malloray's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Slavery, Misogyny, Gore, Death, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
mikkiokko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The writing in this book–especially at the end–is SUBLIME! I need more of it!!! And look, please don't kill me, but the ending of this book is what made me like this book so so much. It was exactly what the ending should have been, and a part of it did genuinely surprise me and flip my thinking on its head. And for so long I was just in an out of body experience of existential dread until the last paragraph. Again, SUBLIME! This is the second mythology retelling I've read and oh my god do I need more!!!!! I love it!
Finally–screw that Pyrrhus kid. I don't care that he's twelve, that little shit is a murderous egotistical sociopath and is easily the most terrifying part of this book.
Finally–screw that Pyrrhus kid. I don't care that he's twelve, that little shit is a murderous egotistical sociopath and is easily the most terrifying part of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Violence, and Death
jayvdw's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The book started by surprising me, the main character is not Achilles??? I was in shock, but the more and more I read, it started to make sense with respect to the book's themes. Achilles was not just a man he was Aristos Achaion and for that reason would not be a good main character. The only person that could really convey the story of Achilles was Patroclus.
I was already very familiar with the story of Achilles, having read Heroes and Troy by Stephen Fry. But the interpretation of the original story by Madeline Miller made this story so much more than just another hero's journey. I really enjoyed that the main focus of the book wasn't on the Trojan war, as this story has been told numerous times.
Some other things that I really liked about the book were < spoiler> the change from Achilles being invulnerable, to just being a genius fighter who is still vulnerable to attacks. , the way gods were presented as selfish and unethical, and the conflicted depiction of Odysseus, as a person with his own motives and drives.
The ending of the book was perfectly executed. While reading I was wondering how Madeline Miller would pull this off, but she clearly exceeded my expectations.
For my rating: I loved the book, but I have two minus points. First, the book sometimes felt a bit too slow-paced for my liking. Secondly, the book missed a certain spark to get 5 stars. I only felt this spark in the last 4 chapters. For this reason, I gave it a 4.5.
I was already very familiar with the story of Achilles, having read Heroes and Troy by Stephen Fry. But the interpretation of the original story by Madeline Miller made this story so much more than just another hero's journey. I really enjoyed that the main focus of the book wasn't on the Trojan war, as this story has been told numerous times.
Some other things that I really liked about the book were < spoiler> the change from Achilles being invulnerable, to just being a genius fighter who is still vulnerable to attacks. , the way gods were presented as selfish and unethical, and the conflicted depiction of Odysseus, as a person with his own motives and drives.
The ending of the book was perfectly executed. While reading I was wondering how Madeline Miller would pull this off, but she clearly exceeded my expectations.
For my rating: I loved the book, but I have two minus points. First, the book sometimes felt a bit too slow-paced for my liking. Secondly, the book missed a certain spark to get 5 stars. I only felt this spark in the last 4 chapters. For this reason, I gave it a 4.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
odette_tbdk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
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? Yes
4.25
Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro, por una parte me pareció muy emocional y profunda la relación que tenían Aquiles y Patroclo, pero el ritmo de la historia no me convenció del todo. Hacia el final del libro el ritmo fluyó muy bien, pero el principio es difícil de continuar, la vida de Patroclo de niño y en sí todo el proceso que les lleva a la guerra de Troya es bastante lento y tedioso. Pero aún así, me hizo sentir muchas cosas y también me enseñó de mitología (cabe aclarar que yo no sé nada de estos temas), así que sería injusto darle mala calificación por eso.
Me faltaron personajes femeninos que no giraran en torno a los protagonistas, pero eso ya no es culpa de la autora, simplemente no hay muchos porque así es la mitología. Cuando lea Circe tendré lo que me faltó aquí.
En general, un libro muy triste cargado de mitología y de referencias muy extensas a los ornamentos, política y costumbres de la época. Tedioso a ratos pero al final te deja con un buen sabor de boca (en parte). Buena lectura.
Me faltaron personajes femeninos que no giraran en torno a los protagonistas, pero eso ya no es culpa de la autora, simplemente no hay muchos porque así es la mitología. Cuando lea Circe tendré lo que me faltó aquí.
En general, un libro muy triste cargado de mitología y de referencias muy extensas a los ornamentos, política y costumbres de la época. Tedioso a ratos pero al final te deja con un buen sabor de boca (en parte). Buena lectura.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Grief, War, Child death, Medical content, Violence, Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Slavery, Xenophobia, Sexism, Death, Genocide, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Torture, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Animal death
ejspiese's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Is this book perfect? Probably not. Is this book perfect for me? Yes ♥️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief, Death, and Homophobia
athenian_frog's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.75
Am rereading after a while, using the audiobook.
Some phrases are a little repeated (a lot of feet references LOL) but I found the romance overall to be very loving and emotionally satisfying. I found that part of what made Achilles beautiful to me was Patroclus’s perspective/attention to detail, and I think that’s lovely. As they grew close, I appreciated how Achilles always seemed to carve place for Patroclus at his side, and would make an effort to communicate honestly.
The latter half of the book involving the war is particularly strong. My favorite side characters were probably Briseis, Odysseus, and Thetis. I think the author did a good job of making them strong on their own!
A few people found Patroclus to be a bit lacking/soft, but I think it was his gentleness that won me over. While he didn’t do much fighting until closer to the end of the book, he still did a significant amount of verbal maneuvering with the other characters to his or Achilles’s benefit. From his attempts to connect with Thetis to the exchanges with the members of the war camp, I enjoyed the way Patroclus interacted with the rest of the cast the most.
All in all I enjoyed it a lot, probably one of the few Booktok/Booktube books I’ve read that has ever maintained it’s place so close to my heart.
Please consider the content warnings below!
Some phrases are a little repeated (a lot of feet references LOL) but I found the romance overall to be very loving and emotionally satisfying. I found that part of what made Achilles beautiful to me was Patroclus’s perspective/attention to detail, and I think that’s lovely. As they grew close, I appreciated how Achilles always seemed to carve place for Patroclus at his side, and would make an effort to communicate honestly.
The latter half of the book involving the war is particularly strong. My favorite side characters were probably Briseis, Odysseus, and Thetis. I think the author did a good job of making them strong on their own!
A few people found Patroclus to be a bit lacking/soft, but I think it was his gentleness that won me over. While he didn’t do much fighting until closer to the end of the book, he still did a significant amount of verbal maneuvering with the other characters to his or Achilles’s benefit. From his attempts to connect with Thetis to the exchanges with the members of the war camp, I enjoyed the way Patroclus interacted with the rest of the cast the most.
All in all I enjoyed it a lot, probably one of the few Booktok/Booktube books I’ve read that has ever maintained it’s place so close to my heart.
Please consider the content warnings below!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical content, Rape, Blood, Child death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Slavery, and Vomit
Minor: Transphobia
- Deaths, especially those in war, are described in a fair amount of detail -women are taken from raids to be enslaved to enemy soldiers -Vomit and illness, medical content especially visible when a plague rips through a war camp -there is one instance of rape that is vaguely described that a supporting character undergoes. -there are two instances of very dubious consent/sexual coercion that occur regarding the main leads, not with each other. -it is mentioned that men who dress as women are extremely looked down upon -sex is typically not very detailed, even between lead characters. Usually some allusions to what is going on but not much else.taryn_g's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, War, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual content, and Slavery
librerin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A great travel read! I enjoyed the story from Patroclus's perspective, and found it to be beautifully written. I got a bit tired of Patroclus coming off as a damsel-in-distress and wanted more depth to Achilles's evolution during the war, but I felt that the later parts of the book really helped to alleviate that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, War, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse and Ableism
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
starribones's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I adore this book sooooo much! It’s a great story (especially for fans of classic Greek mythology) and it never fails to tug on my heartstrings (I may or may not have cried uncontrollably the first time I read it). Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, and Gore
Minor: Slavery, Rape, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship