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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I was just bored. Maybe it's a me problem.
challenging
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An attempt was made but it just does not hit the mark. I liked the idea of a sapphic Eros and Psyche reimagining and was excited to read this, but it was a challenge to finish. Everything is just too long. The first 1/3rd is just trauma dumping. The middle is too much of nothing. The last 1/3rd does pick up and the majority of the plot plays out, which only partially redeemed it. Some of the changes were clever, I will give it that.
The writing is both nebulous and tedious. Some passages are profound, but the entire book reads like forced poeticism. The themes of the cruelty of men, the exclusion of society, the power of love and the harm of envy (especially amongst fellow women)are important, but the author hits you over the head with them instead of truly melding it into the narrative.
Overall, I was disappointed.
The writing is both nebulous and tedious. Some passages are profound, but the entire book reads like forced poeticism. The themes of the cruelty of men, the exclusion of society, the power of love and the harm of envy (especially amongst fellow women)are important, but the author hits you over the head with them instead of truly melding it into the narrative.
Overall, I was disappointed.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the book and thought it was written beautifully. It's great if you like books that are character driven, but may not be your thing if you need a clear plot to move things along. I give it a soft 4 stars, but the last 50 pages started to drag.
DNF @ 50%.
Let me start with this:
By no means do I think this is a bad book, it's just not my kind of book. If you like Greek mythology and aren't opposed to a lot of sex, then read on! I really did try to finish this book, but after reading chapter after chapter of sex scenes, I had to put it down. Just to clarify, I don't like smut and I wasn't aware that this book had it. I wouldn't have picked it up if I had known (which is on me).
Why I've rated it 2 stars:
I figured I'd power through after reading the first scene as I love Greek mythology and the story of Eros, and the idea of a sapphic retelling piqued my interest, but the 50% I read is basically just one big sex scene.
The authors writing style is beautiful and I'd love to read any poems they write, but at times there were paragraphs describing what could have been said in a sentence. I skimmed multiple pages of smut and found myself both not missing anything important and still in the same sex scene pages later. Regardless of my opinion on smut, the portion of the book I read could have been cut down by at least a third.
The verdict:
It's not a book I wouldn't recommend to others to read. I actually recommended it to my coworker yesterday as I knew they'd enjoy it based off other books I've seen them read! It's not for me, but definitely for someone else!
Let me start with this:
By no means do I think this is a bad book, it's just not my kind of book. If you like Greek mythology and aren't opposed to a lot of sex, then read on! I really did try to finish this book, but after reading chapter after chapter of sex scenes, I had to put it down. Just to clarify, I don't like smut and I wasn't aware that this book had it. I wouldn't have picked it up if I had known (which is on me).
Why I've rated it 2 stars:
I figured I'd power through after reading the first scene as I love Greek mythology and the story of Eros, and the idea of a sapphic retelling piqued my interest, but the 50% I read is basically just one big sex scene.
The authors writing style is beautiful and I'd love to read any poems they write, but at times there were paragraphs describing what could have been said in a sentence. I skimmed multiple pages of smut and found myself both not missing anything important and still in the same sex scene pages later. Regardless of my opinion on smut, the portion of the book I read could have been cut down by at least a third.
The verdict:
It's not a book I wouldn't recommend to others to read. I actually recommended it to my coworker yesterday as I knew they'd enjoy it based off other books I've seen them read! It's not for me, but definitely for someone else!
I enjoyed every second of this. What really blew my mind was,
“
I would be the guardian of the soul. The truths of souls. Like mine. Like yours. I wanted to reshape the world in hopes there would be a future place in which you could exist . You to whom I have been telling this story. My kin. My far away descendant. My beloved instigator of songs and pleasures and truths, not yet named of welcomed by the laws of god and men . You who refract the sun light in new ways through the secret prisms of your joy . You who might see a flash of yourself in my story with Eros. You who were born perfect, yet outside the rules of whatever temples over see your times. You whose desire shatters the cage. You born hundreds or thousands of years from this moment by the sea. You who might have loved me, if you could’ve known me. Whom I already love, even though I cannot see your face. For I feel your beauty,in the timeless, boundless, dark. You are exquisite. Completely yourself. Beloved. Friend. Utterly free. I dream that your freedom might inscribe new triumphs into the souls of those who came hundreds or thousands of years before. In a glowing a lash through time. because we, the old ones envisioned the dance of you. Willed it to flourish. Fevered with passion for a world where you could be. I wonder whether I’m part of the cycle in ways I’ll never know. Whether hundreds, or even thousands, of years before my birth, a young woman dreamed of my existence. Longed for me to come into the world. Whether that longing helped give rise to me and to my winding, transgressive human path. And whether that longing is twined into mine, now, for you. I want so much to believe you will exist. I want so much to reach across time for you. I will do it. I’ll never stop trying. “
“
I would be the guardian of the soul. The truths of souls. Like mine. Like yours. I wanted to reshape the world in hopes there would be a future place in which you could exist . You to whom I have been telling this story. My kin. My far away descendant. My beloved instigator of songs and pleasures and truths, not yet named of welcomed by the laws of god and men . You who refract the sun light in new ways through the secret prisms of your joy . You who might see a flash of yourself in my story with Eros. You who were born perfect, yet outside the rules of whatever temples over see your times. You whose desire shatters the cage. You born hundreds or thousands of years from this moment by the sea. You who might have loved me, if you could’ve known me. Whom I already love, even though I cannot see your face. For I feel your beauty,in the timeless, boundless, dark. You are exquisite. Completely yourself. Beloved. Friend. Utterly free. I dream that your freedom might inscribe new triumphs into the souls of those who came hundreds or thousands of years before. In a glowing a lash through time. because we, the old ones envisioned the dance of you. Willed it to flourish. Fevered with passion for a world where you could be. I wonder whether I’m part of the cycle in ways I’ll never know. Whether hundreds, or even thousands, of years before my birth, a young woman dreamed of my existence. Longed for me to come into the world. Whether that longing helped give rise to me and to my winding, transgressive human path. And whether that longing is twined into mine, now, for you. I want so much to believe you will exist. I want so much to reach across time for you. I will do it. I’ll never stop trying. “
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
The Palace of Eros // Caro De Robertis
Sometimes what a snowy, under-the-weather weekend needs is a deeply sensual and queer re-telling of Greek mythology to fall into. I couldn’t put it down, besides for the many naps I took.
Sometimes what a snowy, under-the-weather weekend needs is a deeply sensual and queer re-telling of Greek mythology to fall into. I couldn’t put it down, besides for the many naps I took.