Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Genre: Greek Mythology/Fiction
Pages: 394 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Lee Boudreaux Books
Publication date: April 10th, 2018
Synopsis from Circe's Goodreads page
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.
Synopsis from Circe's Goodreads page
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.
THOUGHTS
I read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller last summer, and ever since, it has been one of my all time favourite books. Ever since I read it, I've been waiting and waiting for Circe to come out. Having finished it and taken some time to think about it, I can definitively say that it was worth the wait, and is now ALSO one of my all time favourite books ever.
Circe is another Greek Mythology book, (which is something that I have always loved, having devoured the Percy Jackson books as a kid), and I can easily say that anything Greek by Madeline Miller will be perfect and unbelievably awesome.
Madeline Miller has such a way with word; everything she writes is beautiful, no matter the context. It could be the saddest, or the most gruesome part of the book, and because it's her writing, it's still beautiful.
Her characters are all absolutely perfect. Either because they are perfectly flawed, or they are difficult, or they are just Gods among men (literally and figuratively). She creates her characters so that they are different from what is expected from them from reading Greek myths, but also similar enough that they are easy to distinguish, and their main traits remain consistent.
Her plots are also amazing. I know that a fair amount of her material comes from reading Greek myths and putting her own twist on them, but that makes me even more amazed by her. To be able to do so much research, then change the plot around a bit to make it her own, is something that I have always wished that I could do as well as she does.
Both of her books, The Song of Achilles and, now Circe, are both beautiful and are both perfect, sad, and wonderful in their own ways. I absolutely love both of her books, and I have no qualms about either of them. I love them both, and I know that I will continue to love them both for years to come. Thank you for putting Circe into the world.
Overall - ★★★★★
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