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

2/5 ⭐️
Spiciness: 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the idea of this story. A Psyche/Eros telling but make it LGBTQ+? Sign me up. Multiple almost Fae-ish courts that are ruled by different Kings/Queens? Cool. But it just was not a love for me like I had hoped. The ideas of this book were really good and interesting, but it just wasn't for me!

I had some trouble getting into this book. Our main character, Psyche, is a psychiatrist and influencer and gamer girl who has all of these successful family members but she keeps losing her jobs. And lets just say she loses her most recent job because she violates patient confidentiality and essentially outs a transgender patient to her family. She kind of gives me the ick and I do not like her. This is within the first chapter, and I just had trouble looking past that for the whole of the story.

General tropes/themes
- Psyche/Eros retelling
- LGBTQ+
- Modern day
- Third person narrative

I usually love a good Greek retelling but the world building was just not as strong as I like to read about. It seemed stilted and I just had so much trouble getting into it. I feel like motivations weren’t clear. Plus the spoiler and entitled look on Psyche just made me want to strangle her, not route for her.

Thank you to NetGalley for this Arc which will be released wide 8/13/24 by Forever(Grand Centwral publishing)

This is a lush sapphic retelling of Eros and Psyche. It’s set in modern times and whilst it is an enduring sapphic love story I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief. At times I felt disconnected from the story and the characters. I felt that the writing style dragged where it should have been sped up.

I do however recommend this book despite my words. There is an audience for this book but it is not me.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Oath of Fire by K. Arsenault Rivera is a third person-POV contemporary fantasy Sapphic reimagining of Psyche and Eros. When therapist Psyche loses her job due to a review from a client, she is invited to the Court of Fire, run by Eros. Taking an immediate liking to Psyche, Eros keeps visiting her and the two strike up a deal to wait two months before sleeping with each other.

I’m a big fan of Psyche and Eros and its fairy tale trope (shared with The Polar Bear King) so I was excited to dig my teeth into this. Oath of Fire takes a bit of an Eyes Wide Shut approach in that there is a party that is invitation only and there’s an erotic edge to it. The parties are stated to be a one-time-only thing, so you better enjoy it because you won’t get another chance, which Psyche both does and doesn’t follow as she doesn’t return to the party independent of Eros.

Eros is a gender flipped version of the Eros of Greek mythology with some references to her mother, Aphrodite, and other family members but it doesn’t play a very big part. Most of the names of the gods only come up when it’s relevant and there aren’t any references to the Trojan War or any of the other exploits of Eros (such as the Minotaur). I love Greek mythology, so I wasn’t lost with any of the references that were there, but I think it is easily accessible to readers who are only somewhat acquainted with the Olympian family tree. The gods’ realms are referred to as ‘Courts’ and there are oaths with strict rules that feel more akin to fairy contracts of Celtic folklore. rather than Greek myth ones.

Psyche and Eros forge an emotional connection over a physical connection for the first half of the novel. While they are very much attracted to each other, Psyche chooses to prioritize the emotional aspect and Eros agrees and forms a contract with her to wait awhile. They are apart a decent chunk of the time, Psyche doing things in the mortal realm and Eros presumably doing tasks for Aphrodite or the Court of Fire. I liked that they took their time to know each other and how Eros wears a mask the entire time, creating a sense of mystique that both draws Eros closer and keeps her apart from Psyche.

I would recommend this to fans of the myth of Psyche and Eros, readers looking for gender flipped contemporary reimaginings of Greek myths and those looking for a Sapphic romance with an Eyes Wide Shut bent.