In an increasingly popular genre this is a solid modern approach to another Greek myth. A gentle love story against a violent backdrop, this story entertains well enough

I love a good myth retelling and while this isn't one I knew beforehand I did enjoy it. At times I found Psyche to be less fleshed out as a character than Eros and some of the tasks set out by Aphrodite solved too easily but I also found this to be an easy holiday read.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for letting me read Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara. The following review is my own opinion.

I came into reading this classical tale with high expectations. And just let me tell you. Luna McNamara over achieved those expectations!

Not only is this one of my absolute favourite stories of love, heartbreak and perseverance, but somehow this retelling just improved the parts that needed improvement, expanding on the loves not only between that of Psyche and Eros, but also that of their friends and family.

The tale is modified, but in my eyes all for the better. Not only does Luna get rid of the jealous motives of the sisters in the original to instead replace it with a plot line that makes sense on the discovery of Eros' identity to Psyche, but she also incorpates myths of other stories that are like Easter Eggs throughout the story.

In the words of Luna McNamara herself, "Myths are not written in stone. They are organic, evolving structures constantly being adapted to new circumstances and cultures. This is but one reimagining of the Eros and Psyche myth."

Bonus points go towards the honourable mention of one of my other favourable "soulmate" Greek tales at the beginning of the book. I'm a sucker for a happy ending with the love of your life.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this rendition of the story and romance of Psyche and Eros. It was super easy to read and addictive - much like their love for each other in the book. I highly recommend this. The perfect cosy mythology book to read this summer.

Each passing day brings forth the realisation that when it comes to Greek mythology I have only scratched the surface. New characters (particularly women) that are often overlooked in the past come up as central characters making their voices heard. This time it is Psyche's turn.

"No temples were ever built in my honour, and no colleges of priestesses ever sung hymns in my names"

She is the Goddess of soul and the beloved of Eros, the God of love. If you want to find a romantic comedy in Greek mythology, then that is theirs. At least that is what McNamara has created through her stunning work. While some may criticise McNamara's handling of the original myth, I beg to defer. Should we really be faithful to the original when it comes to retelling? Wouldn't that fail its purpose? I, for one, loved how the author made Psyche into an archer. Sure, feminist retellings don't have to make the woman a warrior. Still, I can't help but notice that this puts Psyche on equal footing with her archer husband.
The depiction of Eros as a primordial god ushered in a new perspective on the so-called main storyline. Zeus, as usual, doesn't gain any favourable points but Prometheus, on the other hand, shines through his lighthearted humour. Seeing him was like revisiting many of my childhood memories. Psyche's POV introduces a horde of other characters: Iphigenia, Clytmenestra, Atlanta . . . the list goes on. Women whose blood drenched the legends.
Psyche and Eros' love story may not be as famous as Helen's and that could be a good thing. It does have a happy ending. As Psyche says, "Truly great lovers rarely make their way into the public eye. They are too busy with one another". Thank you McNamara for bringing them to the public eye and for creating an unforgettable tale.

4.5 stars

Headlines:
Cursed in love
Fierce females
Being real

While I had a vague knowledge of Psyche and Eros' story, I couldn't remember where it ended and so this whole tale had me gripped to where this tragedy-laden 'love' story would culminate. I enjoyed the passing of years in this tale, Psyche's growth from childhood and Eros' centuries jaded with his fellow immortals and their requests. The time with Psyche and Atalanta was precious.

When the book directed itself to these two meeting, that pesky arrow had other ideas and the tale stretched out in truly interesting directions. I liked the slow trust, genuine care and affection but I was always second guessing the curse's power.

Aphrodite was pretty wicked, Persephone was bold and Demeter surprised me with her care. Hecate was a fascinating character and meddler. One of the great elements of this retelling was the involvement of all the other characters, each with a part to play rather than just showing their faces.

Psyche and Eros is the kind of read that's memorable. In a sea of good Greek mythology retellings, this one is great.

Thank you to Orion Books for the review copy.

