As a lover of Greek mythology I am always on the lookout for new retellings. This particular one drew me in as it added elements of queerness and gender to the classic story of Eros and Psyche. The Palace of Eros is told in dual POV and it was so refreshing to see both sides of this often one-sided story. I enjoyed Psyche's POV for the themes of freedom, desire and questioning identity. Eros’ POV primarily deals with their journey of self discovery through time. This POV kept the story moving and gave compelling looks into the past. The themes of gender, specifically in regards to Eros, were handled very tactfully. I liked that they slowly included the backstory into Eros’ development. Seeing the introspective parts of gender identity juxtaposed with the reaction by outside forces was interesting to see and compare to today's society. If you are a fan of queer literature, mythology, and introspective prose then this book is for you!

Beautiful writing and a genderqueer take on Greek mythology, freedom, desire, what makes us. Very queer and I love that! I also love the politics of this novel - gender and freedom in all forms. Thank you for this preview, NetGalley!

I really enjoyed and appreciated the way that the author depicted Eros and how they configured the character as nonbinary with the same trappings and traumas that contemporary individuals face except set in mythology. It was very clever and compelling. The way that Zeus’ lechery and voyeurism led to her shame was brilliantly done. The writing was beautiful. My qualms lie in the plot: I needed more plot development to explain the gods’ actions. The ending felt rushed and too kind for Greek mythology.

i really really enjoyed it!! i love mythology retellings, and i hadn’t read many psyche and eros ones before. i really love this one and the writing and imagery. the POV switches between psyche and eros, how it mostly stays true to the myth but expands upon it. as a hellenist myself (apollo devotee) i do believe, as with all mythology retellings, to remember that these are not the actual myths. but that doesn’t make it any less good. i really loved this

This was a very solid book! I enjoyed the plot, but the pacing definitely felt off at times. That being said, I was worried Psyche’s trials would take up most of the book, so I was pretty pleased with how De Robertis chose to space it. The prose was beautiful, and overall I would definitely recommend.

I love Greek mythology retellings and this was great. The cast of characters was interesting and all so different from one another. I love the setting and environment this book created it really helped to create well rounded and dynamic characters

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy of this book for an honest review.

I finished this book a day ago and I still cannot fully wrap my head around my true feelings for this book, especially with the myth of Eros and Psyche meaning so much to me. I was so excited to see a sapphic retelling. There were some parts that I loved and that moved me. While other parts felt like they dragged on far too long.

I will say, the author's writing is lyrical and beautiful. There were many moving passages in this book. This book read very much like an original myth. Whether that particular part was a good thing for me or not is hard to tell. Despite being less than 300 pages it felt like it dragged on and could have been shortened.

The discussion of gender and being nonbinary was also very moving. That first conversation Eros had with Psyche about it struck me and was so beautiful. However, I wish it wasn't halfway through the book with almost zero references to Eros' identity in the first half. <spoiler> I didn't mind and quite liked the discussion of gender and the fluidity of it for Eros until the part about the deal made with Zeus about having to watch Eros have sex nine times in the male form before she was free to shift however much she wanted. I get this is Greek mythology and weird shit like this is common but in a modern retelling this just felt gross and unneeded. I feel like the story would have just as much impact without it.l </spoiler>

The differences and creative liberties taken within this retelling, for the most part, felt honest and true to the original myth and the original characters in the myth (besides what was mentioned in spoilers above.). <spoiler> Even though I'm not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, I do think there was good value in adding it to this story. I think it gives Psyche a much more valid reason for betraying Eros that makes sense. </spoiler>

Ultimately, while I did struggle through chunks of this book, I think it's worth the read and I don't regret picking it up. I think it was wrapped up beautifully.

I expected to like this book, but I loved it so, so much! De Robertis’ writing is flowing and emotional. I felt intimately connected to the characters, Psyche in particular, and loved reading their reflections and emotions.

The Palace of Eros is one of the best retellings of Greek mythology I’ve read. De Robertis created a story that expands what women in ancient Greece could be, what forms love can take, and how gender is expansive and wonderful. I can’t wait for this book to be out in the world 🫶🏼

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A queer retelling of a Greek myth? Sign me up!

I thought this was very beautifully written. The prose at times lends itself to an almost poetic style and completely immerses the reader with some of the inner monologues. You really route for the characters and their fight against the patriarchal accepted norm.

