momma_needs_to_read's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I love Greek mythology and I’ve been wanting to read this for so long and I’m glad that I finally did. The book starts with Circe’s younger days and continues on as she explores and finds her true self. Anyone familiar with Greek Mythology will recognize most of the characters and their stories. This is such a great retelling. However, there were a few parts that kind of crept by and felt less interesting than others. Other parts had me completely enthralled, but then it would get to a slow part and start to lose me a bit.
Overall, I loved this book. I definitely recommend it to all Greek Mythology lovers.
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Murder, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual content, and Slavery
issyd23's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, and War
abookwormspov's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Child death, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, Blood, and Animal death
margaritium's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Circe was led down by her own family but she made one for herself with her glory. Love the character development.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy
luminifera's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Bullying, Child death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Torture, Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, War, Self harm, Infidelity, Addiction, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
It's a heavy book. However, very much worth the read, andSpoiler
it has a happy ending!jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This tale follows the tale of Circe and essentially the stories of her life and the people she meets. Which is shockingly a lot considering early in the book she gets herself exiled for life to an island.
Weirdly poetic at times it had some beautiful quotes.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Alcohol, Body shaming, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Death, Incest, Infidelity, and Murder
zophie's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, War, Animal death, and Death
siennakt30's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Incest, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Confinement, and War
miraiyo's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
bellebooks's review
- 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
- The perfect woman cannot exist. She must suffer and/or die.
- When women have power, especially goddesses, they are monstrous and destructive.
- Praised women take on the name of their male representative (husband, son, father). Shamed women have their own name.
This masterpiece, however, re-examines this myth in particular, looks back at the text with a more careful eye and develops motive. Many of the mythologies leave this out, highlighting motives based on selfishness and corruption. However, it ignores or minimizes where those desires come from, how the society itself really is the true villain of every goddess origin story.
This isn't to excuse all of Circe's actions nor any and all women in this book. It's wonderfully messy and complicated, all shades of gray area. Miller skillfully shows that the black and white that was so hard pressed in Antiquity is much more muddy than people want to realize, especially as the myths do not exist in a vacuum.
I do hope that this appears as part of the summer reading list for high schoolers. I would have loved to read this instead of The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Oedipus Trilogy, all of which highlight women that are marginalized and victimized because of the society they live in (I have less sympathy for Daisy Buchannan, but that's beside the point). This book deserves to join the ranks, and I most certainly plan to wear out my copy one reread at a time.
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death and War