A very well written retelling of Psyche and Eros.
If you are a fan of Greek retelling I would strongly encourage you to read this. As it mentions other hero’s and events from other Greek myths.

I would also recommend this to someone who wants to read more as it isn’t as graphic as many other retellings for instance- in the treatment of woman. I also thing this is one of the very few retelling that I have read that has a relatively happy ending Which makes for a nice change.

The alternative chapters from Psyche and Eros’s perspective’s was very well done and it allows the reader to have a deeper connection with both characters. As most retelling are told from the mortals perspective.

McNamara's debut novel, breathes new life into one of the greatest love stories in Greek mythology. With a riotous adventure, a cast of vivid characters, and a touch of magic, this book is a joy to read.

In this retelling of the Psyche and Eros Myth, McNamara introduces us to Psyche, the rebellious Princess of Mycenae, who defies societal expectations to prepare for her destined battle against a fearsome monster. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when the jealous Aphrodite intervenes, subjecting her to a fatal love-curse. Enter Eros (or Cupid!), the God of Desire, who becomes entangled in the mortal world and finds himself helplessly bound to love the woman destined to be taken away from him upon their first meeting.

McNamara's writing is well crafted, drawing readers into a world of adventure, romance, and heartache. The author's ability to evoke vivid imagery and transport readers to ancient Greece is impressive for a debut author and the pacing is effective.

The chemistry between Psyche and Eros is palpable and beautifully depicted. Their journey is filled with challenges that push the boundaries of their strength and determination. As the Trojan War looms and celestial forces conspire to keep them apart, we are kept on the edge of our seats, desperately hoping for their reunion before it's too late.

As with other modern Greek myth retellings, a feminist perspective breathes new life into this timeless tale, offering a refreshing take on love, empowerment, and self-discovery. The author skillfully weaves together themes of disguise, revelation, and passion, giving the story a provocative modern twist while still honouring the essence of the original myth and bringing in a few guest cameos along the way.

"Psyche and Eros" is a must-read for anyone seeking a romantic adventure that transcends time and genre, this book with its evocative prose, vibrant characters, will keep readers hooked until the final page.

Unfortunately this one really wasn't for me. I'm already pretty familiar with the story of Psyche and Eros and I think because of that I didn't like the very obvious changes the author made to the story, particularly changing Psyche's personality. There's too many liberties with the original myth, and I think the author would have been better off writing their own story and their own characters that just takes inspiration from the Greek myths instead. A lot of the plot also didn't really make sense if you know a lot about Greek mythology.

Not for me, but if you don't know a lot about the original myths you might find this enjoyable.

Psyche, Princess of Mycenae, wants to make her name in a world full of heroes. It's prophesised she will do just that, defeating a monster feared by even the gods themselves. But when Psyche angers Aphrodite, goddess of love, she gets caught up in a cursed love story after Eros, god of desire, accidentally pricks himself with a cursed arrow intended for her.

I was really looking forward to this retelling, one of most well known and loved love stories in Greek mythology. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed.

I have no issues with authors taking liberties with the source material, making changes to weave a new narrative and putting their own twist on mythology - myths evolve, everyone has their own interepretations and so on. But, in this one, it feels like the author took the names and then the bare skeleton of the myth and then just wrote an entirely different story. That would have been fine (if at a little annoying) if the changes made any sense or pushed forward the story she was trying to tell, but it just... didn't.

I love a feminist retelling as much as the next person, but that doesn't mean every feminine character has to be a warrior who can wield a bow and arrow like Artemis. Pysche's story is plenty interesting without that. The change of family structures was confusing and unnecessary, it didn't make a difference to the story. Psyche's sisters are cut from the story, with Iphigenia as a weak stand in. The change in Psyche's prophecy made sense for the story the author is trying to tell, but that doesn't make me appreciate it anymore.

Having the story from two POVs was interesting and a storytelling method that can be a really powerful way to give us deeper insight to the story - but this fell flat for me, too. I didn't connect with the romance at all, there was no real development of their relationship and I didn't feel like we were given the "why". I enjoyed Eros' chapters a lot more, his thoughts on immortality and the curse were really interesting to read.

