Circe: Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, the 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.
(Goodreads)

WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS ADULT THEMES AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Fun Fact: I had no idea what I was getting into when I bought this book. I bought it on a whim because I'd heard excellent things about it. And I was celebrating my first day of nursing school treat yo shelf, And this book was not what I expected. This right here was so much better than I could have possibly imagined.
To repeat myself again, this book was not what I expected. Honestly, I didn't know what I was expecting, and this book was weird. It started out very slow, and Circe was very pathetic and weak. But that quickly changes because of jealousy, and she curses someone. Which then gets her banished.
And this is where the real story begins.
It begins on an island. After the incident of her cursing this one chick, gosh, I seriously CANNOT remember who it was... I think it was this mermaid who gets exiled to this island by her father, the titan saying that it was merciful of him. To have let this witch live in solitude. And at first, Circe is made, she's devastated. Here is this goddess who does not believe in herself, left alone for the first time ever... And suddenly... She's free <3
She begins growing herbs, she tends to her sheep. She becomes this woman who is self-fulfilled and is amazing. Then she gets a letter from her sister who needs help because she done fucked up.
You know what she did? She made Zeus angry, which in turn made her have sex with a bull... Know what I'm talking about? Her sister will give birth to the Minotaur and needs her sister's help in either delivering or killing the child. It's up in the air cue shrugging emoji. 
There Circe meets Daedalus, the infamous creator of the labyrinth... Though it's still a work in progress at the time... And basically falls in love for a while, and it's heartbreaking because he's mortal and she's not. But relishes the time that she has with her love.
And thus, she gets exiled back to her island, and devastation sets in. She thinks of all the things she's missing and the loneliness of her island. But that all changes when she has a ship land on her island. She's wary, but her loneliness wins out, and so she goes and greets her newfound guests. Turns out it's a pirate ship, and they are so happy for the hospitality of this beautiful woman... And you can kinda guess what happens, right? These men took advantage of her and raped her, and I felt my heartbreak for Circes. This woman only wanted to help, to be harmed in this way. Well... She got revenge and turned them into the pigs that they are. And every ship that landed there had the same treatment.
Until one, here we have another mythological story breathed life. Odysseus landed on her island and stayed there for years, and they fell in love.   

So much of this book resonates with our time in the present. The way they treated women then compared to now. The things she goes through, if you strip the magic away, the experience is something that can happen to a woman in this time.

Read it with an open mind, and be prepared to hopefully love it. 

Until next time readers <3

Love Kat 

The Song of Achilles: Madeline Miller

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
(Goodreads)

Let me begin by saying that I was so thoroughly excited to read this book. Considering I absolutely loved Circe, and all the amazing reviews I've heard of this book. I was excited. I was ecstatic to finally get the chance to read it since I had to wait months to get it from the library 
To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was slightly angry about how much I didn't like this book. And I really really wanted to like it. I was angry, and frustrated, and just plain sad in regards to this book. 
From the beginning! This book actually is not in the point of view of Achilles not until the end at least. This book is in Patroclus I literally had no idea how to say his name..... Like at all point of view, which was an interesting take. I was kind of okay with it... Except that it was seriously just so melancholy that it seriously made the book feel sad... THE WHOLE TIME 
Patroclus is a pathetic character for the longest time, he's weak and sad and overal pretty annoying. And Achilles? He's there too... But only just. He's not nearly as important as you'd think, not until their romance blooms.
Oh? Did I mention this book is HECKING gay?? Because, my god, it is so gay and there's even gay sex... it was interesting and completely true to the times. 
Anyways... When you think of Achilles what do you think of? I don't know about you, but I always think about the Trojan War. And you'd think that this book would be about that, would consist of a considerable amount of the Trojan War. Well you would be wrong. Because literally the Trojan War was at the every end of book, maybe the last hundred pages? Possibly? Which, for me, was so disappointing. The whole beginning of the book is about Paroclus's shame, his love for Achilles, his fear of his mother. 
I honestly was extremely disappointed, especially considering how much people raved about the book. But alas, this book was not for me, but who knows, maybe whoever reads this blog will actually enjoy the book. And if you do, awesome! If not... Joining me in complaining about
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat