“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.”
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
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Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Published: April 10th 2018 by Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Retelling
Stars: 2 Content Rating: 7
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Let me start out by saying I was very excited to read this book. I love Greek Mythology and all things Olympian. Not only did it sound like something I would love, there was so much hype about this one and I was stoked that it was a choice in my Book of the Month Club subscription. So why would I only give this book 2 stars?
Let me tell you what I didn’t like first. The first half of the book was so tedious. I think the author was trying to get us to understand Olympians vs Titans. She was also explaining the life of a the Gods and Goddess’. Nymphs. It all was so absurd. I know Greek mythology seems out there anyway, but I just didn’t like it. Her writing style and the character that she gave Circe was just not what I was expecting. I kept thinking…”How is this nightmare supposed to end? Circe is a Goddess and is going to live this boring terrible existence forever!” Circe is on that island for centuries. I am telling you that I was bored to tears. I was expecting this Goddess with sympathy for mortals to DO SOMETHING. I found my mind wandering all over the place because I just could not focus.
What I liked: The ending. I don’t mean that I simply liked that it ended and I was put out of my misery. (Literally laughing out loud at myself) I really liked the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for you if you are going to read this book. Based on my rating I really hope that you don’t waste your time. I will say that there was a purpose for the miserable existence and that it ended in a way that I didn’t totally hate the book. I was glad I didn’t DNF this one. My pushing through and finishing was worth it. Kinda.
Thanks for reading!!
xoxo,
Bookwhit 