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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
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.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Palace of Eros is basically a retelling of the classic myth of Eros and Psyche. In this case, Eros is the daughter of Aphrodite, though gender knows no bounds and Eros is able to perform the roles of male or female however she desires. Psyche's story remains largely the same. Revered by humans that Aphrodite was basically forgotten about, she was doomed to marry a monster. But Eros had other plans, and kept Psyche in her palace so that they could live in happiness. But when Psyche betrays Eros' trust, she is set on a journey to prove her worth to the gods.
While this sounds entertaining, much of the actual book is not. Other than the change in Eros' gender (somewhat), the story is nearly exactly the same as the original myth. And while I normally wouldn't have a problem with that, we spend two thirds of the book with these characters in the palace constantly thinking about what could be but not doing anything about it. And it drags on for a good long while that by the time we get to Psyche's actual trials, I just wanted to speed read and see if anything else really was all that different. Unfortunately, this book fails to hit the mark of a good retelling, and instead relies on dull character traits and constant lulls in the narrative. This book could have been half the length, a short novella, and I feel the impact on the critique on gender normativity could have been much better executed.
There are definitely better greek myth retellings out there. This one failed to capture my attention.
While this sounds entertaining, much of the actual book is not. Other than the change in Eros' gender (somewhat), the story is nearly exactly the same as the original myth. And while I normally wouldn't have a problem with that, we spend two thirds of the book with these characters in the palace constantly thinking about what could be but not doing anything about it. And it drags on for a good long while that by the time we get to Psyche's actual trials, I just wanted to speed read and see if anything else really was all that different. Unfortunately, this book fails to hit the mark of a good retelling, and instead relies on dull character traits and constant lulls in the narrative. This book could have been half the length, a short novella, and I feel the impact on the critique on gender normativity could have been much better executed.
There are definitely better greek myth retellings out there. This one failed to capture my attention.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
The passion of this book…it made me glow. Sometimes in life, I doubted I’d find anyone or anything that had a similar level of it as I do. Now, after finishing, I can safely say that I’ll never doubt that again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Excrement, Pregnancy, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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