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A review by mitzee
The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
A tough one to rate because I want to give the book points for having strong and loving sapphic and intersex characters, but I also don’t know if a lot happened. So giving it a high three star rating for being something I at least enjoyed reading.
Below are notes for myself. These notes contain spoilers.
There weren’t really any major plot points that happened. I think I was also trying to relate the story of Eros and Psyche to what I had read in Lore Olympus, not sure if that helped or prohibited me from best understanding the relationship.
The first third of the book was sad and depressing. Just the regularly old patriarchal BS of selling your daughters off, rape, etc.
The second portion was a lot of sapphic sex in the dark with secret gods and a vacation from real life (living in the palace, unlimited food, sex, and hobbies - just being really fucking unbothered - a real fantasy) but in the last third Psyche seems to long for the complications of other people again and her head gets the best of her (I assume that’s the story behind Psyche).
She wants to talk to her shit sisters because she forgot how shit they are, I guess. And when they come to the palace they are petty PoS. Finally Psyche does something kind of stupid - instead of being honest I mean - and tries to spy on Eros in their bed and fucks it all up. But in this story everything ends well. Not quite a Greek tragedy.
Below are notes for myself. These notes contain spoilers.
There weren’t really any major plot points that happened. I think I was also trying to relate the story of Eros and Psyche to what I had read in Lore Olympus, not sure if that helped or prohibited me from best understanding the relationship.
The first third of the book was sad and depressing. Just the regularly old patriarchal BS of selling your daughters off, rape, etc.
The second portion was a lot of sapphic sex in the dark with secret gods and a vacation from real life (living in the palace, unlimited food, sex, and hobbies - just being really fucking unbothered - a real fantasy) but in the last third Psyche seems to long for the complications of other people again and her head gets the best of her (I assume that’s the story behind Psyche).
She wants to talk to her shit sisters because she forgot how shit they are, I guess. And when they come to the palace they are petty PoS. Finally Psyche does something kind of stupid - instead of being honest I mean - and tries to spy on Eros in their bed and fucks it all up. But in this story everything ends well. Not quite a Greek tragedy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Kidnapping