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Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.25 stars
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Trigger Warnings: violence, rape, sexual abuse, war themes
“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.
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 really enjoyed this book! Circe involves Greek mythology, complex and strong heroines, adventure, monsters, and magic. Miller reimagines the story of Circe with magnificent prose that engages you with her storytelling. She stays true to the source material yet is able to flesh out the various characters, making them more complex than what is told of them in Greek mythology.
“ ‘A witch,’ I said. ‘With unbound power. Who need answer to none but herself.’ ”
Miller develops Circe extremely well. We first see her as a naive nymph, who is clueless about the world and who yearns for love and acceptance. We follow her as she believes the lies of others and, later, becomes hardened by them. We then see Circe learn from her mistakes and innocence and grow into a woman with agency, a woman with her own power. There were times when I was frustrated with her naivety, yet there were others where I cheered her on and felt proud of who she has become.
Although this book is full of stories from Greek mythology, it is at its core a story of one woman’s life. It is through Circe’s pain, suffering, love, desire, and motherhood that bring forth the feminist themes of agency and strong woman into the story. This novel explores the role and voice of woman in Greek mythology and reimagines it in a unique, feminist way.
However, there were times where I found it difficult to get through the book. The middle of the book felt rather slow since it followed Circe on her island and her sexual conquests with men. I think those occurrences are important to the plot and to her character, but I felt like there could’ve been more of a reimagining that further instilled the feminist themes that occurred throughout the novel. I found that interactions between Circe and the nymphs on her island could’ve been expanded on to potentially demonstrate them reclaiming their own power and agency. And while I really enjoyed Circe’s character, I couldn’t connect with her on a deeper level that many others have.
Circe is still an amazing book with beautiful prose, exciting plot, and fleshed out characters. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Greek mythology! (And who knows, maybe I’ll finally read The Song of Achilles after this).
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