this book was entertaining and if you are not really informed on the myth of psyche and eros you'll enjoy it more than if you know it. there is something in the wiriting that i liked but overall something was missing and i don't know what it is...

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this work in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I’m a sucker for Greek Mythology, and anything that involves Greek and Roman culture and history. I understand this is a work of fiction, however, it fell a bit too flat for me. I wished the author stayed true to the original character’s personality and history. I don’t agree with changing cultures and history, even if it’s for a fiction book. I believe maybe my expectations were too high, and I was planning on reading a completely different story. I simply believe this was twisted into a feminist retelling when it did not need to be. If you are not one who has studied Greek and Roman history and mythology, I would recommend this book.

I have a degree in Classics and generally love retellings of Greek and Roman mythology. I thought this book was going to be right up my alley and something I loved so much, however I was quite disappointed. My major criticism was the way mythology was handled. I believe it was done to create a more connected form of mythology and reference people the reader was familiar with, but adding mythological figures not connected to the story even remotely just muddled the story in my opinion. Being familiar with the source information, it really bothered me and distracted me while reading. I could not get over this and it clouded everything I read.

DNF @20ish percent.

It's unfair of me to even rate this book because I usually do not enjoy myth retellings and this one might be the catalyst for not picking another one up. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, I just found the beginning incredibly info-dumpy and it was unclear how much would actually be relevant to the book vs giving a history of the entirety of Greek myth history.

The writing was very beautiful though. I think people who enjoyed Circe will really enjoy this one.

Psyche & Eros
Written by @luna_mcnamara_writer

First, thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this.

This Greek mythology retelling is dramatic, humorous, dangerous, magical and beautiful 😍
I loved the great adventure and love story that McNamara wove between Psyche and Eros. I also loved that it's historical and not set in modern times.

Here is the description from netgalley:
"Who said true love is a myth?

A prophecy claims that Psyche, princess of Mycenae, will conquer a monster feared by the gods. Beloved by her family but at odds with her society’s expectations for women, Psyche trains to become a hero, mastering blade and bow.

When Psyche angers Aphrodite, the love goddess enlists Eros, god of desire, to help deliver a cruel curse. Eros is the last born of the eldest gods, dry-witted and jaded, unsure of his place in the cosmos. The last thing he wants is to become involved in the chaos of the mortal world, but when he pricks himself with the arrow intended for Psyche, Eros is doomed to yearn for a woman who will be torn from him the moment their eyes meet."

Psyche & Eros was released in June, so go get you a copy!

“We were not in thrall to destiny or fate, but merely the weight of our own choices. When we turned toward each other like flowers facing the sun, we were not fulfilling some prophecy or old story. We were writing our own.”

There is something about greek mythology retellings that just consistency hit for me. They are some of the most lyrical and beautiful book and this was no different. I love the story of Psyche and Eros and while there were a lot of creative liberties taken by this author, I thought that every choice seemed intentional and as though it added to the story. This author just has a level of creativity in terms of taking a story many know and somehow keeping true enough to classify it as a retelling while changing it for the better that I think is unmatched. I thoroughly enjoyed and will be definitely reading more from this author.

Luna McNamara presents a retelling of Psyche and Eros.
When a prophesy about Psyche angers Aphrodite, she sends Eros to shoot her with an arrow that will separate her from her love forever. However, Eros accidentally pricks himself. Now Eros is in love with Psyche, but they will be parted as soon as they look at each other.
This was a very interesting retelling and I love the changes the author made to the original myth.

I highly enjoyed this retelling of Greek mythology! I want to start off by mentioning that I am in no way a mythology expert. So I am not one that knows all the details of the “correct” versions. I just simply enjoy the stories that are written about mythology.

I did enjoy the amount of characters we got introduced to. Some I am familiar with and some not so much.

Surprisingly, this book didn’t have as much romance as I was expecting in it. I might have been a bit more intrigued if it had.

As for the pacing, it felt good. It didn’t take long for me to get into the story and it never felt like it got boring like some other retellings have for me.

I’ll definitely be recommending this one to anyone who just wants to enjoy a retelling or reimagining of Psyche and Eros.

I enjoyed this retelling of the Psyche and Eros myth. I didn’t get a chance to take Greek mythology when I was in high school, but I have always enjoyed learning about it. Once I started reading it, I was pulled into the story. I’m glad that Psyche had more agency in this retelling, as well.

This book was a delight and I read it one sitting! Started on audiobook while cleaning and then sat down with the earc to finish! Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the advanced copies!

I have always enjoyed the myth of Psyche and Eros and overcoming trials and tribulations for your love. Like suffering together or supporting your partner through the rough patches. Of course their "rough patch" goes to the extreme that hopefully you or I never experience!
I wasn't sure at first how I was going to like the Trojan War setting for this story. I had to pause and look up if that was really when this myth took place in Ovid's account. But the more it unraveled, I really enjoyed that setting for this myth. All of that is going on and it is chaotic and Psyche and Eros find themselves amidst their own chaos.
I enjoyed some of the asides the characters made like Psyche mentioning Ovid's poetry and account of their story that was evolved beyond the truth. It clued me into the overall context of when Psyche and Eros might have been reflecting on their relationship's beginning and telling their story how it really happened in McNamara's version.
Also would like to mention that it really tugged at my heart how much McNamara overshadowed what was going to happen to Iphigenia. Devastating! Made it all the more impactful for me.

I think if you're looking for something that's close to the original story, maybe this isn't for you. I am a Greek Mythology girly so I was hoping for that, however after I'd read a few reviews, I mentally prepared myself for that not being the case. I think it's okay that it didn't go that route, but just prepare for the differences. Once you do, I think there's a lot to love about this book and the homages to the original story it makes. It's romantic to its core and that's felt throughout, which I think is the most important piece of the story. Where I ran into some problems were just a few of the liberties the author decided to take. I wasn't a fan of some of the narrative choices, but overall this wasn't a bad read!

Psyche and Eros summons Lore Olympus in this romantic Greek retelling of Cupid and warrior princess Psyche. Set in Ancient Greece, Luna McNamara weaves the story of how Eros met Psyche–from the formation of the gods to the princess born to slay monsters. One can’t help but fall for the characters when Eros, upon first looking at Psyche, whispers a hilariously doomed “fuck.” A lighthearted book that gives readers a glimpse into the gendered world of Olympian gods by adding a little bit of a sociological flavor to ancient mythological magic.

By now, I’ve read heaps of retellings and novels inspired by Greek mythology, including The Song of Achilles, Atalanta, and Clytemnestra. I knew this particular one was billed as a love story, though I don’t think I altered my expectations enough beforehand; I thought it would be much more solemn. Additionally, while authors take liberties with all of these retellings, other reviews have noted that Psyche and Eros is more reworked that most. McNamara does address her changes in the author’s note, so I would treat that as a disclaimer.

I didn’t have issues with the writing style. I highlighted many pretty lines, though they veered into feeling heavy-handed, especially since the subjects were otherwise sidelined. I was interested in Psyche developing alongside her prophecy, though I don’t think it lived up to its potential. Again, I’m not very familiar with the original story, but her broad disdain of “feminine” pursuits, especially romance and marriage, was unappealing—especially since she then fell so quickly in love with Eros.

Eros’s point-of-view was more enjoyable. His development seemed very natural, and although his timeline spanned centuries more than Psyche's, it was more nuanced. He was sweet, albeit very misguided and naive, and his affections drove the central relationship. I wouldn’t have minded if the entire novel revolved around his perspective.

If you’re looking for a novel reminiscent of the retellings I mentioned above, this novel isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a lighter take without accuracy as a requirement, then Psyche and Eros is worth a shot.

I've read a great deal of mythology in the past, but somehow I wasn't completely aware of the full story of Psyche and Eros. What a heartbreakingly beautiful love story it is.

