I’m not really sure there will be spoilers, but marking it out of consideration. I just finished Circe, and I thought it was a well-written story around a character in the Greek Pantheon. Whenever I have read about Greek mythology it was always a more concise and academic take. So, it was refreshing to see a more palatable take on Circe.
Reading through it kind of made me laugh because I remembered what a bunch of messy, petty, assholes the Olympians and Titans are. While I usually lean atheist, if I had to choose any path it would be Greek polytheism because of how humanized the Titans and Olympians are.
I had always seen Circe’s name, but never dove deeply into her story, and I love the idea of an outcast and scorned daughter standing up for herself to her tyrannical and flighty family. I also liked the depiction of Hermes as a fickle rage baiter, and Athena as a roaring and tempestuous bitchy Goddess. I think all the characters had wonderful individual personalities, and that made the story stand out. For what it’s worth, I also appreciate there are thousands of years old stories about the characters; so, the writing had a good start.
I appreciated Miller’s writing style. It was easily digestible, and easy to get through. The plot wasn’t convoluted or drawn out, and each step in the story felt purposeful. I look forward to reading more of her modern Greek myth retellings.
by ActualRound7699