Although still a Princess, this version of Psyche is both an only child and an aspiring warrior (thanks to the prophecy at her birth which claims she’ll conquer a monster feared by the gods.) Having said this: all of the characters are reinvented in ways that don’t make sense, the author took from an actual primary source like from Hesiod, mixed it with retellings from Euripides and Apuleius , and decided to add her own twists too, which made absolutely zero sense: Evocative and lyrically spun... Psyche and Eros is a pure delight' Rebecca Ross, #1 internationally bestselling author of A River Enchanted I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book, but I think I overall enjoyed it. It was really messy and it had the potential to be a lot better, but it brought some great life to a Greek myth that not everyone knows about. Ok, I have to admit that she is from now on my favorite heroine. She is sooo brave and the way she never gave up. She isn't like the other Greek girls from the myths. She is special and that makes her have a special place in my heart. She never doubted herself and believed herself to be a heroine one day. I love her.

When I walked through the Lion’s Gate in my armour, a victor at the height of my triumph, I could hear people comparing me to manifold goddesses: Artemis for my skill, Athena for my cunning, Aphrodite for my beauty. Of all these, it was only Aphrodite who took issue with the comparison. She never could tolerate competition.” Psyche and Eros (Cupid, in Roman mythology) is such an interesting story, especially this one. Luna McNamara is incredibly knowledgeable on Greek mythology and it’s very blatant with how she depicts the characters in this story. Psyche is introduced to the reader as a soon-to-be hero, she doesn’t have sisters, and if in the original tale she’s the daughter of unknown royals, in this book she’s the princess of Mycenae and she’s even related to Agamemnon and Menelaus. Not to mention the historical periods that are completely wrong and used only to bring up characters such as Achilles, Patroclus, Clytemnestra, Elena, etc… They have nothing to do with Psyche and Eros since their historical time doesn’t match with the Trojan War period. overall, i enjoyed this particular greek myth reimagining and has me on the lookout to see what LM writes next!Fiercely feminist and deeply romantic, Psyche and Eros has the allure of an old fable and the epic quality of ancient myth, tinged with a provocative, modern wit. Passionate and deftly-told.” — Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wolf and the Woodsman and A Study in Drowning Characters: Psyche does fall into the "fierce warrior woman" trope, but I found her desire to carve out her own fate and not have it be dictated by the norms of society or those around her honorable. I do think she stood out more to me than Eros, whose story more seemed to provide the narrative structure for Psyche's tale to be told. A beautiful retelling, breathing new life into a beloved myth. Luna McNamara weaves an enthralling tale of adventure, romance, and star-crossed lovers, in an enchanting world of ancient gods and legends.” — Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess A captivating, feminist retelling of the classical Greek myth. . . . McNamara's prose transports you to another time and place, perfectly capturing the magic and mystery of ancient mythology. A beautifully crafted novel that will enchant fans of Greek mythology and romance alike." — Glamour (UK) Why is Penelope related to Helen and not Clytemnestra? They’re technically all COUSINS in the original myth.

A prophecy claims that Psyche, princess of Mycenae, will conquer a monster feared by the gods. Beloved by her family but at odds with her society’s expectations for women, Psyche trains to become a hero, mastering blade and bow. This is not how you should handle a retelling. You can't just manipulate everything to make it do what you wish. WRITE YOUR OWN CHARACTERS IF YOU WANT THEM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT. Make a story that's "inspired by Eros and Psyche" then this is perfectly well as a novel. But not as a retelling.Wᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜʀᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴛɪɴʏ ᴏʀ ғᴀᴛᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍᴇʀᴇʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇs. Wʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ғʟᴏᴡᴇʀs ғᴀᴄɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜɴ, ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴜʟғɪʟʟɪɴɢ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴘʜᴇᴄʏ ᴏʀ ᴏʟᴅ sᴛᴏʀʏ. Wᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ.” A riotous adventure . . . McNamara strikes the perfect note of irreverent humor and furious emotion in this fabulous novel. An absolute joy!” — JENNIFER SAINT, bestselling author of Ariadne Unfortunately this book was a great disappointment and I couldn’t keep reading it. I DNFed it and the reasons are various. Psyche is never seen as a warrior or “physically tough” woman in the myth… I’m not entirely sure what is up with English authors taking feminine ancient Greek historical or mythological figures and making them “badass” and “warrior-like” and physically tough… It’s as if there is some type of shame surrounding the notion of a virtuous but feminine and kind woman. What is “feminist” about distorting a woman’s entire persona just because you don’t like the fact she’s feminine??? She was never a tomboy and NEVER a warrior, so this made me so annoyed from the get-go. I adored McNamara’s lush, vibrant prose and endearingly complex characters-especially Psyche, who quite possibly had the biggest transformation from the original.

I also found that the settings in the middle of the book were amazing. The seaside house was my favorite location they spent time at. The seaside house was described so well that I could picture it as if I was sitting in the house. It had unique magic as well that captivated me from start to finish. Thrown together by fate, headstrong Psyche and world-weary Eros will face challenges greater than they could have ever imagined. As the Trojan War begins and divine powers try to keep them apart, the pair must determine: could this be true love, or is that only a myth? A pure delight . . . Romantic, poignant, and spellbinding.”— REBECCA ROSS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine RivalsI loved the vibrant visualization of the story and the Gods and mortals, the world building and character development.