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A review by selbs2004
The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Every woman is cursed as long as the laws are bent in our diminishment. The laws of men, the law of the gods. They curse us, and I want to break them all." (pg 298) - The Palace of Eros
If there is one thing I can definitely say as truth as I reflect on this book is that Robertis truly had a great understanding of Eros and Psyche and the world of Olympus and their Gods. The characters felt fully fleshed out, and the development of both our protagonists felt natural and organic. The story was delivered in a way that roped you into a world of the Gods while also giving you a chance to reflect and understand the world you are in yourself, it was beautiful.
But that leads me to the writing style of this book. The book is written in two different narratives for both the characters. Eros perspective is third person and Psyches is written in First person. For some this switch in narrative may be distracting and honestly disruptive, but I thought the different was purposeful and made the story more captivating, and at the end I had a deeper understanding of their relationship and their dynamic because of the opposite narratives. The writing in this book can be described as overly flowery and poetic to a point where the overall understanding of what is trying to be said can fly over the reader's head, and often can get repetitive, or simply sound like its saying nothing at all, but I did find once I got into the story it was easier to handle. I can understand though how the writing can be a dealbreaker because I definitely had moments of "AHHHHH AHHHRRRGG!!"
Overall, this was out of worldly and incredibly unique and bridged on tough topics of women and our role in the world in a way that felt it was taking me by the shoulders and shaken me (I loved it)
They are some parts that did alter my perception of the book, like the incorporation of a phallus in sapphic novel, but once you take a step back to observe the bigger picture and the over arching message of the book, every aspect bad or good falls into place in the tangle of the world Robertis created.
Overall 3.5 stars
If there is one thing I can definitely say as truth as I reflect on this book is that Robertis truly had a great understanding of Eros and Psyche and the world of Olympus and their Gods. The characters felt fully fleshed out, and the development of both our protagonists felt natural and organic. The story was delivered in a way that roped you into a world of the Gods while also giving you a chance to reflect and understand the world you are in yourself, it was beautiful.
But that leads me to the writing style of this book. The book is written in two different narratives for both the characters. Eros perspective is third person and Psyches is written in First person. For some this switch in narrative may be distracting and honestly disruptive, but I thought the different was purposeful and made the story more captivating, and at the end I had a deeper understanding of their relationship and their dynamic because of the opposite narratives. The writing in this book can be described as overly flowery and poetic to a point where the overall understanding of what is trying to be said can fly over the reader's head, and often can get repetitive, or simply sound like its saying nothing at all, but I did find once I got into the story it was easier to handle. I can understand though how the writing can be a dealbreaker because I definitely had moments of "AHHHHH AHHHRRRGG!!"
Overall, this was out of worldly and incredibly unique and bridged on tough topics of women and our role in the world in a way that felt it was taking me by the shoulders and shaken me (I loved it)
They are some parts that did alter my perception of the book, like the incorporation of a phallus in sapphic novel, but once you take a step back to observe the bigger picture and the over arching message of the book, every aspect bad or good falls into place in the tangle of the world Robertis created.
Overall 3.5 stars
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape