ARC Review: Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe
by Madeline Miller
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
eARC
Mythology, fantasy, retelling, historical

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.

When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe's place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.

There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe's independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

Circe was one of my most anticipated releases for 2018, because Miller's debut The Song of Achilles is one of my all time favourite books. Circe includes a lot of Ancient Greek myths; the tension between Titans and Olympians, feuds and dalliances between gods, Daedalus, Ariadne and the birth of Minotaur, Jason and Medea, and even Achilles and Patroclus get a mention, and of course, Odysseys and his involvement with Circe. I liked reading these myths as retellings through Circe's immortal eyes.

Maybe it was just me, because so many seems to love Circe, but I couldn't connect with Circe as a main character. First she's so naive and a little bit spineless when it comes to her family and the Olympians; it was almost impossible to connect that Circe to the legendary witch of Aiaia. Then there's a twist when Circe snaps and becomes ruthless witch who cares nothing for men, gods and sea nymphs. It's abrupt change and while the naive Circe frustrated me at times, I could barely stand her after she becomes the legend I knew. However, there's few times when I liked Circe and rooted for her; when she meets Prometheus at the beginning, and when she spends time with Daedalus and Ariadne.

What kept me going was curiosity. Miller is a good writer and she can bring myths and legends alive. Circe might not have awoken such emotional response from me that The Song of Achilles did, but it was a solid retelling that included many well known myths from Ancient Greek. I admit that I had high expectations and I was prepared for similar emotional rollercoaster that The Song of Achilles put me through, even when I knew I've always been more invested in Ancient Greek tales of adventure, romance and war than tales of Circe and witchcraft.

Anyway, there was both moments that captivated me and moments when I was bored and disconnected from the story. This is mostly case it's me and not the book, because so many have embraced and loved Circe. If you find the premise interesting and you love myths and legends, I highly recommend Circe.

3 of 5 stars

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Thank you, Bloomsbury Publishing, for giving me a chance to read and review Circe!

(A copy of this ebook was provided in return for an honest review.)