Title: Psyche and Eros: A Novel
Author: Luna McNamara
Year Published: 2023
Genre: Mythology retelling, romance
Setting: Ancient Greece
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Psyche and Eros: A Blurb
Psyche is the princess of Mycenae, raised to be a warrior and defeat a great monster. Eros is the god of desire, yet he’s cynical about love. Their paths collide when Psyche angers Aphrodite, the goddess of love, who subsequently sends Eros to place a curse on her.
The story becomes complicated when Eros accidentally sets the curse on himself–and falls head over heels for Psyche. Their paths cross again, this time happily. But with an angry Aphrodite lurking in the shadows, they will have to go to hell and back for their love and defeat the odds.
If you’d like to read the original myth, there’s a good version here.
My Thoughts
I read this in Italian (Psiche e Eros), so I can’t comment on the writing style. At least from the work that the translator did, it flowed very smoothly. As a side note, this was an especially interesting way to practice the language. Although I read regularly in Italian, this book provided unique challenges because I had to figure out the Italian equivalent of various figures/places in Greek mythology.
Now the review–for real
Now for the actual book. I’ll preface this review by warning that Psyche and Eros changes several things about the original myth. The author even comments on it in the afterword, which I found interesting. Most of the changes had to do with including the Trojan War and related characters, taking out Psyche’s sisters and making her an only child, and switching the focus from her beauty to her being a hero.
This last point didn’t bother me, and I found it to be a great way to loop in other mythological characters. It also gave some credibility to her ability to complete the tasks in the last part of the book. The intent was obviously to make Psyche more than just a pretty face and to strengthen her determination and grit. I will say that I wished it had incorporated more from the original story, as that would have explained the strong reaction from Aphrodite better, but again, it worked on the whole.
McNamara’s ability to handle the mythology was something to applaud
Eros was also a compelling character, and I enjoyed how the author sketched out the complicated relationships between the gods throughout the book. As I read, I couldn’t help but be impressed. I can only imagine how complicated planning, writing, and editing this book was. With so much source material, so many characters, and all of the history to consult, it must have been a Herculean task. Kudos to Luna McNamara for weaving all of that together and creating a truly vivid story that stood on its own.
I also appreciated that the tone in this story was a bit lighter. It’s obviously a love story, so this is to be expected. However, it also made it a relatively quick read. I read Elektra a few months ago, and while I was impressed by it for the same reasons, I felt it to be much heavier. Granted, it was highly focused on a terrible conflict, so the tone difference made sense, but my personal preferences veer more toward Psyche and Eros.
What didn’t fully land for me
With that being said, I did have a few hang-ups while reading. The pacing, for me, left something to be desired. From a writer’s perspective, covering this story must have been a nightmare. There’s so much necessary backstory, and this was McNamara’s debut novel, so she probably needed to keep it on the shorter side. Add dual perspectives on top of that, and you have a pacing headache (for the writer).
In my opinion, the beginning dragged a little because there was possibly too much backstory. This is great if you’re a Greek mythology aficionado. If you’re not, it’s slow. It covers the first 17-18 years of Psyche’s life and a few millennium of Eros’s. The middle part, however, flew by, and it really captured my attention. Toward the end, when Psyche does the tasks for Aphrodite, I found myself a bit torn. On the one hand, it felt a bit quick compared to the first half of the novel. On the other hand, I don’t think the tasks needed to be drawn out longer.
The only other thing that didn’t click for me was the Aphrodite-Eros mother-son relationship. I know him being her adopted son was just a way to explain the hierarchy of gods, but it felt strange. Although it was a very minor part, I always just questioned it when it came up. By no means does it distract from the story, though.
A Final Word
Overall, Luna McNamara created a wonderfully complex, vivid retelling with Psyche and Eros, and I am impressed with her ability to balance all of the source material. Greek myth retellings have only been getting more popular lately (yay), and this has been one of my favorites thus far. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves myths, forbidden romances, protagonists who will do anything for love, and powerful women.
Have you read it? Let me know what you thought!
