A retelling of the tale of Psyche and Eros from Ancient Greek legends. The writing is fluid, descriptive, and lyrical, leading you along as the story of Psyche, a young woman loved by a cursed God, and Eros, God of Desire, accidentally cursed to love a mortal woman, unfolds.

Though the writing was well-done, at times I felt there was a spark missing from the tale. Instead of a passionate love story, this reads as a history of a story long ago, and you can feel the nostalgia in Psyche and Eros’ recounting of their tale. While that nostalgia evokes a sentimental chord in my heart, the passion missing in the telling of the tale, from the characters’ perspectives, and the implied depth of love between Psyche and Eros which had them fight the Gods to remain together, fell a bit flat.

A quick, light read that would appeal to those interested in descriptive retellings of ancient myths and legends.

A new take on the classic myth of Psyche and Eros, and what a fantastic one it is! The story follows Psyche, the princess of Mycenae who was prophesied to conquer a monster feared by the gods. She was raised as a warrior, trained to fight and kill monsters, something completely at odds with the society she is raised in. She wants nothing more than to become a hero, but she somehow manages to offend the goddess Aphrodite who in turn enlists Eros, the god of desire, to deliver a cruel curse to her. An unexpected thing happens when Eros accidentally pricks himself with the cursed arrow that was meant to curse Psyche to fall in love with the first person she saw and be forever separated from them. Eros the god of desire has never truly been in love, he has spent his time just laying low and living day by day watching humans and the mischiefs of the gods... and now suddenly he is consumed with a desire for Psyche but knows he cannot ever show her his face or else they would be separated. Now Eros and Psyche find each other married, but with gods who scheme to get revenge against Eros, and all his lies... can their love survive and is it true? This was such a fantastic retelling of the story. I enjoyed it so much and it did remain true to the myth while adding in so much more depth and layers. I liked that we got to read from both Psyche and Eros’s POVS and see how both of them fell for the other and how much they both go through to get back together. This is seriously the perfect read for fans of Greek mythology!

*Thanks Netgalley and William Morrow for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

It's a tough road trying to rewrite an already perfect story, especially one that's been told countless times by the great storytellers of history. I can't believe this is McNamara's first novel - it's fantastic. Both romantic, and adventurous, it maintains all the magic of the original story. I loved the appearances by other well-known names in mythology, the references to real events, tying conflicts and persons together in a comprehensive family tree. It could have been saccharine, it could have been a case of celebrity name-dropping, but it was done so well. I can't wait to read more from Luna McNamara in future!

I personally wasn’t getting into the story or feeling invested in the characters. I just read Neon Gods so maybe that’s part of it. But this existed in a weird middle ground where it isn't completely it's own story but it's also *not* the original myth

"Psyche and Eros" is a readalike for people who are looking for more books after "Circe" or "The Witch's Heart."

Psyche and Eros was more than I expected it to be. A rom-com retelling of the myth that fused with hits of literary that just works. I plan on purchasing the hardcover when it comes out.

NetGalley arc reader!

I absolutely loved this take on the myth of Psyche and Eros. The shifting perspectives and fourth wall breaks worked wonderfully with the tale of gods and lovers. Despite the challenges the couple face, the ending is worth it. 10/10 recommend!

Four stars! A truly fun retelling of my favorite greek story. I absolutely loved the characters and the interplay with greek stories.

I found character of Phyche not to work with the classic perception of the story and her training as a hero to make her character less relatable for me. What I loved about the classic mythology is that she is so very human. But as the story progresses I thought the interplay of her story and those of other well known greek females to be inspired and I looked forward to the progression of her character. I was expecting more character development between her and Eros and thought that the romance aspect was lacking depth. But it worked well with the story and overall I truly enjoyed this book. I had picked up this book expecting an adult romance but in reality it is more appropriate for the adult fiction collection.

One of the original rom-coms, the tale of Psyche and Eros is spell binding! McNamara truly did her due diligence with research and historical references! The perfect read for fans of Greek Mythology, and ultimate love stories where love conquers all! Really well written!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc copy of this book.

Eros and Psyche is a favored myth of mine. It’s different than most Greco-Roman myths with women. This one is one of the first beauty and the beast stories. The story of falling in love with a soul is beautiful. And this I enjoyed most about the book.

In this retelling, Psyche is a warrior instead of just a maiden. Eros is a primordial deity instead of the son of Aphrodite. These changes don’t bother me in the slightest. The basic story is there although it had many minor changes. It’s told in dual pov, which was nice I thought.

What I loved is that Hecate (Hekate) was present. She is one of my favorites. Many of the pantheon show up as the story progresses. The gods and goddesses all had distinct personalities.

The scenery could have had a bit more description. Thankfully I’ve watched enough things that take place in this time period to imagine what hasn’t been described.

Thank you again NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to review this arc copy.