This story gives the reader the full back story of both characters and how the eventually cross paths and fall for one another. It's good to see the overlap from other mythology I've read previously to see how it all ties together. I'm always intrigued by it.

If you're a reader who enjoys Greek mythology like myself, you may want to give this one a try. I recommend it with no hesitation. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book.

I keep telling myself that I need to take a break from myth retellings... and I think this may put me over the edge to actually doing it. While the story was entertaining and the pacing was well done... I found myself annoyed by the tropes and traits that I saw repeating themselves.

It wasn't bad! It just wasn't everything for me.

I really enjoyed this story and all the characters! The story was full of adventure and a sweet love story. It is dual POV which I always love since it add so much background and information to both characters. Psyche and Eros were both well developed and I enjoyed reading how the story progressed. The book is full of familiar characters, both gods and mortals, and it was interesting to see how the author wove them into this story.

I didn’t know much about the myth of Psyche and Eros going into this book, and so I can’t comment about on how it compares to the original.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC I’m exchange for an honest review.

I don't read greek retelling very often, it's not really my genre. However, this book makes me want to explore the genre more. As someone who loves a strong female main characters who can fight, this book was perfect for me.

I found sometimes that the pacing of the plot could pull me out of the story. But overall I was entertained and I would recommend this book to other people who enjoy greek retellings/ fantasy books.

Thank you so much to net galley and William Marrow for this ARC!

I really do enjoy Greek retellings, though I don't get around to reading as many of them as I could be. Last year I read "Electric Idol," which was ALSO an [albeit quite loose] Eros & Psyche retelling and, while I did love it for a myriad of reasons, I couldn't help but wish there was a bit more to it. And now here we have Psyche and Eros.... which, while it certainly succeeds on the grounds of there being "more" to it, it flounders a bit in some other [critical] areas. While I enjoyed the story overall, there were a number of creative liberties taken regarding the original source material and while some changes worked, others did not. Moreover, in both instances, the author didn't do too much in providing an explanation as to why or how these changes propelled the story forward in a new or interesting way. I also didn't really care for how heavy-handed it was in making Psyche a warrior; I don't read a lot of historical romance, but it bugged me that it was either this (meaning masculine activities) or that (activities deemed feminine) for her, with little to no gray area in-between. Overall, I understand that this is a debut work so I'm opened-minded toward whatever else the author has in store next!

Psyche and Eros are my choice Greek myth couple so I am always excited to read about them in a market that is over-saturated with Persephone and Hades. This book takes a lot of liberties and doesn't stick to the source material but, I didn't really mind as I was still entertained. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the writing style. The only reason I didn't rate it higher was that there were some parts that dragged (mostly the part about the war/Troy) and the ending wasn't as rewarding as the source material so it felt like a letdown.

Besides the twisting of the original myth, I actually quite enjoyed the first 15% of the story. I was quite open to taking liberties with what we traditionally know about Psyche and Eros.

My major qualms with the story are that it first transgresses the foundations of Greek myth storytelling, so it barely feels like a Greek story. Psyche in this story, for as much as she is a girl boss, is kind of an idiot. She's so overly impudent in the face of gods but faces little to no retaliation. She also feels like a girl from the 21st century. Eros lacks any true dimensionality to his character -- he barely feels like an ancient god and he's also an idiot. Also, there is no chemistry between them, like at all.

I also feel like this story can't decide what it wants to be -- a love story, an adventure, or a moral...it hops from one theme to the next, causing the story's organizational structure to quickly unravel. Like why was Psyche hopping in and out of the Trojan War...and speaking of the Trojan War, there are so many details and character appearances that go against the war's timeline and I just don't understand the purpose of focusing on it. There is so much name-dropping of random heroes which gets tiring real fast. IDK, the themes just felt mishandled which is disappointing because the early allusions to them showed great promise for the rest of the story.

Also, there's a lack of genuine emotion in the story. The losses Psyche faces seem so artificially contrived and forced that it barely does anything for the plot, especially when we don't really see her grieve over them.