Hey y’all… Happy Wednesday!🎉

This my fourth(?) year participating in Blogmas which is basically a countdown of my personal favorite reads of the year! I’m following the promts of one of my favorite blogger buddies: Sophie @Beware of the Reader who is a fab blogger and bookstagrammer so go check out her blog!

If you want to join the fun, here are the different daily topics. You can of course post only once or twice or as many time as you’d like! Use the hashtag #Blogmas2021 AND comment/leave your url on my daily post that you have posted tooif you want me to give your posts some love. That way I shouldn’t miss them!

Historical is really not my thing, I very rarely read it but luckily, my book club voted on my next pick and it. Was. So. Good!

My choice for Best Historical Fiction goes to:

 

In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.

When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.

There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.

 

 

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Circe is a standalone retelling from a goddess’s point of view from Greek mythology.

The daughter of the sun god, Helios and the sea nymph, Perse, Circe is a goddess but far different from her siblings. Banished to a deserted island by the god, Zeus, Circe finds herself learning what it truly means to live and her own worth thru witchcraft and her interaction with mortals.

I can probably count on one hand how many historical books I’ve read in my life but I’ve never read anything like this! Admittedly, this one was WAY out of my comfort zone (romance blogger, ICYMI) but I absolutely loved it. Madeline Miller wrote a smart, thought provoking, vivid, EPIC tale of a character that I suppose might be considered “minor” in Greek mythology. Let’s be honest, I think everyone might have heard a thing or two about Circe or Zeus or Athena or any other Greek/Roman god at some point (Homer’s Odyssey anyone?) but have you ever really thought…felt…examined what being a goddess or a god truly means? What it means to live eternal? How “perfect” a god should be?

Circe came alive for me in this book. Whew…talk about a Greek tragedy! This goddess had so many things against her (no spoilers here) but she persevered thru it all. Who knew even goddesses had to fight to be accepted, respected and heard?! I was fascinated by all the characters that came in and out of Circe’s life, some I loathed and some I adored. This book made me want to relearn about all things mythological so kudos and thanks to Madeline Miller!

Told completely from Circe’s POV with an ending that will tickle your imagination! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

View all my reviews

 

I know this book was published a few years ago but I barely got to it this year! Anyone read this? Have a fantastic day y’all!💜