A review by tm400
Circe by Madeline Miller

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

5.0

i was not expecting such an intriguing and beautiful piece of work here but this was such an incredible book. if i had the time (and wasn't perpetually tired), i could have definitely finished this book within 1 or 2 days. the writing was illustrious and didn't skimp on any descriptions of any place, person, event, plant, animal, etc. since i've read the odyssey already, i knew of circe & her character, but was not expecting such an expansion of her character. i also loved when she crossed paths with medea, as medea is probably my favorite story from ancient greece. it was beautiful to see a character like circe take matters into her own hands, unlearn her internalized misogyny, hone her craft dedicatedly, and seek retribution from men that have wronged her throughout her life.
such an epic retelling.... i had already read the song of achilles by the time i picked this up, and i can safely say i enjoyed this book better out of the two (which may be a hot take but both novels were great!) we are definitely looking at my first 5/5 star book for the year 2023 !

(my copy had 385 pages) 
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