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.

I like the idea of this book, but I read one chapter and noped out. I’m not a mythology “traditionalist” by any means, but being thrown into a contemporary setting without much context for how the gods would fit in didn’t inspire me to care.

3.5

Oath of Fire is a contemporary and sapphic retelling of Psyche and Eros. I love Psyche and Eros retellings! One of my favorite parts was the vivid descriptions of Eros’ magical world. Readers who enjoy mythology will recognize the interpretations of Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Zephyr etc. I also liked how the mystery of the masks unfolded. One thing I did struggle with is the incident that leads to Psyche’s firing at the beginning of the book. Psyche didn’t seem to understand the grave impact of what she had done and how she violated confidentiality. This made it tough to feel as invested in Psyche as I would have liked.

Oath of Fire is a fast-paced, sapphic retelling of Eros & Psyche. I hope there are more queer mythology tales from K. Arsenault Rivera to come!

Thank you to K. Arsenault Rivera, Forever, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 5%

Psyche is fired from her job as a therapist because she outed a trans client to the client's parents and Psyche acts like she's being misunderstood. Maybe there's character growth for her later on, but this is such an immediate yuck for me that I'm not going to chance there not being a reckoning.

I enjoyed this book. It was a page turner and enjoyed the lgbtq nod. This is a light and entertaining read with a twist of Greek methodology.

2.5 stars!

I appreciate that this book was sapphic and had that representation, but unfortunately I just did not like this book. I was a little disappointed because I love Greek mythology retellings, but I felt like Psyche and Eros got together a little too quick for my liking, and I didn't really understand what they liked about each other. I thought the most interesting part of this book was the video game. I also think a lot of things were mentioned and then not touched on again which made things kinda confusing and boring. Also the complete plot switch up for the last 25% really confused me and took me aback.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Enchanting! This book weaves magic and romance flawlessly. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the world-building is mesmerizing. A spellbinding read from start to finish.

Vibes: Eros and Psyche but make it sapphic, urban fantasy, falling down the rabbit hole

Heat Index: 6.5/10

The Basics:

After accepting an invitation by a strange man—with her life in flux—Psyche finds herself caught between Courts... with the best option for survival lying with the mysterious Eros. Swearing a vow to Eros, Psyche must now accommodate the goddess's strange visits... and never look underneath her mask. Which, as she falls head over heels in love with her, becomes more difficult than she expected.

The Review:

I really wanted to love this one—and maybe on another pass I would like it more. There's a lot to like if you click with it: a unique take on Greek Mythology, wlw romance, MASKS, general fae court sensibilities. The setting itself reminded me a lot of earlier paranormal romances with that strong urban fantasy feel.

Where I think I ran into issue was a lack of connection with the main characters. Psych is introduced as a bit vague and lost, which is probably intentional. But it's hard for me to really get invested in her for this reason. Like, yes, it makes sense, but I need someone to invest in, especially since Eros is more opaque. Psyche has to drive this story, right? Here, I was just underwhelmed.

I also found that Eros and Psyche's relationship developed really quickly, and somehow, that made it harder for me to feel the conflict. The central conflict in any Eros and Psyche story is that hidden identity, right? The secrecy, Psyche's desire for what is ultimately stronger emotional intimacy. They were just so connected so quickly in this novel that I didn't really feel that tension.

Plus, it seemed to me that there was less mystery in Eros this time around. The story is more reliant on the mask than the fall of night. I feel like lovers of lower conflict might enjoy this, as it really is a toned down version of Eros and Psyche in a lot of ways. But for me... well. Conflict is key.

The Sex:

There isn't a TON of sex between Eros and Psyche in the book, but what you get is pretty explicit and hot. And aside from that, you see like... random orgies. Which is fun! I did really like the way gender expression was handled between the two of them on a sexual level. It's very normalizing of fluidity, which is rather refreshing.

This wasn't really for me, and I think that has to do both with stylistic and story choices. However, I wouldn't say there's nothing good here. If you're interested in a somewhat softer touch version of Psyche and Eros, or sapphic genderbent retellings, check it out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really liked the premise of this book! The genre, the couple, the stakes. It sounded amazing. However, I did have a little trouble getting into it and it didn’t grasp me like I really thought it would. I am glad I read it because it was a read I’d normally not gravitate to. I’ve recc’d it to friends because I know it’d be right up their alley.

I enjoyed this premise, but it didn't quite hit for me. A contemporary, urban fantasy, partially gender-bent, queer retelling of any myth is intriguing on paper. But I felt that this lacked world-building - everyone just knows there are gods even though it's sort of secret? What is their role here? Do they only interact via these parties? Is it well-known that humans die when they see them unmasked - has this, uh, been happening a lot lately? What else happens at these parties? It all could've used a bit more. Eros herself could've used a bit more as well - her insta-love with Psyche didn't feel genuine, at first I'd assumed she'd seen Psyche in the past somehow and ensured she received an invite, but that wasn't the case, it truly just was insta-love. I never felt truly connected to Eros, she always seemed to be at arms length, which made the overall romance difficult to connect with. I think this also could've benefitted from being a bit darker right from the get go - Psyche seems so flippant at times, despite the high stakes.

Overall, an interesting concept that just didn't quite live up to expectations. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Not at all a typical myth retelling, I absolutely loved the blend of god-out-of-time and modern-day settings that formed the backbone of OATH OF FIRE. I also loved Psyche’s depth and dimensionality, her bravery, and her willingness to push back even against the divinity who had embraced her so absolutely. While I would have liked a little more development on the other characters, including Eros, I appreciate that this was very much Psyche’s story and that all of its pivotal moments hinged on her decisions rather than those of gods or, as is so often the case in art and in life, men.
Very glad to see that we’re going to get Bondi’s story in a second book - this universe’s Artemis is intriguing and I’m excited to see more of her next year.

This is a modern set, Sapphic, retelling of Psyche and Eros, full of magic.

I enjoyed the story, but I had a bit of trouble with Psyche. I found her motivations and explanations a bit lacking, especially at the beginning. The world building also took time to make sense to me. This was an exciting read in the end, but it took a bit for me to connect to the characters and the story.

I received a free copy from Forever Books through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Oath of Fire is a sapphic, urban fantasy, retelling of Psyche and Eros. This is a good read for any one who appreciates mythology. I enjoyed reading the authors interpretation of this story set against a modern New York City setting. Each court described interested me and left me wanting to know more. As a fantasy reader, I would have liked the author to give the reader more details on each court from a world building standpoint. The story was more focused on the romance aspect of the storyline as opposed to the fantasy but it did leave certain aspects of the story lacking as a result. My biggest challenge with this book is the romantic progression between Psyche and Eros is too quick without enough build up or background on either of them - it made it difficult to become invested in their story. The characters meet briefly and the second time they see each other they are already romantically involved. The author writes well and I can see the direction the book was going in, but as a reader it helps to know more about what is driving the characters romantic interest as well.

It was nice to read during pride month and I loved Eros as a character cause it was just a good time.

This is such a fun, unique retelling of Psyche and Eros. Set in the modern world Psyche finds herself jobless and looking for distraction. So she goes back to what she loves, online gaming with her best friend Bondi. But things in her life but outside and inside the game quickly spiral when she meets Eros. Definitely slow burn f/f with a little spice. If you enjoy retelling and want something out of the box, you’ll love this

This book was really interesting and I enjoyed seeing Psyche and Eros learn about themselves (with the help of the other person). Their interactions were almost poetic in the way that it was soothing to read when they were together and talking. The pace of the book started to pick up about 75% of the way in, and that was where I started to really enjoy the story. I do wish there was more action at the beginning of the book.

It took me a while to get into it, and I think part of that was the way it was written. I sometimes had a hard time determining who was speaking. The book is written in third person, but the dialogue was not always clear about who was taking.

Overall, although the book had a slow start, I liked it and I am interested in reading the sequel.

DNF @ 39%.

There are too many things going against this book for me to continue.

I did enjoy the author's writing style. I found it was well written and I quickly made it through what I did read. I'm all for queer retellings so I was extremely excited to see where this story would take us.

I didn't really connect to any of the characters and by the almost halfway mark it gave me no desire to continue. We learn a lot of random small things about the characters but nothing that gives us a whole picture on who they are or what their motivations are. For Eros that makes sense, but not for Psyche. We need to know more. There is really no explanation for why she suddenly is very passionate about streaming the video game she plays online (and surprise, already had a following!). There is absolutely no lead up to that other than knowing she enjoys the game.

While I love a quick story progression, there may have needed to be more lead up on who Psyche was before she is thrown into Eris world. We never get the full picture.

Rated 2 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

I am wondering if this will be a series because the world building needs some fine tuning but I did have fun with what I could follow along with. I may re-try again with the audiobook because maybe that will help my processing and digesting of the story better.