A review by bribreez
The Palace of Eros by Caro De Robertis

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

*Thank you to Atria for sending me this ARC, I greatly appreciate it! 

4.5⭐️/ 2-3🌶️

As a lover of all things Greek mythology, I would say I have a good understanding and appreciation for the subject. In all the books I’ve read about Greek mythology, I haven’t read anything pertaining to Psyche and Eros. Sure, I’ve read them as side characters in other reimaginings/ retelling, but never Eros and Psyche as the main characters. This story was a reimagining on Eros and Psyche, but with Eros as a nonbinary character. This story had LQBQT+ representation, strong characters, interesting dynamics, and fantasy elements. 

If you’ve read the tale of Eros and Psyche then you’ll be familiar with what happened between them. Quick summary, with Psyche’s beauty becoming more and more known to all, suddenly people were saying that her beauty was greater than that of Aphrodite herself! Now, there’s one thing that the gods do not like, and that’s having their egos be put down. For Aphrodite, to hear that her beauty was basically nonexistent compared to a mortal girl, she was angry and fuming! Like any god, Aphrodite decided that was unacceptable and there needed to be a punishment for Psyche. Calling upon (in this case) her daughter, Eros, Aphrodite wanted Eros to make Psyche fall in love with the most monstrous, ugliest creature of all as punishment. Eros was more than ready to comply with her mother’s demands, but when she laid eyes on Psyche for the first time, it was like love at first sight. 

This reimagining was so fascinating and I really loved it! Psyche’s life before she met Eros was one that limited her to life, she wasn’t able to be free, and was basically out on display for the pleasure of others. Although the circumstances that brought Psyche to Eros was unexpected, it ended up being a happy surprise for her. I could tell that early on even with Psyche feeling unsure of Eros, she felt a sense of freedom living in Eros’s palace as well as having the opportunity to explore her sexuality. For Psyche to be living with Eros, it also allowed her to shed the “normal” expectations that she would have had to abide had she been married off to a mortal man. When it came to the gods, their rules were different and essentially free for all. I also liked seeing how Eros gave Psyche the choice of what she wanted whenever, and that simply in itself was pretty significant in my opinion since Psyche had always lived according to what others wanted not for herself. 

Now, in the midst of this fantastical story telling, at its core was also seeing Eros and Psyche fall in love. (Sigh) I’m a sucker for romance and I really loved the way Eros and Psyche slowly but surely became a couple. Eros was patient and understanding considering she basically whisked Psyche off to her palace. For Psyche, she literally was opened to a whole new world, she experienced love for the first time, and the sense of freedom in different ways. There was some pretty meaningful quotes that I loved in this book that when you read them yourselves, you’ll just how much Eros and Psyche cared for one another. I could feel the genuine love between Psyche and Eros and simply out, I thought it was beautiful.

This story was eye opening to me not only because I got to see Psyche’s journey through exploring herself and her desires, but also Eros’s identity. Eros wasn’t just one single identity, the way she described herself was more than just a woman. I don’t know how to word it exactly, but when I read Eros explaining her identity it just made sense to me. I think the way this story covered Eros’s nonbinary identity was illuminating and revealed a lot about Eros’s life how she came to learn more about herself. As a reader, I felt like I got to learn about Eros and how she wasn’t set in one mold of a gender, she was more than that, she was simply Eros. 

This was a very intriguing story filled with eye opening moments, and a fascinating reimagining of Eros and Psyche’s story. As an avid fan of Greek mythology/ literature, I’m always excited to dive into the different stories of the gods, and to see Eros’s story unfold in the way it was told this way was illuminating and great. Psyche’s growth over the course of the story was equally inspiring as she went from a young girl faced with the unknown for her future, and at the end became a stronger woman. Eros and Psyche’s romance was beautiful, heartfelt, and a couple of times had memorable quotable moments that made me swoon. Like any Greek story, there was tragedy, heartbreak, trials, and the chaos that ensued in the lives of gods. I really think if you enjoy reading about Greek mythological stories, especially when they have reimagining’s, I think you’ll enjoy reading Eros and Psyche’s story.