The middle of the book was a bit slower and some of the passages felt like they dragged a bit unfortunately. I think it could have benefitted the story as a whole to be a little shorter. Although, the ending did come back in a satisfying way!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide and honest review!

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I truly went into this book blind, and with zero (if not low) expectations. After a grueling stint of mythology studies in high school, I hadn’t started dabbling in rewrites until very recently. The other portrayals I’ve read were fine, but I did not find myself putting them down with any desire to pick another one up.

“The Palace of Eros” by Caro De Robertis has changed this for me. The myth of Eros and Psyche in its most basic form is entertaining enough: Cupid struck by his own arrow. It’s fairly hard to get it wrong, so the challenge comes in enhancing it. De Robertis did this wonderfully. A critique of the patriarchy, a sapphic retelling, gender swapping, and challenging the concept of gender in a way I’ve never read. It was tender and rough, light and dark, clear and blurred. Their love and exploration of one another felt safe and comforting.

The one thing I struggled with was the length of many aspects. The paragraphs were long, the chapters were long, and sometimes I felt like passages were purely fluff in its simplest form. When I moved to the next chapter and my kindle showed me the dreaded “45 minutes left”, it sometimes kept me from wanting to engage. This is my own preference though!

I highly recommend this novel to those looking to venture into mythology retellings, and those who’ve read it all. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

I love that, culturally, we're getting more and more queer retellings of classic literature and mythology. The Palace of Eros, a retelling of Eros and Psyche, with some real "screw the patriarchy!" vibes is an excellent addition to this growing canon. Caro De Robertis prose is so lyrical that even if the story hadn't drawn me in, her writing would have. But the story did draw me in! I really appreciated that Hephaestus was the only man in this book we were asked to have sympathy for; it didn't pull a single punch when it came to insidiousness of patriarchal society. I also really appreciated this take on a nonbinary goddess. "Something more than a woman" was a nice turn of phrase to describe her gender, and I also found the choice of she/her pronouns for a nonbinary character really interesting. I did struggle a bit with some of the gender essentialism when it came to Eros' body and how she chose to manifest in different sexual scenarios (needing a penis to be a man, for example), and the part about Zeus needing to watch gave me the heebie-jeebies, but I suppose that was the point. Overall, a really fresh, passionate, melodic take on a well-trod story.

Thank you to Atria Books + NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide and honest review.

⭐️ rating: 4+

Let me first say this - I will be reading more books by this author. Her writing style was deeply engaging and kept me interested through the entire story. From what I can remember about the mythology, this novel is true to the roots but also included social commentary, suspense, and steamy romance. This is a great read if you are interested in mythology or for anyone in the LQBTQ+ community.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of “The Palace of Eros” by Caro De Robertis. This book is a Psyche and Eros retelling featuring a nonbinary Eros who does whatever she can to protect Psyche from Aphrodite’s wrath and the mortals who have harmed her. However, the price of remaining hidden eventually becomes too much for Psyche, and she is forced to pay the price of her curiosity.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the story of Psyche and Eros and the twist that De Robertis puts on it to explore concepts of gender and sexuality gives a refreshing new angle to the tale. I loved watching Psyche grow and change in herself and her relationship with Eros.

I do wish the first 3/4 of the book were shorter so that the ending could be explored a bit more. So much happens off page that I wish we got to see, especially since we saw the gods interacting with each other earlier in the book. It would be nice to see them revisit earlier topics. However, the prose was beautiful and I cannot wait to read the finished copy once it releases!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this free eARC!

3.5 stars rounded up. I loved De Robertis' book Cantoras, and was thrilled to find that their writing as just as lyrical and moving as ever. I adored a queer Greek retelling with all my heart and I thought this was a wonderful addition to the cannon, although I felt it would be even more powerful if it was a little shorter. I found my attention lagging in the middle third, and found the repetition a little heavy handed. However, the find third was absolutely lovely, with Psyche's inner monologue and trials the most touching of the story. All in all, I'm a fan, but it didn't love this one as I expected to.

The writing is gorgeous. I fell deep into this story, read it over a few days, and have thought about it since.

A beautiful retelling of Eros and Psyche, this one was written with such a voice that simply flows. I loved the messages this contained.

Despite unfortunately finding the final part and ending oddly flat, I still enjoyed this one.



Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the DRC

The author’s vidid and immersive writing style catapulted me into the retelling of mythical Psyche and Eros from both their points of view: a story of self-discovery, self-love, shaping the world for what you want it to be…and risking the entire universe to love. The prose by the non-binary author was lyrical and the premise of the exploration of fluidity in bodies and love in all forms was exceptionally executed. Please pick up this book if you wanted a great option for a diversified read.
In regard to the cover design- the complementary color scheme of orange merging with purple and the nod to gods/goddesses and mortals is five stars.

The Palace of Eros is a strong retelling of Eros and Psyche and I'll even grant it its "feminist" qualifier which is high praise given that many so-called "feminist retellings" fail at the feminist part those days. Caro de Robertis' prose is strong and carries Psyche chapters although I've noted some weird, more modern dialogues in Eros chapters. I do think the Madeline Miller comparison is fair for most of the book.

This book is a standard retelling with an emphasis on the patriarchy. While Psyche's sisters need to be a certain way due to the laws of this story, de Robertis' protrayal is largely a sympathetic one. While at first their jealousy turn them away from their sister suffering from the burden of men, it is their suffering under the hands of men that bring them together at least for a time. Both mothers (Aphrodite and Psyche's mother) are presented as loving and caring for their children but forced to yield to the yoke of patriarchy. Hephaestus appears briefly and is possibly the only sympathetic man in this story. Meanwhile, Eros our titular nonbinary goddess (Eros uses she/her pronouns, mainly feminine-gendered words ie goddess and daughter except for the word "husband", and mostly describes herself as a woman and "something more than a woman") is the revolt against the laws of gender and men.

I'm not sure how I feel about the way gender has been woven into the story, although it's an original one. It mainly comes in the form of Eros' body. While she has a "female body" (using the vocabulary used in the book for this entire pragraph) she likes fluidity and enjoys growing a phallus during sex or just in her every day life. However this is seen as an affront by Zeus who doesn't want her to both be in-between and breach into the domains of men. For Psyche to shift her genitals she needs to fully take the form of a man and a deal with Zeus ensues where he will get to watch the first ninth time she has sex with a woman as a man (yeah this one left me feeling weird folks). While there is some discussion of decoupling the phallus from the domination of men and I know this is a way for a nonbinary author to explore fluidity of bodies, I am not convinced by the way lesbianism is fully accepted as well as "binary" transition but nonbinary is taboo and shameful in this Ancient Greek world. I will say it's interesting to have a magical transition in a book where the character isn't focused on their chest/breats. Here, Eros never gets rid of them except when forced into a male form. I'd say Eros' body is mainly a transfeminine one and could be read through a transfeminine lens but I lack the capabilities to establish such reading.

Psyche as a character is... well it's hard to flesh out a character who doesn't have many traits in the original but de Robertis does a decent job at giving Psyche something to think about and do during her day. She paints and uh she eats, walks around and weaves? I do find her lacking at times.

Also "sweetbitter" Sappho (and Carson?) reference!

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

This was such a fascinating take on a classic myth of Eros and Psyche. I really enjoyed how closely it stayed to the original story while still infusing it with more feminist and queer readings of the story. We still have Psyche being considered the most beautiful woman whose beauty outshines even Aphrodite but the attention it brings to Psyche comes with the misery of being treated as possession by men. I loved the descriptions of how male gaze was in a way an act of violence on Psyche and how it was just part of men seeing her as possession. How in the end all that attention made her less likely to find a husband because she was tainted by how men perceived her even in their own eyes.

I like how the book dealt with the idea of looking as a violation of its own. Psyche was looked at by men who never truly saw her but took parts of her for their own pleasure. Eros was watched by Zeus to fulfil his voyeuristic desires and in that act he took what Eros treasured and twisted it into something to be mocked. And then Psyche's betrayal was the act of looking at Eros without her permission, "a rape of light", exposing Eros deepest wants to the world that couldn't accept her.

In darkness, they both found their safety, Psyche, by knowing Eros doesn't desire her just because of her famed beauty and Eros because she knew Psyche couldn't know she's a goddess of desire. In darkness, they both felt seen for who they really are. But in the end darkness created a kind of prison as well. They couldn't create a life together while constantly hiding. They needed to face the light and the exposure it brought with it.

I think my only issue with this book was that the ending felt a little rushed. I think we could have spent a little more time dealing with the consequences of Psyche's and Eros' betrayal of each other and finding their way to each other again. In some part because I would gladly read another 200 pages of this story.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

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