My younger self is so satisfied with this read! I’ve always loved the Muses in Hercules, so finally getting to hear their stories was a dream come true. The pacing was fast, which worked well for me, though I do wish there had been a bit more descriptive language when introducing the Muses and their personalities.

The quest they embarked on was engaging, and I loved how they ultimately discovered their gifts. I listened to this on audio, and the narrator did a phenomenal job—she truly brought the characters to life!

I have always loved Disney's version of Hercules and it's partly for because of Meg and mostly because of the Muses. Who doesn't watch the movie and sing along with the muses again and again? And now they have their own story?! YES! eeeee!!!

This is the story of the 5 muses before they end up in the movie with Hercules. This is the story of how they were made and their life after being found out for being goddess. Let's rewind, the muses live with their titan mom on the down low in a tiny village. They just think they are part of the ordinary life... until they put on a show for their mom and the gods catch wind of it. And most of the truth comes out. And everything crumbles quickly once the gods realize who they all are. Hades is quick to capture their mom and the 5 muses must embark on a mission to get her back.

Can this sisterhood work together and use their own strengths and talents to find their mom before Hades can use her to his own ends?

What I loved: Hades is still Hades with his snarky and sassy self bent on revenge, Pain and Panic are up to their usual antics, how much the sisters love each other through the good and the bad.

Bemused offers a fun and fresh twist on Greek mythology, bringing to life the untold origin story of the Muses from Disney’s Hercules. As a fan of both the movie and mythology, I found it fascinating to explore the Muses’ backstory. The story follows the five sisters—Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Thalia—as they uncover their divine origins and step into their roles as heroines. The bond of sisterhood is at the heart of this book, and their journey to rescue their mother, Mnemosyne, from the clutches of Hades is full of adventure and mythological trials.

What I loved most about Bemused was how it blended lighthearted fun with the depth of Greek mythology. It’s a perfect read for anyone who’s a fan of Disney’s Hercules, but also offers something new for those who enjoy mythical fantasy. Calli’s leadership and determination to protect her sisters added a strong emotional core to the story, while the trials they faced kept the plot engaging. Rochon’s writing is both accessible and rich with detail, which made the world-building come alive.

Overall, this book is a great mix of humor, adventure, and mythology. It’s light and fun, with just the right amount of depth to keep you hooked. I’m excited to see where Rochon takes this series, and I would love to see other beloved movie characters get a similar treatment. Four out of five stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Audiobooks for the advanced reader copy of the audiobook.

Such a good book! I love the movie Hercules, so hearing the back story of the Muses made it hit home for me. There was such a good job at the storytelling of Greek Mythology, made me want more. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed the origins of the muses. But the reason I wanted to listen to the audiobook was because Joniece Abbot-Pratt was the narrator and she NEVER disappoints me. I highly recommend if you love Disney's Hercules--especially if you were a fan of the muses as I am!

Bemused
by Farrah Rochon
I like this book for middle school libraries, because of the fractured mythology, modern twist, and character development.
An amazing version of the Disney retellings of our favorite stories. This is the back history of the muse's and how they were created. They are goddesses because of their creation. The book shows a lot of imagination, retelling and looking at the mythology in a new light. The ethnology added to the tales by the muse's. Looking to solve the big mystery of who has taken their mother, the muse's find their own talents, purpose and reason.
The book shows a wonderful young adult story of self determination. The young Muse's learn that they are most powerful together, as they compliment each other and enhance each sisters abilities.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC. This is the story of the notorious five muses from Disney's Hercules. I enjoyed the narrator and the multiple POVs in the chapters. The plot follows the daughters of Mnemosyne. Mnemosyne gets kidnapped and it is up to the muses to find her, ask the Gods for help, and learn more about themselves along the way. I do wish it was revealed that Mnemosyne was the Goddess of Memory earlier in the book as I think that would have made things made more sense. However, I enjoyed the references to the movie with iconic characters and phrases. This was overall a good retelling.

Farrah Rochon can do no wrong! If I see her name I instantly gravitate towards it. This was an also an excellent choice for narrator.

This was a 3.5 rounded up to 4, I'd say... as a huge fan of Hercules (favorite disney movie growing up, and still to this day), I have always loved the muses and appreciated a book dedicated to their backstory. Something in the end didn't make sense to me, given how many times I've watched the movie so that irked me but for the most part, it was a good story (especially for actually-young-adult readers. I am an almost 40 year old who still loves YA, but I appreciate when they can still appeal to an older audience. I think this one leads to an actual younger audience and nothing wrong with that. I think I could get behind it more as a fan of the movie, but may have been less invested otherwise. Overall, good story. Thank you for the opportunity to have an early copy!!

This was a fun read! I think I was hoping for a little of the cooperative sass I remember from the movie, but even still, this was a sweet exploration of the Muses' backstory. While I felt that some of the adventures resolved almost too neatly and easily, it IS based on Greek mythology, so I can't really fault the author for that. I will likely add this, in the print version, to my HS library, and I suspect it will be an easy sell to students who enjoy their mythology stories.

I don’t think I could have asked for a more beautiful book. Taking five beloved characters that there is very little known about and giving them such a dynamic story is just perfection. I love Greek mythology so getting to learn a little bit more about the muses was something I was really excited about, and this book didn’t disappoint. I love how each sister’s voice comes through so distinctly, and how they find out they are stronger together, but find ways to still be unique and true to themselves and talents. I hope readers fall in love with this book just as much as I did.
Thank you to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

⭐️⭐️💫

My personal thoughts is that “Hercules” is one of Disney’s most underrated musicals. With that, this is the origin story of the five muses, who go on to narrate the Hercules story. With Greek mythology, one of my favorites, it weaves together a fun story about the muses and their quest to save their mother, and in the process learning who they are and the gifts that were bestowed upon them.

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I’ve never been one for origin stories, but this is one I could never pass up. And yeah, it was so good. The muses have always been my favorite part of Hercules’ movie, so this was a no brainer. I knew I had to read this one ASAP.

Ok so the one thing I loved about this was the characters. As we know, all the Muses had their own thing and they all got to showcase them in the book. And I loved even more that they had no idea that these were their gifts. They were so naive and it was almost comical. I had to keep reminding myself that they were teens because all this happened to their mother and like, kids, listen to your parents. Even when it seems annoying lol And I also really loved the portrayal of Hades. He was terrible and also hilarious. Just like in the movie. I hope this is how they make him in the live action too if we ever get there.

The plot was good too. It was an origin story so I wasn’t thinking there would be a lot of action, but there was. From finding a labyrinth to having something that would be akin to a comedy show back in the day. It reminded me of all the things that make me happy in real life. It was so funny that I was reading this because I never thought of myself artsy before, but then I read this. All of the muses are me rolled up in one, so I loved this. This really was a lot of fun.

After reading this I can’t wait to see what Disney decides about the live action remake. I REALLY hope this is going to show them that this is the one we need next. I wish we had more of a look into their future than just the ending, but I get why Rochon didn’t. She wanted to give them their own shine. Which they deserved. (It’s me. I’m the problem. Because I just wanted more nods to the movie lol) And while we’re here talking about the movie…. Stop playing with my girl Amber Riley’s top! If I hear ANYONE ELSE sing, “Bless my soul, Herc was on a roll!” I’m going to lose it. But for now, this Disnerd Adult is happy with this!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook! I absolutely loved this story so much. This was such a fun and engaging narration. My 90s baby heart has always loved Hercules (especially the muses) and getting to hear about their origin story was so magical.

This is the adorable story of how the Muses came to be. If you've seen Disney's Hercules, you know how integral the Muses are to that story. A wonderful creation story. Even the gods and goddesses are portrayed as kind and beneficent.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Press for this digital audio e-arc.*