By: Madeline Miller
Standalone | 394 Pages | Pub. 2018
Circe At a Glance
- Overall Rating: ★★★★
- Heroine: Mad witch skills
- Brutality: We needed some trigger warnings
- Steaminess: Not sending Helios a thank you card for the bestiality
- Emotional: One glistening tear
Pairs Well With
Ambrosia
- Ice
- ¼ cup coconut rum
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons pineapple juice
- Splash of grenadine
Beware…spoilers are coming!
Our Review
This was an immediate purchase for us because our English and History major hearts almost exploded on sight. The interesting thing about Circe is that she is a lesser-known mythological character, but interacted with many of the heavy hitters. Miller stuck to history while writing this and turned it into a beautiful storyline. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.
As far as a plot is concerned, there is no overarching storyline, which was irritating at times. It read more as a collection of stories or a biography than a novel. This made it easier to put down and to push down our TBR list over and over again. It took a few months for us to get through Circe because you have to be in the right mood. This isn’t a book that you will devour in one sitting, but read off and on over time.
The language and flow was exquisite. We could read her talking about the waves and islands all day long, it is so well written. It has been hard to find fantasy that is written in a more literary style and while we certainly don’t want all of them to read as literature, we truly enjoyed this style.
True to form, we experienced the pure brutality of the Greek gods and goddesses. Maybe even more than we were prepared for. It is easy to read myths and gloss over how evil the gods are because those stories are so short. Here we met the full brunt of their power and ire. Helios bans his daughter to please Zeus, Athena tries to kill Circe’s son, and countless others discard Circe as though she is beneath them. With family like hers, I would rather be abandoned and forgotten on an island, too.
Circe meets an interesting cast of characters so we will go through them really quick.
- Glaucus – The definition of a fuckboy. Good riddance, she didn’t need him anyway.
- Daedelus – I really wanted them to run off into the sunset together. Poor inventor.
- Hermes – I can still only picture the blue guy from Hercules. I can’t take him seriously ever.
- Pasiphae – Holy bestiality, batman! We were not ready for that and did not need those descriptions. Nope.
- Odysseus – We saw so many sides to Odysseus. I have to say, we are good with what happened to him.
- Aeetes – What a terrible brother. We hope your zombies eat you.
- Telemachus – What a reasonable human. That’s pretty much it.
Reading this book hurt. Our hearts are a little broken, but if you are familiar with mythology, you won’t be surprised. There are some triggers in this as well so be aware of that. But Circe does revenge and she does it well. We were pleased with the ending even if we thought that relationship was a little weird. We would definitely recommend you read it, just don’t pressure yourself to do it in one sitting!
Have you read Circe? Let us know what you thought in the comments!
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This has been on my list since I reread A Song Of Achilles – sounds like it’s very different!
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We haven’t read Song of Achilles yet but from what we gathered its a little different but still very good!
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Yeah it is. I read it in just over a day, so it’s definitely one that can be done pretty swiftly. 🙂
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Awesome!! We will definitely check it out!!
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Love your comment on Hermès! I think the same thing hahaha! Lovely review, so glad you had all the feels.
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Thanks, Maddie!!
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I haven’t read Circe yet, but I have it on hold at the library and I can’t wait!
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Great review! It does sound like Ms. Miller is switching it up quite a bit from Song of Achilles.
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We haven’t read that one yet! Is it worth checking out?
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I really can’t recommend SoA enough, it’s such a brilliant book. And since it’s pretty much the life of Achilles, it does have a natural timeline.
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Okay! Sounds awesome, we will have to check it out!
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I LOVED this book. Circe might be one of my fav heroines of all times – she was just so multifaceted and real and strong in her own way. Also, I totally agree about Daedelus and your “Glaucus the fuckboy” comment made me LOL.
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She really was so strong! And we just couldn’t describe Glaucus any other way…
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I’ve heard a lot about this one and am seeing it everywhere! I can’t wait to read it.
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Yay! We hope you like it!
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Glad to hear you liked it!!!! This was one of my fave reads of this year… just got to go back and read Song of Achilles now eeeep
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Thank you!! We’ve heard good things about Song of Achilles we definitely need to check it out!
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The mixed reviews had made me hesitant to pick this book up but I think you just convinced me to give it a try. I adored Song of achilles and I know I’ll at least love the writing. Although, I hope Circe isn’t as painful as Miller’s other book!
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This is definitely worth a read! Hope you enjoy it!!! We haven’t read SoA yet but we’re contemplating giving it a try!
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I’ve just finished reading it a loved it!! I agree with what you said about it feeling like a collection of stories, it took me a while to ge through too, but I loved reading her encounter with all the different people!
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Glad you liked it! I loved the little stories, I just didn’t expect them.
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Me too, It was nice hearing about all the characters from a different perspective!
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I am so doing that drink! and I love that you actually wrote that there are spoilers! I didn’t read it haha sorry but thank you ❤ I think it is really considered of your part to actually have that there ❤ I love the cover and I am so sure this will be an amazing read!
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Yess hope you like the drink and Circe!!
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I think I will be really vocal about both xD thank you!
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Awesome review! Wanna read it even more now 😁
And I’m not even into mythology all that much.
The cover is gorgeous, i agree 😍
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Thank you! Hope you like it!
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I absolutely adore this book, it’s one of the rare ones that are gorgeous both on the outside and inside. :’)
Lovely review! ❤
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Thank you!!!
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Great review!!! I loved Circe!!
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Thank you!!
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[…] Circe – Madeline Miller […]
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