Reviews with content warning for Blood - Circe

I always love the feeling of when you see how a name or story you heard of long ago fits into the greek mythos.

Like all Miller books, it took me a while to get into and Circe did not hit me as hard as Song of Achilles did. (Which is mostly because the Illiad is one of my favourite parts of Greek mythology.) However, the nuance in which Circe evolves as a character and takes back control of her own story is brilliant. It was a great read.

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sami_not_sammi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

5.0

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e_claire_b's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

3.5

I very much enjoyed Song of Achilles (Miller's previous work) and I enjoyed Circe. Circe as a character is one I wish to explore and learn more about in the original myths. I found her story as an overlooked, neglected, and abused child turning into a powerful witch very poignant. I love the exploration of war and violence, hubris, ambition, gods, and the soft redemptive power of love. The way Miller tells the story of Odysseus is very interesting and at moments uncomfortable (especially in comparison to the songs I've been jamming to on the EPIC soundtrack lol) and it's interesting to compare the themes featured in this book and how it expands on some of the themes explored in Song of Achilles (I love reading multiple books by the same author for this reason)

However, I struggled with this writing. I'm not sure if it's because it's stretched over such a long period of time but despite enjoying the novel I had a hard time finishing it. Particularly on the last 150ish pages. This might be a matter more of personal taste than anything else. Miller does write some very beautiful passages but sometimes I have a hard time following what exactly is going on. This was something I noticed in Song of Achilles, but I think it was more amplified in this novel for some reason.

Still recommend! I'm glad i read it. Circe was such a personally resonant character to read about. And there are many lines and moments from this work that will stick with me. Just this probably isn't the sort of book I will reread. At least not anytime soon.

(Also loved the little "easter egg" with Medea. God I love the play by Euripedes so much & I love the use of dramatic irony when she meets Circe. What is this a crossover episode???)

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