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mairiairi's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
the character growth in this book is freaking unbelievable. Hated everyone up until the last quarter of the book. Worth the wait, bc once I got to the end everyone was relatable lol
Book felt like it was slogging a bit at the beginning, wasn't interesting, everyone was a completely self-absorbed, narcissistic jerk including Circe. Then she gets a couple hundred years under her belt and becomes more self-aware, growing out of the teenager stage into the young adult stage, and it's so organic and natural that I didn't even notice it until I read over the quotes I'd posted and realized there's a huge difference between the first, second, and third of the book. I def found her growing on me and ended up rooting for her by the end of the book (which is crazy considering how weak and spineless she was at the beginning). It was really really well done.
The writing kind of reminds me of Hamnet, though probably more flowery and descriptive, but definitely not as pretentious as Wolf Hall. This was subtle enough that you had to think about it and read slower than usual, but it wasn't so subtle that you felt dumb for not understanding, and not getting anything out of the book. The writing also didn't get in the way of the story at all, imo.
Had some really good morals/lessons, and some thought-provoking takes on human nature, existence of man, etc. and I wish I'd had a physical copy so I could annotate. Or a teacher to tell me to write a paper on it. Fascinating stuff fr fr
I did get a lil bit bored until about halfway - it was a bit tedious, because she's stuck on an island, but definitely not anywhere near as bad as A Gentleman in Moscow, this actually had a storyline lol it did leave me feeling like I was reading one of those multi-generational books and there's a reason I never read those. To her credit, I think it definitely sells you on the "she's centuries old, exiled on an island" without dragging or being boring like you'd expect.
Definitely want to get a physical copy, reread, and annotate everything. Too many relatable characters, but most of them see their flaws and work on it so that by the end of the story they've changed and are far healthier than where they started. Anger management, trouble with trust and vulnerability, dealing with loss or loneliness...there is so much they either grow through OR recognize in someone else as being bad, and seeing my own problems represented in a book was so encouraging to me. I don't have to keep doing this to myself and those around me, don't keep hurting people just because you're too proud to admit you're the source of the hurt - these gods suck, but I don't have to lol
So interesting that she is drawn to humans time and again. Those are the only ones she's interested in, everyone else is a side hustle. Why? Because she's drawn to authenticity and weakness, being deemed weak and naive to the family of gods that she was born into. And so much more. But I have work tmr and it's already 3:30am so imma leave it at that and if any of this piqued your interest then just go read it already (it's subtle enough that even if you're under 13 it's fine, but you won't enjoy it so wait till you're like 15+ << only saying this bc my lil sister follows me HAHAHA sup tia)
also: there were some long quotes I liked that didn't fit in the update thing, so I'm leaving them as comments under this review lol
(also also, note that I wrote right before the book gets good:
yk what I hate? The fact that everyone is an idiot. Absolute selfish, self-involved, narcissistic idiot. First Athena, she won't even explain anything to Circe even though if she had, then Circe would have known better and wouldn't have done all that to protect her son. Then the son, for being so bullheaded and unhappy about his place in life that he won't listen to common sense despite someone who's been around for HUNDREDS OF YEARS telling him about the prophecy. Then stupid Odysseus for being so angry that he won't even take two seconds to listen to a literal child tell him why he's landed on Odysseus' precious land, honestly it's his fault for being such a stupid guy and getting in such a rage over a little kid landing on his island, like brotherrrrr he caused that, the son wasn't even tryna harm anyone and he had permission from O's son. Like O, if that makes you mad, go take it up with your son, not your guest you idiot. Honestly that part was so insufferable, I couldn't even bring myself to care about anyone involved, they were all stupid. )
Book felt like it was slogging a bit at the beginning, wasn't interesting, everyone was a completely self-absorbed, narcissistic jerk including Circe. Then she gets a couple hundred years under her belt and becomes more self-aware, growing out of the teenager stage into the young adult stage, and it's so organic and natural that I didn't even notice it until I read over the quotes I'd posted and realized there's a huge difference between the first, second, and third of the book. I def found her growing on me and ended up rooting for her by the end of the book (which is crazy considering how weak and spineless she was at the beginning). It was really really well done.
The writing kind of reminds me of Hamnet, though probably more flowery and descriptive, but definitely not as pretentious as Wolf Hall. This was subtle enough that you had to think about it and read slower than usual, but it wasn't so subtle that you felt dumb for not understanding, and not getting anything out of the book. The writing also didn't get in the way of the story at all, imo.
Had some really good morals/lessons, and some thought-provoking takes on human nature, existence of man, etc. and I wish I'd had a physical copy so I could annotate. Or a teacher to tell me to write a paper on it. Fascinating stuff fr fr
I did get a lil bit bored until about halfway - it was a bit tedious, because she's stuck on an island, but definitely not anywhere near as bad as A Gentleman in Moscow, this actually had a storyline lol it did leave me feeling like I was reading one of those multi-generational books and there's a reason I never read those. To her credit, I think it definitely sells you on the "she's centuries old, exiled on an island" without dragging or being boring like you'd expect.
Definitely want to get a physical copy, reread, and annotate everything. Too many relatable characters, but most of them see their flaws and work on it so that by the end of the story they've changed and are far healthier than where they started. Anger management, trouble with trust and vulnerability, dealing with loss or loneliness...there is so much they either grow through OR recognize in someone else as being bad, and seeing my own problems represented in a book was so encouraging to me. I don't have to keep doing this to myself and those around me, don't keep hurting people just because you're too proud to admit you're the source of the hurt - these gods suck, but I don't have to lol
So interesting that she is drawn to humans time and again. Those are the only ones she's interested in, everyone else is a side hustle. Why? Because she's drawn to authenticity and weakness, being deemed weak and naive to the family of gods that she was born into. And so much more. But I have work tmr and it's already 3:30am so imma leave it at that and if any of this piqued your interest then just go read it already (it's subtle enough that even if you're under 13 it's fine, but you won't enjoy it so wait till you're like 15+ << only saying this bc my lil sister follows me HAHAHA sup tia)
also: there were some long quotes I liked that didn't fit in the update thing, so I'm leaving them as comments under this review lol
(also also, note that I wrote right before the book gets good:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
sappix's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Murder and War
beatriks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Fantastic Read. I didn’t know what to expect, this was my first novelization of a story from Greek mythology.
The beginning was very slow, but once Circe landed on Aiaia, it was a hell of a ride and she really grew on me.
The introspection and reflection on divinity vs mortality are fascinating and well-developed.
The beginning was very slow, but once Circe landed on Aiaia, it was a hell of a ride and she really grew on me.
The introspection and reflection on divinity vs mortality are fascinating and well-developed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
brooklynbroke's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War
zooix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
brogan7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
3.75
So usually 4 is my cut off, meaning 4 and up, I recommend it, 3.75 and below, I'm just shy of recommending it, (or less than that, if a lower number).
Circe has me on the fence, because initially, I loved it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant, how she portrayed the gods' world with the per pective gods would have. She describes Glaucos being made immortal as a wholly horrible transformation, the man sounds physically repulsive, but Circe is still attracted to him because... gods' standards of beauty are not human ones!
She makes this different world come to life in such a magical way, from the very first pages.
And then. A few things happen: triggers beyond what this reader wants to read, and, a fracturing of plot that is hard to follow. It feels like Miller is faithful to Greek mythology (I didn't know that much about it going into it, so I'm surmising this is the case)...but it feels like she's doing exactly what she is: hopping from story to story without a single story really linking them together.
This is a creative plotline, but it makes for some difficulty in staying motivated to read, in the middle parts (especially if you don't like the gory bits, because there are lots of them).
I can't resolve some parts of what I feel about this book. She does the horrors of war well, but does that mean you want to read that? I don't want to ... I really don't want to.
She's all over power dynamics...again, hard to read though. How people use other people (or gods) for their own petty self-aggrandizement. It's how some people are, yes. It doesn't make me want to know about it in detail...unless they were to learn something, and other than Circe, no one really does. (Zeus, her brother, her father, Odysseus....how many fail to learn.)
I want a little more hope in my literature than that.
However, then she comes with the climax, the dénouement and the end of the story....I don't know if that's even what all those parts are called, but the end of the book pulls magic again, and I do think it's such an amazing book.
Hard call on this one. I'm glad I read it. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it.
Oh yes, and the relationships...ok the men are either pure fantasy or pure hell. I lost my capacity to believe in the romantic stories, I felt myself losing interest in that altogether. So it's hard to say....when that's a big aspect of the book...why did it start to fall flat?(Which made the ending a little flat as well.)
So overall: a very strong medium? I rarely feel so conflicted over a book.
Circe has me on the fence, because initially, I loved it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant, how she portrayed the gods' world with the per pective gods would have. She describes Glaucos being made immortal as a wholly horrible transformation, the man sounds physically repulsive, but Circe is still attracted to him because... gods' standards of beauty are not human ones!
She makes this different world come to life in such a magical way, from the very first pages.
And then. A few things happen: triggers beyond what this reader wants to read, and, a fracturing of plot that is hard to follow. It feels like Miller is faithful to Greek mythology (I didn't know that much about it going into it, so I'm surmising this is the case)...but it feels like she's doing exactly what she is: hopping from story to story without a single story really linking them together.
This is a creative plotline, but it makes for some difficulty in staying motivated to read, in the middle parts (especially if you don't like the gory bits, because there are lots of them).
I can't resolve some parts of what I feel about this book. She does the horrors of war well, but does that mean you want to read that? I don't want to ... I really don't want to.
She's all over power dynamics...again, hard to read though. How people use other people (or gods) for their own petty self-aggrandizement. It's how some people are, yes. It doesn't make me want to know about it in detail...unless they were to learn something, and other than Circe, no one really does. (Zeus, her brother, her father, Odysseus....how many fail to learn.)
I want a little more hope in my literature than that.
However, then she comes with the climax, the dénouement and the end of the story....I don't know if that's even what all those parts are called, but the end of the book pulls magic again, and I do think it's such an amazing book.
Hard call on this one. I'm glad I read it. I can't whole-heartedly recommend it.
Oh yes, and the relationships...ok the men are either pure fantasy or pure hell. I lost my capacity to believe in the romantic stories, I felt myself losing interest in that altogether. So it's hard to say....when that's a big aspect of the book...why did it start to fall flat?
So overall: a very strong medium? I rarely feel so conflicted over a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Incest
bearbutch's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
One of the rare books I read in a day. I fell so in love with the speaker, and Miller’s characterisation always feels so vivid and emotional. She balances the accuracy of ancient Greek myth with the excitement and freshness of new angles. I only wish it went on forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Rape
Minor: Animal death and War
dahlialover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This story is so richly detailed and descriptive that you become absolutely engrossed and quite frankly obsessed. Circe is such a complex woman - abandoned, shunned and feared yet empowered through her own sheer will. Her love of Odysseus, friendship with Hermes and later protectiveness of her son show her capacity to have more human like traits. She’s not a ‘witch’ as we know them. Love her relationship with flora and her pack of wolves. Such a cleverly and beautifully written story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment
submerge's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Murder
Moderate: Rape
atreegrowsinbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love Millers writing. Probably still liked A Song of Achilles just slightly more than Circe, but this was still really good!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal death and War