Score: 5/5 Bookmarks

I felt like everyone had read Circe, by Madeline Miller, except me. So when I heard she was coming to Seattle, I figured now was as good a time as any to start reading her book.

I wish I had listened to the hype surrounding this book — then I may have read it sooner, and I would have had Madeline Miller’s words in my life days, weeks, MONTHS earlier! This is easily one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year, I just couldn’t put it down!

Circe is the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun, but she never seems to quite fit in with her immortal family and is more drawn to the mortal world. She gets herself in trouble when she discovers she is capable of witchcraft and drawing power from the earth itself. I don’t want to give you any spoilers so I won’t tell you any more of what actually happens, but the characters are so rich and interesting, and the author paints such a vivid picture that you can really see the Isle of Aiaia, smell the salt on the air, and feel Helios’ gaze warming your skin. Miller really brings Greek Mythology to life in a way that is fascinating while somehow still being relatable.

I listened to the audiobook version of Circe and Perdita Weeks is completely captivating in her narration of the story. If you’d like to get the audiobook, check out Libro.fm who gives a portion of proceeds back to independent, brick-and-mortar, bookstores. You can get three-for-one audiobooks by using the code ‘LatestBookCrush’. Otherwise you can grab the physical or eBook version by clicking the button below.

Synopsis:

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.

But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.