Circe book review

Circe by Madeline Miller
on April 10, 2018
Pages: 393
Goodreads

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.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Madeline Miller’s debut novel, and I was a little hesitant purely because I didn’t think I would like another Greek myth retelling especially if she had taken the same liberties as the first. I have to say I was too harsh and skeptical, Circe blew me away in all the right ways. I loved the characters, especially Circe herself, I thought the way that the gods were interspersed throughout the story was particularly well done. I loved learning about each of their stories, and the background of each of them. All around it was a brilliant read that I couldn’t put down, I thought the way it was structured was really well written and I wouldn’t hesitate to read another book by her in the future.

I think the different characters were what made Circe such a success, the way that they come alive within the story and you really feel connected to each of them for different reasons. Obviously the story is centred around Circe and her banishment to the island but I loved getting the background of her life before all that happened. I loved learning about her and the way that she dealt with the world around her plus the differences between her and her siblings. She really was the main attraction of this book, and she had so much to give. It was really great to see all the different sides of Circe and the way she reacted to each of the different situations her character found herself in.

I had no prior knowledge of Circe, I might have heard of her in passing but there was no real understanding of the myth or motivations of the story. So I would say the best bit of this book for me was getting to know that story and all the characters within it. It was a beautifully written piece that really drew you into the point where you started to love and weep for the characters when they were emotional. I loved the drama and the excitement all the way through the story, it really made me want to read on and find out how it was all going to end.

I have said how much I loved this book and that is definitely the case. It wouldn’t be a five-star read if I didn’t. I will say that the ending didn’t hold up quite as much as the other parts of the story. After having so much depth in the other parts the ending felt a little rushed and almost like an after-thought. But then again I wanted the book to go on forever so that might have tainted my view a little.

I would definitely recommend Circe, it was one of my favourite reads from last year and it’s one that I would really want to pick up again. And that’s how I know that this book was really that good because writing this review has made me want to run back to the library and pick it back up again!

Have you read Circe? What did you think of it? Did you like her other book? I would love to know what you think!