetizer before the feast.”

Chapter 30 Psyche:

“I did not want to live in a world where a daughter was worth less than a fair wind to Troy.”

“I thought of my naivety upon hearing the tales of the blind poet all those years ago, when I thought a glorious kill was what made a hero. I saw now that the legends were drenched in blood: the blood of women.”

Chapter 35 Eros:

“I never chose Psyche, you know. She was foisted upon me by the curse, like…like my immortality” … “You’ve chosen her now, haven’t you? You could’ve gone anywhere once you slipped Aphrodite’s chains…”

Chapter 41 Eros:

“I may not deserve her, but this world does.”

Chapter 42 Eros:

“Psyche reached out a hand to touch me, running her fingers lightly over the contours of my face. That was how she had known me in the darkness, and that was how she truly recognized me now. … ‘It really is you.’ “

“ ‘It [the curse] is gone, and I am still here.’ ... The Greeks have three words for love, and that night, we knew them all.”

Chapter 43 Psyche:

“ ‘She’s so small, and wrinkled! What did you do to her?’ ... ‘Nothing,’ I replied. ‘She’s a baby.’ “

“Well, some girls becomes Goddesses, and some Gods become more than they were.”

Content Warnings

eenicem's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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catherinedsharp's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Lovely retelling of a well known tale. Some beautiful lines but not my favourite writing style overall. Pretty good!

Content Warnings

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Vividly bold and unapologetically feminist, Luna McNamara’s sweeping reimagining of Psyche and Eros’ story was a refreshingly insightful and engaging read exploring love in all it’s many guides, that I genuinely didn’t want to end.

First off, I do want to mention that there are quite a few big changes made to Psyche and Eros’ tale both character and plot wise, which you may be disappointed by if you prefer your retellings to stay 100% faithful to the source material. Personally, I actually didn’t mind the changes and really enjoyed the modern take on this classical Greek myth.

I adored McNamara’s lush, vibrant prose and endearingly complex characters-especially Psyche, who quite possibly had the biggest transformation from the original.

Although still a Princess, this version of Psyche is both an only child and an aspiring warrior (thanks to the prophecy at her birth which claims she’ll conquer a monster feared by the gods.)

But what intrigued me most about the changes to Psyche’s background and personality was delving into the societal clash and emotional conflict that Psyche’s unconventional upbringing creates. For though her duty is to marry and give her kingdom male heirs, Psyche yearns only to become a great hero (and preferably one that stays chaste.)

This might not seem all that revolutionary when you consider how many feminist/ female led retellings we’ve seen released in the last few years. However, the unique exploration of the hero’s journey from Psyche’s perspective, and her conflicting thoughts on the true cost of being a hero was really interesting (thanks to some perfectly timed cameos from notable mythological figures such as Medusa, Persephone and Atalanta.) We’re also offered a far more intriguing perspective —that there’s more important things in life than being a hero, and that the violent, callous and fickle nature of the gods is something to be denounced not revered.

Even Eros (a god himself) shows contempt for the selfish (sometimes harmful) games Zeus’ pantheon of Gods partake in (including his disgust and guilt at some of his own questionable decisions.)

I enjoyed Eros’ character arc, though I admit to finding Psyche just a smidge more developed. I did, however, really love Eros’ alternating POV chapters as they allowed us to delve into the thought processes and emotions of the gods, which we don’t always get to do in retellings.

The romance was lighter than I had anticipated but still lovely nonetheless, and the pacing was also quite good considering the amount of info that needed to be conveyed in the opening half of the book.

Overall a fun and thoroughly entertaining read that’s perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint.

Also, a huge thank you to Orion Books and Random Things Tours for the physical copy (and also Netgalley for the e-arc.)

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