Scan barcode
caidyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
CW: PTSD, attempted rape, rape, and murder
I want to get this off my chest first: I didn’t think that this was as good as The Song of Achilles.
The prose was just as great, the characters were interesting, but it didn’t have the emotional impact I wanted it to. I wanted to have my heart ripped out and my gut twisted up. But it didn’t happen. I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t really feel emotionally attached the whole time.
Now that’s out of the way, on to the rest.
I’m not familiar with Circe’s mythology outside of The Odyssey. That’s it. And I barely even knew that when we got to that part of the story, actually. I found it so enlightening to see just how many myths converge with her own, even tangentially. It kept me interested and intrigued to see where it was going because of my ignorance. I genuinely wanted to see where the story would go.
But, there wasn’t a strong story involved. The plot was a character study. It showed how she changed throughout her life, leading her to the decision she makes at the end of the book. And then the story ends.
I think that this could have been structured differently to make it a bit more interesting and grabbing. Again, I really enjoyed it, but when I look back on it I think that it could have had more oomph throughout the book that might have gotten me more attached to the characters. Because while I found Circe a very sympathetic character, I didn’t fall in love with her like I did with Patroclus or Achilles.
This book is a completely different book than TSoA. It’s good, but I had wanted a bit more. Perhaps with a reread, I’ll appreciate the book a bit more since I won’t be waiting for something that won’t happen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual assault
More...