Psyche and Eros: A Novel

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Also the potion from Hecate that “illegally” turns Psyche immortal? DUMBEST THING I HAVE EVER READ AND IMPOSSIBLE, if you’ve actually studied Greek myth you KNOW Zeus must approve of someone becoming immortal and you must receive ambrosia/nectar, you cannot bypass him!! There’s no such thing as a magic potion. But oh yeah let’s just do it for the sake of *plot*. Ugh. Evocative and lyrically spun, Luna McNamara’s Psyche and Eros is a pure delight’ Rebecca Ross, #1 internationally bestselling author of A River Enchanted Overall: I would recommend to those who want a Greek Myth inspired love story with plenty of adventure! I could write an essay on what I didn't enjoy about this book, but it all boils down to feeling like McNamara had no confidence that the Eros and Psyche story could stand alone. Psyche spends so much of her storyline bouncing between cameos of famous Greeks and being the most Special Woman To Exist (she's the granddaughter of Perseus! She's the only student of Atalanta! She's besties with Iphigenia! She shows Achilles that girls can run! She's as skilled as Artemis, as cunning as Athena, as beautiful as Aphrodite! She's briefly engaged to Nestor! She's beloved by all who meet her, including most of the gods and also Medusa!) that when she finally meets Eros, there's barely any time for them to bond in any meaningful way. And even that time is spent faffing about with Eros not telling her the nature of his curse or his identity and her just... not asking. A riotous adventure . . . McNamara strikes the perfect note of irreverent humor and furious emotion in this fabulous novel. An absolute joy!” — JENNIFER SAINT, bestselling author of Ariadne

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book, but I think I overall enjoyed it. It was really messy and it had the potential to be a lot better, but it brought some great life to a Greek myth that not everyone knows about. Orion has signed social worker and Harvard University graduate Luna McNamara’s “fun, feminist and utterly captivating” retelling of “one of the greatest love stories in Greek mythology”, Psyche & Eros . I loved the vibrant visualization of the story and the Gods and mortals, the world building and character development. I also found that the settings in the middle of the book were amazing. The seaside house was my favorite location they spent time at. The seaside house was described so well that I could picture it as if I was sitting in the house. It had unique magic as well that captivated me from start to finish. Having said this: all of the characters are reinvented in ways that don’t make sense, the author took from an actual primary source like from Hesiod, mixed it with retellings from Euripides and Apuleius , and decided to add her own twists too, which made absolutely zero sense:Why is Penelope related to Helen and not Clytemnestra? They’re technically all COUSINS in the original myth. A classic love story for the ages that McNamara adapts into an unputdownable book. . . . Readers who have enjoyed Madeline Miller’s and Jennifer Saint’s retelling of Greek myths will enjoy this novel. The text is beautiful and poetic, immersing the reader into the world of ancient Greece, while still reading like a modern novel. A must-read for fans of Greek mythology adaptations, this book is enjoyable, poignant, and beautifully written." — Library Journal Anyways yeah I’m done ranting. Pretty disappointed, if anyone has any recommendations for Psyche/Eros retellings that are good, please let me know! 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. Although still a Princess, this version of Psyche is both an only child and an aspiring warrior (thanks to the prophecy at her birth which claims she’ll conquer a monster feared by the gods.)

Vividly bold and unapologetically feminist, Luna McNamara’s sweeping reimagining of Psyche and Eros’ story was a refreshingly insightful and engaging read exploring love in all it’s many guides, that I genuinely didn’t want to end. The writing of this book was excellent, but in a far different way than Circe or Clytemnestra or weightier books in the Greek myth retelling world. Psyche and Eros is an incredibly fast, easy read, one that felt young adult or new adult, but in the best of ways. It was all about the story, not about the prose or the philosophy or the emotion. It was a compelling story very well told, and that was all it needed to be. Plot: I really liked following along on Psyche's adventures. From first training with Atalanta, to the shores of the Trojan War, to her daring quest to the underworld. And of course, let's not forget Eros's role as a beguiling God of desire cursed to love a mortal. Their love story was sweet and slow and had a lovely little happily everI adored McNamara’s lush, vibrant prose and endearingly complex characters-especially Psyche, who quite possibly had the biggest transformation from the original. Even Eros (a god himself) shows contempt for the selfish (sometimes harmful) games Zeus’ pantheon of Gods partake in (including his disgust and guilt at some of his own questionable decisions.) Delightful . . . A tender, meditative, bittersweet tale of one of literature's most ancient themes: love unfolding through self-discovery in the face of death * Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing * so I’m pretty sad, but felt I should warn people that are excited about this book. Of course this is just an opinion, feel free to read it and make one for yourself, but I’m just SO DISAPPOINTED. Startlingly lovely. Reading Psyche and Eros feels like starting down a familiar path, only to discover endless new wonders along the way. This is Greek mythology as it's meant to be told—witty, indulgent, deeply felt." — Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

First off, I do want to mention that there are quite a few big changes made to Psyche and Eros’ tale both character and plot wise, which you may be disappointed by if you prefer your retellings to stay 100% faithful to the source material. Personally, I actually didn’t mind the changes and really enjoyed the modern take on this classical Greek myth.Characters: Psyche does fall into the "fierce warrior woman" trope, but I found her desire to carve out her own fate and not have it be dictated by the norms of society or those around her honorable. I do think she stood out more to me than Eros, whose story more seemed to provide the narrative structure for Psyche's tale to be told. I enjoyed Eros’ character arc, though I admit to finding Psyche just a smidge more developed. I did, however, really love Eros’ alternating POV chapters as they allowed us to delve into the thought processes and emotions of the gods, which we don’t always get to do in retellings. 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, Psychetrains to become a hero, mastering blade and bow. We knew we needed to move fast to snap up Luna’s brilliant novel and we’re so thrilled that she’s chosen Orion to be her publisher." Psyche is introduced to the reader as a soon-to-be hero, she doesn’t have sisters, and if in the original tale she’s the daughter of unknown royals, in this book she’s the princess of Mycenae and she’s even related to Agamemnon and Menelaus. Not to mention the historical periods that are completely wrong and used only to bring up characters such as Achilles, Patroclus, Clytemnestra, Elena, etc… They have nothing to do with Psyche and Eros since their historical time doesn’t match with the Trojan War period.

Charlotte Mursell, editorial director at Orion Fiction, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to the debut novel from Hattie Grunewald at The Blair Partnership in a two-book deal. US rights have been sold at auction to Julia Elliott at Morrow, HarperCollins and translation rights have been sold in Italy (Garzanti), Poland (Muza) and Germany, with offers in eight other territories. im not super familiar with the tale of psyche and eros, so i really enjoyed learning more about their story.A stunning, exciting and hotly-anticipated feminist retelling of one of the greatest love stories in Greek mythology!