This was a thoroughly enjoyable sapphic Psyche and Eros retelling. I really loved these characters! Their love story was wonderful and the writing drew me in from the very beginning. I'll be on the lookout for more from K Arsenault Rivera.

I did not love the character building of Psyche. I felt like she made some wrong choices and she's a bit hard to enjoy and understand throughout the book. Being that this is from her POV, I struggled to stay focused and engaged. I was often frustrated with her, for example, when she essentially outs her trans client, I just couldn't get behind her choices and stay involved. I did enjoy Eros as a character.
The concept that the characters are just finding out about the Greek Gods felt a bit off, and that was a struggle for me to connect to the plot. The world building is a bit choppy and disconnected from the plot at times as well.
The best parts of this book to me were the relationship with Eros because I enjoyed him, and the pace. It does read quickly, but I wish I could have been more connected.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this. It is a 2.5 for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited about this one reading the premise only, but tampered my expectations based on the existing ratings.

This is a retelling of the story of Psyche and Eros, which I wasn't familiar with. In this story, they are both women, and Psyche is a therapist in the modern era (who has been fired multiple times... that part was so random to me). The story was all over the place, but there were definitely a few moments with suspense or higher stakes that I was more engaged in.

Sadly, this had so much potential but didn't hit for me.

2.5 stars/ 5

This is the Psyche and Eros retelling I didn’t know I needed. The reimagining as an urban sapphic love story is everything. The writing manages to be sexy and mysterious while also relatable and funny.

Psyche is a fantastic mess in her life. The job, the family, all of it. I love her very real feeling friendships and insecurities. They made the story come to life even more for me.

Thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Oath of Fire by K Arsenault Rivera is a captivating sapphic retelling of the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche.
Rivera did a fantastic job of creating realistic characters that just leaped off the pages.
The world-building is just spectacular and the writing was phenomenal.

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was absolutely delightful

I haven't read many Greek myth retellings but Rivera hit it out of the park. Rivera's prose had a lyrical quality to it that elevated the story without crossing over into purple prose. The Greek gods were depicted as a combination of the fae and Eldritch horrors which I found to be super original. The love story (although insta-lovey) was sweet and believable. I found Psyche to be quite relatable with her neuroses but good heart. I appreciate that RIvera was able to explain why Psyche is the way she is without having to spell out every part of her back story.

Oh and props to depicting Aphrodite as the stone cold bitch we all know she is.

I'm only taking a star off due to the lack luster spicy scene and the overuse of 'good girl' which really didn't fit Ero's character.

Reviews going live on Goodreads, Storygraph, Fable, my blog and TikTok on 8/10

This was very interesting! Modern retelling of Eros and Psyche adding some twists and turns to keep you entertained. Nice world building throughout. Intense connection with an openness unexpected between a god and mortal. It shows the pureness of their relationship even as it develops.

There is also a tease of the next story to come next year which is wonderful news as that should add to the world building and Greek mythology in modern times. Excited for more!

If Greek mythology interests you, and make it sapphic, then definitely read this story!

This was not for me, and unfortunately I did not finish the whole book. I felt like I was missing parts of the story . It was well written in terms of the authors writing style, but the actual story for me just didn't hit the mark.

Sapphic Greek mythology retelling? Count me in! I enjoyed this book, but I don’t love it. I was left wanting more.

The insta-lust was a little much for me, I like a little build up in my romance. The world building didn’t make a lot of sense to me either, but overall I did enjoy the book.

3.5 stars. A weirdly cozy fantasy romance retelling.

Psyche just wants to help people through her job as a therapist and as an influencer online. She gets a mysterious invitation from a man asking for help, and she can't refuse. But the world of Courts is full of debauchery and treachery and she can only survive by swearing an oath to a masked Eros. As they get to know one another more, they start to have more feelings, but can Psyche resist looking under Eros' mask?

This story on the surface doesn't really seem cozy. However, the writing feels a bit like a fairytale and it allows the reader to be swept into an interesting world. Psyche and Eros are complex characters and we get a taste of their worlds and how they start to love each other.

To me, I think the part where I felt a bit disconnected from the story (basically, I was very aware I was reading a story the whole time rather than being fully immersed in the world) was the biggest drawback. I don't think we got to know Psyche and Eros and much as I would have liked so I wasn't as attached to them as I would have ideally liked for such a character-driven story.

Overall, I did really enjoy this retelling. It's an interesting take on a classic tale and I enjoyed the intermixing of modern life and the Courts. It's a very cozy read, so definitely a good choice for a rainy or snowy day.

This was a solid read and I enjoyed the beginning premise, but found the book difficult to get into at about 30%. I found the main characters compelling but it felt a bit insta-lovey for me.

3.5/5. Not a bad read at all! I reall enjoyed the modern feel to it. And the chemistry was on point. However it lacked some clear world building

Oath of Fire by K Arsenault Rivera presents a lush and gripping sapphic retelling of the Psyche and Eros legend, combining Greek mythology with a fae court atmosphere.

Psyche, a therapist and online influencer, always aims to help others. When a captivating man extends a mysterious invitation asking for her assistance, she cannot refuse. This leads her into a world of Courts, full of debauchery and treachery, where survival hinges on swearing a strange oath to a masked woman named Eros.

Psyche must now balance fulfilling her bargain with Eros while handling the sudden appearance of a flame-winged goddess in her Brooklyn apartment. Uncanny vistas, a spacious mansion, and decadent experiences are within her reach—provided she assists Eros and never looks under her mask.

The story shines in its imaginative blend of mythology and contemporary settings, offering readers an immersive and fantastical escape. Psyche's struggle to keep her curiosity at bay, while dealing with her growing feelings for Eros, adds an emotional depth to the narrative.

However, some elements might feel overly familiar to fans of mythological retellings, and the pacing occasionally drags, detracting from the overall tension. Despite these minor issues, Oath of Fire remains an engaging read for those who enjoy myth-inspired fantasy with a touch of romance.

It should be considered for this review that I chose to DNF at 43%.

Unfortunately Oath of Fire was not for me. I was truly very excited about the opportunity to read it, but unfortunately it could not hold my attention.

I really appreciated some of the individual plot points, some of which I have below:

🎭 The idea of an Eros and Psyche retelling is one I haven't seen much of, which was very cool
🎭 The LGBTQIA+ rep is very well done and I like that it felt very natural
🎭 The party where this whole story began was well written. I was really enraptured with how it felt like a sex club meets a Great Gatsby party meets partying Greek gods. I wish there was more of this element of the gods and their lives early on.

All of this being said, here's what I struggled with:

🎭 Everyone's IMMEDIATE acceptance that our MC went to a party with literal god-like figures. Her sister shows absolutely no shock and acts like she just told her she got lunch at a new restaurant.
🎭 Psyche's inner monologue feels very "fictional." I understand that she is supposed to be the embodiment of the god of Psyche, but in this one she just doesn't feel very human to me in her emotions. She oscillates between way too logical and wildly reckless in a way that I don't feel fits either the human or the god, even if she is one of soul and passion.
🎭 While I truly love that we made Psyche a nerdy gamer, this whole plot line feels very out of place with what the story is set up to be
🎭 I unfortunately do not feel like this book knows what it wants to be, at the beginning it feels like it's going to be a steamy romance or more smutty, then it goes into mystery of trying to research this Court system, to then this slice of life with gaming and the social media aspect. While all of these would be totally valid, I just do not feel like they come together at all. I think if the author had narrowed down the elements, they would have a more cohesive romance.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

DNF at 25%.

I got a quarter of the way through and still had no idea what was going on - nothing had been explained and the characters seemed to be having the same conversation multiple times. Why is Eros constantly carrying Psyche? Are gods and magic commonly accepted in this version of NYC? I have so many questions that should have been explained at the start of this book and none of them were within 10 miles of getting answered.

dnfed this book

i was excited to read this and kinda dive into the Greek myth retelling genre but it just wasn’t for me. i felt like the writing style was a little all over the place, and with an action packed plot it made for quite a whirlwind of a story. i have read other books by this author and enjoyed them, so maybe this just wasn’t the plot for me!

solid 3 ⭐️ book! this was all vibes, barely any plot, and no words building. i did have a fun time reading about Eros and Psyche’s relationship, but i wish we got more back story on the gods and more world building of the courts. this could have been been a great setup for a standalone series, and definitely could have been another 100 pages, but alas

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to love this book because its premise sounded interesting, I love Greek mythology and all that mixed into a sapphic retelling seemed great! Unfortunately the story fell a little flat for me. I had a hard time finding the characters likeable and I wasn’t getting much chemistry from the two of them together. It felt forced rather than an actual connection. I think I just wasn’t the right audience for this particular book, but thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC regardless!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the e-arc!
I am loving all of the queer retellings coming out lately, and this is no exception! Oath of Fire is a sapphic retelling of Psyche and Eros in the modern world featuring a courtly twist! This is one of my favorite myths, and I am so excited for this story. Psyche finds herself dragged into a world of debauchery, intrigue, and shady bargains made with a mysterious woman. When reading this, I was getting vibes similar to The Labyrinth and was so loving that! The emotion and romance in this story was so well done and I loved the direction the author took for the main couple!

Thank you to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such an interesting premise of Greek mythology wiht a mix of modern times and video games