My other issue with this book was it felt very much like a "who's who" of Greek mythology. You'd be hard pressed to find a big name (and some of the smaller ones) not mentioned in this book. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was all very surface level as it was all squeezed into a little over 300 pages - instead twisting timelines and families to be able to shoehorn Achilles and the Trojan war in, those pages could have been used to develop Psyche and Eros' romance. I also wasn't a fan of Aphrodite's characterisation - now I love seeing Aphrodite portrated as vengeful, petty, and just generally a bit of a b*tch but this just took it to the next level and she came across as a brat rather than a goddess.

There are some things I did like in this book! While I didn't like Aphrodite's characterisation as a whole, I did enjoy that the author tried to reflect some of Psyche's original myth into Aphrodite and her feelings towards Psyche - namely, the struggles with love, being admired for her beauty and then dropped when that infatuation burns out. I also enjoyed Eros as a character - I wish we had much more of him. Zephyrus was a fun character, too!

Pysche and Eros is written very much as a YA rom-com, both things I love, but it just didn't work for me in this case. Ultimately, I just couldn't get past all the unnecessary changes. I'd like to say that I'd recommend this to people who don't know much about the myth going in, but the characterisation and development was shallow and lacking, so sadly it didn't work as a rom-com for me either.

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

I enjoyed Psyche and Eros. Although a little slow in places, I really enjoyed the dual POV but actually liked Eros’s chapters more! There was an error in the book when Psyche visits Iphigenia and she calls Eros Eros when to her, at that time, he’s actually Cupid. I’d recommend to people interested in Greek mythology retellings and I liked the little pieces of other characters from Greek mythology retelling stories popping up like Atalanta especially!

I love the greeks and any retelling is pure magic for me. Psyche and Eros was no different. It was filled with rich characters and descriptions and I loved being able to see these myths come to life. It was what I needed it to be and more. the myth of Psyche and Eros is not one that I am completely familiar with so I was glad to be able to read through and discover it even more in this beautiful retelling, it was well executed and the world building was stunning to read.

I love these retelling of Greek myths. I didn't mind that it differed from the traditional myth as I enjoy storytelling. I liked Psyche, I thought she was developed well, Eros less so I wish I felt more... Godliness from him?? Although, perhaps the purpose was to make him human like. I read the story quickly and was very engaged throughout, however my one con was that I felt there there was too much Greek History packed in to the plot so it felt like it was glossed over almost. There was a big chunk of the story that I felt just didn't need to be there at all I'm mot sure what the purpose was to the stories ending. I did enjoy it and I would recommend this book!

I've always enjoyed ancient history and mythology, so when Insaw this I jumped at the chance. I loved the feminist retelling, with Psyche portrayed as a warrior, destined to fight a monster, even the gods were scared of. I loved the growing relationship between her and Eros. Overall, a wonderful retelling of an ancient myth.

Retelling of the myth of Psyche and Eros.

At the beginning of this book I was a little annoyed at the differences with the myth, but I warmed to the story over time, and by the end I found this retelling rather clever in its analysis of the idea of the "hero".
It was overall an enjoyable story that gave Psyche more agency and capabilities than before. I liked that, but I would have preferred if her character had not been completely changed in the process into the typical "not like other girls" heroine. This change makes the story a bit generic, but I still enjoyed it, and I liked the themes and the wider scope of the story, with the inclusion of other mythological figures. The Author's note at the end is interesting and shows a thoughtful consideration of the story and its origin.

