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A review by storyorc
Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As a love story between a god and a mortal in ancient times or a feminist retelling, it is soothing and well-written but as an adaptation of the myth of Psyche & Eros, it is lacking in complexity. Even the basic conflict of their love being compelled by arrows is sidestepped.
Psyche, especially, is unrecognisable from her mythological counterpart. Although her confidence, stubbornness and battle prowess are admirable, I am more interested in the untrained Psyche who still takes a dagger in with the lamp to see her unknown lover, whom Aphrodite's tasks drive to the brink of suicide, and who opens the box of divine beauty not because she trips, but because she hopes Eros will forgive her if she can just be pretty enough. McNamara's Psyche is a good role model, she is strong and she apologises for her mistakes, but she feels more like a hero's tale than a real woman. Work is still needed to turn the mythological Psyche into a relatable woman, but I was hoping to see that instead of a new character.
I enjoyed the tidbits of ancient day to day life and the characteristics of the various gods, as well as their curses and infighting. The writing style is also fitting for gods of love, though it contains a few too many adjectives for my personal taste. My issue with this book is not in its execution but in the way its idea flattens the myth into a romance that plays too safely to modern tastes.
Joshua Riley was a wonderful pick to narrate the Eros chapters in the audiobook, however.
Psyche, especially, is unrecognisable from her mythological counterpart. Although her confidence, stubbornness and battle prowess are admirable, I am more interested in the untrained Psyche who still takes a dagger in with the lamp to see her unknown lover, whom Aphrodite's tasks drive to the brink of suicide, and who opens the box of divine beauty not because she trips, but because she hopes Eros will forgive her if she can just be pretty enough. McNamara's Psyche is a good role model, she is strong and she apologises for her mistakes, but she feels more like a hero's tale than a real woman. Work is still needed to turn the mythological Psyche into a relatable woman, but I was hoping to see that instead of a new character.
I enjoyed the tidbits of ancient day to day life and the characteristics of the various gods, as well as their curses and infighting. The writing style is also fitting for gods of love, though it contains a few too many adjectives for my personal taste. My issue with this book is not in its execution but in the way its idea flattens the myth into a romance that plays too safely to modern tastes.
Joshua Riley was a wonderful pick to narrate the Eros chapters in the audiobook, however.