For readers who enjoy Naomi Novik and Lore Olympics, Psyche and Eros tackles Greek mythology in the fresh manner that Nettle & Bone tackled fairy tales. Full of lyrical narration, Psyche and Eros follows Psyche, a girl who dreams of fulfilling the prophecy about her to become a hero despite being a woman and Eros, the god of desire who is rather lacking desire to do anything at all.
The novel is an excellent addition to fiction that portrays a strong female protagonist and dives into deep questions about sexism, heroism, desire, purpose, responsibility and different types of love. It’s a full story that plays with Greek mythology while also humanizing the gods. Readers cannot help but root for Psyche and Eros, find themself intrigued by Hekate and like Demeter, Zephyrus, and even Medusa. It’s new and familiar at once, a story for readers to look for their favorite gods while also absorbing a believable tale to be added to the stories that is Greek mythology.
There are many things done well here, from making the characters well rounded, the villains interesting and perhaps a little vulnerable, to great writing, good pacing and a well tied up plot. I imagine many readers will find something to enjoy as they dip their toes into the interwoven lives of the Greek gods!

Overall it was an interesting retelling of the mythology. I did enjoy the characters and how they developed but the negative comment I have is that it was slow. I found my putting the book down because i was bored with the pacing. Although some portions kept me hooked, it was still outweighed by the slow pacing.

I loved this retelling of Cupid and Psyche. I don't think I've ever read an in depth story about Cupid, and know him simply as the cherub with the heart bow, right? Wrong. Eros was one of the first gods born from Chaos, and has divinity over desire. He hates what his power does to gods and mortals alike, and McNamara gives him a little taste of his own medicine a la Aphrodite, the new goddess of love. Psyche is a greatly developed character, and the many other gods and events sprinkled throughout make this a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys retellings. You won't be disappointed.

I'm not really familiar with the tale of Psyche and Eros, so I really enjoyed reading their story. I know this is a retelling, but I'm sure how it relates to the original. Pacing was a little slow, but overall I really liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG! I love this myth so much and this book did not disappoint!! Beautifully told, with so much heart, drama, and adventure. I’ll reread this one over and over again.

I liked this a lot actually - classical myth retelling an are always hit or miss for me. This was easy to read and follow, and I enjoyed the characters. Oftentimes historical fiction books can feel really bogged down for me but this one didn’t - I feel like I flew through it.

Psyche and Eros is a retelling of the Greek myth centering around a young princess who must face a series of struggles to finally reunite with the man she loves. There can certainly be comparisons drawn to the Song of Achilles in that this book featured so many of the classic characters of Greek literature. Achilles, Patroclus, Helen, Menelaus, and more made an appearance throughout the book. It makes a great read for those diehard mythology fans out there.
The storyline itself was a little slow to unfold, everything event seemingly taking a long time. For this reason, it took me about a month to finish when a book of this lengh typically takes me a couple of days to a week. Though the book as a whole was certainly good looking back after reading, the struggle to get through made it difficult to grant all stars. Readers who easily bore of books and want something fast paced to keep them on their toes and committed to reading probably shouldn't try this book.
That said, overall the story was quite strong and there was still a lot that happened over the course of the plot. I think with the right audience this book can be a new favorite, adding to the mythological retelling that are already available with a completely new story that hasn't been significantly examined previously. I urge fans of the Song of Achilles to give it a try!

I'm not super familiar with the tale of Psyche and Eros, so I really enjoyed learning more about their story.

But that also means I can't personally comment on how this particular retelling compares to the original. However, looking at other reviews, it seems that LM has taken MANY liberties with the myth. That obviously didn't bother me since I don't really know any better, but just a heads up for readers who are familiar with the original content. This is probably more of a reimagining rather than a retelling.

That being said, I quite liked this. I definitely think Eros outshines Psyche in terms of characterisation and development. Maybe it's because the nature of the gods is so unchanging, so it was refreshing to see his heart bend a little. I thought it was portrayed in realistic and relatable way. And Psyche is an interesting character, but I struggled to connect to her at times.

I also had no idea that the story of Psyche and Eros overlaps with the Trojan War. I've read so many retellings about the war, so I wish this didn't spend so much page time focusing on certain events surrounding Helen and Iphigenia, as it felt like it took away from the main story. But I appreciate how it shows how all the myths are connected.

Overall, I enjoyed this particular greek myth reimagining and has me on the lookout to see what LM writes next!

This was a fun read. I love mythology so when I saw this with the absolutely stunning cover I had to request an ARC. I read this in one setting and while it was a tad slow at some parts, it was an overall good read. I wanted a bit more from the romance, but maybe a lighter romance is what the author was going for. TYSM for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!

To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much from this book upon picking it up. Being a mythology retelling, I knew I had to read it, and so I did. And to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I had a ton of fun reading this book, and found myself rooting for the romance despite knowing everything would be fine in the end.

This book takes quite a few creative liberties, more so than any mythology retelling I have read thus far. I can understand that this might set off some hardcore mythology fans, but I honestly really enjoyed the changes. True, Psyche was never a fighter in the original story. But let's be honest; Greek tales rarely focus on females in a positive light, let alone have them be a warrior just as strong as men. I found this change a welcomed one, as well as other creative liberties the author made in this retelling.

What's more is I found the romance between Psyche and Eros to be a genuine one, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I could see this story easily being twisted in a way that could taint this romance, and that thankfully does not happen here. And I am satisfied with the conclusion.

After some reflection, I think I can safely say I haven't enjoyed a mythology retelling since Madeline Miller's Circe. And if that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will.