This was a fun cute reinterpretation of the Psyche and Eros (or Cupid) myth that isn't explored as much in the rise of greek myth retellings and is something that I appreciated from the author. I found the story to be well plotted and how most events were cuased by and action mentioned earlier in the novel. I has some issues such as the pacing of the later half. I found Psyche's quests to be introduced much too late in the novel and were quite rushed, while I think mor etime could have been spent on them. Particularly in exchange for the whole Trojan war section. I saw why the author included it but I found it took a lot away from the main plot of Psyche and Eros to explore a narrative that wasn't included in the original myth. But I did enjoy the inclusion of othe rmyths (Atalanta, Medusa, Persephone) even though it was more of a wink to the audience.
I like the main couple enough to hope for them and while I could see the author trying to spend more time on their relationship the plot and the Trojan war took away form it.
It was a fun book. 3.7 stars

There is a prophecy in which that Psyche, princess of Mycenae, will one day slay a monster feared even by the great Gods and Goddesses. Emboldened by her fate, Psyche pushes herself beyond the societal structures of her gender to master her strength and prepare for the day when she will face the monster.

However, when Psyche angers the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, she sends the God of Desire, Eros, to enact a cruel twist of fate. Reluctant to involve himself in mortal affairs, it is only when Eros inadvertently pricks himself with the arrow that was intended for Psyche that he now must come to terms with their doomed love. Can Psyche and Eros find a way for their love to blossom or will war and mortality crush any hope of its survival?

With an abundance of classical retellings arriving on the scene, the reader is truly spoilt for choice on what to read lately. There are some works that set themselves on a pedestal of outstanding fiction, and there are others that unfortunately fall short of the mark. While I applaud all efforts of writing and the ordeal that goes into it, this novel just didn't work for me.

The decision to make many drastic changes to the original tale of Psyche and Eros was off-putting. The characters were confusing, too many and lacked depth, making them ineffective as I struggled to care for them.

A dual point-of-view was interesting as this could have allowed a greater insight into our leading characters but I found it hard to believe in the romance that they held for each other.

Perhaps I was not the target audience for this novel. At times I wondered whether this would be best suited for a young-adult reader than someone like myself who struggled to finish it.

I have no doubt that many will still enjoy this novel, seeing Psyche as a fiery heroine. Unfortunately I can't love every book I read and this one just wasn't for me.

Unfortunately I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I think the author overextended themselves by trying to fit most of the Greek pantheon as well as Troy in the story of Psyche and Eros.

Due to the split P.O.V I didn't really feel invested in either character and definitely not in their love, I didn't understand the impetus behind their actions beyond that they had to do it because that's the myth. Language choice was a bit awkward for me too, the use of the word 'cad' was definitely jarring.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion for the eArc.

The myth of Psyche and Eros is not one I’m too familiar with although I gather some artistic licence was taken when writing this novel. This is a feminist reimagining whereby Psyche is fated to defeat a monster feared even by the Gods so she spends her childhood learning to fight under the tutelage of Atalanta.

Eros is sent by Aphrodite to curse Psyche after she is slighted by the mortal, but instead manages to inflict the curse upon himself. He falls instantly in love with Psyche but as soon as their eyes meet, she will be torn away from him, never to meet again.

We are given the story through their two POVs and I enjoyed them both. I liked how disenchanted with the world Eros had become after seeing what his arrows could do to humanity and I liked his interactions with the other Gods. We follow Psyche from a child when she first hears about the prophecy and so we get to see her grow and mature. The relationship between the two of them was sweet but it could have been a little more developed. We needed to believe that they would literally die for each other and I felt this was lacking slightly.

One thing I thought the author did well was weave other Greek myths into the telling of this story. We meet Medusa and Persephone down in the underworld and we get up close and personal to the action of the Trojan War. This section was by far the most powerful and thought it was beautifully done.

Most of Greek myth seems to end in tragedy so it’s nice once in a while to read something a bit more hopeful. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Psyche and Eros and while it may not be the most accurate portrayal of their relationship, it’s nevertheless an entertaining one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I loved this book. I think Psyche and Eros maybe my new favourite myth! I wasn't familiar with the story before so I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.

The characters were so well written. I loved how Psyche how matured throughout the novel but the changes in character were so subtle.

There were plenty of hints at other big myths, Atalanta, Troy, Hades and Persephone which I loved but the focus was always on Psyche and Eros.

Highly recommend