Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
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
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I liked the concept of having a story from the perspective of Trans Achilles! I just feel like it missed the ball and kinda falls apart. Not to mention the second a God makes them transition into cis-woman form everyone just accepts it? They mention a past where they struggled for people to accept them before and I think I just wanted that. I wanted an Achilles to fight a war and be seen and recognized as being someone of their equal.
The narrative/myth gets really reworked, that it is very vaguely following the main points that take place. I have a lot of mixed feelings. I about gagged when Achilles has the hots for and sleeps with Agamemnon. I mean I get that he's a "great" king and everyone looks up to him but idk he's a huge dick historically and so I really thought there would be a huge fall our between them considering how the war goes in the canon. But that never really happens. In fact they have a threesome and while he is mad Achilles refuses to fight there isn't really a consequence to that.
I do kinda like that Helen had more agency, that she feeds off the war and the killings of the soldiers fighting. But overall the plot with the God's and their goals were kinda weird and meh, sort of has a Queen of the damned vibe if I could describe it? It really got convolute and lost on me.
Also minus points for Patroclus & Achilles not being lovers/romantically involved. I just feel like that is a big part of Achilles and it got reduced to a supportive cousin. I mean maybe I'm being bias cuz I adore Song of Achilles, but it just feels like a crime to not have them be together??
The narrative/myth gets really reworked, that it is very vaguely following the main points that take place. I have a lot of mixed feelings. I about gagged when Achilles has the hots for and sleeps with Agamemnon. I mean I get that he's a "great" king and everyone looks up to him but idk he's a huge dick historically and so I really thought there would be a huge fall our between them considering how the war goes in the canon. But that never really happens. In fact they have a threesome and while he is mad Achilles refuses to fight there isn't really a consequence to that.
I do kinda like that Helen had more agency, that she feeds off the war and the killings of the soldiers fighting. But overall the plot with the God's and their goals were kinda weird and meh, sort of has a Queen of the damned vibe if I could describe it? It really got convolute and lost on me.
Also minus points for Patroclus & Achilles not being lovers/romantically involved. I just feel like that is a big part of Achilles and it got reduced to a supportive cousin. I mean maybe I'm being bias cuz I adore Song of Achilles, but it just feels like a crime to not have them be together??
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
slow-paced
1/5 stars
I was really disappointed in this book. The concept itself was interesting. Although the concept itself got me hooked, the execution was terrible. It immediately had bits of transphobia here and there. That was still not enough for me to drop the book. I didn't drop until Achilles decided to enslave a black trans man. I feel like a lot of people forget that he does this in the book. This is something that should be talked about. Especially since slavery is a trigger for a lot of people.
I was really disappointed in this book. The concept itself was interesting. Although the concept itself got me hooked, the execution was terrible. It immediately had bits of transphobia here and there. That was still not enough for me to drop the book. I didn't drop until Achilles decided to enslave a black trans man. I feel like a lot of people forget that he does this in the book. This is something that should be talked about. Especially since slavery is a trigger for a lot of people.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
I wanted to love this book so much, and maybe I would have in a different mood. In this read-through, though, by about halfway through the book I was bored of skimming over combat. It has never been something I care to read about in detail. Were I a different kind of reader maybe I could have skipped it and enjoyed the really intriguing second half, but instead I got bogged down by battle scenes and kind of disengaged from the rest of the story. I could tell it was something I probably would have really loved, but by that point I was just like "yep, gonna finish this real quick."
Credo questo sia in assoluto il libro più brutto che abbia mai letto in vita mia. Scritto malissimo, con una caratterizzazione dei personaggi ridicola, ma soprattutto è un finto retelling. La trama dell'Iliade è del tutto stravolta, così come le storie dei singoli personaggi (che hanno praticamente solo il nome di quelli originali) e, addirittura, tutta la gerarchia delle divinità è alterata senza nessuna ragione logica (o narrativa).
La parte interessante, ovvero Achille donna, non è stata affrontato nel modo migliore, anzi il tema della transessualità è trattato al limite della trasfobia, con l'idea che essere davvero donna significa solo avere un corpo da donna. Qualcosa di folle per un libro che si pone l'obiettivo opposto.
Non salvo davvero niente, ma niente, è lungo pure 500 pagine!
La parte interessante, ovvero Achille donna, non è stata affrontato nel modo migliore, anzi il tema della transessualità è trattato al limite della trasfobia, con l'idea che essere davvero donna significa solo avere un corpo da donna. Qualcosa di folle per un libro che si pone l'obiettivo opposto.
Non salvo davvero niente, ma niente, è lungo pure 500 pagine!
I feel like a read a different book than everyone else. It wasn’t absolutely horrible, but I didn’t think it was good either. I wanted to like it because I’m here for supporting LGBTQ authors and trans rep in fantasy, but I struggled with understanding magic’s limitations and capabilities which made it hard for me to get into the story. I hated that everyone, especially the gods, had like 80 different names and they were all constantly used. My dislike of the book really started with the horny dolphins and killing off the only likable character was the last straw. I’m not sure what even happened in the end, that shit read like a fever dream.