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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Yes
I think when you start reading a myth retelling you have to go into it reminding yourself that the whole genre is one really really really mixed bag.
this book WAS very light (I felt) but seemed to really want to be this deeper, dark thing. but I think it’s hard to accomplish that when your protagonist is busy getting herself off by humping a fig tree.
the palace of eros was FINE and I enjoyed reading it but it was super preachy even to me and I don’t anticipate ever reading it again
this book WAS very light (I felt) but seemed to really want to be this deeper, dark thing. but I think it’s hard to accomplish that when your protagonist is busy getting herself off by humping a fig tree.
the palace of eros was FINE and I enjoyed reading it but it was super preachy even to me and I don’t anticipate ever reading it again
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Colonisation
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
sapphic retelling of psyche and eros, w a nonbinary eros... oh. crying.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What have i just read ?
Porn without it being porn... It was still too much at time. I have definitely lost it at the tree thing.
Shame really. The idea of a sapphic retalling was great. The first part did a good job of showing women objectification but... Well yeah.
It did get slightly better around the end... but the end itself was disappointing. Waaaay too easy after repeating again and again than Zeus is... Well Zeus.
Did not expect much of that book and still got let down.
Porn without it being porn... It was still too much at time. I have definitely lost it at the tree thing.
Shame really. The idea of a sapphic retalling was great. The first part did a good job of showing women objectification but... Well yeah.
It did get slightly better around the end... but the end itself was disappointing. Waaaay too easy after repeating again and again than Zeus is... Well Zeus.
Did not expect much of that book and still got let down.
At this point, I will gobble up anything Caro de Robertis writes. And a queer retelling of a Greek myth that just also happens to be about 1/3 exquisitely written sapphic erotica? Yes please!
medium-paced
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m officially giving up on feminist retellings of Greek mythology. I can only take so much disappointment. Psyche and Cupid is one of my favorite myths ever, and this book ruined it. I had to call my sister at the halfway point just to rant.
If you’re not familiar with the myth of Psyche and Eros, here’s a short summary:
Psyche is a mortal girl and the youngest and most beautiful of three daughters. She’s so beautiful that people begin to worship her in place of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. This angers Aphrodite, so she sends Eros, god of love and desire, to take revenge on Psyche by using his arrow to make her fall in love with something hideous. But Eros ends up shooting himself with his arrow and falling in love with Psyche. He takes her to his palace to be his wife, but never allows Psyche to look upon him. They only meet at night when the darkness hides his appearance.
Psyche’s sisters end up visiting the palace and become jealous of Psyche’s situation. They tell her that she should secretly look at her husband to ensure that he isn’t a horrible monster and if he is, she should kill him. Psyche ends up doing this by lighting a lamp to look at Eros. She so surprised by how beautiful he is that she accidentally wounds herself with one of Eros’s arrows and falls passionately in love. She spills hot oil on Eros, who flees and leaves her back on Earth.
After that, Psyche has to undergo trials in order to return to her husband’s side.
I just gave that summary and assigned the length to each paragraph that this book does to that part of the myth. Because this book does not care about Psyche’s trials. The main part of the original myth, Psyche’s journey, only exists in the last 30% of this book. At that point, one might as well not write it at all.
Once Psyche is with Eros, be prepared for nothing to happen for 150 pages except a cycle of Psyche painting, weaving, masturbating, and having sex with Eros. Honestly, I was so bored.
Once we do get to Psyche’s trials, the novel stops caring about her character altogether. Eros’s POV, which until this point was the less important one, becomes the dominant POV. We aren’t really with Psyche through her trials.
All of this begs the question: who is this novel for? It’s not for people who loved the original myth. So then it must be for people who’ve never read it before, but the novel is boring on its own merit.
Lastly, the prose is flowery to the point of ridiculousness.
I think my conclusion is that there’s nothing here. If the book had been 100 pages shorter, I might’ve liked it more.
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
cute and corny, i think caro shouldve spent way more time on the trials and the end resolution of the book my favorite part was when she fucked the apple then ate it
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love a queer mythology re-telling, and I generally really love Caro’s writing. They write beautiful prose, and this one was more romantic than other ones that I have read, but it did come off as corny to me and repetitive at times. I wish the stakes were higher at the end. It felt like things fell apart so heartbreakingly just to come back together in a lot fewer pages than it took for them to come together.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
I love a retelling of the gods and goddesses. I liked that this centers a gender-fluid (potentially agender) character. The changing of the name is so unique. I love the relationship between Psyche & Eros. The writing is beautiful …. And yet, this was SO repetitive that it lost me. I love a bit of smut, especially when it’s sapphic (/queer) but god this was so HORNY and I was not expecting that. Like we’re humping tree bark? Idk. Ouchie. I feel like it could’ve been a 1/3 shorter and like the ending could’ve been WAY more dramatic and higher stakes. It started off SO strong and it didn’t entirely lose me because the writing was SO beautiful and I do love gay greek mythology re-telling and I liked the ending overall…. so I guess I think it’s worth a solid one-time read.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received an eARC of this book from Atria/Primero Sueno Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thanks!*
I am absolutely enamored by the sensuality, the clarity of writing, and the stunning prose of this book. De Robertis's words to describe the relatlonship between Psyche and Eros, as well as their descriptions of the characters innermost thoughts and development throughout the story was mesmerizing. I could feel the love and understanding, hurt and confusion, dripping off the pages.
Theirs is a Greek myth I was less familiar with, and I was glad for it as I was able to read how the story played out without knowing what the ending would be. I loved the descriptions of Psyche's trials, and the beings she called upon to help her in those moments. I loved Eros's recountings over her life with Aphrodite prior to meeting Psyche. The character development was nuanced and lovely and heartbreaking at times. I truly cannot say enough about the beauty of this book.
I am absolutely enamored by the sensuality, the clarity of writing, and the stunning prose of this book. De Robertis's words to describe the relatlonship between Psyche and Eros, as well as their descriptions of the characters innermost thoughts and development throughout the story was mesmerizing. I could feel the love and understanding, hurt and confusion, dripping off the pages.
Theirs is a Greek myth I was less familiar with, and I was glad for it as I was able to read how the story played out without knowing what the ending would be. I loved the descriptions of Psyche's trials, and the beings she called upon to help her in those moments. I loved Eros's recountings over her life with Aphrodite prior to meeting Psyche. The character development was nuanced and lovely and heartbreaking at times. I truly cannot say enough about the beauty of this book.