Circe by Madeline Miller has been on my list for quite some time. Have you read it yet?

Summary

Circe is a daughter of the Titan sun-god Helios. She grows up in the halls of Helios with two of her siblings, never quite able to measure up. And then one day Circe finds that she has unthinkable powers- witchcraft. The great Olympian Zeus deems this power problematic. Helios drops Circe on a desolate island, where she is banished forever. It is on the island of Aiaia that the great witch comes into her full power, a power that will be put to the test with mortals and gods alike.

Why I picked this book:

I was seeing Circe all over Bookstagram/Goodreads. I happened to be wandering through Target one day and picked it up to read the summary. Needless to say it ended up in my cart. Shout out to my awesome mom for buying it for me because she was concerned about how much I’ve spent on books since joining #bookstagram!

Honest Review:

Ever since high school English class, I have admired Greek history. I love reading stories of Greek gods and goddesses and tragedies and love and war. One of the main things that I appreciate most about Circe was how well developed the characters were. I found it exceptionally helpful that Madeline Miller included an index in the back of the book with detailed descriptions of each character.

I loved the main point of the story: finding oneself amidst both the good and evils that you have done. And I love a good female main character/storyteller. Circe is complex and vilified- she does not want to be a heroine. I loved that. It made Circe more real to me. Not to mention the fact that most of the ways in which she uses her power is totally badass. Of course I loved the ending so much, and absolutely felt like it was true to the main point of finding herself and ultimately freeing in a way that gives her a well-deserved ending.

Admittedly, it took me a long time to really get into this book. I do think I picked it up at a tough time, right as law school was kicking into gear, so perhaps if I would have read it when I had more down time I would have been able to get into the story a bit earlier. That said, I really truly enjoyed this book. The level of detail with which Madeline Miller writes is truly incredible. She is a linguistic artist, and not to mention a master when it comes to all of these great myths and rich history. It’s clear she has an expertise in this area and I loved expanding my reading horizons with Circe this week.

The Bookish Bronde Rating

If you have any interest in Greek mythology, this one is definitely for you. Super interesting, full of detail, and overall quite empowering!