I loved this book so much that I knew I had to wait at least a day before writing my review. Oh my god, this was so good.

I have a one-line pitch for it that immediately sold my sister so much that I preordered a copy for her birthday even though it doesn't come out until March, but it's a bit spoilery about the ending, so I'll put that at the end. But basically if you love books like Madeline Miller's or Greek mythology in general, and you love queerness and hope while still not feeling like a lighthearted fairy tale, this is the perfect book for you. I was so drawn in to the characters and their world, while also being so stressed the whole time about how it would end. I loved the way it was written, and the themes, and the things you come back to, and the resolution we get for all the questions and mysteries. Genuinely dare I say a perfect book??? Idk. I just know I'm going to be recommending it to everyone I can.

Spoilers ahead!! What I told my sister is that it has some Orpheus and Eurydice/Achilles and Patroclus vibes while also having a happier ending. Like, it's not just a HEA type thing, but the ending was much happier than I expected given how these sorts of stories usually go (and given how it wasn't marketed as a romance, at least not by the time I read it). Like, if The Song of Achilles and/or Hadestown broke your heart, this will put it back together again, just a little.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I really liked Mars House, but Pulley in this new book returns -- sort of -- to her m/m romance historical novels. Though, in fact, we're in prehistory in this one. The novel takes place in Thebes just after the Trojan War; Dionysus arrives, in the middle of a drought, and chaos ensues, but in an entirely therapeutic fashion. The main character, Phaidros, is delightful; he mostly outshines Dionysus, but I still enjoyed their romance.

This was wonderful, but I didn’t expect anything less from Natasha Pulley. Beautiful and complex and funny and sad and unflinching. This is what a myth should feel like.

WOW! What did I just read??? I love Greek myth retellings and this one felt like it was on another plane! Imaginative and tender filled with magic, adventure and longing with writing that just captivates you wholly! I am in awe of how beautifully Pulley reimagined Dionysus's story and I feel like it is no small thing to believe that Dionysus would be proud.

Oh glory, I loved this! I delighted in coming back to it each day and didn’t want it to be over. I’m going to have a book hangover after this.

We’ve all seen a lot of ancient-Greek-world stories covering the regimented military and royal side, and the tragedies therein. And this book does include that side of things. This novel, however, also smashes all of that regimentation and brings wild nature rioting back in. Which is far better, if you ask me, and exactly the type of theme we need in our current political era.

I love how Dionysus is portrayed here. His characterization sticks close to the delicious Greek mythology I grew up with—tales of ivy and grapes growing wild around him, sailors turning into dolphins, masked drunken revelers wreaking havoc, the works—but also makes him a thoughtful, compassionate being who neatly straddles the line between man and god. We, along with narrator Phaidros, are constantly suspecting he’s lying, but he brings such magic and life and sincere love that we want more of him anyway. We probably need more of him in our lives.

And I loved Phaidros too! His irreverent, snarky first-person narrative is a delightful voice I would follow around for a whole book no matter what was going on. I’ve seen some reviewers comment that it feels too modern, but I strongly disagree. I believe those people are missing a couple key points. First: the whole thing is in translation, so to speak. These characters are speaking a pre-Ancient Greek of some sort, which I sure can’t read and you probably can’t either, so Natasha Pulley considerately translated it all into English for us. And if someone is being informal and snarky in their own language, how else to translate that into English but into informal snarky English? Second: Phaidros’s honesty and earthiness dovetails nicely with the central theme of what Dionysus stands for, which is being true to nature—both one’s own nature and the greater Earth as a whole. If we’re going to smash the regimented, miserable life of soldiers and nobles and slaves and give everyone a sweet release filled with honey and wine, we’re sure not going to do it in uber-formal classical language. That wouldn’t fit.

Does it feel like The Song of Achilles? Somewhat, certainly, but I definitely liked the ending better and spent a lot less time feeling sad than I did with Achilles. It actually reminds me somewhat more of the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, which has a similar dazzling blend of tricksy gods, ancient-style civilization, political intrigue, brutal shocks, and adorable relationships.

Pure magic all around. Loved it. Will be buying a hard copy.

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite books of the year.

The publisher comps it to Song of Achilles and to a degree, I agree, but I also think it's, dare I say, better. In typical Pulley fashion, the whole book is subtle and wind-y and confusing and sad and sweet absolutely lovely. I can't comment on any accuracy to standing mythology or stories, but it was as immersive and wonderful as the Watchmaker of Filigree Street with the typical Pulley sense of dry wit and humor (that I absolutely adore). I will certainly be ruminating on this book, and then re-reading it in a week to tease apart more and more of it.

(If you were personally victimized by Mars House, this book is absolutely without a shade of doubt, redemption.)

All in all, I am obsessed with this book and I will talk about to anyone misfortunate enough to be in listening distance