Circe

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.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this was good. Circe is the perfect book to pick up if you want to get lost in Greek mythology, herblore, magic, monsters, and adventure. Miller’s writing is a wonderful blend of style that echoes the likes of Juliet Marillier (!) and Robin Hobb (!!). It’s a voice I’ve only dreamt of reading and it’s as beautiful as I thought it would be.

I loved this book so much that Circe just became one of my all-time favourite characters. She’s complex and human, kind and fierce, and she’s humble and strong. Circe is one of the best examples of the type of women we need to see more often in literature. She’s neither a Mary Sue or an Anti-Sue and this depth in her character is what makes her endearing and relatable. Miller perfectly demonstrates a woman’s strength in a man’s world and I just want to enthusiastically point to this book when people are looking for good feminist text.

Some readers may not like the slow quality to Miller’s narrative but I personally enjoy slow, immersive books and Circe’s world was so vividly written that I didn’t want to leave it. Another thing I loved about this book was that no matter how much time Miller spent on one arc or another, she got her point across in a way that is more show and tell, which worked so well for me as reader

Everything about this book is best experienced as you read it and if you love beautiful prose, skillful storytelling, and excellent character development, you don’t want to miss this.