A review by ailsaod
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Well let's just say I'm glad I borrowed this from the library. I honestly don't get the hype with this one. Patroclus and Achilles' relationship really didn't do it for me - they are extremely co-dependent but somehow still quite bland and Achilles' main character trait is being self-absorbed - and if you don't like their relationship then there isn't a lot here. Also how do people find this romantic when there is literally a scene where Patroclus offers that Achilles and him can go live quietly together and not die young and Achilles response is along of the lines of 'I'd rather die, thanks'? Ah yes the romance of the century right here, everyone!

Reading this book was s o s l o w and yet very little actually happened on page A lot of the book is establishing a scene and then immediately time skipping to the next brief scene.Admittedly this book did make me cry at the end but this was not from any sort of attachment to the characters and more because it was such a bleak and upsetting situation.

The one thing I did like was how the prophecies were handled. This is funny as prophecies are one of my least favourite tropes but I enjoyed how obvious it was to the reader but not to the characters what was going to happen. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings