Serena’s Review: “Psyche and Eros”

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Book: “Psyche and Eros” by Luna McNamara

Publishing Info: William Morrow, June 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org |Amazon | IndieBound |

Book Description: A prophecy claims that Psyche, princess of Mycenae, will conquer a monster feared by the gods. Beloved by her family but at odds with her society’s expectations for women, Psyche trains to become a hero, mastering blade and bow.

When Psyche angers Aphrodite, the love goddess enlists Eros, god of desire, to help deliver a cruel curse. Eros is the last born of the eldest gods, dry-witted and jaded, unsure of his place in the cosmos. The last thing he wants is to become involved in the chaos of the mortal world, but when he pricks himself with the arrow intended for Psyche, Eros is doomed to yearn for a woman who will be torn from him the moment their eyes meet.

A joyous and subversive tale of gods, monsters, and the human heart and soul, Psyche and Eros dazzles the senses while exploring notions of trust, sacrifice, and what it truly means to be a hero. With unforgettably vivid characters, spellbinding prose, and delicious tension, Luna McNamara has crafted a shimmering and propulsive debut novel about a love so strong it defies the will of Olympus.

Review: Continuing to follow the ongoing trend of reimaging Greek/Roman mythology, I knew I had to check out this book when I saw it slotted for publication this summer. I also love the myth of Psyche and Eros, one of the few stories that doesn’t seem to end in abject tragedy. I was also feeling particularly optimistic going into this one after the awesome reading experience that was “Atalanta.” Before reading that one, I had been worrying that “Circe” might have been more of an exception than the rule. But the strength of that book refreshed my confidence that there were strong books to still be found, even in the midst of this boom in popularity where every other book seems to be of the same sort.

Alas, as it turns out, the comparison to “Atalanta” didn’t work in this book’s favor as much as I had hoped. I would have had struggles with this book either way, but I think reading it so quickly after didn’t help. And this speaks to my biggest frustration with this story, and that’s the characterization of Psyche herself. Being fairly familiar with the original tale, I had some strong ideas of the type of character Psyche was originally portrayed to be. And that was a normal, soft-hearted woman who finds the inner strength to fight for her love when she finds herself in extraordinary situations. She is a heroine much like the ones that I love so much from Juliet Mariller’s books. There is an author who excels at writing heroines who value the strengths of “traditional” women’s roles, caring for the home, focusing on healing, midwifery, embroidery, etc. But they are just as strong when fighting for those they love.

This is the character that Psyche is presented as in the original story. So imagine my frustration when, here, she has been re-worked into the typical outgoing, fighter woman that we so typically see. I loved Atalanta for being this sort of character, and it is true to her origins. But to re-make Psyche, a character whose strengths are very different and represent how all women, not just natural warriors, can fight for those they love, into that same sort of heroine? No, dislike. It’s not only a waste of an opportunity to place value on all women, but it makes Psyche just your same-old, average heroine we’ve all read a million times before.

So that was a long rant on one very specific aspect of the story. But for me, who places such a value on characterization in my stories, this was incredibly disappointing. Granted, this is a hugely subjective take, and I, too, enjoy the warrior woman character, so readers with different expectations of this book may not even blink at these changes. There are also a lot of changes to the story itself. The author, of course, chooses to set this during the siege of Troy, a decision that is fine, I guess, but draws a lot of timelines into conflict if you know much about the various gods and stories involved. There are also a lot of changes to the general pantheon and who is related to who and how. Again, if you’re not overly familiar, this may all work fine for you. It just didn’t for me.

Overall, I was very frustrated with this read. That said, I also think that there are large groups of readers who will simply gobble this book up and enjoy the heck out of it. The writing is solid, the love story is, of course, there. And the characters, on their own, are fine. They just aren’t the ones I was expecting or wanting.

Rating 6: Turning Psyche into a “warrior girl boss” is not the vibe I was here for, but if you’re not looking for a close re-telling of the original, you could still enjoy this story!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Psyche and Eros” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Retellings of greek and roman myths and Bows, Arrows, Spears.